Randalstown Musketeer crowned champion cob at Royal Windsor
Victoria Hesford and Randalstown Musketeer were victorious in the hotly contested Martin Colin Enterprises cob championship at the Royal Windsor Horse Show yesterday (13 May).
In reserve was Allister Hood, riding the seven-year-old piebald gelding Our Cashel Blue.
This is Randalstown Musketeer’s second season and the seven-year-old already has a list of titles to his name.
Find out what Victoria thought of the competition and why Royal Windsor is extra special for her in the video below
“Although I say he is relatively novice, he was cob champion at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) last year – but it was his first season,” said Victoria.
“He has a really good brain, so we put him into some open classes and he went from strength to strength.
“He then won the novice heavyweight class at the British Show Horse Association (BSHA) National Championships at Addington (11 September) and then was champion at HOYS.
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“So he is a second season campaigner, but he still probably hasn’t seen a showground like this, so we are over the moon.”
Victoria added the heavyweight cob “loved” the atmosphere in the main arena.
“However long you have been competing, and I have been coming here since I was three, to come here you get such a buzz,” she said.
“When you come to Royal Windsor you know you are going to hit the top competition, especially in the championship.”
Taking the Land Rover Mountain & Moorland supreme in hand championship yesterday was Lesley Evans’ Welsh Section D Broughton Morwena, with The Queen’s fell pony Murthwaite Dawn Chorus in reserve.
Jayne Ross and her two-time HOYS supreme-winning ride Broadshard Simplicity were the winners of the BSHA ladies show horse (side-saddle) class, ahead of Morgan Schive and her own Nightwatchman in second.
The final class of the afternoon was the Count Robert Orssich hack championship.
Taking the top honours was Angharad Ellis Owen, riding the six-year-old Lingswood Lad, and in reserve was Broadshard Showgirl, partnered by James Hunton.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.