THEY were celebrating at Goldengrove Ponies outside Nenagh last Sunday, and since, following the wins of Goldengrove Picture Perfect in the novice and open 138cm show pony classes at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Ridden by Heidi Cooper for her mother Rachel Cowan, the six-year-old bay mare was supported on the sidelines by Claire Scott, who bred the dual winner in partnership with her sister Sarah Rymer, and Scott’s daughter Annarose. The last-named had a very busy couple of days, as she had been competing in the 153cm open show hunter pony class at Balmoral on Saturday with Goldengrove Moulin Rouge, finishing second.

“It was so exciting!” declared Scott, who was paying her first visit to the show. “I don’t think many ponies have won both the open and novice at Royal Windsor in the same year. I’ve always loved the Jackets ponies since Gus Keane stood Jackets Goldfinch in Killusty many years ago and we jumped at the chance to get Picture Perfect’s dam, Jackets Delightful, from breeder Julie Rucklidge.

“She is by Cusop Dimension out of the highly-successful Jackets Maybee, who herself won at Windsor as did her granddam, Jackets Maysong, and both later went on to triumph at the Horse of the Year Show. We covered her with Wycroft Rainbow Dancer, a son of our former stallion Derwent Rainbow Bandit, and really did believe the resultant filly was very special from day one.

“Annarose, my daughter, lightly broke her last year and her first-ever trip away from home was to the Irish Pony Society summer championships in Mullingar for the in-hand section, where she won both the part-breds and the show pony class and was the over three champion in the Horse Sport Ireland breeders’ challenge.

“Heidi Cooper had ridden her full-sister Goldengrove Prima Donna last year, when she was produced in England by Team Stunt and her mum Rachel was delighted to acquire Picture Perfect, as Prima Donna had been sold to new owners. The mare was still very green when she arrived with Heidi, but they’ve done the most amazing job with her.

“Heidi and Goldengrove Picture Perfect won the very first Royal International qualifier of 2026, which was incredible for a novice pony with not even a handful of outings under her belt. We are now looking forward to travelling to Hickstead in July and can’t wait to support this partnership there.”

Irish connections

A rider who travelled on to Royal Windsor, having first competed at Balmoral, was Co Kildare’s Amira Curran who finished second in the 153cm show hunter pony class on her father Daryl’s CSF Chantilly Galway Girl (Arkan - Miss Gui Khan, by Guidam). The 13-year-old ISH mare is being produced in England for the Currans by Team Ahern.

Sunday’s Intermediate championship was won by Claudia de la Hey and the 13-year-old ISH mare Royal Illusion (Ricardo Z - Mirror Of Games, by Master Imp), who qualified as winners of their show hunter type class.

A Connemara who caught the eye was the Rachel Cooper-owned and ridden 12-year-old stallion Glencarrig Camelot (Glencarrig Prince - Coosheen Breeze, by Coosheen Finn), who was bred in Co Galway by Ciarán Curran. The grey qualified for the BSPS Mountain and Moorland ridden championship late on Saturday afternoon, when earlier finishing second in his class for New Forest and Connemara ponies.

In his class line-up, the grey finished in front of the 19-year-old Glencarrig Prince mare Hazelrock Twist and two sons of Brock Lodge Buster, the nine-year-old Loughmore Rebel and the 11-year-old Tullanna Basil.