A record number of Dartmoor ponies enjoyed a wonderful tally of top placings at the UK’s most prestigious horse show, held last week at the NEC in Birmingham.

Particularly special for the Dartmoor were results that prove that moorland-bred pedigree Dartmoor ponies can keep up with the best in the world.

Stallion Shilstone Rocks North Westerly, bred by the Newbolt - Young family at Widecombe-in-the-Moor, took Supreme Champion Dartmoor for the third time.

Mare Langworthy Swift Ghost gained ninth place in the Feed Shed Mountain and Moorland First Ridden Pony of the Year; and was fifth – and top placed mare - in the National Pony Society/Baileys Horse Feeds Mountain and Moorland Ridden Dartmoor/Exmoor/Shetland Pony of the Year. She was ridden by nine-year-old Imogen Davis from Coombe Fishacre in Devon and a pupil at Ipplepen Primary School.

In the NPS class, six of the first seven placed ponies were Dartmoors.

Not to be out-shone, Shilstone Rocks-bred ponies Osborne Refrigerators Dollar and Dime whizzed veteran scurry driving star Jeff Osborne round a very tight course to finish eight in the Osborne Refrigerators Double Harness Scurry of the Year Championship.

Swift Ghost (affectionately known as Rabbit) was bred by Ken Edwards at Langworthy Stud, Widecombe and is owned by Lizzie Houghton of Bovey Tracey, who finds time to produce her ponies in between working at Mole Valley at Heathfield.

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