HORSE power was on display at the oldest and largest show of its kind in East Anglia.

The 140th Woodbridge Horse Show galloped into action yesterday at Trinity Park in Ipswich with hundreds of horses taking part to the delight of the onlooking crowds.

A total of 117 competitive classes covering a comprehensive range of events for Suffolk horses and light horses spread over 11 rings formed the show’s centrepiece.

Audiences were enthralled by traditional show-jumping, specialist events for working hunters, mountain and moorlands, dressage, driving, Arabs and Luisitanos.

Show director Mark Donsworth said: “It was a fantastic show and the show-jumping was probably our best ever.

“We had an awful lot of late entries I think because there have been so many show cancellations, so we gained on that side.

“The weather was in our favour, in fact everything was in our favour.”

More than 1,500 visitors flocked through the gates to also enjoy the farriery competition and dog agility ring, where visitors could put their dogs through their paces.

Mr Donsworth added: “It will certainly go down as one of the best shows we have ever had with the new showground layout and proved to be a great success.”

The original purpose of the Woodbridge Horse Show when it was formed in 1871 was to encourage horse breeding but it soon grew in popularity to become the largest and oldest horse show in East Anglia.