A Royal Victory on the Opening Day of CHI Royal Windsor Horse Show
The private grounds of Windsor Castle were resplendent in the sunshine yesterday, for the opening day of the five-day Show, as the Showing and National Show Jumping took centre stage.
SHOWING: HM The Queen’s Horse,Whalton Highwayman Shines on Opening Day
Kinvara Garner took the Part Bred and Anglo Arab Championship, having headed a good 148cm class on HM The Queen’s 11-year-old Whalton Highwayman.
“This is his second Royal Windsor,” said Kinvara, “he has only been out twice before but has qualified for the Royal International Horse Show as a Show Hunter pony, and also as a Part Bred Arab. I couldn’t be more pleased with how the season started.”
Cheshire showman, Robert Walker, won his fourth Cuddy Hunter title against stiff competition, this time riding Jill Day’s outstanding lightweight View Point.
Local rider Jayne Ross won the Small Hunter, sponsored by Rosettes Direct, on Kay Campbell’s five-year-old Church Rock Cashel, attending only his third Show.
“I thought he would be next year’s horse,” said Jayne, “I am so surprised and delighted for him to win.”
The Amateur Hunter Championship title went to a former ladies winner, Time 2 Reflect, ridden this year by her owner Lucy Cameron.
SHOW JUMPING: Laura Renwick and Georgia Thame make it Ladies Day
Britain’s leading lady, Laura Renwick, got the Show Jumping at Royal Windsor off to a flying start, winning the Equitop Myoplast Foxhunter – First Round, a two-phase National competition, with a double clear in a time of 34 seconds. Riding Arkuga, a seven-year-old homebred by Arko, out of her former top mare Beluga, Renwick used her international experience in the prestigious Castle Arena to knock over a second off the time of runner-up Charlie White.
The top twelve six-year-old horses from the Equitop Myoplast Foxhunter qualified for The Walwyn Novice Jumping Championship later in the day, a class which was won by Australian Rowan Willis, riding Hadyvola. The 1.30m course proved demanding for the novice horses, with only four combinations jumping clear, but Willis’ tight turn to an oxer approaching the final line made all the difference as he stormed to a four second victory.
The biggest class of the day, The 1.40m Land Rover Grades A & B Jumping Competition, went to Georgia Thame with Z7 Qamar. 15 of the 43 starters went through to the second phase against-the-clock, however speed proved the downfall of many, with only four managing to produce a rare double-clear. As second to go in the arena, Marie-Louise Thomas set the pace early on, producing a lovely clear in 35.90 seconds, however Thame took the lead midway through the class with a time of 31.46 seconds, which proved unbeatable. Keith Doyle, riding Harlequin Dunraven, came close, but his double clear in 32.07 seconds was only good enough for second place.
What to look forward to today –
- CDI4* FEI Dressage – The Al Shira’aa Grand Prix
- CAI3*P4 / CAIO4* Land Rover International Driving Grand Prix
- National Showing, including the RoR Tattersalls Thoroughbred Ridden Show Series and the Coloured Ridden Championship
- National and CSI2* Show Jumping
Tickets for Royal Windsor Horse Show are still available via www.rwhs.co.uk. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the box office on 0844 581 4960 from the UK and +44 (0)121 7966290 internationally. Windsor residents should call the Windsor Information Centre on 01753 743589.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.