The owner of a pony who was a multiple finalist at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), Olympia and the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) has paid tribute to the “perfect Connemara” after his death aged 29.
Jane Sonnex and Victoria Taylor’s stallion Glencarrig Bobby had been looking “as fit as a fiddle” until he suffered a bout of colic on Saturday (4 January) and could not be saved.
“He was never sick or sorry; never on any medication and he lived out his days in the countryside, in Derbyshire, happy and healthy,” Victoria told H&H.
Victoria was only 11 when Bobby arrived as a five-year-old, so was too young to ride a stallion of his type under some societies’ rules. But she could ride him at HOYS, and did so many times.
“He’s the one who started my love of native ponies – that’s what we have now,” Victoria said. “I was 11 or 12 and he was taking me in the open classes. He went to HOYS and RIHS multiple times and Olympia. The last time in London he was really cheeky; as he got older, he got cheekier and started putting extra party pieces in his show, which isn’t cool! He was full of character; a really special pony and so kind.”
Victoria said one highlight was when they placed equal second at HOYS in an M&M ridden class. They also bred one foal from Bobby, who went on to become a children’s riding pony, and he featured on the cover of H&H in 2010.
“It was for a feature on Connemaras being the perfect pony,” she said. “In my mind he was the epitome of a proper, perfect Connemara. They don’t seem to breed them like him any more.”
Victoria attempted to contest some veteran classes with Bobby once he was old enough, but they were not entirely to his taste.
“The veterans don’t gallop and have to go round quite slowly and he wasn’t up for that!” she said. “So he’d been retired about 14 years. He had his orchard and used to charge round, head in the air and sorting; he wasn’t even stiff and he looked incredible. Every morning and evening, he’d be at the gate whinnying. Being in the yard and not seeing him is hard; he was very special to us.”
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