ROYAL COUNTY OF BERKSHIRE SHOW 2011
PRESS RELEASE
Equestrian classes on the first day of this year’s Royal County of Berkshire Show were a huge success, with competitors praising the excellent going in the arenas.
Taking home the biggest prize of the day of £1,000 in the Rivar Ltd Area Trial was Irish rider Trevor Breen, who has recently moved to Buckinghamshire from his native Tipperary.
“We have country shows in Ireland, but they are only about a quarter of the size of this,” said Trevor, who rode his own horse Adventure de Kannan to victory. “It’s really quite impressive. The atmosphere and attention to detail is amazing. The main arena is massive and the fences are superb.”
Trevor beat Hertfordshire-based Phillip Miller and Caritiar Z, who in turn finished ahead of last year’s winner Tina Fletcher. Tina, who was riding Hello Boyo this time, is a regular visitor to the show as she hails from Newbury.
Phillip also finished equal first in the Wendy Green Memorial Six-Bar with Very Versace. However, he had to share the honours with two Hampshire riders, Keith Doyle (Walk Talk) and Mark Armstrong (Ronaldo).
The trio reached the fifth and final stage of the competition, in which a line of fences are raised before the start of each round. However, although every one of them managed to clear the final 1.70m fence, they all toppled an earlier fence meaning a tie for first.
Haydn Webb took the coaching championship from a strong and spectacular field of original horse-drawn vehicles. Haydn is no stranger to being in the spotlight as he, his horses and carriages are used in many Hollywood films.
Today the show hosted the national heavy horse obstacle driving championship, which was claimed by Mr J McDermott’s Moon du Mont. The competition showed off the versatility of the huge animals which played such a huge role in Britain’s farming industry before motorised vehicles were available.
There were also classes for smaller carriages. In particular, the focus was on the Hackney breed, which gives its name to the modern black Hackney taxi cab. The championship went to Kent’s Jimmy Wenham and his successful black stallion Forewood Braveheart. His win at the Royal County of Berkshire Show has given him the confidence that he can win the national Hackney title in a few weeks’ time.
One of the UK’s most prolific showing exhibitors Katie Jerram made her journey from Essex worthwhile by winning the open ridden hunter championship, while the amateur division title was claimed by Sunrising Show Hunters’ Ringford Down Patrick.
Strikingly-marked coloured horses got their chance to shine as well, with Mrs S Hale’s Shybont Truleyn Scrumptious proved the best of these to take the championship. The British Appaloosa Society’s top prize was taken by Miss P Cooper’s Peyres-Catori Cat, to finish off a success first day at the show.
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