Judges all shook up by king of ponies

AIMEE Nield, aged six, with Elvis, the prize-winning Shetland pony

A TINY horse who was set to retire has scooped hundreds of prizes after being given a new lease of life as a show pony.

Shetland Pony Elvis ­- named after the king of rock 'n' roll because of his distinctive quiff ­- measures just 34 inches. But what he lacks in stature he certainly makes up for in personality.

The tiny pony, aged 22, worked for many years as a stud horse and was due to retire.

But when Gail Nield offered him a new home, Elvis started to show his true potential as a prize-winning show pony.

In just three years the little black and white horse has won hundreds of prizes at various shows and events, including several Best In Show awards.

Incredibly he has managed to scoop 300 prizes during this year's showing season alone.

As a result the charismatic little pony, who is stabled at Shaw, has gained a reputation as the one to beat.

Gail said: "Every time we go to a show he wins all his classes every single time. Just this year he has won 300 prizes - he's amazing.

"We have had him for three seasons and he has been brilliant. He's famous now. He's even got his own Facebook page and everybody loves him.

"He's so well known that at the weekend a woman saw him and said 'oh, we're going to be second then' because they knew he would win.

"It is unusual for him to win all these competitions considering he didn't start showing until he was 17. But he just looks good in the ring."

Cleaning supervisor Gail owns nine horses and has been showing and breeding ponies for decades.

When a friend asked her if she could give a home to Elvis, Gail decided he could teach her six-year-old daughter Aimee to ride. But she never expected him to become such a valuable prize-winner.

She said: "I have had horses all my life and a friend of mine asked if I would take on Elvis. He had never been shown before, he was always just used as a stud.

"The amazing thing is that nobody wanted him. Everyone that turned him down must be kicking themselves now.

"He's just the calmest horse you could want and he's a stallion. He's been a really good influence on the younger horses too."