Cheshire-based showman Robert Walkerclaimed the coveted hunter championship on the opening day of the Royal Windsor Horse Show (13 – 17 May 2015).
Walker’s win
Robert landed a hunter championship double, heading the novices with Jill Day’s heavyweight Grand Slam and taking the open title in the Castle Arena with the same owner’s lightweight, Pride of Place.
Robert’s wife Sarah also stood reserve aboard the novice lightweight winner Shoughmore Emperor.
Winners
The show also features dressage classes, with the Advanced Medium Freestyle going to Alice Oppenheimer and Tantoni Sir Socrates.
The talented stallion did get a little overexcited by the atmosphere in the Castle Arena and did some spectacular leaps and bucks during his lap of honour, depositing his rider.
Huge field
In the showjumping, Ireland’s Trevor Breen enjoyed a double of wins on day one, starting with the very first class of the show. Riding the the seven-year-old gelding Serpico, theBuckinghamshire-based rider headed a huge field of 95 starters to win the Horse & Hound Foxhunter qualifier.
Trevor later won the Land Rover Grades A & B class, this time on the former Hickstead Derby winner Loughnatousa WB. In second place was the USA’s Laura Kraut and Thalis de la Rougue.
The Queen’s home
The opening day, dubbed ‘Windsor Wednesday’, offered free admission to all spectators, with thousands of visitors heading to the grounds of Windsor Castle to watch the equestrian action and browse the many shops.
Her Majesty The Queen was present on the opening day to watch a variety of her horses compete on her private grounds, including her ex-racehorse Barber’s Shop, who was second in the ladies’ hunter class, ridden by Katie Jerram.