‘I had no intention of buying another one. I fell in love’: riding pony stallion crowned Price family supreme champion at HOYS 2026
Seywoods Royal Dancer has taken the prestigious Price family supreme in-hand championship at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show
Seywoods Royal Dancer, a four-year-old stallion, has taken the prestigious Price Family supreme in-hand championship at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
Led by Simon Charlesworth, and said to be the “best he’s ever shown”, he was bought from James and Christie Hunting by Carolyn Campbell from a video.
She said: “I had no intention of buying another one.
“When I saw the video, I fell in love with him. Simon rang James, they had a chat about him – deal done.”
“Ralph” is a 149cm British riding pony out of Colbeach Duet, who was champion part-bred Arab at HOYS in 2014, and by the prolific stallion Turberry Top Cat.
He is lightly campaigned, narrowly missing out on his ticket with two reserves last term.
At home, producer Simon said, the young stallion can sometimes be a handful.
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“His days revolve around wrecking a jolly ball or anything he can get hold of,” he explained.
“He’s full steam. But he’s kind, and he just loves the job – a bit too much sometimes!”
Ralph is a full brother to today’s winning 138cm show pony and reserve champion, Stanley Grange Crescendo.
He has a star-studded pedigree, his granddam Colbeach Serenade qualified for the Price final as a yearling.
Simon added: “I think he’s one of the best I’ve ever shown.
“I think he’s the best I’ve ever brought here in terms of the way he looks. He’s matured a lot over summer.
“His coat has been unbelievable. Obviously the weather’s probably helped.
“I just thought physically, he’s come here looking better than anything I think I’ve ever brought.”
Ralph may soon have stock on the ground, as he is going for AI collections at the end of the month.
The championship followed a new format this year; all the horses were judged in the TopSpec arena, later going for the results and presentation under the spotlights in the international arena.
All the exhibits walked in together, then the colts and stallions went out while the mares were judged, and came back in for their turn.
Simon says he is “in two minds” about how the new process works, explaining that for him, there were too many horses during the preliminary judging in the Top Spec Arena.
“I’m not against the idea, though, because with everyone going in there at night, hopefully more people will see it and that might encourage people to do it, which can only be a good thing, can’t it?”
An emotional occasion
Reserve to Simon went to another plaited entrant, Billy Moran’s homebred Tiger Feet II and Tom Pearson, on the sport horse’s second appearance here.
“I am delighted,” said an emotional Billy. “I lost my wife Joanne last year, and she asked me to keep him till he was three as she thought he would be our next home-bred to do well in the Price, so I did what she wished.”
He’s out of Tiger Trap – a full sister to Billy’s prolific Tiger Attack, who showed and was lightly evented – and by pony stallion Stanley Grange Regal Heights.
“I used him because I wanted to breed a small riding horse, but I ended up with a large riding horse,” said Billy, “but that doesn’t matter.”
It’s been some year for the future large riding horse type; he’s been awarded elite status with British Futurity, and he’s been champion every time out, including standing supreme in-hand at Bramham Horse Trials.
He qualified for the Price at New Forest and Hampshire Show, after impressing judge William Fox-Pitt, and further attracting interest from the eventing world for him, though Billy said that nothing has been properly decided for him yet, beyond that he will be aimed at either ridden showing or eventing next year.
Third place went to Achillty Miss Isabella, a Trakehner filly owned by David Shand and showed by his grandson Hunter Macdonald.
Fourth was Inglehow Russian Star shown by David Russel and fifth was Llanarth Moses Jones owned and handled by Simon Bigley.
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