WHAT a week it was for 16-year-old Olivia Bowen, who claimed the Underwood Supreme ridden pony title riding her champion intermediate Golden Tasset (stable name Tango), who was bred in Ireland by Mr Black and is by the late, great stallion Tasset, out of Pepparos Midge. The 10-year-old was originally brought out as a small hunter by Robert Walker, standing second at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in 2011.

Olivia is now in her third season with Tango, who is a dual-purpose ride in small hunter and intermediate hunter classes.

“He is just the easiest horse to ride and a real gem at home. The bigger the occasion, the better he goes. It was an electric atmosphere in the international arena supreme, but what a ring to show off and gallop in,” said Bowen.

After heading their intermediate show hunter line-up, Tango impressed Chris Hunnable and Chris Walker to take the intermediate tricolour, and in the supreme ridden pony championship Tango and Olivia dropped just one mark, earning 29 out of a possible 30 from judges Jane McHugh, Di Lampard and David Walters.

Although the gallop was the most impressive part of Olivia’s freestyle show, pony and rider remained in perfect harmony at every pace. To keep Tango match fit, Olivia canters across the wide beaches of Pembroke near her home, and as her uncle Peter Bowen trains racehorses near-bye, pony and rider are often seen breezing up the gallops.

Olivia Bowen gained a second championship during the week, riding the lovely grey Connemara Gallant Prince (Freddie), who won his 14hh M&M class before clinching the M&M working hunter tricolour. The Gurtee Paddy nine-year-old, who previously hunted in Ireland and successfully competes in plaited classes, is in his fourth season with Olivia. The pair came to Hickstead in good form having recently qualified for HOYS at Kent County.

“We bought him from Jo Marsh-Smith through a tip-off and always thought he would make the ideal working hunter pony. He’s a really bold ride who will take on any fence,” concluded Olivia.

Another typey Connemara was Lady Sue Huntington’s Slieve Bloom Jill (Brock Lodge Buster x Slieve Bloom Gale), who took the BSPS Heritage Supreme M&M championship for Hannah Horton. This wonderful mare was a winner at HOYS last October and has racked up an enviable list of major tricolours this season including Windsor, the Hickstead Derby Meeting and now the Royal International.

“She is the most divine pony with a wonderful sane and sensible temperament,” said producer Richard Ramsay.

Irish-bred ponies excelled in the show rings and another, Beech Hall Ryan (Rathroona Holiday Boy x Cashel Mistry) produced one of the best clear rounds of the day to win his 14hh working hunter class for Zara Weir. The Scottish rider also won the 15hh division with Otto, but elected to stay aboard Ryan for the championship, the pair duly taking the tricolour, while Otto stood reserve for Zara’s older sister Phillipa. Zara’s mother Shona first spotted Ryan when she visited Gillian Creighton’s yard to look at another pony.

“He looked the ideal stamp and after Zara popped him over a couple of fences, we knew he would make the ideal worker,” said Shona.

In the senior working hunter divisions, Katrina Braithwaite and Kilderry Rupert (Cloneen Clover) repeated their lightweight win and championship after producing a foot-perfect round over (Dublin course designer) Kevin Millman’s super jumping track.

Katrina and her super grey have amassed an enviable tally of wins this season and already have their 2017 Royal International ticket in the bag.

Standing reserve working hunter was Fiona Hirst riding her heavyweight winner Dartans Barrack. The nine-year-old was originally brought out by Louise Lyons, the son of Guidam being a Dublin young event horse contender for her in 2011. The hunter championship saw Irish-bred horses just miss out on the top honours as the final ride-off developed into an intriguing main ring contest. For the first time this year, different ride judges (Libby Cooke, Jane Hubbard and Nigel Fuller) were used for the lightweight, middle and heavy divisions. Similar to Dublin, judges then rode the top two they had not sat on and then made a collective decision about their champion and reserve.

Successfully defending their hunter championship and overall ridden horse supreme title on the final day was Jayne Ross riding Dianne Stennett’s British-bred winning lightweight Time 2 Reflect. Taking the reserve was Sundance Boy, who topped the middleweight line-up for Sofia Scott.

Robert Walker had two for owner Jill Day in championship contention, Vantage Point and Patricks Choice, who finished second in their respective light and heavyweight classes. Bearing in mind that up to 30 entries came forward for the three hunter weight categories, Irish horses more than held their own and featuring in the top eight were lightweights Gortglas Rinarinca (Kings Master), Pride Of Place (Tasset) and Bloomfield Incognito (Alda Cruise), middleweights It’s the Kings Speech (Kings Master) and Bloomfield Tetrarch (Aldatus Z) and heavyweights Redemption Ground (Amiro B), Bloomfield Excelsior (Jack Of Diamonds) and Lansdowne Road.

In the amateur hunter ranks, Becky Patterson had a dream start when the 2014 Dublin (small hunter) champion Hart Beat (Le One) topped the small division where Annette Buckingham’s Designer Diamond (Colin Diamond) stood third.

Becky and Hart Beat went on to take the amateur reserve behind Lucinda Martin’s middleweight winner Boss.

heavyweights

While British-bred horses led the way in the amateur middleweight category, Hetty Spencer’s Lord John (Crosstown Dancer) topped the heavyweights with Gary Parr’s Redemption Ground taking third.

Irish cobs ruled the roost in their respective divisions, the champion and reserve coming from the lightweight class, Allister Hood taking the title riding Lady Caroline Tyrell’s Our Cashel Blue. This much-admired blue and white seven-year-old remains unbeaten so far this season and he is qualified for HOYS in both cob and coloured finals.

“This is our third season together and I think hunting was the making of him last winter,” said Hood.

After finishing second in the lightweight class, Robert Walker and Randalstown Rolex took the reserve.

Taking the top honours in the heavyweight division was Vicky Hesford, riding Claire Twiston-Davies’ multi-garlanded Randalstown Musketeer, with Allister Hood standing second with Master Of The House.

Topping a huge maxi cob line up was Robert Walker and Rosettes Direct’s Colebourne. Wayne Thorneycroft and Makers Jar Of Hearts (stable name Lance), a horse originally found tied to a tree at Ballinasloe Fair took the coloured horse championship and reserve supreme coloured to the champion pony Tambrook My Destiny.

After developing a debilitating virus last summer, Thorneycroft missed much of the 2015 showing season, but credits Lance as the horse who coaxed him back to full fitness just in time for HOYS.

This term Thorneycroft and Jane Turnbull’s coloured cob have racked up an envious list of wins and titles and they will be Birmingham-bound again in October for the coloured and maxi cob finals.

“I think he won it on the gallop here; he went like a rocket,” said Thorneycroft.