I HAVE always loved showing and was intrigued by the Racehorse to Riding-horse class when it was introduced at the RDS a number of years ago. I toyed with the idea of sourcing a horse to take part but didn’t really know where to start.

I had often seen Prince Erik during his racing career and, knowing his connection to Mr Weld’s yard, I mentioned to Kevin O’Ryan, half-jokingly, that I thought Erik would be perfect for the Racehorse to Riding-horse classes.