Sport horse yearling Co Pilot became the youngest ever winner of the supreme in-hand title at the British Skewbald and Piebald Association’s national championships on Monday. (27 August)
For owner and handler Russ Skelton, making history at the BSPA’s 20th championship show made the 13-hour journey from Aberdeen to the College EC, Beds, even more worthwhile. Co Pilot, bred by Solaris Sport Horses, Fife, is by the Trakehner stallion K3 and was bought by Russ at weaning with a dressage career in mind.
“I’m thrilled,” said an emotional Russ. “He’ll now have a little rest here before we go on to the Coloured Horse and Pony Society championships.”
The ridden supreme went to Emma Green’s five-year-old traditional stallion, Apollo II. Bought as an unhandled two-year-old, the 15.1hh piebald has only been shown a handful of times but has been champion on every occasion, including at Great Yorkshire.
Christina Gillet’s former prolific ridden winner, Nijinski Derma, returned to the show ring with her second foal at foot to take reserve in-hand supreme.
The ridden equivalent fell to Wendy Bartlett on Wulfstan Stud’s middleweight hunter, Wulfstan King of the Mountain, who has been contesting county workers this season.
Breeding and youngstock classes were particularly strong. The filly of the year and reserve pony of the year titles went to another yearling, Sophie Bradley’s UCS Repertoires Design, by the riding pony stallion Falconhurst Repertoire.
Sarah Lowe’s three-year-old Badgers Quality Street, by Mars, was reserve supreme horse, having swapped first and second places with Co Pilot throughout the day. A winner at the Royal, he will be put forward for stallion grading this year.
A record number of over 300 entries proved that coloured horses are as popular as ever.
“There is a huge diversity of types and the quality of all of them has risen enormously over 20 years,” said BSPA chairman Lynda Lodge.
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Don’t miss H&H’s full report from the championships in a future issue of the magazine
