Read which coloured horses and ponies were in the running for the coveted ridden championship
With several HOYS, RIHS and former Windsor winners forward, the coloured championship came to a nail bitting head in the Copper Horse Arena under judges Will Murray (ride) and Emma Green (conformation) at the 2021 Royal Windsor Horse Show.
There was no denying that Vicky Hesford and Tracey Veale’s magnificent cob Red Rock III (Red) were deserving winners of the title.
Earlier in the morning they had piped Sue-Helen Shuttleworth and Shirley Moro’s HOYS-bound traditional The Highway Man II into second place in the native, cob and traditional horse class. Following on they pushed Jayne Ross and Tony Reynolds’ stunning plaited horse KBF Crescendo, champion here in 2019, into reserve. Their championship performance included a ground covering gallop, and Red floated around the arena in complete self-carriage throughout.
Nine-year-old Red, of unknown breeding, is also shown prolifically as a lightweight show cob and was placed fourth in his cob class the previous day.
“I’m over the moon with him,” said Vicky, whose sister, Sarah Walker, had an exceptional day on Royal turf yesterday. “It was a mega championship; I had to ride for this one.”
Red had the Covid season off with Tracey, who works two jobs to fund his production with Vicky. Red’s 2019 tally includes wins at Windsor, the RIHS and HOYS.
“He had a good break and he’s come back fighting,” added Vicky. “He’s a legend. He had a little hack down to the ring this morning and then he was pretty much ready to go in. If they could write a perfect show horse it would be him.”
Red was originally found by cob specialists Val Sheehan and Camilla Neame. Tracey saw him in-hand at the BSHA national championships and persuaded Val and Camilla to sell him.
“She showed him from home and then contacted me at the start of 2019, as my heavyweight show cob had retired,” said Vicky. “To be fair I jumped at the chance as I would have been lacking a top horse to ride and I actually tried to buy Red as a four-year-old, so it was fate.
“He’s a poppet at home, even my little boy rides him.”
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Read more reports from Royal Windsor…
Working hunters are tested and true amateurs shine: round-up of winners from day one of Royal Windsor
A Connemara mare delights her connections and the cob championship produces tears: the results from day two of Royal Windsor
Tales from Windsor: formerly ‘feral’ traditional pony found ‘wandering the land’ is a Windsor winner
‘I wasn’t even meant to ride him’ — Sarah Walker deputises for husband Robert to add hack title to team’s record tally *H&H Plus*
‘We were devastated when we lost him’: Emotional moment home-producer reclaims same title she won in 2019 with late horse *H&H Plus*
