COUNTY Durham breeder Clare Martin is still on cloud nine this week after tasting success at national and local level.

Mrs Martin, who lives at Stainton Village near Barnard Castle, saw her yearling pony Brookfarm Heaven Scent take the overall title at Eggleston Show on Saturday before she dashed off to the Horse of the Year Show at the National Exhibition Centre.

Competing at the Birmingham event was her nine-year-old skewbald Merrigan, ridden by Simon Charlesworth of Great Ayton, which was second in its class last year with 85 out of 100 marks.

Mrs Martin's aim was to go one better this year and, having made the trip to the Midlands, she was not disappointed.

There were four classes in the coloured horse section and Merrigan won the non-native horse class before going on to win the section championship.

"His marks were outstanding," said Mrs Martin. "He gained 96 from a possible 100 this year, which is possibly the highest ever gained by a coloured horse.

She added: "He was awarded 49 for the ride and 47 for conformation. There has been a lot of interest in him, with top judges telling me that he could hold his own against any horse, not just his own breed."

Brookfarm Heaven Scent, also known as Poppy, has also won major titles at two coloured horse championship shows.

At the British Skewbald and Piebald World Championships at Addington Manor, Buckinghamshire, the yearling won two classes and the title of supreme reserve yearling champion.

Five days later at the CHAPS (UK) championship show at South View, Cheshire, she again won two classes and was the reserve champion in the youngstock finals championship.

She went on to become supreme youngstock champion competing against horses and ponies up to three years old, a tremendous achievement for a yearling who was unhandled five months ago.

Heaven Scent also won the in-hand championship at Wolsingham Show before winning two classes and becoming reserve champion at Stanhope Show, where Merrigan's Midget Gem, owned by Mrs Martin's two-year-old daughter Charlotte, took a second and a third place.