NINE-YEAR-OLD Scarlett Matthews has been coming to the Royal Cornwall Show all her life to watch and compete with the family's Shetland ponies.

Yesterday was no different as she watched her mother Marion win with her grey filly Zennor Odell in the yearling class before she herself, as the youngest handler in this section, made the line-up with her pony Zennor Fudge in a strong four years old and over class to finish sixth.

"I don't mind being up against the adults," said Scarlett, from Penzance.

"I had a few nerves before I went in the ring because I knew it was a big class, but I still found it fun."

Talking abut her eight-year-old dun gelding, she said: "He is nice and easy to handle and I talk to him when we do our show. I'm so proud of him, he is so cute and my best friend."

The Shetland-mad youngster, who belongs to the Shetland Pony Society and the South West Shetland group, has been given life membership to the show by her grandmother. "I've come here since a baby. I love the atmosphere and the chance to have fun with my pony," she added.

The family from Trezelah Park Farm have been breeding Shetlands for the past 20 years.

"We got into them by accident really," explained Marion. "We bought one as a companion, showed it and then got hooked. They are so easy to do, especially when you have a young family – there is no plaiting or pulling of manes – and they have such wonderful characters you can't help but fall in love with them."

Commenting on her daughter's passion for showing and riding Shetlands, she added: "There's no stopping her. The breed is great for youngsters as they are so easy to handle. They have lovely temperaments and are an ideal introduction into the horse world, plus you don't have to get mother to do everything.

"We've bought her a Connemara as she grows, but you can't part her with Fudge – they are inseparable."

Scarlett is hoping to follow in her mother's breeding footsteps. "She's also got some mares of her own now and her first home-bred foal is due soon, which will be under her own prefix – Trezelah."

Commenting on young handlers in classes, Shetland judge Jane Elliot said: "It is always nice to see them coming through and I hope to see more of them."

Her champion choice of the day went to David Hodge and his home-bred piebald miniature Shetland, Halstock X-Factor.

The three-year-old colt took both the miniature and junior titles, as well as overall championship, with reserve going to the black brood mare Shivas Pepsi, owned by David's partner, Julian Walters.

"I was judging sheep all day on Thursday and we nearly decided not to take either the mare or the colt for yesterday's classes," said David from Okehampton.

"X-Factor has already had four supremes this year and I was a bit nervous as to whether we should take him – particularly as the judge is a Standard lady. I'm so glad we did though – it shows you mustn't think about things too much.

"We're chuffed to bits with this result. A miniature rarely gets this far so early on in his career."