ONE of Gloucestershire's most renowned equestrian achievers has just returned from the scene of arguably its finest hour. Fuego, the all-conquering horse with a record that speaks for itself and a reputation that is second to none, was crowned as overall champion in the Evergreen Horse Section at the National Riding Club Championships last month, continuing a run of successes that have created a legend within the Gloucestershire riding world.

Fuego, who stables in Cambridge, is a powerhouse 15.2hh chesnut gelding, a thoroughbred/polo pony who is a veteran at 25. The horse has enjoyed a remarkable career, having been crowned concorde elegance champion three times, Small Hunter champion a further three times as well as winning the Evergreen title in 1995.

Fuego repeated that triumph in style at the recent championships, held in Lincoln, having represented Berkeley and District Riding Club. The horse is owned and ridden by Sharon Moss of Cambridge, who has been riding for 30 years and has navigated Fuego to a host of successes over the 15 years she has owned him. Moss, 40, said: "He has entered in all manner of equestrian events, and has always been successful. But he is a friend of the family too, and is more of a pet. He looks tremendous, and is always up for these big events and knows when to perform."

Fuego arrived at the championships with something of an aura, having dominated the equestrian seen in Gloucestershire for many years. Entered into the Evergreen section (which is for veterans of 15 and over) at Lincoln, the horse found himself lining up alongside the cream of the country's top competitors, but rose to the challenge once again.

There were 35 horses entered into the Evergreen horse section, with 36 ponies competing in the pony section of the same event. The winning horse and the champion pony from each section then go head-to-head in an Evergreen final to decide who will be crowned as overall national veteran champion. True to form, Fuego won the horse section convincingly before scoring an outstanding 91 points out of 100 in the overall final to claim the national veteran champion mantle for the second time in a prolific career, winning by four points. Indeed, Fuego's overall performance throughout the event was very impressive.

The competition traditionally begins with a series of checks, in which each horse is presented to a vet, a confirmation judge and then a riding judge. The horse must pass these condition tests before entering the show arena, and the initial judging is a major part of the overall event. For the 25-year-old Fuego, who has been kept in outstanding physical shape by Moss and her father, John Mace, the testing was a walk in the park, and his condition prompted one of the vets to comment: "He epitomises all that a veteran should be."

In the end, the whopping points total of 91 capped Fuego's glorious showing at the championships, as the horse claimed yet another national title to cement its place as one of the greats. Moss, who has been riding the horse side saddle for seven years, paid tribute to her champion after this latest victory, commenting: "He is a good horse to have, and really goes for it at shows. He hunts every season, and this keeps him going and keeps him fit and active for the big events. He stays fresh, and this is because we always do interesting things with him. So, if he gets stale we do something active, and this keeps him going.

"He will just go on and on, and I can't find a more elegant horse to take over. He will keep going."

Fuego's exploits have almost become the stuff of legends within the southern equestrian scene, and the horse is as popular and awe-inspiring as any sportsman or woman. He has his own fan club, and epitomises that all-important quality rarely seen in sports stars today: splendour.