A Welsh Mountain pony stood out from the crowd to land the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) Cuddy Breeders’ Supreme in-hand ticket at the Royal Cornwall Show.
Leading Vervale Galileo to the top in-hand accolade was Colin Tibbey, who described the seven-year-old grey as a “beautiful pattern of a pony”.
The Welsh section A won his stallion class on his way to claiming the section A championship.
“He’s got that extra bit of snap about him which makes him stand out from the crowd,” said Colin, who leads Galileo for his hairdresser owner Clive Johnston, of Northern Ireland.
A curious grandstand audience followed Henrietta Knight’s close inspection of the quality line-up of 18 finalists, which she eventually reduced to six.
“He’s an outstanding pony,” said Henrietta. “He’s a lovely model of a Welsh Mountain pony – just look at the way he moves,” she said.
By Springbourne Caraway, Galileo has so far been unbeaten in his breed sections.
“He’s a very correct pony, but there were some good animals out there today,” said Colin. “This is his fourth breed championship win and his second supreme championship.”
“This is my first season showing him and he’s got quite a busy schedule ahead of him after today – including the Royal Welsh.”
Don’t miss H&H’s full report on the showing classes at Royal Cornwall, on sale 19 June, ’08
