He has decided to call it a day and invited around 200 friends from the horse world to a party at Downham Town Hall last week to mark his retirement and to celebrate his 70th birthday.

They came from as far afield as Kent and North Yorkshire and by giving donations instead of presents they helped Mr Gooding to raise £1,500 for East Anglian Air Ambulance.

"I have friends who have been airlifted to hospital by the helicopter and wanted it to benefit from the generosity of the people who came to my party," he said.

Mr Gooding, who lives at St Clements Drive, Downham, said that although he intends to carry on with his judging commitments he has decided the time has come to retire from competing.

"I won my first rosette in 1955 in a relay race at Terrington St Clement," he recalled. "Since then I have won at all of the major shows including the Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead and I have had nine championships at the Royal Show."

The majority of his wins at the larger shows were for exhibiting horses in the youngstock classes, often on behalf of their owners; although he describes his proudest moments as the times when he took his own sons Mark and John into the showring on their lead rein ponies.

As well as exhibiting, Mr Gooding has judged and commentated at major and local events.

"My biggest regret is that money plays such an influence these days and means that people can buy success.

"Horses are a disease and it took me 64 years to realise it, but I have had a lot of fun and met some lovely people."

Guests at the party included people from showing, racing and showjumping and officials from leading shows and organisations.