Vicky Hesford has a happy dilemma for this evening’s supreme horse finale at Horse of the Year Show. Having headed the hacks on Thursday with Whalton Forgery, she landed a surprise cob championship on Saturday with the little shown Randalstown Musketeer.
The grey heavyweight was bought by her brother-in-law Robert Walker and has done little this season, as he is barely out of novice. He qualified for HOYS at the Derbyshire Festival of Showing and was fourth at the Royal International.
Hesford was in shock after their Horse of the Year Show triumph. “Dreams don’t happen like this,” she said. “I am lost for words. He has so much character, so much charisma and he is a proper stamp of cob.”
Given the successes that Team Walker has had this year, Hesford is struggling to find a rider for one of the two she has in the supreme — she tried to persuade fiancé Andrew Davies, who rides Musketeer at home, to make a HOYS showing appearance — and has asked permission from the HOYS officials to lead one into the supreme.
Robert Walker will himself have his hands full with the hunter Vantage Point and the maxi cob Starry Night, who will make one final appearance before bowing out of showing.
Image: rosette by Five Furlongs via Flickr, cropped, CC BY-ND 2.0
