The 18-year-old gelding Wolfgang Golden Symphony provided his owner with a memorable royal debut, as he was crowned Royal Windsor senior ridden horse champion on his first trip to the venue.
Kent-based firefighter Gabriella Cox, 23, has owned the palomino Dutch Warmblood for 12 years. She admitted that when she went to view him all those years ago, she wasn’t convinced he’d be the horse for her.
“I was looking for a new horse, but I thought he was too green when I went to view him,” said Gabriella. “We ended up buying him and had a year of such hard work, but he came good in the end. He’s really come into his own in the seniors, too. He’s a very versatile horse; we’ve done a lot of showing as well as BYRDS dressage.
“He’s the nicest horse ever. He loves the camera and likes to be the best at everything he does.”
Gabriella fits showing in between work commitments with “lots of early mornings and late nights”.
“And hard work,” she confirmed. “We arrived at Windsor this morning, but it was all a bit rushed so we didn’t have time to warm up. We went straight into our class with no practice, and so I didn’t think we’d do that well.
“It’s so exciting to be here. This horse has been my best friend since day one. He’s never done anything to make me change my mind; he’s always been ‘the’ horse for me.”
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Former H&H showing editor and deputy features 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 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.
