Shipshape and Bristol fashion for top show

WEST Sussex rider Kathleen Botting achieved a 30-year ambition when she qualified for the Horse of the Year Show with new horse Bristol Blue.

By The Newsroom

Published 9th Jul 2008, 12:08 BST

Updated 8th Jun 2018, 04:09 BST

She and the seven-year-old coloured gelding won the cob class at the South Essex Insurance Brokers Search For A Star event at Towerlands in Essex to earn a coveted place in the championship final at the Horse of the Year Show.

The qualifying class attracted an unprecedented number of competitors and Botting, who lives in Ford, was thrilled to have won.

The competition is open to amateur riders and horses that have never before qualified for the Horse Of The Year Show or the Royal International Horse Show Championships.

"I couldn't believe it when we qualified for HOYS first time out. He's a real superstar and he only needs a three-minute warm-up before competing," she added.

For the full story see the Sussex Horse World section in the West Sussex Gazette for July 9, 2008