Native ponies do battle for BSPS Heritage titles

The Dartmoor Ekens Fifer was the epitome of a child’s lead-rein pony while carrying six-year-old Sophie Harvey to the overall supreme title at the two-day British Show Pony Society (BSPS) Heritage Championships at Arena UK (24-25 October).

This was the society’s first championship show confined to native breeds and show chairman Tony Fluck was pleased by the turn-out.

“There are a few things to fine tune, but the response has been great,” he said.

And despite the “full works” throughout two evening performances, a laid-back, happy atmosphere lasted throughout the show.

That isn’t to say there was any lack of tension when the five supreme champions entered the ring to battle for the ultimate accolade. It must have been a tough job for the judges, Arena UK proprietors Norman Oley and Lauren Phillips, but they wasted little time in pointing to the lead-rein pony, who had earlier scored top skating-style marks to capture the Blue Riband supreme.

Although Sophie may not quite have appreciated the magnitude of her achievement, she was more than pleased by one thing.

“When I came here I had nine sashes and now I’ve got 12,” she confided.

Read H&H’s full report on the best of the action from this new show in the current issue of Horse & Hound (8 November, ’07)

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