Horse & Hound – 01 August 2019

1 August 2019Horse& Hound 37

THERoyalInternational

(RIHS)hasa longtraditionof

beingthemid-seasonbarometer

foreveryoneinterestedinthe

showring.Thisyearproved no

different.

Lookingback,I was

surprisedtonoteontherollof

honourintheDickSaunders

pavilionthatmyfirsttime

judgingattheshowwas 25

yearsago.

Itwasin 1994 thata rather

moreyouthfulAllanRobertson

cametoHicksteadandjudged

theshowponylead-reinand

firstriddenclasses.Butthe

pinnacleofthatdaywas

havingthehonourofjoining

HopperCavendishandTim

Stockdale,thatyear’sKing

GeorgeV GoldCupwinner,

tojudgethesupremeridden

animalfortheWinston

ChurchillCup.

Nowa quarterofa century

later,I wasbacktojudgethe

BritishShowPonySociety

(BSPS) Heritage mountain

andmoorland(M&M)classes

alongsideCarolineWhiteley.

SIXHOURSTINT

INrecord-breakingheat,

thetaskofsortingthefive

mammothclassesbeganat

7.30amandcontinuedover

sixhours.

Firstintheringwerethe

nativesmallbreedswith

worthyrepresentationfrom

eachforward.Thenumerically

largestclassofthedaywas

fortheConnemaraandNew

Forestponies—despitea lack

ofnumbersforwardfortheNew

Forests,it wasgoodtoseeone

figureinthefinalplacings.

Undoubtedlythemost

challenging,butnonetheless

rewarding,classoftheday

wasthatforDales,Fellsand

Highlandponies.Thesebreeds

copedadmirablyinthehottest

partoftheday.

Asweallcometoexpect

now,theclassesfortheWelsh

breedslefttheirownindelible

stamp.Whetherit waschance

orgoodluck,wesaweachWelsh

section represented in the fi nal

overallchampionship,despite

therebeingonlytwoclassesfor

thefourbreeds.

Thefinalchampionship

is contestedduringthe

afternoonperformancein

Hickstead’sworld-famousmain

ring.ThefamousDerbybank,

devil’sdykeandIrishbank

providethebackdropforthis

covetedtitle.

Havingsecuredtheoverall

juniorchampionshiptitlefor

hisyoungrider,thediminutive

Welshmountainponystallion

ThistledownSnowStorm

laid down the gauntlet with a

stunningdisplayinthemain

arena.However,it wasthe

outstandingperformanceand

blisteringgallopalongthefront

thatcapturedtheheartsand

applauseoftheappreciative

Hicksteadcrowd,andtipped

thebalanceinhisfavourand

allowedhimtocapturethe

supremetitle.

Asjudges,bothCarolineand

I wereinfullagreementthatour

championwasa worthywinner

anddeservingofthetitle.

PLEATOOWNERS

ONa finalnoteofcaution,I

amsadtohavetoreport

thatthereremainfartoo

manyponiescarryingexcess

condition.Thisis neither

healthynorbeneficialtotheir

longer-termprospects.

Owners,pleaseremove

thoseblinkersandtakea long,

unbiasedandcriticallookat

yourhorseorponyandmakea

decisionaboutitsweight,if for

nootherreasonthanyouwant

todowhatis bestfor the animal

you love.H&H

AllanRobertsonisa leading

andwell-respectedjudgeonthe

showingcircuit.Hehasjudgedat

allthemajorchampionshipshows

including HOYS, RIHS and Olympia.

Blistering gallops capture hearts

Allan Robertson refl ects on the honour of judging the Hickstead natives

Showpony

producerJulie

Templeton

NEXT

WEEK

ONLY IN HORSE & HOUND

OPINION

YOUCOULDSITTOHIMALLDAY

COMPETINGatHicksteadallthewaythroughfrom13hhponies,

IsabellaMearsfinallysecuredherfirstRoyalInternationalvictory

whenBrookdaleLimitedEdition(Archie)toppeda marathonclass

ofmaxicobs.

“For sucha bighorseArchieis solightinhand,andhehassuch

a fabulousfrontanda canteryoucouldsittoallday,”

saidIsabella,whois inhersecondseasonwiththe

upstandingeight-year-oldgreygelding.

Archiehasalsomadea winningdebutinladies’

classes this year with his producer Danielle Heath.

FIRST

WIN

‘Hewilldoanything’:theHonourableMaryWragg’sMirvholdsonto
the supreme pure-bred Arabian title with Clare Fitch in the saddle

reignedsupremeaschampion
pure-bredArabian.
BredbytheHonourableMary
Wragg,whowascelebratingher
80thbirthday,Mirvcameto
Clareasa foalandbeforeshetook
overhisriddencareer,hewas
successfully shown in-hand by

Clare’spartnerSteveMcCormick.

“Mirvis a trueArabianwho

lovestheheat,whichis fortunate

today,”saidClare.

“Hewilldoanything,go

anywhereandcarryanyone,and

heis nannyathometo all the

youngsters.”H&H