Find out which two lightweight show cobs led the championship, and who else placed in the competitive classes
Cheshire producer Vicky Smith earned her first ever ridden Royal Windsor championship riding her partner Alan Marnie’s chestnut lightweight show cob Bling Cobsby (Marco) who reigned supreme over non other than showing legend Allister Hood on his much-loved Our Cashel Blue.
“I’m sorry about that Vicky,” joked Allister, when the pair met in the collecting ring after their championship gallop, where the horses were neck and neck at full speed. “Blue just wanted to go.”
Vicky’s love for her big-moving Comet 11-year-old was evident:
“I just can’t believe it; who beats Allister and Blue,” she said. “It’s all a bit much; Allister is my idol.”
In the morning’s lightweight class, Vicky and Marco were initially pulled second behind Allister and Blue but a mega performance for the ride judge resulted in a swap around.
“He gave an amazing ride and she told me when she dismounted that he just smiled the whole way around for her. There were a lot of tears after the class.
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“I went into the championship and everybody told me to just go for it in the gallop, so I did. This is a favourite show for Marco he loves the atmosphere and he loves the surfaces here. The class was nice and quiet in the morning which suits him as he can get a bit over excited. He just about held it together in the championship.”
Vicky and Alan bought Marco from Lisha Leeman and family a few years ago, and two Leeman-produced horses — second placed novice Love Joy (Frazer Atherden) and winning heavyweight Randalstown Top Notch (Janay Atherden) — joined Vicky and Marco in the championship here at Windsor.
“He came as a young cob and he was quite tricky, so it’s lovely that Lisha was here to watch him win. We’ve kept it in the family. He’s nine now and he’s got nothing to prove; maybe we’ll do this season and then who knows.”
Sarah Walker and Lisa Davey’s novice winning lightweight Red Butler, Annette Hance’s victorious amateur Hortons Rainman and maxi winner Country Seat owned and ridden by Caroline Mackness were the winners who also battled it out for the championship title.
Other results include:
Lightweight
3rd Red Rock III (Victoria Hesford)
4th Copenhagen (Simon Reynolds)
5th Silver Woods (Charlotte Alford)
6th Oxford Blue (Alexander Osborn)
Heavyweight
2nd Master Of The House (Kate Barber-Lomax)
3rd Wolf (Charlotte Wright)
4th Bobbi Dazzler (Danielle Heath)
5th Hortons Happy Go Lucky (Natasha Dolman)
Amateur
2nd Master Of The House (Kate Barber-Lomax)
3rd Silver Woods (Charlotte Alford)
4th The Grey Goose (Tina Billingsley)
5th Brookdale Limited Edition (Isabella Mears)
6th Clantara Shadow Play (Avril Bartolomy)
Maxi
2nd Clantara Shadow Play (Avril Bartolomy)
3rd Boheradurrow Fred (Katie Jerram-Hunnable)
4th Never Say Never III (Leon King)
5th The Grey Goose (Tina Billingsley)
6th Nelson (Barbara Mcmullan)
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Getting to the Royal Windsor Horse Show, which takes place this week (8-12 May 2019), is a career highlight for
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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.
