URSULA ROBERTS
MRS ROBERTS died on 11 December 2021, aged 100.
Born Ursula Wharton, she was brought up hunting with the Cheshire and was a founder member of the Cheshire Hunt branch of the Pony Club, later passing the Institute of the Horse exam. During the war, she drove an ambulance through the Blitz, and in 1944, she married Captain John Roberts (Bob). As he was an Army officer, they moved around southern England with their two daughters, and everywhere she became involved in the local branch of the Pony Club, becoming district commissioner of the East Sussex branch. She helped start the Pony Club tetrathlon.
Mrs Roberts followed in her father and great-grandfather’s footsteps by becoming a judge, for the British Show Pony Society, and was in demand, particularly for lead-rein and first ridden classes. She adored encouraging small children and always found time to talk to every competitor.
Her one donkey became a champion and she was president of the Donkey Breed Society.
In 1970, she was given a young Arab. He went on to be British national gelding champion, in-hand and ridden, before a successful career in harness. She also joined the judging panel for the British Driving Society.
That gelding, Splendour Of Sind, introduced Mrs Roberts to purebred Arabs and in 1972, she started running the south-east region Arab show. She ran the National Arab Show for years.
Mrs Roberts was twice president of the Arab Horse Society, helped start the UK International Arabian Horse Show and in 1994 was invited to run Qatar’s inaugural International Arab Show, which has become one of the world’s leading Arab shows.
Her judging took her all over the UK and Europe as well as Australia and Canada. She always said she had been very lucky and had enjoyed a wonderful life.
Her passion for horses passed down, with her daughters Anthea Derby and Charlotte Rowell judges, and Aly Vance, the youngest of her four grandchildren, an equestrian and racing TV presenter. Her husband Bob died in 2010.