HISTORY was made in the Main Arena at the 153rd Balmoral Show late last Saturday afternoon when, for the first time ever, a donkey was crowned champion of champions, a title earned by a public vote of the loudest cheers.

This was the first year donkeys were allowed take on the overall champions from the other sections of the show and an emotional owner, Suzanne Truesdale, told the overall championship judge, Nicola Drew of BBC Radio Ulster, that she was retiring Ratallagh Pablo from showing as he could never improve on his week’s performance.

The Newtownards producer also revealed how she had saved Pablo from slaughter as a six-month-old foal and that, in addition to his multiple wins in the ring, he has another career as a therapy donkey. Among the first to congratulate Suzanne, and Pablo, on their historic success was Christine Adams who, earlier in the year, was elected the 36th president of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society.

On Thursday afternoon, Truesdale showed Ratallagh Pablo to victory in the Lowe Rental donkey championship ahead of Amanda Wallace’s Kinedale Silver Solstice, a 13-year-old home-bred mare by Black Diamond of Kinedale, who was exhibited with her nine-week-old foal, Kinedale Lunar Dynes. ‘Pablo’ didn’t have things all his own way as, in the best turn-out and condition class, the red rosette went to Caroline Giles-Lee’s 12-year-old grey gelding Nollaig.

Situated right beside the P&O Arena, the Kinedale Donkeys’ stand attracted large crowds each day with the Wallace family regularly changing the two donkeys on display on a rota between Denis, Remus, Peanut and Tinkerbell.