Darts player who once brought a horse to the oche for his walk-on to retire aged 75

Darts legend Bob Anderson will make his final TV appearance at the Oche this weekend at the age of 75.

Anderson will make his final bow at the World Seniors Darts Masters, which will be broadcast on BT Sport at 4pm on Saturday.

The former world champion, who was No. 1 in the world from 1980 to 1983, famously brought a horse on stage with him at the 1994 World Championship.

The walk-in remains one of the most endearing parts of darts nowadays, full of big tunes and even bigger cheers as the players make their way to the stage.

Whether it is Michael van Gerwen gearing the crowd up to The White Stripes or Dimitri van den Bergh and his hilarious dance moves, there have been some iconic moments.

But the rules were somewhat laxer 30 years ago when Anderson was taking part in the World Championship in 1994.

In a move that is unlikely to happen anytime soon at the Ally Pally, the Limestone Cowboy stuck to his nickname by bringing a horse up on stage with him.

It drew gasps and laughter from the crowd while the commentary team could not quite believe it.

Speaking about the incident, Anderson told Sports Gazette in 2018: “That damn horse gets more publicity than I do.

“None of it was my idea. I think horses are fabulous creatures, but there isn’t one alive that likes me.

“For a cowboy to say that, it’s pretty hypocritical. That horse was incredible — an ex-police hunter, 17 hands. I was far more bloody nervous than he was.”

But any chance of Anderson signing off this weekend with another live horse looks unlikely to say the least as he makes his farewells at the Yeovil event.

However, he will walk out to a remixed version of his current tune ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’.

Anderson is one of the founding members of the PDC in 1993 and became the BDO World Darts Champion in 1988, beating three-time winner John Lowe in a thrilling final.

Now aged 75, his usual nimble throw is understandably not as accurate as it once was and he admitted that taking the decision to call it a day has not been easy.

He told Live Darts: “It was a difficult decision, I have to be honest.

“Not one that I really wanted to make and one that I’ve probably been putting off for about a year.

“But I realised I’m no longer as competitive as I want to be or used to be. It’s a bitter pill to swallow but I’m a realist.”

Anderson will take on Richie Howson in the opening round of the World Seniors Darts Masters on Saturday.

And while this might be his last TV tournament, the Limestone Cowboy will still be taking in various exhibition matches across the country.