Royal Windsor double for Robyn and ‘Raegan’

‘BALLYHOULIHAN Rags To Riches’, also known as ‘Raegan’ is a nine-year-old grey mare, owned by Michelle Feeney from Barnoldswick in Lancashire.

Back in 2016, Michelle was sent a photo of ‘Raegan’ as a three-year-old and five weeks later she welcomed the mare to her yard. ‘Raegan’ has no recorded breeding and Michelle later found out that she had been discovered in a barn in Ireland, with no food and in extremely poor condition.

Following a very successful season in 2021, qualifying for Horse of the Year Show with her previous rider Emma Dewhurst, Michelle was in need of a new jockey for this season.

After posting an advert on Facebook, Michelle decided that Robyn Catterall would take on the role.

Robyn is well known in endurance and side saddle circles here and has been riding side saddle for 10 years. She is also a side saddle instructor. Robyn is still based in Northern Ireland and travels back and forth to ride ‘Raegan’ at shows on the mainland; Michelle keeps her going at home.

The newly formed team of Robyn and ‘Raegan’ headed off to Royal Windsor Horse Show last week – the first time that either horse or rider had competed at this show. The pair had an amazing weekend, winning the BSHA (British Show Horse Association) Ladies Show Horse title on Friday and followed up by also winning the Concours d’Elegence class on Sunday!

Following their success, Robyn said: “’Raegan’ gave me the most beautiful ride in both classes and she coped extremely well with the atmosphere at Windsor. We were very emotional after our win in the Ladies Show Horse, it was completely unexpected. The judge commented on how beautifully balanced she was and she just did everything the judge asked.

“We have planned a few more county shows in England throughout the year and will be contesting a few HOYs qualifiers as well,” Robyn continued.

“I can’t thank Michelle enough for the opportunity to ride ‘Raegan’, I am extremely lucky to be able to compete at such high profile shows and I can’t wait for the rest of the season.”

Best wishes to Robyn and ‘Raegan’ for the rest of the season – hopefully, their Royal Windsor success is just the beginning!