Andrew Hodgins made an unforgettable Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) debut when he shared Ripon Select Foods puissance victory with Rachel Proudley, who was claiming her seventh consecutive major puissance win.
Andrew, riding John Glynn’s exuberant Shanaclough Luichew, and Rachel with Graham Ward’s puissance superstar Easy Boy De Laubry Z, were the only combinations to reach the fifth and final round, where the wall towered at 2.18m (7ft 2in).
“To win seven puissance is just amazing. It’s hard to put it into words. I'm just so proud of Easy Boy,” said Rachel, whose final round had a dramatic conclusion when Easy Boy knocked the wall and pecked to his knees on landing, tipping her out of the saddle.
“He put on another great performance. OK, it’s maybe not how we would have liked to have finished off, but again, that's the sport and that's how it goes. The horse is absolutely fine, and so am I. It's a tough class and we’re still very, very pleased with him,” she said.
Andrew and the unorthodox, crowd-pleasing 10-year-old also nudged a brick in the final round, having given the wall some impressive berth in the previous heats. The combination have their own style, with Andrew bringing the Luidam x Coolcronan Wood gelding to a near-halt before sitting back and firing at the wall with unwavering commitment.
“He does prefer to go off his left leg over his right canter lead, and so when I was walking into the corner, I was trying to negotiate onto the left canter lead – but when he locks on and you’re in canter, you’ve only got about two strides to make up your mind.
Andrew and Shanaclough Luichew were popular with the crowd once again thanks to their unorthodox style
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“It's a pleasure to look out through his ears,” he said. “His heart is completely in the right place. Sometimes he can become too brave, but you couldn’t but love him. He gives you everything.
“People comment about how wild he is, I wouldn’t change him for the world. I think that’s part of his character, and that’s what makes him who he is. And to be honest, I love the horse to bits, so I can’t thank his owner John enough.”
Andrew said that he had no regrets over the final round, where the horse performed well “at a new height”.
“She’s outstanding”
“I’m more than happy to share with Rachel,” he said. “Rachel is a class act in any competition, but with that horse, she’s outstanding. And the fact that she’s OK is the most important thing. But if you told me before I came here you’ll be joint first with Rachel, I probably wouldn’t believe you to be honest!
“I slept about four hours in the last two days. I can’t sleep, and I don’t think I'm going to go to sleep tonight!” he added. “I went back to the hotel earlier on around 12pm, and I tried to sleep. It just wasn't going to happen, so I came back up and took the horse out for a walk. When you’re here, the adrenaline just kicks in.”
Eleven starters had braved the challenge in the opening round, whittled down to five by the penultimate heat. David Simpson (Cindy R), Joe Trunkfield (Java’s El Cid) and Chris Franks (Irving VG) had all been jumping superbly, but tipped bricks once the wall hit 2.13m (7ft).
The win was 21-year-old Rachel’s second consecutive puissance triumph at HOYS, where she split victory last year with Joe Trunkfield and Locomotion after clearing the wall at 2.20m.
Rachel won her first puissance at LIHS with Easy Boy De Laubry Z in 2024, going on to win at Bolesworth last year, followed by Dublin – where she broke a 61-year-old record – then HOYS, and London, before taking Bolesworth again this year. All bar one of the victories was riding 12-year-old Kannan gelding Easy Boy.
