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‘I knew I wanted that pony’: four-year-old stallion bought at auction becomes a HOYS winner

Alex Robinson Alex Robinson

    • A four-year-old bought at auction last October cemented his owners’ belief in him as he was crowned National Pony Society/Baileys Horse Feeds M&M ridden Welsh section C pony of the year at the 2023 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

    Vikki Smith rode Kyle McClements and Christopher Tait’s eye-catching stallion Blaencila Rhodri into the top spot. The triumph marked the Kyle and Christopher’s first-ever HOYS victory.

    Rhodri, who was bred by Claire Pearce-Morgan by Donys Dick Turpin out of Blaencila Ruby, has only attended a handful of shows under-saddle and he qualified for the HOYS final on his second attempt at Denbigh and Flint in August.

    Rhodri was bought from last year’s Welsh Pony and Cob Society sales. Christopher admitted that he thought the pony ‘wasn’t for him’ when he saw a photograph of him ahead of the sale:

    “But when I saw his former owner, Simon Charlesworth, walking him down to the pens from the car park I said to my partner [Kyle] ‘I want that horse’,” Christopher said. “I was determined to bring him home with us.”

    “We backed him over winter and just hacked him about for a while,” Christopher added. “We took him out as a novice at the beginning of the year and because he took to it so well and he was unbeaten in his class, we decided to try a few HOYS qualifiers.”

    Vikki took Rhodri’s reins at the back end of this year, as Kyle had already qualified another Welsh section C pony for HOYS.

    “Sometimes your own ponies have to take a back seat and we never ever expected him to come out and do this,” Christopher said. “Rhodri is the kindest stallion ever; you would not believe he’s an entire.”

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    Alex Robinson
    Alex Robinson

    H&H showing editor
    Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 since when she has cemented its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK.
    Alex Robinson

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