“Here comes Ben Colman on his Shetland pony,” said the commentator for the inter-hunt relay at the Royal Cornwall Show – as 18hh Shire horse Sampson thundered into the ring.
Ben and his eight-year-old gelding, whom he has owned seven years, have been setting the hunting field and hunter trials alight, as reported by H&H last year, so the relay, on the Cury hunt team, had to be the next step.
Ben told H&H the combination have also been enjoying showing success, in heavy-horse ridden classes, before they started their practice for the relay.
“The crowd got right behind us because they knew it was unusual,” he said. “He went really well.”
Ben said there were “a few reasonable jumps” in the course, including a parallel through which the horses had to walk, then jump later in the round (pictured).
“I thought he might demolish it!” he said. “But he flew over and the crowd went mad. They saw what he could do, it was great, and to go into the arena with about 2,000 people around it – it’s a bit different to a local show!”
The pair had one down, and a slight sat-nav error meant they jumped one of the other team’s lines of jumps, but Ben said when he finished his round, “I was so buzzing, I didn’t realise”.
“I did a take my own line!’ he added.
The team finished fourth, and Ben said: “For me, the main thing was he went so well.”
The pair will now carry on doing their “bit of everything”; hunting is their first love but having won one heavy-horse showing class, Ben said: “We’ve now got the bit between our teeth and will try to win another one. He’s great.”
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