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Another, without doubt, was the display put on by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a.k.a 'the Mounties'. They had been to Windsor before - in the mid-eighties - and had made a great impression, so their return was universally welcomed. With their red coats and black horses they make instant eye appeal. Apparently this is a result of an RCMP Officer's trip to England as long ago as the 1930s. He saw the Household Cavalry in action and decided to similarly adopt a black and red colour scheme, which is still very effective (the horses' black coats show perfectly the neatly marked maple leaf design on their quarters).

The Mounties' version of the 'Dome'

The horses used are TB x Hanoverians and need to be very athletic and have a good constitution and temperament for they perform a very demanding programme, especially when repeated regularly. Having the opportunity to see their display at most sessions of the Show it became obvious just how well schooled they are. The programme is long and complex and extremely well choreographed with a lot of very original movements, but the horses certainly know it inside out. On Thursday it was too wet underfoot for them to include their canter section but the horses evidently recognised the music and only reluctantly carried out the programme in trot! One of the most spectacular movements of their display was 'the dome' - a masterpiece of precision and good timing.

Wayne Bryant and Leyeswick Magician

Driving Classes were not restricted to the Courage Driving Championships but included the ever popular private driving classes, hackneys and light Trade and Agricultural turnouts. Some immaculate entries turned out for the latter class and they included a milk float, a butcher's cart, a poultry cart - not to mention Mr Darling's French Wine Cart driven by a highly suspicious looking character with a very obviously faked moustache! The winner was Wayne Bryant's bay Welsh stallion, Leyeswick Magician, and his smart delivery brougham.

Andrew Harman fulfilled an ambition by becoming the Private Driving Champion - again with a Welsh pony, the attractive dun Jetset High Flyer. They have been a most successful combination but winning at Royal Windsor was 'the icing on the cake'.

The hackneys always bring their bands of enthusiastic and loyal supporters with them and the Championship saw some superb action in the main ring accompanied by much vocal encouragement! It was the Open Hackney pony who became Champion - the 12.2hh Semley Sparrow, a bay stallion, driven by Mr Wenham. The top Open Hackney horse, Hurstwood Kytra, was Reserve.

Young contestants in the Shetland Grand National are all concentration as they go down to the start

The Red Alert Shetland Grand National proved as entertaining as ever. Make no mistake, the young 'jockeys' take this event seriously (some having gone on to take up the 'real thing' in later years) and some of the ponies show great speed and athletic ability. All the ponies are members of the Shetland Pony Stud Book Society Performance Awards Scheme, which involves the ponies being ridden in one-day events, hunter trials, showing, show jumping and gymkhanas! There were two preliminary heats and a final in each session - with a Grand Final on Sunday. All the youngsters (13 years old or under) will be hoping to qualify for the Championships at Olympia in December but in the meantime they will continue to enjoy their thrills (there were many photo-finishes) and spills - there were quite a few of those too, with loose ponies adding to the fun. Fortunately it isn't too far to fall from a Shetland pony. The children also took centre stage for the ever-popular Pony Club games, sponsored by DAKS. There is great camaraderie mixed with competitiveness in these games.

The Show was blessed with unusually balmy weather for the evening performances over the weekend. As the light gradually faded and the floodlit Castle loomed over the arena it seemed absolutely 'right' that the Show should be back in its one and only setting.

For many, the superb firework display on the Sunday evening is the perfect ending to the Show but, personally, I feel that nothing can match the magnificent King's Troop. Entering and exiting the arena at full gallop with harness and gun carriages rattling furiously and glinting under the spotlights, they look as though they truly belong in such a setting. Their performance never fails to excite and it is impossible not to keep your fingers crossed as the teams of bay and dark brown horses and their guns thunder past, criss-crossing the arena, seemingly missing each other only by inches. The final firing of the guns provides the perfect 'final curtain' to the Show as shadowy figures of soldiers and guns are silhouetted dramatically against the palls of smoke…

It is an act of pure theatre - one quite unsurpassed at any other horse show anywhere, and if you have never seen it, make sure you are at Royal Windsor in 2001.

Photographs © Sue Wingate

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