Horsing around proves to be a winner for lawyer
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| John Llewellyn-James |
Horse-mad Thomas Guise lawyer, John Llewellyn-James, is celebrating after winning a string of top prizes for his Welsh Cobs.
He has won five major prizes in the last two months, including the Lord Kenyon Trophy at Lampeter for his stallion, Avonvalley Cardiff Arms.
The family lawyer, who by day deals with matrimonial cases at the Midlands-based practice, devotes his spare time to looking after his 16 horses at his home near Drakes Broughton, Worcestershire.
Five of his Welsh Cobs have recently won at top level shows, including Avonvalley Pendderyn, who has won prizes at the Cheshire County show and Ponies UK in Malvern, and Avonvalley Buffy who won at the Three Counties show. His cobs also won two firsts at the Devon County show in May.
Welsh Cobs are renowned for their endurance and hardiness, having evolved in the wild to survive in often harsh conditions. They are used for a number of different equine pursuits, including riding, driving and competitive sports.
The clutch of prizes tops off a record breaking year for John, who has maintained an interest in horses for four decades – despite growing up in a family with no access to horses at all.
John said: “Welsh Cobs are fantastic animals. I’ve been obsessed with them since childhood – despite no one else in my family being interested in horses! It’s a pleasure to be able to breed them here in Worcestershire, and particularly satisfying to keep winning so many prizes for them outside of Wales.”
John Llewellyn-James is a member of the Equine Lawyer’s Association and together with the litigation department at Thomas Guise has dealt with a number of enquiries from the equine world. He has also judged at many shows, including Royal Windsor, Royal Highland, and even one in Victoria, Australia.
Thomas Guise’s Managing Director, Wayne Thomas, said: “John has had a great run of success recently and we’re all really pleased for him. The team here has a wide range of interests and we actively encourage all of our staff to pursue them. He may be horse-mad, but with John we know that we’re on to a winner.”
Thomas Guise Solicitors has three offices in the Midlands, at Worcester, Studley and Birmingham.