Salma Hayek’s stepdaughter Mathilde Pinault mourns the death of her faithful companion

Salma Hayek’s stepdaughter Mathilde Pinault is mourning the death of her ‘faithful companion,’ a horse named Nickel. On Monday, the 22-year-old shared an emotional post with photos and videos of her time with Nickel. “Writing this message is unbearable to me, finding the words is even more so. Still having a hard time believing this,” she wrote in French.

© @mathildepinault

Mathilde and Nickel had a special bond, and she did whatever she could to try and save him. “Nickel left us yesterday morning after spending the night at the clinic. The vets’ efforts weren’t enough, his heart gave up,” she wrote. “This was an extremely clingy and kind horse, although a little hot at times in training, he was naturally obstacle-oriented. On foot, I was always very close to him. He knew how to do it with his faces all cuter than the other: he only left me the embarrassment of choosing between carrots and apples,” Mathilde continued.

“Thank you for everything my Nickel, for what you taught me and what you gave me, you will remain in my heart my faithful companion.”

© GettyImages

The daughter of Francois-Henri Pinault and his first wife, Dorothée Lepère started riding horses at the age of 6. She began competing when she was 10. Nickel was one of the horses she competed with. Mathilde announced on Instagram in December that she came in 2nd place with Nickel at the Hubside Jumping Valence, which is a show jumping event in France.

Linda Evangelista, who shares a son with Francois, supported Mathilde in the comments writing “I’m so sorry Mathilde. I send you my love.” Evangelista and Francois share Augustin James, Mathilde’s half-brother. Mathilde replied to her comment, thanking her.

Mathilde competes with Tendercapital Stables in Auffargis, France. She started her showjumping career at 13 and her first international competition was the International Jumping of Bordeaux, per their website. While she will no longer have Nickel by her side, they note that her long terms goals include participating in world-class competitions and the Olympic Games.