Nominate your Professional Rider of the Year 2025

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Professional Rider of the Year 2026

Honouring the greatest rider of the year, who is a hero and an inspiration to others, and whose ability is a blessing for both their horses and our sport.

Six pros – who have each delivered glittering performances on the world’s biggest stages – were shortlisted in the annual Horse & Hound Awards, and the winner is…

Nominations for this award open on Thursday 13 August, close at 5pm (UK time) on Thursday 10 September, and can be submitted via the link below.

Submit your nominations now

Previous Professional Rider of the Year award winners

Previous winners of this award include:

2025: Ros Canter, winner of Badminton and Burghley in the same year
2024: Ros Canter, Olympic team gold medallist and Burghley winner
2023: Ros Canter, Badminton winner, European champion and world number two
2022: Laura Collett, Badminton winner, adding a second five-star title to her win at Pau in 2020, plus Tokyo Olympic eventing team gold
2021: Tom McEwen, winner of Tokyo Olympic eventing team gold and individual silver medallist
2020: Charlotte Dujardin, who was selected as professional rider of the decade (2011-2020)
2019: Piggy French, who won Badminton for the first time among a record 14 internationals, including Blenheim CCI4*-L, was second at Burghley on Vanir Kamira and took European team silver with Quarrycrest Echo
2018: Ros Canter, who became eventing individual world champion at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon
2017: Nicola Wilson, who took team gold and individual bronze at the European Eventing Championships
2016: Charlotte Dujardin, who added a second individual Olympic gold at Rio 2016 and helped the Brits to team silver

About the Horse & Hound Awards 2026

The Horse & Hound Awards are celebrating their 11th year, being held in partnership with NAF and Agria.

As ever, the Horse & Hound Awards winners will be nominated and voted for by you, with the exception of the Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement award, which is decided by a Horse & Hound panel. We intend to recognise both the big names who have made 2026 special and the unsung heroes who make it possible for all of us to enjoy equestrian sport and our horses, at every level.

The winners will be revealed at a glittering ceremony at Dallas Burston Polo Club in Warwickshire on 25 November, where some 300 people, including heroes of the summer’s World Championships, will gather to enjoy a glamorous evening of champagne, winner reveals, BAFTA-style speeches and dancing.

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.