“He was an absolute gentleman”: showman Cobb, who fulfilled the dreams

After a tragic injury happened in the field, Hayley Erner’s prolific heavyweight show cob Its Abracobdabra was put down at age 17.

Abracobdabra, also known as Magic at home, won the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) twice: once in the open heavyweight final with his former producer Jayne Ross and again with Hayley a few years later in the amateur division.

When Rosemary Hetherington was four years old, she was the one who discovered Magic in Ireland. When he started riding, he joined Team Ross. There, he amassed an outstanding resume that included victories in numerous county shows, his Hickstead triumph, and a second-place showing at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

After HOYS in 2016, he joined Rachel McCourt, and Hayley later purchased him.

“Jayne rang me to say that Rachel was considering selling Magic and that she thought he’d be the perfect fit for me,” said Hayley. “I bought him unseen and we began our partnership the following year.”

Hayley and Magic had great results at the British Show Horse Association (BSHA) national championships, the RIHS, the North of England, and the HOYS final.

“He was the loveliest horse and he was an absolute gentleman,” Hayley added. “He wasn’t the easiest to produce as he was a sensitive soul, but he always tried very hard and we had a storming time together over two seasons. He was such a mover — he floated along in trot while always lowering and going in the gallop. He was like a Rolls Royce to ride.”

Magic left the show ring following HOYS in 2018. The remainder of his days were spent with Alison Gregg, who cherished him both in the house and in other activities like working equitation and long-distance riding.