EQUINE NEWS

27th May 2006

Local Success at Devon County

Elizabeth Webber from Stockwell Farm near Silverton in Devon had a great Devon County Show this year.

Elizabeth has owned her Welsh Section B grey gelding Thornbury Court Jester, by Rotherwood State Occasion since he was a three year-old and broke him in herself with the help of her twin sons Robert and Richard when he was seven years old.

Elizabeth entered him in the Ridden section B class at Devon County Show on Friday and was delighted to collect fourth place under judge Mr B Monaghan from Gwent. Elizabeth told Horseclub that he was called in third originally and just struck off on the wrong leg in canter, quickly corrected by his rider Kelly West so was dropped to fourth place.

However, nothing could prepare them for what happened on the Saturday in the children's riding pony section. Thornbury Court Jester was entered in the 128cms show pony class ridden by twelve year-old Freddie Evans who is a pupil at Lympston school in Devon and has received a scholarship to take him to Blundells next year.

Freddie has been riding since the age of three and has throughout that period been taught by Elizabeth, in fact one of his first ponies was loaned to him by Elizabeth who gave his family the bug for showing ponies.

The 128cms show pony class was judged jointly by Miss M Brace and Arthur Ilsey who judged conformation. Due to the adverse weather conditions of the previous few days only half the number of ponies entered actually turned up. However that did not detract from the quality presented for the judges. Freddie was called in third position before he did his individual performance and must have had the jitters bugs in his stomach when he saw the favorite to win Wyndham Peek A Boo owned by Mr and Mrs Combray and produced by Debbie Thomas perform what can only be described as a very disappointing show. Stopping right in the middle of the arena as she was changing rein to pick up her second canter Peek A Boo refused to move forward, when she eventually continued her show the right canter was not as balanced as it could have been.

The audience watching was willing Freddie to pull out all the stops to have a chance of being placed above such a lovely pony, who unfortunately must have had a very rare ‘off day’. The lack of experience shone through in Freddie's performance but in my opinion out performed the favourite on the day.

Chaseford Channel was pulled in first and had put up a foot perfect show but, the fight for second placewas well and truly on. The next pony forward took hold of its rider, the next one out did not give a good performance and the last pony to go also showed its lack of ring experience and bucked. Freddie and his connections anxiously waited whilst the marks were added up and although everyone outside the rind felt Freddie should have moved up to take second he stayed as he was in third place.

The story has a happy ending though, because both Chaseford Channel and Wyndham Peek A Boo had already qualified for the Royal International Horse Show which meant Freddie and Thornbury Court Jester took home there ticket to compete at the prestigious event at Hickstead in July. Delighting Elizabeth who lives just a short distance from the showground and has been competing at Devon County for many years. And who had taught both child and pony from the beginning.