Malcolm Salter and his impeccable Dutch Warmblood Koning were on song at the 2022 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) to take the HOYS harness horse and pony of the year title.
Showman Malcolm has been competing at HOYS for almost 40 years, but this year was the first time he’s scooped the top title.
Koning was bought from Holland as a three-year-old by Malcolm’s friend and client Mike Clark.
“I began producing him for Mike and then we nearly lost the horse to an illness, so when we nursed him back to health, Mike gave me a half share,” explained Malcolm, who has been reserve in the HOYS harness horse and pony of the year championship on more than one occasion.
Since Malcolm and Koning’s HOYS victory, Mike has given Malcolm full ownership of the Eebert seven-year-old.
“Mike said to me ‘he’s all yours’; I’m very touched as he’s a fantastic horse. He will live out his days with us,” said Malcolm, who was joined by his son, Oliver, in the ring.
Malcolm first showed at HOYS in 1986 when he took reserve in the concours d’elegance championship. He last took reserve at HOYS in 2018 driving the Welsh section D Newydd Beau.
“My wife, Nicola, has been reserve several times, too,” he added. “I can say it’s been a long road to get here!”
Malcolm confirmed that he knew Koning would be a superstar from the minute he laid eyes on him:
“He’s very special and he’s everything I could have dreamed of and more. He’s a lovely character and is very observant. In another life he could have been a circus horse. He’s beautiful to drive, too, and he instils confidence in me.
“When I took him down the centre line I took one hand off the rein and let him go. He just sat up and went. You wouldn’t believe it was his first time at HOYS.”
Koning is shown in a spindle back gig made by Thompsons. The gig has been driven in the HOYS harness horse and pony of the year final previously when kitted out with a different outfit:
“The gig had been sat in my garage for years but it fitted Koning perfectly,” Malcolm explained. “It was meant to be.
“When I was driving at HOYS everything fell into place. I looked out into the crowd and saw faces of old friends I’d shown with back in the day.”
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