DESPITE Covid delays and due to a fantastic Christmas surprise, Catherine McDowell and her ‘horse of a lifetime’, It’s The King’s Speech, or ‘Bertie’ as he is known at home, are on their way to the Dublin Horse Show next week to take part in the Middleweight Hunter Class.

Catherine hails from Comber in Co Down and in addition to working full time for estate agent Tim Martin, (who himself is well known for showing horses in-hand), is Secretary of the Northern region of Eventing Ireland.

Catherine spoke this week about their journey to get to Dublin this year and how the 18hh gelding is making her dreams come true.

“I first saw Bertie in 2019 when my good friend Alison Dugan and I were at HOYS. I remembered him from when Philip and Phillpa Scott had shown him at Balmoral as a four-year-old. Fast forward a few months into 2020 and he was advertised for sale, when I enquired about him he had been sold, I was gutted.

“Richard Iggulden is my next door neighbour and a couple of weeks later Bertie arrived at Richard’s. I couldn’t believe it!

“Richard had purchased the horse for a client, sadly the pairing didn’t work out and in December 2021 the horse was up for sale again.

“Of course I wanted him but was told he had been sold to a lady in England, once again I was gutted and I’m not going to lie, pretty peeved that Richard had sold him without telling me as he knew I loved him.

Gutted on Christmas Eve

“On Christmas Eve, a horse transporter went past our house and my husband Colin said, ‘That must be Bertie away’, I could have cried.

“Christmas day arrived and our whole household had Covid apart from me so I was heading to the local testing station for a PCR test and my daughter Ellie was insistent that I needed to open the present from my husband.

“Thinking it was something off the list I had given him, I didn’t open it. I said I’d open my presents when I came back from the PCR.

“On return from the PCR, I opened this large box which appeared to be filled with Ellie’s baby clothes; at the bottom of the box was a green passport, my first thought was that Colin had bought me some completely unsuitable equine, or something like that, and when I turned the passport over and saw it was an IHR passport I was completely stumped.

Burst into tears

“I opened it and read the name. I burst into tears, it was Bertie! It explained why all my neighbours were acting very strangely around me as everyone knew the secret and were scared of being the one who let it slip!

“The plan had been I’d go to Richard’s for Christmas drinks (as we always do on Christmas day) and the horse was to be standing with a bow round him; unfortunately Covid put paid to that and hence the random passport in a box.

“Covid once again played its part in proceedings, when what should have been my first show with the horse at the Botanica Show of The East was scuppered; I then ended up with Covid after avoiding it at Christmas.

“Ellie, my 13-year-old daughter rode him and was fourth in her middle/heavyweight class, and was also fourth in the amateur class with him. “Balmoral was out as Ian Smeeth and his partner Vincent Sneddon were judging and Ian used to produce the horse.

“Ellie rode him at Lurgan and won the middle/heavyweight class and was overall champion ridden horse, he then went to Armagh Show where I won the ladies class with him and was fourth in the middle/heavyweight class.

“Next was Enniskillen Show with Ellie winning the Middleweight class, champion hunter and Supreme of the show.

“In Tattersalls he was second in the Amateur Middle/heavyweight class, won the middleweights and was reserve champion hunter with me in the saddle. These results qualified us as a middleweight hunter and an amateur middleweight for Hickstead next year.

“We then finished in third place in the Middleweight HOYS qualifier in Necarne and now the next stop is Dublin for the Middleweight class on the Friday afternoon which we are really looking forward to.

Ellie McDowell in action on her Connemara pony Doonard Con (WH open at Balmoral 2022)

Horse of a lifetime

“He’s the horse of a lifetime and the nicest person you could ever wish to meet. There aren’t any 18hh horses you could safely let a 13-year-old ride (even if said rider is 5ft 7ins!).

“He is treated like the king he is here and has a home for life. He keeps making dreams come true.

“Unfortunately, we had a set back earlier this week; Ellie was practising on her Connemara pony Doonard Con and it was the stupidest thing; she had laid out some poles on the ground to practise shortening and lengthening her canter strides and I think the pony just didn’t see one of the poles which was rustic in the sand and he stepped on it and fell. She went out the side door and put out her arm to save herself and broke her collarbone.

“She is entered in the 153cms workers, because she’s not old enough to do the performance Connemara class.

“The doctor has said that her age is on her side so she may be fit in time for the show. She is getting X-rayed again next week and we’ll see where we are then.

“She’s disappointed but she’s still so young. Hopefully she will have many years of competing in Dublin ahead of her and, even if she is not riding herself this year, she will get to enjoy Bertie’s day in the ring,” concluded Catherine.