The crème de la crème of coloured horses and ponies flocked to The All England Jumping Course at Hickstead to compete on the first day of the 2021 Royal International Horse Show. But who took home the supreme title, as well as top amateur and junior accolades?
The highly anticipated 2021 Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) kicked off with coloured horses and ponies taking to the Science Supplements Ring 5 in the hope of taking home a top placing in one of the seven ultra-competitive Oyster Wealth Planning BSPA Skewbald and Piebald classes.
Ensuring they will have the opportunity to defend the supreme accolade they won here in 2019 was Allister Hood and his trusty partner Our Cashel Blue who were crowned overall Indian Trail ridden champions after heading the horse championship.
The legendary lightweight, now 12, enjoyed a spin on the show ground he has dominated for the past few seasons as a show cob. Although Blue is no stranger to success at Hickstead, it was his first time landing the coloured title. His win was even more poignant for the Hood Show Team as Blue’s long-standing owner Caroline Tyrrell sadly passed away last year.
“He loves Hickstead,” Allister said after their triumph. “But this is actually the first time he’s won the coloured championship. Getting into the Winston Churchill is an enormous achievement.”
Blue was supreme horse at Horse of the Year Show in 2016 and as well as winning the supreme at the RIHS in 2019 – he was also cob champion in both 2016 and 2017.
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Following their win today, the Hood Team posted that they were “thinking of Caroline, who would have been absolutely thrilled”.
Reserve overall supreme was Vicky Smith riding her own and her partner Alan Marnie’s 11-year-old plaited horse Bart. Vicky had two choices for the final reckoning as she also stood at the top of the very first class of the day, the lightweight horses aboard Karen Sankey’s nine-year-old Freckleton High Flyer.
Top amateur combination was Jessica Williams and Supernova, while the junior championship was scooped by Eloise Van Praagh with Spot On Noilly Prat. Sophia Chambers and her own Roquefort Papillon triumphed in the supreme pony.
Find out who will be judging which classes at the Royal International this year
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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.
