Mr Blue Sky UK crowned Showjumping Horse of the Year 2024

Showjumping horse of the year award 2024 — (Image credit: Future)

An elite showjumper’s sheer talent to clear the highest fences is sublime – which horse deserves to receive the top honours in 2024?

Showjumping Horse of the Year 2024 winner

Mr Blue Sky UK

Westfalian gelding, Chacco-Blue x Cento

Riders: Guy Williams and Maisy Williams

Owner: Elaine Annis

Breeder: Gestüt Lewitz/Paul Schockemöhle

Groom: Natalie Tinworth

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One of the greatest and most popular puissance horses of all time sadly died this year, aged 15. In an epic era for the sport, the towering grey won over the big red wall 11 times, including a record four times at London International. Blue’s final victory came at Bolesworth this year, when he and Guy Williams set a new show record, of 7ft 3in, and they jumped round the Hickstead Derby for the third time in June. A true family horse, Blue also jumped grands prix with Guy’s daughter Maisy. “He was a big, gentle giant,” says Guy. “Some horses stand out and he’ll be one that does.”

Also on the shortlist…

Romeo 88

15yo Belgian-bred gelding, Contact Van De Heffinck x Orlando

Rider: Harry Charles

Owner: Ann Thompson

Breeder: Picobello Horses

Groom: Georgia Ellwood

What a journey Harry has been on with this megastar, culminating in that superb day in Paris when the pair were integral to Britain’s Olympic gold. Harry described his final clear round there as “probably the best he’s ever jumped” and says Romeo’s top trait is his “huge engine”. “We know each other inside out,” says Harry, of the gelding who also jumped double clear in the Longines League of Nations in Rotterdam this year to help the team to a podium finish. “He’s a great fighter, with a great heart and a great mind – three of the things I’d look for in a horse and he has all three.”

Hello Jefferson

15yo Belgian warmblood gelding, Cooper Van De Heffinck x Irco Mena

Rider: Scott Brash

Owners: Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkham

Breeder: Bernard Mols

Groom: David Honnet

In a superb partnership spanning seven years, there’s little that Scott and “Jezz” haven’t achieved. But the heroic clear that this “talented but complex” gelding produced to seal Great Britain’s gold in Paris was truly exceptional. Another highlight from 2024 was his double clear over a monster track in the Nations Cup of Aachen. This charismatic gelding is far from an easy ride, but Scott produces him beautifully. “He’s sharp and spots everything – he’s clever and has such a busy brain,” says Scott. “But we understand each other – he’s powerful, careful and quick. I don’t think many horses have his great attributes; there’s no grand prix he’s not capable of winning. He’s very special.”

Dublon

13yo Spanish-bred gelding, Centauer Z x Up To Date Miltoo

Rider: William Funnell

Owner: Barbara Hester

Breeder: Álvaro Alfonso Gómez

Groom: Zoe Herbert

Headlines surrounding this year’s Hickstead Derby naturally put the spotlight on winning rider William Funnell’s record fifth success in the historic class. However, the hero of it all was Dublon, a gentle giant who has “grown in stature to become a very special Derby horse”, says his rider. The towering chestnut paved the way to that historic win with a victorious clear round in the Derby Trial, before delivering a standout performance in Derby history. Away from the rustic fences, the multi-talented gelding even racked up a podium finish in a six-bar. He is adored by all: “He’s a real sweetheart, everyone on the yard loves him,” says his groom Zoe Herbert.

Previous Showjumping Horse of the Year Award winners

The previous winner of the Showjumping Horse of the Year Award was:

2023: Flying Tinker II, Mark Edwards’ home-bred and one of the most consistent horses on the national circuit

Prior to 2023, the Horse of the Year Award ran across all equestrian disciplines, and the winners include:

2022: Vanir Kamira, the much-loved veteran mare, who added Burghley to her previous Badminton win
2021: the world’s best showjumper and Olympic champion Explosion W, ride of Ben Maher
2020: the legendary Valegro was crowned the horse of the decade (2011-2020) by H&H readers
2019: Piggy French’s ride Vanir Kamira may be “a pain in the arse 352 days a year”, but this true five-star horse “comes into her own at Badminton and Burghley”
2018: Arctic Soul, the former racehorse turned elite eventer, ridden by Gemma Tattersall
2017: Nip Tuck, Carl Hester’s outstanding equine partner
2016: Valegro, the elite dressage star and world record breaker, ridden by Charlotte Dujardin

About the Horse & Hound Awards 2024

The Horse & Hound Awards returned for a ninth year in a row, in partnership with NAF and Agria.

As ever, the Horse & Hound Awards winners were nominated and voted for by you, with the exception of the Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement award, which was decided by a Horse & Hound panel. We will recognise both the big names who have made 2024 special and the unsung heroes who make it possible for all of us to enjoy equestrian sport and our horses, at whatever level.

This year we returned to Dallas Burston Polo Club in Warwickshire, where some 300 people, including Olympic and Paralympic superstars, enjoyed a glamorous evening of champagne, winner reveals, Oscar-style speeches and dancing on Wednesday 27 November.

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Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.