Seven well-filled BSPA (British Piebald and Skewbald Association) classes gave the Longines Royal International Horse Show a colourful start at the All England Jumping Course.
Although Hickstead had taken its fair share of rain in recent weeks, thankfully a drying wind and sunshine greeted early arrivals.
After 10 hours of judging, Mandy Hughes and Carol Bardo’s charismatic cob The Humdinger claimed his third horse championship for Jayne Webber, before going on to take the supreme coloured title, also for the third time.
“He just comes out and does his job with a smile on his face, and you can certainly put your trust in an Irish horse to go through any going,” said Jayne, who also headed the middleweight/heavyweight line up riding Carol Bardo’s Irish-bred four-year-old Aidensfield Rupert.
While Sarah Harrison may have wished to go one better this time, the Lancashire rider was delighted that her mare Chantilly Lace also maintained wonderful consistency at this meeting.
“This is the third time we have been pony champion and reserve supreme, but she is still the best pony I have ever ridden, and she was amazing again today,” said Sarah.
Showing Director Roger Stack and his team did a magnificent job coping with huge entries and preserving the ground.
After the new ring 7 came to the rescue during the recent Derby meeting, this spacious ring again replaced the River Lawn to accommodate the coloured pony classes.
While the team at Hickstead were working tirelessly to ensure ‘the show must go on’, it’s a pity rumours of imminent cancellation were flying on social networks.
Results
BSPA Indian Trail skewbald & piebald pony (Mrs D Jordan, Miss B Ensten) plaited sml. 1, J Newberry’s Chiddock Scooner Bay; 2, C Gray’s Ashlan Aftereight; 3, S Banister’s Monknash Moonwalk. native/trad sml pony. 1 & res, L Wright’s Moortown Frilly; 2, V Thirlwell’s Abbotswood Gorgie Boy; 3, Mr & Mrs Shuttleworth’s The Freak. plaited lge pony. 1, S Wythe’s The Panda; 2, A Harrison’s Holmside Valencio; 3, S Wheeler’s Winchester D. native/trad lge pony. 1, ch pony & res supr, S Harrison’s Chantilly Lace; 2, A McKillop’s Tomahawk III; 3, M Cuerden’s Del Boy V. horse (Miss J Owen, Mr J Maynard) lwt plaited. 1, J Garnett’s Cornellious D ©cor; 2, S Birch’s Brooklyn Will; 3, C Lindsay-Brown’s Fabrio. mwt/hwt. 1, C Bardo’s Aidensfield Rupert; 2, G Ross’s Castle Franko; 3, K Colosso’s Shear Impulse. native/cob/trad. 1, ch horse & supr, Bardo & Hughes’s The Humdinger; 2 & res, R Merricks’s Rock On Robbie; 3, Lady C Tyrrell’s Ballustree Quality Street.
