Equine Obituary - Citibank
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Citibank, the popular chestnut gelding shown through most of his 23 years by Heather Criswell of Houston, Texas, was humanely destroyed Feb. 28, 2008.
Royal Scot Stables bred the son of CH Marlbank and CH Dreamhill’s Ann Thompson. Kim Crumpler started him on his show ring career, earning a Reserve World’s Championship in the Three-Year-Old Three Gaited Park Pleasure National Futurity. Donna and Kristen Pettry each campaigned the sporty gelding before the late Dorothy Dukes Ford selected him for Criswell in 1992.
The combination worked. Criswell and Citibank won silks and silver throughout the Southwest Circuit. One of their highlights: winning the Three-Gaited Show Pleasure title for riders 18 – 30 years of age at St. Louis.
"He was family," Criswell said. "He went with me to all the shows and to college at Stephens. He always gave 100-percent."
After Ford’s death, Citibank and his owner moved to Ed and Ada Perwien’s Bluebonnet Farm in Bellville, Texas. When Criswell retired from the show ring, the gelding became a star in Bluebonnet’s Academy program. Many young riders had little concept of the history of the champion that introduced them to the show ring.
Although he officially retired from the show ring at a TASHA show a few years ago, Citibank made one comeback. The last child he introduced to the arena was the Perwien’s granddaughter, Sophie in December 2007. Ears pricked, always very conscious of his job, Citibank carried the young rider to her first blue. Criswell was in the stands.
"We were best pals," she said, fighting back tears as she talked about her friend.
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