Drama, tension – and a lost stirrup – as stunning horse with ‘character, class and swagger’ crowned Royal International supreme

Craig Kiddier and Susan Tennant’s Mulberry Lane landed the Barberstown Caste supreme ridden horse for a second year running at the Agria Royal International Horse Show, after a championship full of drama in the International Arena.

It looked as if it could be all over for “Obi” when the reigning champions slipped and Craig lost his stirrup during their individual show. But thankfully for him, they tied, on 29 marks, with Robert Walker and Flash Point. This granted them a second chance to really show how well they could operate in a ride-off against Robert to land the title for the second time.

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“I don’t know what happened,” said Craig “He just slipped and I lost my stirrup and at that point I thought that was it. It just went terribly wrong and it felt like it was horrendous. Then the judges had been more generous than I would have been, but I’d never done a ride-off and to be honest I wasn’t sure what to do.”

If Craig was hesitant, he hid it well from the crowd, who cheered enthusiastically as he jumped the hedge at the bottom of the arena for a second time. This sealed the deal for Craig and the super-cool 10-year-old OBOS Quality gelding.

“He’s got character, he’s got class, he’s got swagger,” said a beaming Craig, “He is just the perfect horse. Whatever you ask him to do, he just does it; he tries his hardest.”

Obi had won the working hunter champion for the third time on the bounce to graduate to the supreme, looking very at home on his lap of honour with the hounds. He was also second for the second time in the middleweight hunters, proving his quality.

Owner Susan Tennant spotted Obi as a three-year-old halfway down the line during a trip to Dublin Horse Show. He didn’t especially impress the judges that day, but he impressed Susan and she brought him home. He has repaid her several times over, standing reserve supreme here in 2023, supreme last term and supreme at Horse of the Year Show.

In reserve was Robert Walker with Jill Day’s exquisite hunter champion Flash Point, winner of the lightweights and hunter supreme earlier in the week. At just six, Flash Point – a half-brother to double Hickstead and Horse of the Year Show supreme View Point – looked a picture of cool composure to gallop time and again up the front of the arena to a cheering crowd and surely has a big future ahead of him.

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