Interestingly, while all three heavy horse Champions of the Decade were stallions that had already made their mark on the show circuit, it was the biggest of trio, that ultimately proved the star performer for inter-breed judge, Tom Tennant, Gilmanscleugh, Ettrick.

With the champion winning Clydesdale, Highland and Shetland pony already well known show winners in their own right, it was former and 2019 Royal Highland Show breed leader that shone out for Tom who is the chief heavy horse steward at the Ingliston event.

Doura Magic Touch, a three-year-old Clydesdale stallion from Charlotte Young, Ayr, not only boasts a Highland Show championship to his credit, but is also the first horse to win the Stallion Show three times on the trot. He also landed the reserve overall champion of champions at the Winter Fair, last year.

"It has been a great honour to be asked to judge the overall heavy horse Champion of The Decade," said Tom adding that his choice of champion was not an easy decision given the fact that all three winners are great champions in their own right.

"My winner is the Clydesdale, Doura Magic Touch. This horse is a big upstanding young stallion, excelling in breed character, up through his head and neck and down onto his withers onto a short powerful back.

"He has excellent quality of strong flat bone and power through his high placed hocks, with ample pastern joints front and hind and standing on a big sound foot, flowing in lovely white silky hair.

"He has had an illustrious show career so far and is one of the best stallions seen in Britain for quite some time, which is very exciting for the future of the Clydesdale breed," said Tom.

Magic Touch was bought in Ireland by Charlotte's father, Jim as a foal and is bred from Ballinrees Lady Jane whose maternal grand dam was bred by Dougie Gilchrist. His sire is Glebeview Sir Charles which has bred three Cawdor Cup winners.

Like all of us, this big horse is having a year off the show circuit, but he is having to pay his keep, having covered in excess of 30 mares this year.

The two runner up heavy horses were Dochy and Sylvia Ormiston's 11-year-old Highland pony, Danny Boy of Croila, which has been residing with Shona and Jason Halford, Brodie, Morayshire and Harry Sleigh's Shetland, Wells McCoy, a seven-year-old from St John's Wells, Fyvie, Aberdeenshire.