Welsh breeds and racing enthusiast set to judge this year’s HOYS supremes reveals what he looks for in a winner
Edwin Prosser tells us what he wants to see in the ring when he judges the HOYS 2026 supremes
Edwin Prosser and Laura Collett were recently revealed to be Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) 2026 supreme horse and pony judges. For equestrians both in and outside of showing, Laura’s is a household name. But what of Edwin?
For those of you who do not know the Welsh pony aficionado, here’s an insight into his background in horses, in showing, and what he will be looking for in the ring at HOYS.
Edwin's background in horses
Edwin grew up around ponies.
“My father had a smallholding,” says Edwin. “I used to drive his pony and trap. Then I had a pony and learned to ride and went to Pony Club.”
In his teens, Edwin picked up the ride on two local jumping ponies.
“The local butcher had bought 14.2hh jumping ponies for his daughters, and when they grew too old to ride them, I was offered the ride, and rode them for two seasons around the local county and agricultural shows.”
After leaving school, Edwin worked with point-to-pointers for a year before taking time away from horses.
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“Then when my daughter was one, I bought her a Welsh section A and when she was old enough, we showed her for a few seasons on the lead until my daughter decided to give up. At that point, I looked to the in-hand ring and bought a section A stallion to show myself – Foxhunter Clove, who was champion at Glanusk in 1976.”
A long association with the famous Cottrell stud followed.
“I went to buy a foal from Mrs Johns-Powell at the Cottrell Stud, and from there she kept an eye on me, and I ended up doing and showing her ponies for 22 years.
“We won lots of major shows, including the Royal of England and the Royal Welsh, and were supreme at the Royal Welsh with Cwrtycadno Cadfridog in 1996, qualifying for the ‘Cuddy’.”
This wasn’t Edwin’s last qualification for Horse of the Year Show’s ‘Cuddy’ supreme – now the Price Family supreme in-hand championship.
Cadfridog’s daughter, Edwin’s own home-bred Mintfield Songthrush repeated her father’s success, standing Welsh section B and supreme at the Royal Welsh in 2004, earning her a spot in the coveted HOYS line-up.
He also produced Dr Wynne Davies’ stallion Trefaes Taran to qualify for the final, before he was shown by Dr Wynne’s son, David, to stand second in the pony final.
Since hanging up his showing jacket, Edwin has thrown himself into stewarding, including a 15-year stint in the main ring at the Royal Welsh.
As well as being a Welsh breeds enthusiast, Edwin is a big racing fan, making annual trips to Ireland to visit, among others, Coolmore, Ballylinch and Ballydoyle.
Edwin is also an experienced judge.
He had the honour of officiating over the in-hand championship at HOYS in 2022 with Tullis Matson, and joined Jocelyn Price to judge the junior mountain and moorland (M&M) final the same day, so judging the supreme won’t be his first experience of officiating over at the NEC.
“I really enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to this time,” says Edwin. “It took a while to sink in when I was first asked. It’s a real honour.”
Edwin has also judged all over the globe, including twice in Australia, America, Holland, France and Belgium, as well as at countless shows in the UK.
What will Edwin Prosser be looking for?
In the supremes, Edwin insists he will be looking for a quality exhibit and a good mover. It must also be “true to type” whatever it is, have clean limbs and correct conformation.
It may be easy to assume that given Edwin’s background and personal interests, he will be drawn to the welsh, or even the former racehorse, but previous form suggests not. Edwin and Tullis chose the horse division winner, broodmare Lovestruck as their champion, and Connemara mare Skaergaardens Delicious Love for reserve.
“It will be whatever stands out as the winner on the day,” says Edwin.
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Bethan joined Horse & Hound as showing editor in January 2025, after spending two years as Editor for Showing World. Having adored ponies since childhood, she started showing as a teenager and has enjoyed wins at major shows up and down the country, including Royal Highland, New Forest, and the Royal Welsh, as well as HOYS, RIHS and London. She is particularly passionate about Welsh breeds and is also a Welsh language commentator.