Regent was successful in Hamers Classes

Once back in action again, Willie found that Regent seemed to have forgotten most of his early training and it took patience and perseverance on Willie s part to get him going well again. Nevertheless he was eventually well rewarded and showed the horse to his full potential; in harness classes; driven in single Agricultural classes and in-hand - they were a highly successful combination in all spheres.

Regent - being shown in-hand.

The addition of Duke, a black shire, to the team opened up further possibilities, especially as he and Regent settled down instantly as a pair and worked very well together. Now able to compete in both singles and pair classes at major shows, Willie had success at the highest level. One of the highlights undoubtedly being his win at the 1988 Peterborough Spring Show in the singles with Regent and being presented with a very special martingale and head collar by the Duke of Edinburgh (he has met most of the Royal family at some time or other!) and qualifying for the Horse of the Year Show at Wembley, where he finished second.

Willie and Regent

This was a huge achievement for someone of Willie s background. He was competing with professionals on equal terms, and often beating them. He produced his horses and vehicle to an immaculate standard in his spare time and with relatively limited resources, and yet he became one of the most respected competitors on the Show circuit - all as a result of immense dedication, and of course, his affinity with horses.

Charlotte with Earl and Duke

Willie has been fortunate to have the same groom, Charlotte, for many years, whom he considers indispensable, and they have a great rapport which is immediately obvious on meeting them both. Charlotte also appears in the ring and stands at the horses heads in the line-up, not to mention all her efforts behind the scenes since there is a tremendous amount of organisation involved in producing the whole turn-out to the highest standard - attention to detail being paramount.

Charlotte ascribes Willie s success largely to his understanding of his horses. She says "Willie s horses always give everything - he has a special gift with horses. He talks to them all the time and he likes them with a lot of life in them!".

Having swept the board in the Agricultural classes, Willie changed to the trade turnouts and attracted a sponsor in Mollichaff (which was later taken over by Marksway s Horshage owned by Mark Westaway & Son) and enjoyed 5 successful and happy years showing their sponsored vehicles.

Chris Tar, a partner in Marksway, came from a background in the King s Troop and inevitably had a great eye for detail. According to Willie "he never missed a trick - but he was a fantastic man to work for. We both had the same standards".

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