AN EX-RACEHORSE with just one-eye, from Bryncethin near Bridgend, has qualified for the prestigious Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
Victoria Bertorelli and her horse, An Cathaoir competed in the SEIB Insurance Brokers Racehorse to Riding Horse HOYS qualifier on June 14 at Three Counties Show in Malvern, Worcestershire. The pair won the class to earn this coveted qualification.
Now 17-years-old, An Cathaoir, known as Angus, has never looked better.
An emotional Victoria said: “We bought Angus in lockdown, the plan was for my partner, Gavin (Merkel) and I to share him.
“Angus and Gavin don’t get on though so it was down to me! We’ve been through so much together, and overcome so many setbacks to get here.
“Angus lost his eye through an injury and we’ve had plenty of other challenges on the way! Angus ran under National Hunt rules and in Point to Points, he then became a hunt horse before we bought him.”
Gavin added: “We’ve been coming to the SEIB HOYS qualifiers for three years now and we said that this year it will be what it will be. We’ve been improving and (show producer) Ian Smeeth has been giving us lessons, he’s changed the bit which has helped too.
“Getting to HOYS has been the goal and we’ve finally done it! Victoria and Angus getting to HOYS is probably the proudest moment of my life!”
SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse organiser, Nicolina MacKenzie said: “We are delighted for Victoria and An Cathaoir.
“They’ve been placed in our qualifiers several times previously and it is wonderful to see them come back and earn their place at HOYS. It’s heartwarming to see how much this win means to Victoria and Gavin.”
SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse first took place back in the early 2000’s and over the years has provided many opportunities for ex-racehorses to compete at HOYS.
Please see SWEIB’s Competitions Hub page or the SEIB Search for a Star facebook page for updates.
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