Puissance: Guy Williams and Mr Blue Sky Fly High at London International

Guy Williams and Mr Blue Sky win the 2.10m Le Mieux Puissance at London International Horse Show 2021

The grand finale on the opening night of the London International Horse show welcomed the LeMieux Puissance wall. Spectators and fans alike were treated to a spellbinding finish which saw Guy Williams and prolific winner, Mr Blue Sky, take victory where the wall reached 2.10m. Williams and his mount were the only pair to jump without fault, with French riders Mathieu Billot and Daniel Delsart, both finishing on four faults in the fourth round for an equal second place.

The 12-year-old 17.2 hh Dutch Warmblood gelding, owned by Rupert and Caroline Phillips and affectionately known at home as Blue, is regarded as a gentleman and a gentle giant. He has been honoured for being quite simply the best of his generation, a Master of the Wall.

At the Dodson and Horrell Bolesworth international horse show 2021, a special tribute was paid to Guy and Mr Blue Sky during the prize-winning ceremony when they came joint first with Elliott Smith on Flamboyant III and Derek Moreton on KBS High Quality.

Unfortunately, Mr Blue Sky knocked the wall at HOYS earlier this year, so Guy has been busy practising at home and was confident that he would be fine for the London International: he was not wrong! The pair won a prize totalling £7,650 and Guy joked “we can eat this year, so that’s good”. He described the ExCeL arena as packed and full of atmosphere and went on to say “There were a lot of people out there, all shouting your name but you’re trying to concentrate,” he said. “So I do my job first and then I can wave at them. I’m not very good at waving before I’ve won!”

Guy says of the gelding “he has a big fan base, Mr Blue Sky, a lot of children like him, they come and pat him at the stables”. Of last night’s victory, a delighted Williams stated “He jumped so well tonight, he is such a good Puissance horse and so reliable. I know him really well – I have had him since he was four, so it is great to win here again with him. The atmosphere was so good in the arena, I could hear people cheering for us but I was trying to focus on my job and what was in front of us. My plan is to jump him in the FEI Jumping World Cup™ on Sunday as he’s feeling good, but will see how we go over the next couple of days.”

As well as being an outstanding Puissance horse, Mr Blue Sky is known as a real ‘family horse’; Guy’s 15-year-old daughter, Maisie, has also been riding Mr Blue Sky at national classes and Guy proudly announced “he really looks after her, they’ve been jumping 1.30m”. Owners, Rupert and Caroline Phillips are good friends with Guy who feels that this keeps them all ‘bonded’.

For more results from The London International Horse Show, click here

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Jan Hughes

News Reporter, Everything Horse