The National Pony Society (NPS) Supreme Mountain & Moorland Pony of the Year will be held at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) from 2011.
Olympia announced last month that from next year the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) would run the qualifiers and final of the Olympia Supreme M&M class, which had been run by the NPS for more than 20 years.
And today HOYS has announced it will host the NPS finals.
A HOYS spokesman said: “M&M classes have been a popular and important element of HOYS since 1999. We want to ensure that Britain’s finest native breeds are celebrated.”
The supreme will consist of the champion and reserve combinations from the ridden M&M pony of the year, the M&M working hunter pony of the year and the mini M&M pony of the year classes.
New rules — which mean two ridden M&M qualifiers will take place at each qualifying breed shows — have been implemented to ensure two ponies from each breed qualify for the ridden final at HOYS.
And Highland ponies will now have their own qualifying classes, splitting them from the fells and dales ponies.
Minimum and maximum fence heights will be imposed in the M&M working hunter pony of the year qualifiers.
