We are celebrating the home-produced talent who have made waves in the show ring this season. So check out these eight amateur combinations who are giving the pros a run for their money:
1. Foalskye Little Topper and Hope Fisher
It’s one thing to land your amateur tickets, but this eight-year-old Fell and his jockey went that little bit further to clinch their Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) open ticket and stand overall Mountain and Moorland (M&M) ridden champion at The Show Register’s spring show.
2. KBF Knockmore and Heather McCloy
3 Counties Show 16.06.18
4 Year Old Hunter class winner No. 89 KBF Knockmore
(Image credit: Trevor-Meeks-Photography.co.uk)
Heather rode her own four-year-old hunter to win his young horse class and stand reserve champion at the Royal Three Counties. The pair were also second at Royal Windsor in May.
3. Meldore Tywysog and Richard Stephenson
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
The flashy Welsh section D stallion booked his place in the RIHS Pretty Polly final after winning his M&M class and standing section champion at BSPS Area 1B.
4. Cobbington Bear and Anne Thornley
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
This duo dominated in the cob classes at Warrington where they won the lightweights and took overall cob champion, giving them both their first ticket to Hickstead.
Another M&M pairing to come to the fore in a Pretty Polly championship was 21-year-old Olivia and her home-produced Connemara gelding, who stole the show at BSPS Area 2A (Cheshire Premier).
6. Riverside Daffodil and Renee Nichols
Mountain and Moorland Working Hunter Pony Champion
Riverside Daffodil, owned and ridden by Renee Nichols
Royal Windsor Horse Show, in Windsor in the county of Berkshire, UK on 12th May 2018
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
The bold and brave Connemara mare, owned and ridden by Renne, had only competed in a handful of working hunter pony classes before she went on to win her class and take the championship at the 2018 Royal Windsor Horse Show.
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7. Pharaohs Gold and Jessica Please
85 Pharaohs Gold & Jessica Please - Working Show Horse winner
(Image credit: Hamish Mitchell)
Jess rode her own coloured gelding to land the working show horse spoils at Royal Cornwall show.
8. Glenmore Gwennic and Emma James
Lincs. Show 21.06.18
M & M W.H.P. Champion No. 1279 Glenmore Gwennic
(Image credit: trevor-meeks-photography.co.uk)
Home-produced by Sophie and her sister Emma, the dun stallion was successful at both South Of England and Lincolnshire county in the exceeding 143cm HOYS M&M working hunter pony class, also standing champion on both occasions. He also picked up his HOYS flat ticket at Lincolnshire.
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Former H&H showing editor and deputy features editor
Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.
