In front of packed stands, Jayne Webber and Poppy Carter gave Comberton Clancy and Rotherwood Rainmaker the rides of their lives to clinch the British Horse Society supreme horse and Dick Saunders supreme pony titles.
Both horse and pony have made their debut in Hickstead’s international arena this week, and each rose to the occasion in brilliant style.
Following fantastic performances from Loraine Homer riding the hunter champion Major Moylaw (28 marks), and Robert Walker (24) with Chesterton, who took the cob title today, Jayne Webber and Comberton Clancy had a mountain to climb to tip the scales.
However, after a performance that wowed the crowd, Martin Clunes, John Funnell and Patrick Print awarded a total of 29 marks to give Jayne Webber a second consecutive win [she took supreme with The Philanderer last year].
“I’m not sure whether there is an advantage going last or not, but at least today it worked in our favour,” said Jayne.
After winning at the BSPS winter championships riding the four-year-old Woodview Shangri La, Poppy Carter again produced a classic display, this time from champion show pony Rotherwood Rainmaker, another mannerly four-year-old backed over the winter by Poppy’s mother Katie (Carter).
The pair earned 29 marks from Lucy Smith-Crallan, Lisha Leeman and Karen Toynton-Ward, and they finished ahead of Pretty Polly champions Chinook Morning Light (Georgia Renshaw-Smith 24) and SHP champions Clemenstone Charleston (Lizzie Smith 23).
“It was difficult riding round all the fences, but I managed to fit everything I wanted to in,” said Poppy.
It proved a late finish for the intermediate competitors, but after four huge classes brimming with quality, Yasmin Cuddy claimed the overall championship riding Adam Winbourne’s Merrit five-year-old Daldorn Racing Bow.
For the full Royal International Horse Show report, don’t miss Horse & Hound this Thursday (4 August, 2011)
