‘She’s incredibly clever’: young mare dazzles in the 2026 HOYS hack championship
Copybush So Fashion and Will Morton impressed with a stylish performance to take the hack tricolour at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
Copybush So Fashion impressed the judges with her level-headed attitude and stylish performance to take the hack tricolour at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
“Sophie” was ridden by her producer Will Morton to give a polished showpiece in the championship, including canter transitions on shallow loops.
The five-year-old mare performed well beyond her years.
“I'm not normally a mare person, but I'll have to eat my hat because she's super special,” said Will.
“I just love her. She's got such a good brain, such a good temperament, and she’s incredibly clever.”
This was Sophie’s first time at HOYS, and she pipped seasoned combination and reigning Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) supreme Boston Black Tie (DJ) and his producer Helen Baker in the championship.
Will added: “It's an incredible atmosphere in there all the time anyway, so any championship here is just brilliant to ride in.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“But, to go in there on a young horse, who at the beginning of the season was completely new to this, and she just went in and owned it – felt incredible.”
Although he impressed judges Stephanie Barrington and Sacha Shaw with his show piece, Will admitted he “didn’t have a clue” what he was going to perform when he walked in the ring.
“She's only five, she still can be a bit green at times, so I thought, ‘I'll do what I know I can do and try to do it well’,” he said.
“Her transitions are quite good for her age, and she’s very mannerly so I knew I could kind of steer her around and just show her off to her best.”
Sophie, owned by Nicola Miller and bred by Sarah Baker, will have some downtime over winter and enjoy hacking in the countryside around Will’s yard in Epping Forest.
Experts in hack ranks, Helen and DJ, were pulled into the reserve spot after a polished show which included trot to canter transitions on a straight diagonal line.
Helen said: “I enjoyed it in there, and I think he really enjoyed it too.
“He listened to everything I asked for in the show and did most of it one-handed.”
DJ, bred by Stephen Howard and owned by Nicola Faulconbridge, seems to have got used to the limelight following his supreme win at RIHS. His rider said: “When he realised he wasn't champion, he threw a right temper tantrum!”
- To stay up to date with the latest news and reports throughout the Horse of the Year Show subscribe to the Horse & Hound website and enjoy our HOYS live news service throughout the show
