Horse hero Quirky Connemara Laburnum Richard

The ‘awkward and quirky’ Connemara with a big jump and an even bigger heart

LABURNUM RICHARD (Pedro) wasn’t always destined for the dizzy heights of working hunter pony (WHP) stardom. His owner, Amy Smith, originally purchased the bay Connemara gelding as a project to break and sell on, but the now 11-year-old has since won two Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) classes for her.

“I bought him from the Clifden [Connemara] breed sales as a three-year-old, but I wasn’t sure why as I didn’t want a bay nor something so young,” says Amy. “After backing him I advertised him online — I didn’t get a single phone call. In the end, I decided to keep him as I eventually fell in love with his quirky personality.”

Standing at 147.5cm, Pedro was originally aimed at mountain and moorland (M&M) flat classes, qualifying for the Royal International (RIHS)

Heritage series as a four-, fiveand six-year-old.

“As much as he didn’t look out of place, his face always said different,” says Amy. “The flat classes just weren’t enough for him — he found them very boring.”

And a change of sphere paid dividends for Pedro, who has gone on to clinch overall working hunter pony accolades at all the major shows, including the RIHS, HOYS and Royal Windsor.

“From the ringside, I think everybody believes he’s a pushbutton ride, but he’s not,” Amy says. “He never seems to get easier or grow up in his head. He’s the same now as he was when he was four. He’s still as awkward and quirky as ever but has the biggest of hearts to go with it. He has a serious dislike of water and can be really spooky around the ring, but that’s what gives him that all-important edge — he has the ‘look at me’ factor.

“We just get each other — he’s one in a million and I think if I ever have another like him, I’d be extremely lucky.”

‘We just get each other — he’s one in a million’

AMY SMITH