Welsh Breeds at the Royal Welsh Show

21–24 July 2003

Despite the inclement weather, the Royal Welsh Show still attracted an attendance of 215,133, the highest of any agricultural show in Britain, and the horse and pony entries of 3,628 were an all-time record.

It was a Welsh Part-Bred who won the supreme in-hand award, the Cuddy Breeders qualifying ticket for the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) to be held in Birmingham on 17–21 September. This was Ann Fowler's three-year-old filly Broadgrove Chatterbox, sired by the 1997 Royal Welsh HOYS qualifier Cusop Dimension out of the former HOYS ridden pony of the year Oldcourt Cantata.

Reserve to Chatterbox from all the ten in-hand champions was the 11-year-old Section A barren mare Springbourne Elly, expertly shown by 12-year-old William Perrins, who won the £100 prize for the best junior handler. Elly was sold to Scotland as a yearling on the Fayre Oaks Sale, and only bought by the Perrins family in October 2001. The Scottish-owned six-year-old stallion Gartconnel Shooting Star was reserve Section A champion; he was youngstock champion here in 2000 and had already qualified for the 2003 HOYS Cuddy Breeders at the South of England Show.

Springbourne Elly, Champion Section A, with William Perrins, Young Handler Champion. Photo by Carol Jones.

The progeny competitions this year were replaced by awarding the trophies to the sires or dams who produced the most winners at this show. The Section A trophy went to Pendock Legend, sire of the youngstock champion Idyllic Entrepreneur and the winning yearling filly Thistledown Xtravaganza, who was also reserve youngstock champion. There were 97 entries in Xtravaganza's class, the largest number ever for an in-hand class at this Show; the highest number for an individual owner in this class were the three owned by American Sarah Dickmeyer from California. They all stayed in the final fifteen, and ended up a magnificent 5th, 7th and 8th!

Springbourne Elly also won the best Welsh in-hand award, the Tom and Sprightly trophy, for which the reserve rosette went to the 16-year-old Section D mare Gwenllan Sali. Sali was female champion here in 1998, and this time was produced to perfection and moved as well as any, to capture the coveted George Prince of Wales cup from 501 entries; after which her delighted owner, Teifion Davies, announced her immediate retirement.

Gwenllan Sali, Champion Section D. Photo by Carol Jones.

The dun three-year-old filly Trevallion Gwyneth was very special to beat the stallions for the reserve slot, and one could hear a pin drop in the grandstand while judge Peter Jones pondered over Sali, Gwyneth and the junior stallion Malnor Forest King, who went to the top the first time he ventured into Wales.

The Section D progeny trophy went to Trevallion Harry, sire of the reserve youngstock champion, the two-year-old colt Powysvalley Mr Harry.

The six-year-old mare Eyarth Windflower repeated her 2002 success to be Section B champion and also notch up her fourth first prize at this show. Earlier in the month she was overall supreme native at the English Royal Show. Another youngster to end up reserve section champion was the chestnut yearling colt Lemonshill Top Note, who qualified for the HOYS at Royal Cornwall. His owners buy a Lemonshill colt foal every year to geld for riding, but luckily for Top Note his stallion potential was realised just in time!

Eyarth Windflower, Champion Section B. Photo by Eberhard Holin.

Reserve youngstock champion was the two-year-old filly Llanarth Camilla, whose sire Douthwaite Signwriter won the stallion class and the progeny trophy; he has qualified for HOYS at Devon County.

The father and daughter Nebo/Tyngwndwn studs swept all before them in Section C, winning the championship with the ten-year-old mare Tyngwndwn Daylight, whose sire Nebo Bouncer was RW champion five times between 1985 and 1997, and this time won the progeny trophy by an enormous margin. Daylight's filly foal Tyngwndwn Rose Queen was sold to Finland at the show.

Tyngwndwn Daylight, Champion Section C. Photo by Carol Jones.

The winning stallion, Hafodyrynys Welsh Crusader, who was also reserve section champion, sired the youngstock champion, the three-year-old filly Swffryd Sioned. Welsh Crusader is sired by the late Nebo Brenin, who is also sire of Nebo Bouncer and Nebo Daniel, who sired the junior broodmare winner Nebo Rachel, reserve HOYS qualifier at Cheshire County.

The new HOYS ridden mountain and moorland classes attracted 58 entries for the Sections A and B class, and 112 (which had to be split into odd and even catalogue numbers) for Sections C and D. The Section A ponies held off the challenge from their larger counterpart Section B's, with Whitsand Warrior (the 2001 Olympia reserve supreme) winning from Heniarth Quip. These two are "cousins", Warrior being sired by Sunwillow Nyklaus and Quip being a son of Sunwillow Quest.

The highest marks from the split Section C and D classes (97 out of a maximum possible of 100) went to the six-year-old stallion Llanarth British Lion, ridden by Matthew Lawrence. British Lion made history by being the only animal ever to have qualified the same year for the HOYS under saddle and in-hand, having qualified for the Cuddy Breeders at Newark and Notts. Reserve qualifier with 95 marks was Sydenham Elderberry, ridden by John James. She also had Llanarth connections being sired by Llanarth Lloyd George.

Gunn Johansson from Sweden judged the Welsh leading-rein and first-ridden classes, where the leading-rein winner (from 43 entries), the dun Section A mare Costone Cayti, was champion from the first-ridden winner, the bay Section B gelding Wortley Jack Flash, who had 33 entries in his class.

The main ring on the Thursday morning is occupied fully by the eight ridden classes for junior and senior Section C's, Section D mares, stallions and geldings. Champion from 215 entries was the senior Section D gelding Cwmtawe Kinsey, who gained the maximum 50 marks from ride judge Phillippa Stacey. Kinsey, who won at the HOYS Show in 2001 ridden by Lisa Carey, is a wonderful ambassador for the Welsh Cob, and is usually ridden outside the show ring by Lisa's ten-year-old niece, Lisa Moran. The reserve championship went to the senior stallion winner Derwen Quartz; he has won here many times and qualified for the Olympia NPS ridden championships at Kent County. Champion ridden mare was the junior winner, Hendal Haf O Hyd, ridden by Timothy Rees for Helen Nadahl Wight. Helen specialises in breeding Welsh Cobs which are exceptional riding animals, and she herself is a leading horse artist. Champion ridden Section C was Tyreos Aggie Gwyn, which her breeders Rob and Val Robinson sold to Holland after winning in-hand at the Royal Welsh, and then two years ago bought back for Val's birthday.

The Welsh breeds turned out in strength in the harness classes, judged by Mr David Davies of Bridgend. The Section A winner, Glyncoch Peter Pan, driven by Joan Thomas, was appearing in harness for the first time and an hour previously stood second in a very large class of in-hand junior stallions to the above-mentioned Gartconnel Shooting Star. The Section C stallion Mitcheltroy Black King won his class here for the sixth time, while the Section D stallion winner, Glanvyrnwy Temptation, has previously been amongst the in-hand prizewinners. Overall Welsh harness champion was the Section D gelding Cefngelli Bouncer, winner here many times previously and another of the progeny of Nebo Brenin.

The Welsh contenders held off all opposition in the private driving section, with the Section D Thorneyside The Foreman winning the larger section and the championship from Budore Commander and Gwynfaes Sion. Thistledown Eric (Section A), Synod Guard (Section C), Parvadean Lotta Bottle (Section C) and Starlyte Little Trojan (Section B) were the winners of the under 137 cm class. This year these classes were also HOYS qualifiers.

Report by Dr Wynne Davies