By Meyrick Brown

THE largest agricultural show in Carmarthenshire welcomed more than 600 entries in its busy horses and ponies section and saw a rise in the cattle lines.

In welcoming everyone to the Cothi Bridge show, president Hywel Rees – who had previously served the committee as treasurer for 12 years – felt that there was something worthwhile in the day's programme to interest everyone.

Chair of the society, Meinir Davies, whose great grandfather helped start the show in 1898, also considered that the farming sector and rural communities had, over the years, shown unprecedented resilience in times of uncertainty and yet continued to thrive and progress.

Busiest section was amongst the horses and ponies with more than 600 entries forward. Supreme was taken by Sara Whitfield with her 11 year old show pony, the liver chestnut Barkway Tiara.

Heading the Welsh breeds were Alan and Jan Pearce with their homebred section C yearling filly, Glyncoch Maple, and for Anne Pritchard-Simmonds her remarkable home bred 11-year-old bay mare, Cupidhill Caprice, took three championships including the Arab, Welsh part-bred and riding pony breeding sections.

Much improved entries in the cattle lines saw Elwyn and Cheryl Thomas take best in the dairy section with their January calved second calver, the Holstein Normead Baxter Kansas ahead of Iwan Thomas’s October calved Ayrshire heifer Paith Rock Star.

Slightly down in number the sheep entries saw a yearling Texel ram from Huw and Lisa Reed take the championship and the best group of three were the Charollais shown by the Brigginshaws.

Main winners

HORSES

Hunter, in hand – P K and A M Evans, under saddle – C Owen.

Working Hunter – C Owen.

Welsh Ponies, Section C and overall – A and J Pearce, Section D – D A Green, Section A – C Pearce -Morgan & S Morgan, Section B – P Landon, part bred – A Pritchard – Simmonds, under saddle-S Whitfield.

Riding Pony Breeding – A Pritchard – Simmonds.

Shetland, standard – N and A True, miniature – Smith & Gordon.

Mountain & Moorland, in hand – P and J Russell, under saddle – D L Thomas, Working Hunter Pony – S H Hamer.

Arab, in hand – A Pritchard – Simmonds.

Coloured – M Anthony – Isaac, Palomino – H Parker, Cremello – J Mount.

Riding horse – A Dark.

Show Pony – D L Thomas, intermediate – G Wood, Show Hunter Pony – D L Thomas, qualifier – D Thomas,

Show jumping – C Bowman.

CATTLE

Dairy, supreme – E and C Thomas.

Beef, supreme – J Phillips, Young handler – F Jones.

SHEEP

Champion – H and L Reed.

Group of three – D S and S L Brigginshaw.

DOGS

Best in show – S Fleetwood.