Colin Tibbey Receives SEIB Outstanding Achievement
The final award presented was the Outstanding Achievement Award. This was presented to Welsh breeds afficionado Colin Tibbey, who announced his retirement earlier this year.
Colin’s wife, Sarah, succeeded in keeping the award a secret from Colin, though he admitted, “by halfway through the night, I was beginning to think there must be a reason she had brought me beyond the party!”
Colin individual has given no less than 35 years of production to the industry, specialising predominantly in Welsh sections A and B, with Sarah co-producing for 17 of those years.
His clients speak of dedication to the job, professionalism and the highest standards. We couldn’t agree more; he could certainly show a pony and had a super turn of speed to keep up with even the biggest movers around the biggest rings!
It’s probably these attributes that lead him to achieve Royal Welsh wins literally too numerous to mention, and to qualify for the Price Family Supreme In Hand Championship 25 times.
His own ponies bred at the Lacy stud have in some ways played second fiddle to liveries, but their influence has been widespread. The inimitable Blackhill Picolo was hugely successful in the showring and was a prolific stockgetter, both at Lacy and elsewhere. He was Royal Welsh Sire Ratings winner for the Welsh section A six times and was the Kellythorpes Leading Sire of the Year for eight years consecutively, testament to the fact he also sired excellent ridden ponies.
One hugely successful son of Picolo, Pinewell Bucksfizz, became one of Colin’s most decorated partners in the showring, winning the Cuddy Supreme In Hand championship – now the Price Family Supreme – twice consecutively.
Colin made other Price or Cuddy-related headlines. A further win came in 2018 with the Williams family’s Moelgarnedd Stadros, a Welsh section B stallion he also showed to be a WPCS Gold medallist.
The Walsaker stud’s Paddock Rio was shown extensively and extremely successfully by Colin over several years. In 2019, Colin famously qualified Rio and his then three-year-old son Walsaker Colorado (Red) for the Price Family Supreme In Hand Championship within a week at two of the most hotly contested qualifiers, the Royal Cheshire County and Royal Highland Show. Red qualified once again this season alongside Colin, who also qualified Thistledown Athene.
Maintaining momentum through until the conclusion of the in hand season, a further win came at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair with Thistledown Kingfisher so Colin certainly hasn’t slowed down and he ends on a high.
Awards-goers were upstanding in their applause for Colin as he made his way to the stage to accept his award. No doubt there will be those who won’t miss the feeling of impending “seconditis” they once had as they eyed the cream Lacy-Stud-emblazoned lorry’s arrival on a showground. However, there can also be no doubt that they, amongst others, will miss the showman’s flair and mastery of his craft.
