Thistledown Wood Owl and Gracie-May Whitaker landed the supreme pony title at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

The charming Welsh section A mare was ridden by Gracie-May Whitaker, seven, – the latest of the jumping dynasty to win here – and led by her producer Craig Elenor, having won the mini mountain and moorland sash earlier in the week.

“I have never ever had a feeling like it,” said Gracie-May’s mother Michaela Whitaker through tears.

“Nothing will ever compare and I need to make the most of this moment because it's – I can’t stop crying – amazing. The pony, she is a mother's dream. She is so good. Just look at her now; she's falling asleep and she just wants cuddles and treats. I absolutely love her – she goes into that main arena and looks after my daughter.

“I've got no words to describe it, and I can't thank Craig and Sara enough because they’ve made not only my dream come true, but Gracie-May’s dream come true.”

Known at home as Birdie, the Thistledown Esteem six-year-old was initially sent to her producers by her breeder Sandy Anderson as a three-year-old, and has been produced by Craig and his partner Sara Parrot ever since.

Michaela bought her last autumn.

Sara, like Michaela, emphasised the young mare’s excellent temperament.

“She's just a dream,” said Sara. “She's easy. She loves it. She's been pretty straightforward and easy from day one. She knows her own mind and bosses the others in the field but once in the ring she's a dream to do.”

The Whitakers have a long association with this show, and the family turned out in force to watch Gracie-May.

“I turned around and literally the whole back row was just Whitaker,” said Michaela.

Michaela went on to comment on the positives of children competing in showing.

“It's just so great because it's a stepping stone to what's to come after, whether you're going to be a showjumper, eventer, dressage rider. It's the making of so many good riders and the confidence it gives these young riders…

“That's why Great Britain does so well, I think, on the teams because the children have such an amazing upbringing and so many opportunities on ponies.

“That's what makes these children amazing riders and able to deal with being under the pressure they do.”

They had no time to dwell further on the success as they needed to go to watch Gracie-May’s father George in the Grand Prix.

“I don’t actually know how he will concentrate jumping,” said Michaela. “Let’s hope for a double win!”

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Harlow White and King Bunowen Castle Ali took the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) junior mountain and moorland (M&M) crown in a one-two championship for Connemaras.

Second to the social media star was Lily Richardson riding another Connie, Hazelrock Twist.

Panda, as he is known at home and to fans, is owned by 15-year-old Harlow’s mum Chelsea White and took the open Connemara class here last year.

He will now retire from flat classes, and campaign the workers next year.

Chelsea said: “He is an absolute pony of a lifetime. I just can't describe what he means to us.

“A friend of mine said that it's like poetry in motion, and he is for her.

“She looks so lovely on him, and I'm just the proudest mum ever.”

Panda is a 10-year-old by Best Shadow Melody and out of Bunowen Castle Ellie. He was originally bought as a mother-daughter share.

“He's the whole family pony,” Chelsea said.

“My little boy rides him as well and everyone that can't ride, our friends, we put them on Panda because he's just so safe. He's totally bombproof.”

At home, she said, the gelding loves jumping, and is competing in a hunter trial next weekend.

“He loves his hacking. He loves going zoomies,” she said.

“He just loves just having fun and going down the beach. He is a true Connie.”

A “mega pony” reserve to Harlow White at HOYS

Lily Richardson was reserve on the 10-year-old mare, known as Emily at home.

She is usually ridden by Sue Deacon, and owned by Clare Flynn in Ireland.

Sue said: “It’s the first time Lily has ridden her here.

“She’s a mega pony. Her owners have flown over, her breeders have flown over – everyone’s come to see her.”

Sue won the open Connemaras with Emily at Royal International Horse Show this year.

She added: “She’s a little bit sensitive.

“She doesn't really like being inside as much - she likes big rings.”

Also in the championship was Heniarth Stand Up and Posy Lindsay.

Affectionately known as Stan, the Welsh section B won the junior small breed class.

Second to him was Tromps Sugar Rush with Lara Rae Jones, who was also second in the open As with Sam Roberts.

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Tandridge State Affair has been crowned show pony champion at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), giving his 15-year-old rider her second tricolour in two days.

Florrie Duncalf rode “Bella” to success in the 148cm class, then strutted under the spotlights in the Andrew Bowens arena.

It came a day after the rider won the working hunter pony championship in the same ring.

Bella is owned and bred by Joanna Adams and is produced by Harrison Taylor.

Florrie said: “With her, I was just thinking I’ll give her a nice time, because she’s never been here before.

“It feels insane. I didn’t expect her to win, or my worker either.

“I wanted them both to have a nice time, but for her to go in there and behave like she did as a novice is unbelievable.”

Florrie had to make a quick dash out the intermediates to make it in time for the championship, and was seen trotting out of the collecting ring after the lap of honour on sixth-placed New Illusion.

“It was worth it!” she said.

After producing a clear round through a tough course to win the 143cm class, Florrie and Star Smokey were crowned working hunter pony champions.

Now a seven-year-old, show pony Bella has been a slow-maturing mare and is in her first full season.

It has been a successful one, including winning the part-bred championship and reserve champion novice at Royal Windsor.

Harrison, who also won a championship sash this week on coloured mare Lostock Up Till Dark, said: “It’s incredible. I can’t believe it.

“I’ve had her for 18 months. She was quite tricky, but everything has just clicked with her and now she’s becoming really easy.”

Bella will eventually go back to her breeder as a brood mare, but will continue to campaign the ridden classes next season.

Reserve champion for the second consecutive year went to the 138cm winner, Stanley Grange Crescendo.

An eight-year-old, he is owned by Victoria Harker and bred by Jerome Harforth.

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Tidy Town has become the first small hunter in more than 40 years to take the supreme horse title at 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

Surprised would be an understatement to describe the emotions of rider Alice Homer when she was called forward as the champion in the Andrews Bowen International arena.

Her former eventer pulled off an outstanding gallop in the main ring following a show piece in the pre-judging that impressed guest judge Laura Collett.

She said: “He means everything to me.

“You dream for a lifetime to find one horse like him. I just can’t believe I was lucky enough for him to come to me.”

“Guinness” has been a fantastic all-rounder for Alice, and also competes in working hunters alongside the flat classes.

The 10-year-old gelding is owned by Loraine Homer, and was found by Alice’s grandfather David Tatlow as a foal for a family friend.

He went on to compete in eventing but did not grow tall enough, so came back for Alice to show.

Unfortunately, Mr Tatlow was at home this weekend, so did not see the horse he sourced take the supreme with his granddaughter in the saddle.

“He’s such an incredible man and I really wish he was here tonight,” Alice said.

“He’ll be so pleased. He had so much success himself, he got so much success for Mum and now for me with finding these incredible horses. I’m just beyond lucky.”

The only other small hunter to take the supreme at HOYS was the Van Praagh family's Macbeth, who won in 1985 with Allister Hood.

Alice performed a superb show in front of judges Laura Collett and Edwin Prosser.

It included one-handed canter transitions on a straight line and walk-to-canter transitions.

Once in the Andrews Bowen arena, the combination pulled off an impressive, powerful extension, which rivalled the bigger horses in a quality line-up.

“I just had nothing to lose,” Alice said. “I thought, ‘Well, if I can’t win the supreme, I might win the fastest gallop’.

“I imagine the judges thought, ‘you’d cross country pretty well on that horse’!”

Alice described Guinness as a cheeky character, adding that he had a moment in the collecting ring before he went in and took the title.

“He actually tried to bite one of the fellow supreme competitors!” she said.

“It was the heavy horse as well, and I thought, ‘I’m not sure you want to take that on’.”

At home, Alice and Guinness enjoy hacking and “pretty much anything other than going in the school”.

Guinness is an Irish Sports Horse, and he qualified for HOYS this year at Staffordshire County Show.

Previous wins on his CV include five victories at Hickstead’s Royal International, including three in the smalls and two in the intermediate hunter ranks, which he has also won here.

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The rider of a home-bred who won his first novice event on the day she had to let his dam go said it was a day of sadness – but also joy, as a part of her beloved mare lives on.

Equine vet Charlotte (Lotty) Allwood and her own seven-year-old HHF Sexy Mail topped their section at Eland Lodge on 27 June. But Charlotte had been in two minds about going as she had had to put her mare Philippa down that morning owing to colic.

“It was the epitome of the highs and lows of horses, within 12 hours,” Lotty told H&H. “It was a strange day, such ups and downs, but she was such a special horse, who taught me so much, so to be out eventing with her baby and him to win was very special.”

Lotty bought Philippa as a teenager, with money she had saved from producing ponies, and they evented successfully together, after which she and her mother Sarah decided to put the mare in foal, and “Merlot” was born.

“We were a little bit drunk when we named him!” Lotty said. “There used to be a horse called Some Chick, which we thought was funny, and as he’s by Jaguar Mail, we thought it would sound funny to have ‘Charlotte Allwood riding sexy male’, and unfortunately that’s the one that stuck!”

Lotty said she produced Merlot slowly, as he is over 17hh, and they came third at their previous novice on 14 June. Then when she went out to feed the horses before the event last Saturday, she found Philippa down in the field.

“I examined her and I knew she was colicking and really poorly,” Lotty said. “It wasn’t a colic that could be saved by surgery so I went to get my mum. We said goodbye to her together and I put her to sleep.

“We were beside ourselves because she’s been in our family 14, 15 years and she’s the queen of the yard. We weren’t going to go but then said ‘What are we going to do, sit here and cry all day? Why don’t we go, it’s what Philippa would have wanted us to do’.”

HHF Sexy Mail dug deep

Lotty said it was not the best dressage test she had ridden but that Merlot is so good on the flat, they scored just over 30. They then went clear in the showjumping.

“I knew the time was really tight across country, and it was only his third novice, so he’s not really used to going at pace,” she said. “I didn’t really know how he was going to handle it, but he was just an absolute superstar, he really dug deep for me.

“Philippa was such a funny mare, she had a really good sense of humour, and was always really careful showjumping.

“She wasn’t the scopiest horse in the world but she had the heart of a lion, she tried for you all the time. She’d look for fences; any time you landed, she was looking for flags, and I really do feel like I went round that course the other day and he was the exact same. It was just like riding Philippa all over again.”

Philippa was buried at home, and Lotty said it was a privilege to be able to give her last and greatest gift to a horse she had loved for so long.

“We had that conversation, and Mum said ‘You can’t do this, we’ll ring’ but I wasn’t going to let her struggle,” she said. “There was never any question in my mind. She knew we were there, and I was able to do that for her, surrounded by people she really knew, and it was so peaceful.

“The last good thing I could do for her”

“Everyone always says it must be so hard and it is, but one of the very kindest things we get to do as vets is relieve suffering. And when you can do that for a horse you really care about, in a situation where they really trust you and know you and they haven’t got a stranger doing it, it was such a special feeling.

“It was the last really good thing I could do for her, because I owed her so much. She gave me so much, not only competing but just through her personality, her bringing up these wonderful babies, being an incredible mum, looking after the herd when she got older. She did so much for us, and that was the kindest thing I could do for her. The last gift I could give her was that and I’m very glad I was able to do that for her.”

Lotty added that it was extra special to have the win on a horse she had bred and known from his first moment.

“It’s always been a dream of mine and my mum’s, to have a home-bred and be able to win with a home-bred, and he’s made that happen for us,” she said. “And on a day that was so poignant and heart-wrenching was incredible. It’s happy and sad at the same time, but I’m very lucky as I’ve got a part of her always now in Merlot – she lives on, which is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

“As a vet, you do steer away from that type of conversation, but it definitely did feel like she was there, and she was looking over us. And I hope we did her proud.”

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A 16-year-old eventer who swapped motorcycles for horses four years ago has been recognised for his “dedication and enthusiasm”, as he aims to step up to three-star next season.

West Yorkshire-based Alfie Dixon is the September winner of the British Eventing (BE) and the Howden Way spotlight award, having been nominated by his coach Will Murray.

The award is for grassroots members who “embody the shared values” of BE and Howden Way; prioritising horse and athlete welfare, embracing collaboration in training and or competition, emphasising personal growth and skill development and exhibiting sportsmanship. Every month BE coaches can nominate someone from their region and Laura Collett chooses the winner.

Alfie started riding in 2022. He did his first full BE season in 2024, having made his eventing debut in the Norton Disney BE80 in October 2023.

“My family is more into motor sport. I used to ride bikes and my older brother competed in motocross at European level,” said Alfie.

“It was only when my sister got a pony, about four years ago that I decided I wanted to ride. My parents bought me a pony to stop us arguing.”

On 9 September Alfie and his eight-year-old gelding Prince Louis B (Tommy) were 18th on their first two-star completion, at Cornbury. The following week they enjoyed their first win together, in the under-18 open novice at Succeed Kelsall Hill.

“My ultimate aim is to build a string of horses, ride for owners and compete at the highest level,” said Alfie.

Alfie said the spotlight award was a “fantastic surprise”.

“Tommy and I have had a fantastic season so far, hitting all our goals,” he said. “Next season is going to be another big step up and our goal is our first three-star.”

Will Murray said Alfie attended several BE coaching sessions at the start of the season “where he displayed obvious talent and enthusiasm”.

“He has worked incredibly hard at improving his and his horse’s performance throughout the season,” he said.

“His dedication and enthusiasm for the sport is fantastic, and I would like that to be recognised.”

On reading Alfie’s nomination, Laura Collett said she was impressed by his commitment to developing himself and Prince Louis B during the season.

“Talent is important, but so too are dedication, enthusiasm and a willingness to keep learning, and it sounds as though Alfie has shown all those qualities,” she said.

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KBF Le Paradis (Mira), with a rider has only sat on the mare three times, and former Price Family reserve supreme Scottshall Aristocrat have taken the hunter and show horse intermediate championships at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

Kinvara Garner says she feels “very lucky” to have the ride on Mira, who is out of HOYS winner CSF Cummer Paradise.

The five-year-old is owned and bred by Simon Reynolds and Michael Cook.

Kinvara qualified her on a chance ride at the BSHA National Championship Show, which was her first time piloting Mira.

Since then, she has had one practice ride at producer Jayne Ross’ yard, before taking up the reins here.

“Team Ross do all the work,” said Kinvara. “I just turned up and got on, so thank you to them because this mare is seriously special.

“Her breeders breed amazing horses.”

Mira also competes in the riding horse classes with Jayne, and Kinvara says she is a lovely, straightforward ride.

“She is gorgeous to ride. She’s very powerful,” she said.

“You sort of don’t really have too much of a contact – you let her do her thing.

“She’s pretty straightforward for a baby.”

Second in the hunters was Isabella Mason riding Ashlea’s The Banker, a five-year-old gelding.

She says “Banksy”, owned by Shirley Dennison, gave her a lovely ride.

“He loves the job and he always tries really hard.”

Intermediate show horse of the year

The winner of the intermediate show horse of the year was Scottshall Aristocrat (Reggie), ridden by Ellis Taverner-Burns.

Also a five-year-old, the gelding was bred by Johanna Foster and was reserve price in-hand champion here as a three-year-old.

He is produced by John Havey, who said: “For him to have won it as a three-year-old in hand and then come back two years later and win, the first time he’s competed here under saddle, is incredible.”

It is Reggie’s first ridden season, and he also competed in the large hack class earlier in the week, where he finished sixth.

Ellis said: “It was a complete shock. We had no expectations.

“He’s playful. He likes to nibble and he likes his treats, but he’s a very good boy.

“He’s lovely to ride. He just takes you round.”

Second to the combination was the 2023 winner, Poppy Carter riding Danni Radford’s Ladies Man.

Another Jayne Ross-produced horse, he also won the small riding horse class with Jayne Ross today.

Poppy said: “He went absolutely mega. He just gives his all every single time.”

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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.

“You’re going to be going one way or another, and thankfully we haven't had a terrible stride yet!” said Tipperary-based Andrew, who first captured the public’s imagination when he finished third in the London International Horse Show (LIHS) puissance last December, on his first appearance in the UK.

“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.

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It has been a few weeks since the LeMieux National Dressage Championships at Somerford Park but I am still licking my wounds! Having had the most incredible start with a win in the prix st georges and inter I, I hit the ground with a serious bump in the grand prix when my high hopes were drowned in the deluge.

Warming up Full Moon II (Moony), I wasn’t too worried as we have all dealt with riding in English downpours. The unexpected aspect was that as I was trotting around the arena before starting, the spectators from the uncovered stands rushed to the covered stands and the judges flicked their headlights and wipers on.

This was game over for Moony. He went backwards more than forwards and spent most of the test trying to convince me that we should run, while I tried to convince him that we needed to stay and finish the job. We had our lowest score ever and I went home early a little perplexed at how the week had turned.

Forest Hill had an OK test, but is new to this level. Although he had qualified for the freestyle, I had nothing prepared. I had never imagined that Moony wouldn’t qualify and you are only allowed to ride one in the freestyle.

My family were delighted that I was back early, armed with a lesson on the ups and downs with horses. I spent Sunday watching my youngest two children showjumping in the rain, winning more rosettes than me.

I had, however, left Somerford feeling excited, too. It is always a privilege to compete at such a well-organised show with fantastic sponsors. My upcoming eight-year-old, Ostmarks Digal (pictured top), had also made me smile, after his two wins. He will compete at Horse of the Year Show in the future elite class, his first ever freestyle [which he won].

In the meantime, Moony and I are regaining confidence and ironing out blips at local shows, as I am convinced that the outside circumstances would not have been so catastrophic for Digal or Forest, who are both less dramatic.

Let’s use the full range of marks

The evening celebrating the life of the late Stephen Clarke was emotional and yet lovely. Much was made of his influence on judging and his move for starting at 10 and dropping down according to what you see, rather than starting at a six or seven.

His book, Dressage Dreams 10, was fabulous and sadly a lot of what he pushed for has been lost in the past few years. Scores feel stuck on the average marks again.

Unless you are such a household name that receiving an eight or more seems a sure thing, it feels like the judges have been bullied out of risking really high marks. It may be that, with so much social media criticism and the fear of getting it wrong when everything is online for immediate scrutiny, it is difficult to stick one’s neck out.

Unlike judges, keyboard warriors have the beauty of hindsight and can play back videos. Sometimes the judge that is out of line with the others is the one in the right, but was the only one that dared to err away from the six to 7.5 buttons.

I felt that if my mistake-free test on a nice horse is only just scraping the lower end of the 70s, it must be depressing for many others, who also had good tests but were shy of 70%. We need to take a leaf out of Stephen’s book, because we have lots of strong combinations, so how can so few tests then be getting good scores?

I would love to go back to fives and less for real mistakes but eight or more for deserving brilliance.

I felt the comments on my sheets were constructive and positive, but higher marks to match would be lovely for riders, owners and supporters, and so that when other nations look at our results, we are not selling ourselves short.

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Seywoods Royal Dancer, a four-year-old stallion, has taken the prestigious Price Family supreme in-hand championship at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

Led by Simon Charlesworth, and said to be the “best he’s ever shown”, he was bought from James and Christie Hunton by Carolyn Campbell from a video.

She said: “I had no intention of buying another one.

“When I saw the video, I fell in love with him. Simon rang James, they had a chat about him – deal done.”

“Ralph” is a British riding pony out of Colbeach Duet, who was champion part-bred Arab at HOYS in 2014, and by the prolific stallion Turberry Top Cat.

He is lightly campaigned, narrowly missing out on his ticket with two reserves last term.

At home, producer Simon said, the young stallion can sometimes be a handful.

“His days revolve around wrecking a jolly ball or anything he can get hold of,” he explained.

“He’s full steam. But he’s kind, and he just loves the job – a bit too much sometimes!”

Ralph is a full brother to today’s winning 138cm show pony and reserve champion, Stanley Grange Crescendo.

He has a star-studded pedigree, his granddam Colbeach Serenade qualified for the Price final as a yearling.

Simon added: “I think he’s one of the best I’ve ever shown.

“I think he’s the best I’ve ever brought here in terms of the way he looks. He’s matured a lot over summer.

“His coat has been unbelievable. Obviously the weather’s probably helped.

“I just thought physically, he’s come here looking better than anything I think I’ve ever brought.”

Ralph may soon have stock on the ground, as he is going for AI collections at the end of the month.

The championship followed a new format this year; all the horses were judged in the TopSpec arena, later going for the results and presentation under the spotlights in the international arena.

All the exhibits walked in together, then the colts and stallions went out while the mares were judged, and came back in for their turn.

Simon says he is “in two minds” about how the new process works, explaining that for him, there were too many horses during the preliminary judging in the Top Spec Arena.

“I’m not against the idea, though, because with everyone going in there at night, hopefully more people will see it and that might encourage people to do it, which can only be a good thing, can’t it?”

An emotional occasion

Reserve to Simon went to another plaited entrant, Billy Moran’s homebred Tiger Feet II and Tom Pearson, on the sport horse’s second appearance here.

“I am delighted,” said an emotional Billy. “I lost my wife Joanne last year, and she asked me to keep him till he was three as she thought he would be our next home-bred to do well in the Price, so I did what she wished.”

He’s out of Tiger Trap – a full sister to Billy’s prolific Tiger Attack, who showed and was lightly evented – and by pony stallion Stanley Grange Regal Heights.

“I used him because I wanted to breed a small riding horse, but I ended up with a large riding horse,” said Billy, “but that doesn’t matter.”

It’s been some year for the future large riding horse type; he’s been awarded elite status with British Futurity, and he’s been champion every time out, including standing supreme in-hand at Bramham Horse Trials.

He qualified for the Price at New Forest and Hampshire Show, after impressing judge William Fox-Pitt, and further attracting interest from the eventing world for him, though Billy said that nothing has been properly decided for him yet, beyond that he will be aimed at either ridden showing or eventing next year.

Third place went to Achillty Miss Isabella, a Trakehner filly owned by David Shand and showed by his grandson Hunter Macdonald.

Fourth was Inglehow Russian Star shown by David Russel and fifth was Llanarth Moses Jones owned and handled by Simon Bigley.

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“Her mother will be proud of her,” said Vittoria Panizzon, after finishing third in the Rathbones CCI3*-L at Aspen Cooling Osberton with Borough Tuppence.

The nine-year-old is a daughter of Vittoria’s London 2012 Olympic ride Borough Pennyz and by Timolin, a son of Totilas. A princess by name and by nature, Borough Tuppence is strikingly beautiful, light across the ground and extremely athletic.

“She’s stunning and moves beautifully. Timolin has given her fantastic paces and a lovely uphill presence,” said Vittoria, adding that the mare looks like her sire and has a similar character to her dam.

“She is very princessy and can be tricky if you don’t get the buttons right. But that’s what is great about mares – they can have quite a lot of character, but if you get them on side and loving their job, they’ll dig deeper for you.

“She’s brilliant across country and very athletic, which she gets from both sides. You come out of the start box, she puts on her game face and goes into lion mode.”

There’s a lovely family story behind Borough Tuppence and her full brother, Borough Threpence. Borough Pennyz is owned by Sally Bullen and Timolin belongs to her sister-in-law Jennie Lorriston-Clarke.

“I put together a syndicate for her when she was still an embryo,” said Vittoria, who owns Borough Tuppence with Ann Dowty, Lucy Mackenzie, Dani Charleston-Gallacher, Ian Robinson and Eddie and Amanda Benson.

“I have produced her slowly because she is quite sensitive and needed time to strengthen and feel comfortable with the flat work mostly, and it's paid off.

“It is awfully special, and you've known the previous generation as well. Certainly with her more sensitive parts, it probably helps a bit having worked with her mother, who equally could have clear opinions.”

Vittoria credited Flo Dawes and Lisa White for their help with the mare’s dressage, which she said has “really progressed in the last year or two”.

“They really understand her and she’s taken a huge leap forward, which is what she needed as she’s always jumped a lot of double clears, we just needed to get the competitive marks,” said Vittoria, who finished on her dressage score of 29.5

Osberton was Borough Tuppence’s first long-format event; she already has one CCI4*-S under her belt, so the plan will be to move towards her becoming more established at four-star level with the hope she could be a team contender in future.

“Osberton has been a fantastic test because it was a pretty challenging course, it had a whole range of different questions and I feel there was plenty of variety that was educational for her to move up to the next level,” said Vittoria.

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Carters Top Gun impressed the judges to defend his Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) cob championship despite finishing second in his class.

Producer Oliver Hood said he just wanted to have a nice time in the Andrews Bowen International arena, but ended up coming out with the sash with the nine-year-old gelding, owned by Catherine Dickens.

He said: “He went fantastic this morning, and I just thought I was going to go in there and enjoy it tonight.

“I thought, ‘There’s no pressure, I’ll show him off to the best I can and you never know’.

“It’s not often you can pull it off, but he’s been great tonight.”

Olli says the heavyweight has not been out of the top two all season.

His extensive CV includes champion at the Royal International Horse Show in 2024 and two championships at the Hickstead Derby.

He was also cob champion here last year, and thinks his second placing may have helped him clinch the title again.

“To be second, you go in there with a little less pressure,” he said.

“I really just had fun with him tonight. He always knows when it’s the big occasion and turns it on.”

Reserve in the cob championship was the winner of the lightweight class, Norman Commander, ridden by Jayne Ross.

The six-year-old gelding is owned by Alison Tate.

She said: “It’s his first season, he’s not done many shows.

“He was thrown in at the deepend in the HOYS at Three Counties. Then to qualify at Great Yorkshire was the best and we came here not expecting a lot because he’s a baby really.”

Alison bought him in December from Magnus and Kate Nicholson.

He will now do some hunting over winter, as he is proving to have a great jump and may make an appearance over fences next term with Team Ross member Olivia Minihane.

Also in the championship was Will Morton, who pipped Oli in the heavyweights with Valerie Hosegood’s Banview So Smart.

Second in the lightweight class was Brian Murphy riding Polly Coles’ Mythical Creature.

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Thistledown Wood Owl has carried her young jockey Gracie-May Whitaker, of the famous jumping dynasty, to victory at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

“Birdie” – owned by Gracie-May’s grandfather Martin Wood – and Gracie-May first won the Welsh lead-rein class, then took the overall mini mountain and moorland (M&M) championship, led by her producer Craig Elenor.

The confident seven-year-old rider – who also follows in the family footsteps in jumping – has moved on to first ridden classes, so this was their last show together.

Gracie-May’s mother Michaela Marie Whitaker said: “The mare is unbelievable. It's her first season on the lead and she won two qualifiers. She's a lovely stamp, a lovely mare and we've actually just sold her, so this is Gracie's last ride on her.

“I've won HOYS eight times myself in showing, but nothing compares to this win. This win is unreal.”

Birdie has gone from strength to strength this season, having kicked off her 2026 campaign with the novice tricolour at the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) winter championships.

The reserve sash went to Walter Ashworth riding his mother Lucinda Craven's Dolhelfa Brenin Aur.

When they are not giving a polished performance in the show ring, this pair can often be found galloping round fields at home.

Lucinda said: "We bought him unseen from the Isle of Wight as a two-year-old colt in view for Walter's first ridden pony. I loved his limb and his frame.

“We were here last year on the lead; this is his first year as an open first ridden.”

Walter backed the now six-year-old himself and has brought him on slowly.

“They suit each other. They're a little team,” Lucinda said.

Of his HOYS win, Walter added: “It felt spectacular.”

Second to the eventual champion in the Welsh lead reins was Olivia Marsh with Dean Marsh's Thistledown Detroit-City, led by Sharn Linney.

The non-Welsh lead rein was won by Westown Wild Storm and Naomi Lear, led by John Harvey, ahead of Newoak Rocketman ridden by Charlotte Gough.

Second in a huge first ridden class was Charlotte Knight on her mother Jamie Clarke’s Thistledown Princess Letizia, recently crowned supreme mini at the BSPS Heritage championships.

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It’s easy to hark back to the cross-country courses of yesteryear, and pit the traditional “rider-frighteners” versus today’s technical questions, but the reality is far more nuanced. Ginny Elliot, who won 10 gold medals as well as five Burghleys and three Badmintons in the 1980s, refutes the idea that accuracy is more important today.

“When Frank Weldon took over building Badminton [1966–1988] it was all about bravery and accuracy – accuracy was super important,” she says.

“Now, yes, they have to be very accurate too because of the skinnies – which are difficult – and various other challenging questions, but it’s a different sort of accuracy.

“Angles were the main question for us; we had to be pinpoint accurate on our line or we’d land in a ditch. There was such a wide space to get it wrong because the rail was 20ft wide from right to left, to another rail 20ft wide – your angle and accuracy had to be absolutely correct, you couldn’t deviate six inches.”

Ginny gives the example of the angles at Badminton’s Tom Smith’s Walls – now no longer jumped – and the “S-fence”, built of timber.

“You were running downhill,” she says. “There was one stride between each rail, so you had to find your way through on the right striding.”

Burghley’s infamous Brandy Glass in 1983 – so called because from aerial view it was shaped like its name – was another.

“It was angled post-and-rail to angled post-and-rail to a corner, super-difficult, and dear Priceless was perfection; he didn’t deviate an inch right or left,” says Ginny.

She’d been told by chef d’equipe Malcolm Wallace not to attempt the influential direct route if she was on time.

“I think I was the only one who jumped it straight – because my watch wasn’t working, so I had to!”

The onus was on riders of that era to decide their own line and stick to it.

“You had to choose something like a piece of bark on the timber, and a tree in the distance to line up, especially if there were three fences in a row or open corners on a bending line.

“We jumped very natural fences that sat well in the countryside, utilising the natural resources. In my memory, we didn’t have protective rails on ditches like at the Vicarage Vee nowadays, so if you were near the end of the day, the ditch was considerably bigger.

“We rarely had fillers or flower pots; the fences were less dressed,” she adds. “I remember at Badminton a massive parallel on an angle over an open ditch. So you had to make sure you’re on exactly the right line or you land in the ditch.”

“Frank Weldon was a genius course-designer. We often sat in our lorries the night before cross-country agreeing that there were two or three unjumpable fences – how wrong we were. Frank had certainly managed to frighten the riders, but the fences jumped well.”

The challenge was to solve the course-designer’s puzzle.

“One fence I couldn’t work out in my head was at Gawler World Championships in 1984,” she says. “It was a rail, one stride, rail drop into water and then bounce over another rail. I watched it for a while, and it wasn’t working out. Even Charisma fell there.

“A very few managed the bounce, but it was ugly to watch. My question was, having dropped a long way down landing in the water, physically how could the horse get his weight back on his hind feet to take off immediately over the rail?

“So I worked out that if I could get Priceless to take two strides in the one stride, he’d drop in short and then could fit in one stride to the rail instead of a bounce. I just prayed and he did it. It didn’t sit well in my tummy but I was reasonably confident he could do it.

“Priceless had a remarkable brain and sense of quick decisions, a genius.”

They won double gold.

The Gawler fence would be outlawed today – the track produced 26 fallers from 43 runners.

And sometimes, the fences were rightly deemed unjumpable.

“At the Denmark Euros [Horsens, 1981] there was an upright on top of a bank like the Hickstead Derby bank, so horses would have landed right at the bottom,” Ginny remembers. “I walked the course with Richard Meade and I was just a child with nappies on!

“Richard looked at my face when we finished the course and said, ‘don’t worry, they will have to change two of those fences’. They removed them after the chef d’equipes’ meeting and thank goodness, because I was number one to go!”

Bouncing and bucking through bullfinches

Bullfinches were quite a feature in the ’80s. They still pop up today, but they’re arguably less frequent – and certainly less taxing. Ginny remembers a bounce of bullfinches at Burghley, where Night Cap cleverly scrambled in a stride.

“A bounce of bullfinches didn’t make any sense in my head and he must have been suspicious – but he was very clever and luckily I managed to stay on board. I hated that fence.”

Priceless managed to negotiate a huge bullfinch with a massive ditch in front on a steep downhill approach, bucking after Ginny tapped him on the shoulder to tell him to pay attention to the enormous obstacle ahead.

“Bucking was not what I needed when I felt we should be going 80mph! The crowds watching must have thought this very amusing,” she says. “Priceless, renowned for his cheeky behaviour, managed to stop bucking just in time and jumped it really well – goodness knows how.”

Another natural feature, banks, were also more prevalent, with iconic fences such as Luckington Lane and the Normandy Bank now no longer in use. These were a useful method of slowing horses down to make the optimum time sufficiently tough, but from a designer’s perspective, steps and staircases use up too many of the permitted number of jumping efforts.

Mastering the cross-country test

Despite – or perhaps because of – all these taxing fences, Ginny was a consummate cross-country rider, her smooth style belying the difficulty of the tracks. Two of her top horses – Priceless and Master Craftsman – never had a cross-country jumping fault, through their careers of multiple five-stars and championships.

“I was told early on in my career that a horse already knows he is a horse – the art of horsemanship lies solely with the rider,” says Ginny.

“I’ve always asked what the designer is asking from the rider, in terms of how to present their horse in the best way to negotiate a particular fence,” she explains. “Gear-changing is nearly the most important, and the smoother this happens, the less time you use.

“All horses are different and have their Achilles’ heels. As a rider, it’s our responsibility to do the gear changes, the rhythm and accuracy. And if you did all that you should have a high chance of jumping the fence happily.

“You can’t afford to take money out of the bank, so you don’t want a hairy moment at fence four,” she adds. “I would be very cross with myself if my horse hit a fence in front. I had another job to do on Sunday, so my horses had to finish in the best possible shape.”

And with Ginny’s extraordinary tally of medals and trophies, she certainly fulfilled her mission.

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There is an “urgent need” to change collective thinking and behaviour on weaning foals to benefit horses in the short and long term.

This is the recommendation of a new study, published in ScienceDirect, on the effects of different methods of weaning, and at different ages.

Lead author Joanne Dwyer, who conducted the research at the University of Nottingham, told H&H the findings are key to welfare in the short- and long-term.

“‘Weaning’ traditionally means moving from milk to solid food, and that’s not what we’re talking about with foals; they start munching on the mums’ food at a few weeks old,” she said. “We’re talking physical separation of intensely bonded horses, and if you do it too soon and too abruptly, you might create lifelong behavioural issues from the emotional and psychological impact separation can have.”

Ms Dwyer had conducted a scoping review of literature on weaning for her master’s degree. She realised the professionals she had spoken to, from equine charities, were highly experienced in management and welfare of horses at every life stage, and their input was important enough to study further. Participants viewed footage of the point of weaning, assessed this using behavioural indicators and shared their own experiences.

The paper states that weaning is considered one of the most stressful periods of a young horse’s life, but there is limited consensus on how best to do it.

Foal weaning research is available

“Participants voiced frustration that despite a good enough body of research to support progressive weaning methods, lots of horses are still being admitted to their organisations with what they identify as ‘weaning-related separation anxiety’ even into their adult years,” the paper states, adding that two participants from one organisation said they had moved to progressive weaning some years ago,

“Adult horses admitted into their care that they believe are suffering from the long-term effects of abrupt weaning display those same behaviours observed in the foals.”

Abrupt weaning means separating the mare and foal “in one go”, compared to starting with brief separation and gradually increasing the time the two are apart. Isolation of foals at weaning, rather with new equine companions, also has a negative welfare impact.

In a session on “the first year of life” during the British Equine Veterinary Association congress last month, Rebecca Mounsey of the Royal Veterinary College spoke about evidence on best weaning practice.

She pointed out that during critical growth and development phases, tissues are very sensitive to their environment, and their function can be affected in a positive or negative way that could have long-lasting impacts.

In horses, this window is the first six months of life, or before weaning if a horse is weaned before six months.

“We recognise that weaning causes abrupt cessation in the rate of average daily weight gain, so that’s probably when that period of rapid growth ceases,” she said.

Dr Mounsey said studies of naturalistic equine populations suggests that voluntary weaning usually starts between nine and 10 months old, and lasts for a few months, and neither mare nor foal tends to show a stress response.

She cited studies for which foals were weaned before, at or after six months old; those weaned later showed reduced stress, as well as enhanced growth and skeletal development. Another study showed foals weaned at nine or 10 months showed enhanced development in regions of the brain associated with social behaviour, physiological regulation and information processing, compared to those weaned at six months. She also cited studies finding progressive weaning is more beneficial than abrupt separation.

“There’s a number of studies where increased instance of stereotypical behaviours is associated with individual boxed weaning,” she added. “Separating foals and putting them in their own individual stalls seems to encourage some of these stereotypical behaviours.”

Dr Mounsey said that optimal weaning needs to be tailored to individual mares, foals and their situations, with which Ms Dwyer agrees.

“Your set-up will dictate what you can provide for the needs of mare and foal but between seven and 12 months is healthiest,” she said.

“The reality is that it’s healthier to leave them together longer than we’re traditionally used to. There has to be a cultural shift; I think strengthening the involvement with the welfare organisations will help, and if they share the results, such as a reduction in mastitis in mares.

“Then it will help to look at lifetime impacts for horses; are they more successful, and more emotionally stable? We need more breeders to experiment with these methods.”

The study concludes: “Participants were unanimous in agreeing the need to change away from abrupt and isolating methods of weaning, and this supports what is already known from the current literature.”

● What are your thoughts on the best way to wean? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

Star Smokey, a superstar Connemara, has made his young rider’s dreams come true by winning the working hunter pony championship at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

“Colin” won the 143cm division with jockey Florence Duncalf earlier in the day.

He cleared a tough, full-up track which caught a fair few combinations out through the day.

The 16-year-old gelding owned by Laura Wheelwright was expertly ridden by 15-year-old Florence.

Florence, who has been riding Colin for four seasons, said: “He's just amazing. He's done everything I've asked him to do. He's won all the big titles now.”

The pair have won the British Show Pony Society's Desert Orchid championship class, the Royal International (RIHS) and have now added HOYS to their CV.

“He’s my life. If I didn't have him, it wouldn't be the same; I could do this on another horse and it still wouldn't be the same, because he's just so special.”

Although he is a forward competition pony in the ring, Colin has a gentle nature at home.

“My brother, he's eight, has very severe additional needs and he leads him in from the field and back to the field. His stable manners are very nice,” Florence said.

“He's so lovely on the ground, and that's another thing that makes him so special because he can do this job for me and then can do that for my brother.”

Colin will now have a break and some winter showjumping before next season.

It’s a kind of magic

Reserve to Florence in the championship was Ami Conchie aboard her own A Kind Of Magic JVH Z.

The 14-year-old gelding by Armstrong VD Kape – who has no front teeth as they had to be removed – produced a great clear round.

“I’m over the moon,” said Ami. “It’s our first big win together, so to go reserve is even better.

“I was first in to go [in the jumping] so the pressure was on, but it was a nice flowing course.”

The pair are based just outside Dundee in Scotland, and this is not the first time they have made the eight-hour journey to HOYS.

After things didn’t quite go to plan in their first year, they finished a respectable eighth last year before pulling out all the stops today.

They qualified at the Royal Highland around a tough Graham Barclay track. Ballyvary Patsy and rider Indie McKeand also qualified there and won their 153cm division ahead of second-placed Dunmore Star, ridden by Izzy Hartswood-Collier.

It was a championship full of legendary ponies, including former supreme winner Noble Peppermint.

The 16-year-old mare was ridden by Connie Hutton and was second in the 133cm class.

Ahead of them was Nancy Lyons Teehan and her mother Louise Lyons’ Dartans Seoda Ban who managed to fend off all competition and successfully defend their 2025 title.

Nancy said: “I can’t explain it. It was unbelievable.”

Lola Carabine and Lady Dublin Of Corderry were second in the 143cm class equalling their position in the mountain and moorland working hunter division.

Second to the eventual reserve in the intermediates was Eridon Echo, a skewbald mare owned by Helen Newman-Moore and ridden by Lottie Newman-Moore.

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Pandoras Conquistadors Bvlgari, a “cheeky” 73cm tall stallion, topped the American miniature horse championship class at the 2026 Horse of The Year Show (HOYS).

“Bo” was shown to the title by his owner Emma Armitage.

He is no stranger to success, being multi-garlanded, and this year took championships at the Royal Welsh and the Devon County Show.

A win at HOYS was last on the list for Emma, who has won here previously with a British miniature horse.

She said: “I’m elated. “He has won every title in the UK and this is just the icing on the cake. It’s what we’ve always wanted to do together and we’ve done it.”

Emma picked out Bo after seeing him “float around the arena” as a five-month-old foal.

The Covergilrs Boleros El Conquistadors seven-year-old was bred by Emma Williams, and is a working stallion.

“He has one on the ground, and three due next year,” said Emma, who has had pint-sized ponies for “as long as she can remember”, and who says she loves the breed for their personality.

“They are little, but they have so much love to give you, and you can have as much fun as with a big horse,” she said.

“He loves to show. He’s cheeky, naughty, but as soon as he goes in the ring he just does his job.

“He absolutely loved it in there. As soon as he’s got a sash on, he’s like, ‘I’m going’.”

Second in the class was Adele Is A Superstar, a mare by McCarthys Storm Warning.

The piebald is owned by Nicola Trigg and shown in the ring by Charlotte Trigg.

She was bought by them as a filly, and is now five.

They say Adele is the “sweetest mare” who “always gives her best no matter what”.

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Lostock Up Till Dark oozed presence and quality to land the coloured horse and pony of the year championship sponsored by CHAPS (UK) at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) before judges Stephanie Barrington and Julie Templeton.

Owned by her breeder Caroline Hamilton, seven-year-old “Susie” was ridden by her producer Harrison Taylor to the title; the pair went one better than last year to land the non-native pony division.

Bred in the purple, Susie is the last born of an exceptional pairing. She is out of prolific ridden mare Up-To-D, and by Lostock Huntsman, who was the first coloured champion here in 1998, and winner of the Kellythorpes leading coloured sire award at HOYS in 2021.

“I’m very pleased for the mare,” said Caroline, who intends to breed from Susie when she’s finished her ridden career. “She’s very special and the easiest person to deal with, which is unusual because sometimes when they’re this special they’re a bit quirky but she’s not.”

Harrison echoed her sentiments.

“She’s just the easiest, nicest horse I've ever had; I just love her.”

Aside from her easy disposition, it’s little wonder the Cheshire-based producer is so fond of her, as she’s notched a string of stellar results, with back-to-back supreme coloured titles at the Royal International, and a win and reserve this term at Windsor.

“She's done all our favourite three. She loves an occasion. She loved the atmosphere in there tonight, she really got up and went this evening,” said Harrison.

The Boss lived up to his name to steal the show in the coloured ridden native/cob/traditional pony of the year sponsored by CHAPS (UK)/ The White Crow and then stand reserve champion, much to the delight of his owner Loren Gaskin.

This incredible 18-year-old has qualified for HOYS five years on the trot. He has finished seventh and 11th before, so today’s spoils meant everything to his connections.

“My granddad bought him when he was two,” said Loren. “We do everything with him, he’s a pet really.”

The blue and white stallion made Loren work for her result though.

“He's had two baths today. Last night he was clean, and then we did the working in, and he looked like he'd been playing out in the field!” she said.

“I’m still on cloud nine from the class win. I wasn’t expecting it. Being home produced, it's hard. Every class is strong but the hairy pony class is very strong. But he felt incredible today,” said Loren, who was planning to celebrate with a Chinese.

Also in the championship were Stephanie Fitt’s home-bred 2023 champion Castra, ridden by Oscar Elcock to win the junior division.

Diane Stennett and Lucy Cameron’s 2025 champion and supreme horse KBF Lucia won her second class of the week – the non-native horse – with Jayne Ross in the saddle. The pair landed the ladies’ show horse class on the show’s opening morning.

Just as Will Morton thought his week couldn’t get better his ride, Bannview So Smart, owned by Valerie Hosegood gave him another centre line moment in the coloured native/ cob/ traditional horse class.

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New Zealand’s Tim Price stays at the top of the eventing world rankings – as brilliant performances from Tom Jackson, Gemma Stevens and Katie Magee move them into the top 10.

In the October FEI rankings update, Tim is world number one for a fifth month, on 534 points. He took the top spot in June, having finished second at Mars Badminton with Falco.

At the time, Tim said being world number one was “something to be proud of”.

“Of course, the key to maintaining such a high level of performance is consistency, having good horses that are well prepared and can go and do a good job at the highest level,” he said.

US rider Boyd Martin is second on 528 points, and his countryman Will Coleman is third with 500 points. The pair have had strong seasons; Boyd was third at Longines Luhmuhlen CCI5* in June and has had multiple four-star placings including a win in the Tryon CCI4*-S last month. Will was fourth at the Aachen World Championships and seventh at Defender Burghley.

There are five Brits in the eventing world rankings top 10; Tom McEwen has moved up from fifth to fourth and Ros Canter dropped from sixth to seventh. Tom Jackson, who was fourth at Burghley with Hawk Eye and at Agria Blenheim on My Star Turn, has moved from 11th to fifth. He is on 430 points, 39 behind Tom McEwen.

Gemma Stevens has enjoyed a phenomenal autumn to jump from 25th to eighth. Gemma won Scone Palace CCI4*-S on Cooley Park Muze then a week later won Burghley with Chilli Knight. She had top-10 placings at Blenheim and was fifth individually at Boekelo last weekend, where she helped Britain win the Nations Cup final.

Another big mover is Katie Magee, up from 34th to ninth. Katie is also having a season to remember, having recorded top-10 four-star placings at Bramham, Alnwick Ford and Hartpury. She was runner-up at Burghley with Treworra, second in the Blenheim eight- and-nine-year-olds with Cushlas Indigo and second at Boekelo, where she joined Gemma on the team.

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The future of Maryland 5 Star is in doubt once again after its lead organisers pulled out of running the US horse trials in 2027.

Maryland has hosted an autumn CCI5* five times since its introduction in 2021. H&H reported this spring that the 2026 Maryland 5 Star had been cancelled following months of rumours, but that Select Event Group had “assumed the role of lead organiser” and was “preparing its application to organise and put on the 2027 Maryland 5 Star Event”.

On Thursday (8 October) Select Event Group announced that it “will withdraw as the prospective license holder for a future Maryland 5 Star event at this time”.

“The organising group supporting the future of the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill remains committed to the long-term vision of restoring one of the world’s premier eventing competitions and continues to work collaboratively with public, private, and community stakeholders to identify a sustainable path forward. That commitment has not changed,” said a Select Event Group spokesperson.

“However, after careful evaluation of current timelines, funding requirements, and organisational responsibilities, Select Event Group has informed the United States Equestrian Federation that it will withdraw as the prospective license holder for a future Maryland 5 Star event at this time.

“This decision reflects the practical realities of the current situation, not a lack of enthusiasm for the event’s return.”

The spokesperson added that “encouraging discussions continue” over potential funding, governance and operating structures, but that “the certainty necessary to responsibly relaunch an event of this scale has not yet materialised”.

“Rather than misrepresent the status or timing of those efforts, we believe it is important to be transparent with the governing body and the broader equestrian community regarding where things stand today,” said the spokesperson.

“This decision does not affect the USEF three-star or young event horse competitions scheduled at Fair Hill next week. It relates only to the timing and structure of a future Maryland 5 Star license and does not signal any concern regarding next week’s competitions.

“Select remains ready and excited to support, participate in, or potentially lead a future organising effort as a viable long-term funding model emerges.

“Fair Hill remains a world-class venue, and many dedicated stakeholders continue working toward a solution that can ensure the Maryland 5 Star’s successful return. We remain hopeful that opportunity will present itself in the future and stand ready to assist when it does.”

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Full Cry III and Robert Walker land what is believed to be owner Jill Day’s 10th hunter title at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

Balou Du Rourt seven-year-old “Billy”, winner of the middleweights, has had a stellar start to his career, with sashes at Great Yorkshire and Royal International to his name this term, as well as the novice hunter spoils at Royal Windsor as a four-year-old.

“He’s a special horse,” said Robert. “Last year probably would have been too soon for him. We had time to wait for him.

“I like to come here with a horse that can possibly win it not once but twice, three times, four times, five and that's how I look at it. One-hit wonders don't tend to last.”

Although he has won the championship so many times, Rob says it does not get any less special.

“Each year there becomes more anxiety leading up to the show,” he explained. “Before, when you hadn't had a winner here, it was a case of you come and try your best.

“But actually when you've been successful here, it's wanting to try and win again.”

He says the clever gelding has a forward-thinking, trainable attitude, adding: “He learns things so easily.

“He's bred to be an amazing sports horse. He finds everything way too easy. It’s just a case of just teaching him and then putting him away and going for a hack, then going back again.”

Rob Walker pipped his partner Sarah on Crystal Cove II to second in the middleweights.

Speaking after her class, she said “Fishy” is “like a pair of old slippers”, and added: “Robert's horse is super talented, and if anything's going to beat me – I don't mind it being him!”

Reserve in the championship was Hannah Horton riding Lucinda Freedman’s lightweight winner Tigbourne.

“Tigger” – a winner here in 2024 – also won the lightweight hunter class at Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) this summer.

An emotional Hannah said after her win: “It means everything to me. It's been a hard year and we just cracked on with the horses.

“To win that, it's just a pinnacle of the year. You finish it on a massive high; to get here is amazing – but that's just the icing on the cake.”

She says Tigger felt like “poetry in motion” in the ring, and gave her his all.

Second in the lightweights was Angela Smith’s former Price Family supreme in-hand champion Tremal Timber and Vicky Smith.

The heavyweight class was won by Jayne Ross on Greenhall Will I Ever.

This was the gelding’s second open class, having come out this season as a novice.

Jayne said: “He's been fantastic.

“He's just got the most lovely, lovely attitude to life. He’s a gentle giant.”

The five-year-old performed beyond his years in the big ring, and his rider described him as “very honest”.

Second to Jayne was Susan and Vicky Tennant’s Waterfall ridden by Leon King.

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Monarch In The Mist has added a win at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) to his impressive CV.

“Jack” was ridden to victory in the maxi cob division at the 2026 HOYS by his producer Will Morton.

The duo have had heaps of success, having been cob champion at Royal Windsor this season, and winning the maxi cobs twice consecutively at the Royal International.

“He’s done it all now,” Will said. “He's ticked every big win off the box. He's just phenomenal and he's so easy with it.

“He had 15 minutes of work this morning just to see the ring and have a little warm-up before we go in. He’s spectacular.”

Last term, Will and the consistent cob were reserve to Oliver Hood and Indigo Blue , who finished third this time.

Jack, by Fintan Himself, is owned by Rosamund Lane, who bought him from a photo of him jumping a hedge out hunting.

Will, based in Epping Forest, says the hardest part of producing the grey gelding is keeping him clean.

“The guys do the cleaning and Sophie Lane is very good. She comes to the show with a trolley full of whitening powder, shampoos and things,” he said.

“The whole team was battling this morning. I went up there and there were about five of them – one on each leg and one on his body. It’s a team effort.”

Will and Jack, an Irish Sports Horse, qualified for the final at Royal Cheshire Show.

He added: “I mean, what can I say? He’s just spectacular isn’t he?”

Second to the pair was Craig Kiddier and Clare Trebble's lightly campaigned Harvey Star.

The six-year-old is by Killea Hill View and out of Liath Star, and qualified at Lincolnshire Show, his first ever qualifier.

He was bought as a three-year-old from Ireland, as a hunter for Clare but good enough to contend the Irish Draught classes but has proven to be a special find.

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Joyton Sunshine and Ella Eynon ended a rollercoaster season on a high, landing the 143cm mountain and moorland working hunter pony division at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) against the odds.

“It was a massive course, right up to height and you couldn’t take a breath anywhere as there were tight turn-backs and some tricky lines,” said Ella. “I was nervous going in but Dad said when we walked it, ‘just keep your canter because the jumps will come up quick’. Dougie never lets me down, though.”

This is not their first centre-line moment here. Ella and “Dougie” – owned by her parents Rebecca Faulkner and Eurig Eynon – stood champion in 2022 when he was a five-year-old, and they’d won the 133cm division.

Two years later, a more mature Dougie measured out just before they were due to head to the Royal International (RIHS).

“We were gutted,” said Rebecca. “RIHS was tough for Ella that year without her best friend.”

The family regrouped, and a few shows later, Ella and the beloved Welsh section C gelding were HOYS bound in the larger section, finishing fourth, returning last term to come a close second.

“He’s tiny in this class, but he has so much scope, that he actually jumps better now; he has more respect for the fences at this height,” said Rebecca. “He and Ella have a beautiful relationship; he really is her pony of a lifetime, and Dougie would jump the moon for her if he could.”

It’s nevertheless been “an emotional rollercoaster” of a season for Ella and Dougie, who clocked up five seconds, and got their pass just a fortnight ago on a technicality. Luckily, as the bold and game chap he is, Dougie was ready to step up to the HOYS challenge.

“For Ella, at 16, the prospect of not bringing Dougie was devastating, and it was tough mid-season to keep her confidence high going into the qualifiers feeling she could do no more, but couldn’t get the win. This has made it all worthwhile.”

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HS Queen Bea and owner Helen Forster enjoyed a fairytale centre-line moment at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) as they won the SEIB Search for a Star working show horse class.

Warwickshire-based Helen has owned Bea since she was a six-month-old foal. It was her first time riding at HOYS after tragic circumstances stopped her and her late horse Greannanstown Jackpot from competing here in 2023.

“Sadly, he broke his leg a few weeks after he qualified and didn't get here,” Helen explained.

“He's no longer with us. I honestly never thought this would happen.”

Nine-year-old Bea won the London International working show horse final last term with Helen’s sister Anne Grindal, as Helen had been injured, so she decided to pick up the reins in the Search for a Star classes.

Helen said: “We did West Wiltshire show at the beginning of the season and qualified. The wheels then fell off the bus.

“She's been injured all season, so we've done one show since then. HOYS prep has been on the water treadmill, so that's got her back in shape.

“I was a bit of a nervous wreck out here, but she just was brilliant. She loved the crowd. She thought they were all there for her.”

The working show horse was judged alongside the working show pony class, and all combinations had to include two rustic jumps in their performance.

It was 15-year-old Evelyn Tuck riding her own Pitch Supreme (GiGi) who took the pony title.

The pair qualified at the same show as the horse winner, after travelling four hours from Derbyshire.

Evelyn said: “I was a bit nervous that she was going to be a bit overwhelmed by the atmosphere but she coped with it really, really well.

“It's an amazing feeling. I can't even put it into words.

“I haven’t been to a big show like HOYS before. It’s very big compared to what I'm used to but I've loved it.”

The 12-year-old mare came into their family two and a half years ago, the first pony they viewed in their search.

Since picking up their ticket, Evelyn and GiGi trained hard in their favourite activity – the workers classes – but also enjoyed farm rides and cross country.

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Heiner Schiergen shook his head.

His freestyle music had barely started when the German rider, last to go, signalled that something was wrong.

“When the 27-year-old rider entered the arena and gave the signal for his music to start, it commenced at the canter section,” wrote Richard Davison, who was riding in the class and covered the drama in his H&H column at the time.

It was the Sunday of the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) at Wembley, and the freestyle finale of the Volvo dressage World Cup qualifier. Carole Mortimer’s H&H report at the time called what followed “the greatest dressage drama to be seen in Britain”.

Heiner wasn’t there to make up the numbers. He was riding the nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding Without A Doubt, and the pair had become firm crowd favourites after taking second place in the earlier grand prix – which then, as now, acted as a qualifier for the deciding freestyle.

“Amid scenes of great confusion, Heiner was left standing in the arena as chairman of the judges Eric Lette ran over to the technicians to be told that the first three minutes’ music were missing,” Richard wrote.

A race against the clock

The judges put the clock on and gave Heiner two minutes to fix the problem. Fellow German rider Frank Lamontagne, wrote Richard, “sprinted back to the horsebox for a spare tape.”

An H&H news report continued: “There was an agonising wait before his compatriot Frank Lamontagne came running into the arena with a duplicate tape.”

Frank’s return turned what was really a fairly minor mishap (what dressage rider hasn’t had trouble with their music, or doesn’t know one who has?) into something much more fun: a fiasco.

For a proper fiasco you need two things. High stakes – check. And a complete upending of the normal social order.

As Frank ran back into the arena clutching the spare tape – imagine that happening at the London International Horse Show where the World Cup qualifier is held today – that happened.

A crowd from a sport with a reputation for polite applause cheered him in like a returning hero. They were firmly on Heiner’s side, and they weren’t shy about showing it.

Frank, Richard recalled, was “greeted by cheers befitting the bearer of the Olympic flame”, and Heiner then “performed a good, lively test”.

Carole wrote: “He finished to immense applause and cheers from the enthusiastic supporters who were convinced his test could have won."

But that was only the first act of the fiasco – as the crowd began to settle, no score was forthcoming. Instead, it was belatedly announced that despite being allowed to perform his test, Heiner had been disqualified.

“The news was greeted with an even more vocal audience booing, jeering and stomping their feet,” Carole wrote. “A reaction more reminiscent of continental counterparts.”

The H&H news report described how “booing and foot-stamping turned to cheers as the rider entered the arena to debate the issue with chairman of the FEI dressage committee Eric Lette and Joep Bartels, the Volvo World Cup Dressage director” (pictured above). The uproar, it added, lasted “a full four minutes, continuing as organisers struggled to stick to a programme of presentations.”

The result got lost in it all. "The somewhat overshadowed victory belonged to Canadian Penny Rockx and 16-year-old Winsome,” Carole wrote, with our own Richard second on Askari.

The explanation

Despite the chaotic scenes, Eric Lette’s reasoning afterwards was quite straightforward. "After the bell has sounded, the rider has one minute to enter the arena," he said. “We gave him two minutes, but the final wait was nearer eight. The tape is the responsibility of the rider, and I must be fair to all the riders.”

In other words, Heiner had overshot the time allowed to start his test by some distance.

Richard said in his column that, as Eric explained at the press conference later, the decision had already been made before Heiner rode.

“As seven or eight minutes had elapsed before Heiner’s music began,” he said, “he was only allowed to ride on the understanding that the incident would go before the independent appeals committee. In the end, he decided not to appeal, no score was given and the disqualification stood.”

Heiner, for his part, saw it rather differently. “I think it would have been better to have been disqualified rather than letting me ride the whole test,” he said.

“A lot of time was wasted as I did not realise what the problem was. It was stressful waiting, but once I started riding my nerves disappeared, although I felt the horse had gone over.”

What happened to the tape?

Nobody could say. It was revealed afterwards that “somehow, part of the music programme had been blanked out.”

The show’s technicians insisted “the professionally-produced tape could not be tampered with,” but Lamontagne “claimed to have checked the tape three times before handing it to the technicians.”

Richard wrote: “Inevitably, rumours of sabotage circulated the arena. It was unpleasant for the technicians, and produced a most unsatisfactory end to what was otherwise an excellent competition.”

Richard’s verdict was that it was a “mix-up just waiting to happen”. Heiner and Without A Doubt were “the victims on this occasion”, he said, but “it could have happened to anyone at any show”.

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Admiral Augustus commanded the ring to land the SEIB Search for a Star championship at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), ridden by his owner Robyn Carr.

The pair won the show hunter division of the series, which is now in its 28th year, en route to the tricolour.

Robyn bred the five-year-old grey gelding, and decided to start showing him locally last year.

“I am speechless, I didn’t think this would happen at all,” she said. “When he turned four I thought he was a good stamp of a horse, so we started doing a bit and qualified this year at our third show. It’s been an amazing journey and a childhood dream to ride at HOYS.”

Reserve went to Kay Gillam and her roan gelding Victor I, winner of the show cob title.

“I never expected in my life to be reserve champion at HOYS. I was so nervous I had to ask the steward to get me a bottle of water!” she said.

“Victor is very good at reading me and he knows when I’m nervous and relaxes me. He loves a big occasion, and I know I can trust him... He’s a showman.”

Making the win even sweeter, Victor incurred a serious injury in his younger days; he suffered a field accident as a four-year-old after Kay bought him from Fionnuala Moloney – who was here to watch him win.

Kay, a lorry driver from Norfolk, said: “We thought that was going to be the end then – we really did.

“But, we healed him and discovered he has a muscle disease halfway through that.

“He does take a lot of management. He has to be ridden every single day and I have to watch his diet.”

Despite his struggles, Victor enjoys hunting with the Narr Valley Bloodhounds.

“His mind has always been good,” said Kay. “We knew if he got to HOYS he'd be able to manage it no bother. He's just one of those nice horses that you just love to have around.”

His rider is no stranger to SEIB Search for a Star having competed in the series in the 1990s, 26 years ago, with her cob Mutley MG. She also competed in the open HOYS maxi cob championship in 2015 with Hortons McLaren.

The additional class winners were as follows:

Traditional cob: Helen Parnell's Angel of the North ridden by Abby Parnell

Hack: Summer Dance owned by Felicity Bond and ridden by Rosie Chetwynd-Talbot

Riding horse: Carnsdale Graceful Affair owned and ridden by Sarah Clucas

Working show pony: Pitch Supreme ridden by Evelyn Tuck

Working show horse: Helen Forster riding her own mare HS Queen Bea

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Copperbeech Encore, a working Connemara stallion, shone under the spotlight to win the mountain and moorland (M&M) championship at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

Owned by Debbie Todd, “Brian” has been ridden by Vikki Smith for the past two seasons.

An emotional Vikki said: “I worked so hard, and it doesn't always pay off. You can put everything together at home, and you don't always get it in the ring.

“I felt yesterday, we did everything we could to make it good for him, and today, he was a bit worried, but he trusted me.

“That bond – that's all you can try and get to go in there.”

Brian qualified at the last chance of the season – Moreton-in-Marsh Show.

He spends much of the season covering, and at seven-years-old has plenty of stock on the ground.

“We went to Dublin this year,” Vikki explained. “That made us miss quite a few HOYS qualifiers because we were over in Ireland for nearly a month.

“We didn’t bring him out at the beginning of the season because he covers mares at home. Debbie has got lots of offspring from him.”

Brian won at Dublin Horse Show and was second at Clifden Connemara Show before collecting his ticket in September.

Vikki added: “It was all a bit of a rush really, but I just wanted him to behave in there, and he did.

“He was a bit scared of the spotlight, but then after that, he was a good boy. When it went in front of him, he panicked, but then it was like he knew I had him.”

The win is extra impressive for owner Debbie, as this is the first time she has had one of her own Connemaras at the show.

“It really means a lot to her,” Vikki said.

After winning such a prestigious accolade, Brian is to end on a high and hang up his HOYS boots.

Another very lightly shown pony stood reserve. Gillian Simpson’s homebred Welsh Section B mare, Wortley Sinderella, was only backed in this spring by her producer and pilot, Lucy Glover.

The pair swiftly announced themselves as ones to watch, landing the challenge championship at the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) winter championships, and the novice championship at the recent BSPS Heritage championships.

Lucy and the team decided to try a HOYS qualifier after three or four novice shows, and duly qualified.

“She’s been a dream to do,” said Lucy. “She takes everything in her stride and has the most amazing personality, especially for a chestnut mare!”

Last term, Lucy finished second aboard Sinderella’s full brother Wortley Warrior. Success is in their genes, as their mother Wortley Imagination also stood in the lineup here in her younger days.

The other winners in the championship were:

Exmoor/Shetland winner Wikners Gryffindor, ridden by Sarah Parker and owned by Anthony Bell. He is the only Shetland in history to qualify for HOYS in-hand and ridden. He was shown here in the “Price” by Anthony’s daughter Zoe.

Dales winner Griseburn Major owned and ridden by Joe Watson, who piloted the Wolsey Viking gelding to the overall championship here in 2022.

Fell winner Greenrivers Luke owned and ridden by April Gilmartin, who performed a standout show in his class.

New Forest winner Ravenstone Fudge II owned by Beverley Bayes and ridden by Steph Turner. They are London-bound next after taking a stunning championship at Royal Windsor this term.

Dartmoor winner Salcombe Frowder Cove ridden by Maisie Kerry-Oates and owned by his breeder Felicity Thompson. He is produced by Katy Marriott Payne, who was in floods of tears as she watched on from third place.

Highland winner Ashleyvale Glen Duror ridden by Ellena Thomas and owned by Karyn Thomas. The upstanding stallion has twice won his division at the Royal International.

Welsh C winner Danwood Llewellyn owned by his breeder Linda Atkinson and ridden by Hannah Atkinson. He was reserve champion here with Linda in the saddle in 2018, but almost didn't make it this time as they broke down en route.

Welsh D winner Thorneyside Royal Command owned by Lynn Scott and ridden by Kaitlin Fairhurst. This pair are also former RIHS winners.

Welsh A winner Noaberhoeve Clinton owned by Jade Gardner and ridden by Aliya Kahn. The Dutch-bred stallion has been a lucky find for this team, who had owned him just a few weeks before he duly qualified for here.

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Dycott Welsh King and Ross Keys completed a memorable hat-trick of wins, before going on to take the overall mountain and moorland (M&M) working hunter pony of the year crown at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) 2026.

“It’s the best feeling ever,” said a clearly emotional Ross of the experience. “I’m speechless. He’s just a dude, isn’t he?”

The Mitcheltroy Welsh Prince 19-year-old Welsh section D won the exceeding 143cm division despite being the oldest in the class, and at 145cm, one of the smallest, too.

King is jointly owned by Ross and his partner Anna Chaplin and Angela Thomas.

“We all own him. We just… he's part of the furniture – a joint effort,” said Ross before adding, gesturing at King’s condition and turnout, “but this is all Anna, it’s nothing to do with me.”

On his performance earlier in the day, Ross said: “He jumped mega. He took the track on. Literally, I couldn't stop him. He wanted that without a shadow of a doubt.”

Judge John James agreed, describing King as “Special.”

“At 19 years of age, he certainly could show the younger ones what to do and he jumped foot-perfect, as far as I’m concerned. He was a good representative of his breed and he really went well,” said John.

Ross has ridden King to 10 consecutive qualifications for here and for the Royal International (RIHS). As well as their three wins here, the pair boast a win at Hickstead, a Windsor championship, and countless more wins at county shows the length and breadth of the country.

“He's just a machine. He loves his job,” said Ross. “He's a bit grumpy in the stable, and a bit grumpy for the winter time when he's not doing any work. He lives for this. He's most happy when he's here doing this.”

As well as a glittering career over fences, King has covered, and has progeny on the ground.

“He's actually a granddad. Daichristu Prince, his son, was here with us last year and he’s maturing and coming up through the ranks.”

But King isn’t ready to hand over the mantle just yet.

“We’ll carry on. You know, he loves his job. He comes back stronger and stronger,” said Ross. “He loves the crowd and thrives on atmosphere…If he retires he'll probably just be really grumpy.

“He'll be a grumpy old man like me! So we'll carry on doing him, and he'll tell me when he wants to retire. When he wants to retire, he’ll retire. He owes me nothing. He's my best friend.”

The championship was largely dominated by Welsh ponies, with a representative of the breed taking the top spot in every division of this championship, and two seconds.

M&M working hunter pony of the year reserve champion

Poppy Gresty finished reserve having won the 133cm division aboard her mother Jenna Gresty’s Welsh section C, Seiont Watcyn, on the pair’s debut here.

Poppy had been first to jump in her class earlier today and produced a very stylish clear.

“He felt absolutely mega [this morning]. I just wanted to get round with no stops and even if he had every pole down, I’d still be pleased.”

Poppy was supported by family and friends, including her trainer Amy Canavan-Smith, who took this championship in 2025, and from whom the Grestys purchased Watcyn.

Since then, he’s been “very quirky” but with persistence, this pair have built a stunning partnership.

“He’s an absolute dream… my whole world.”

Poppy and Watcyn hit top form to qualify at Moreton in Marsh, the final open fixture of the year. The 122cm and 143cm winners also qualified there.

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William Whitaker had never jumped La Vie Est D’or in a competition before, but they looked like an established partnership as they cruised to win the Grandstand welcome stakes at Horse of the Year Show.

The 10-year-old mare is usually ridden by owner Iona Watkin Jones’s daughter Glain, whom William trains, and he said it was “fantastic” to take the ride for the week.

“I know the mare well, but I’ve not actually ridden her that many times,” he said. “But I think watching her over the last couple of years as much as I have has helped to know her.”

The light-footed Dutch-bred mare, with whom Glain has had good results at three- and four-star this year, has all the blood and scope, and she and Will looked in perfect sympathy and balance as they pulled off some cracking turns to win this two-phase class from fourth of 27 starters.

“She’s naturally a very quick mare, so I knew that if I could execute the round I walked, and try to be on the first distance to every jump in the jump-off, she’d be there or thereabouts, and everything came up nice for me,” William said. “She tried really hard so I’m absolutely delighted with her.”

William said it was great to start the indoor season on such a high.

“And it’s at home, all my family are here; whatever class you win in in the main ring here at the NEC, it always gives you that special feeling,” he said.

William is to jump his other ride here, Bradley Hill’s 12-year-old stallion Cristallo’s Double Take, in tonight’s feature class.

“I’ll be targeting him for the grand prix on Sunday, and I’d think I’ll keep La Vie in the second classes, but we’ll take it class by class and see how it goes,” he said.

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A rider who had “never jumped this height before tonight” upended the odds to win the historic Redpost Equestrian senior Foxhunter final 2026 on her Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) debut.

Some riders have spent decades in pursuit of this prestigious championship but Samantha Wiseman and her seven-year-old gelding AS His Lordship ran away with a confident victory in her first year of attempting HOYS qualification.

It was a remarkable result for the 27-year-old, whose previous experience at 1.40m amounted to a single class and the qualifiers.

“Going in there tonight was a big ask for me and the horses, so it’s incredible,” said Sammy, who also contested the class on Quinteros Mr Popular and qualified for the newcomers final and the grade C.

“My coach, Caroline Rios, told me and my mum at the start of the year to buy our tickets for HOYS and we said ‘No way! It won’t happen’ but I got five tickets. It’s been incredible but we’ve worked really, really hard.”

Sammy, who runs an equestrian centre and a dog grooming business in Aberdeen, produced a composed clear round a suitably exacting track to reach the three-rider jump-off, in which she won by 1.68sec

Foxhunter final 2026 asks tough questions

The final was no soft introduction to championship jumping. Time and technicality took their toll on the 24 starters, the clears only emerging from the final six combinations.

Douglas Duffin and Omex Star HBF lowered an oxer in the jump-off, leaving Seamus Taylor and Billy Wolsey as the only combination to post a double clear before Sammy entered the arena, last to go.

“I was incredibly nervous but he was jumping really well in the warm-up. Although I was already crying about having a clear before I went in!” Sammy said.

Although relatively inexperienced at this level, Sammy had plenty of faith in AS His Lordship, an Irish Phil VD Wezelse Heihoeve x Crown Z gelding she has partnered since the start of his five-year-old year.

Known at home as Phil or The Connemara Pony as he barely measures 16hh, he had been a stand-out performer throughout the qualifiers.

“When he performs, he really, really performs. I already knew what he was capable of. When we’re both in partnership on a good day, he is incredible. He’s naturally quick and careful,” Sammy said.

“I’m just over the moon, to be honest. I didn’t think it would happen but at the same time, I’m very determined, so if it all goes to plan on the day, then why not?”

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The winner of the NAF Five Star silver league final at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) said she had thought this might be her 19-year-old superstar’s swansong – but the mare may refuse to retire.

Catherine Housman and her own Contrichta triumphed by half a second over Lucy Hassall and One For Lucy, from second in a six-strong jump-off. The fiery and fabulous mare, with whom Catherine has won and been placed up to 1.30m level, including coming seventh in this championship in 2022, manoeuvred like a pony, ears pricked from start to finish, and pulled off some cracking turns lines to seal the deal.

“I knew I could have been faster so that was nerve-racking waiting but I really overthink it if I watch people go, then do something stupid and have a fence!” Catherine said. “So for me to go earlier is better because I just do my own thing, do what I set out to do, and if it’s enough, it’s enough. If it’s not, it’s not.

“It was the same when we qualified at Chard, I was early to go in that jump-off and I just went pedal to the metal, ‘Come on, let’s go!’ She’s better when I dare her a bit.”

Catherine works for Julian Mincher, to whom “Dante” came as a sales livery about five years ago.

“I’d had a long time out of the ring,” Catherine explained. “She was really brave and always going, and one I could trust and learn on because she’d been there, done it, a bit. I like them hot and forward, and she’s definitely hot and forward. I took her to an arena hire and that was it, I fell in love with her.

“We really clicked and I just felt like she was my horse, like I’d never had before.”

Catherine said she knew what she wanted to jump and that Dante would be the one to do it, and she was. They did Catherine’s first 1.20m together, her first 1.30m and were placed at the Blue Chip Winter Showjumping Championships. They also qualified for the bronze league final at HOYS in 2021 but Dante went lame days beforehand.

“Then I thought I wanted to step up after jumping the 1.10ms, and do the silver league, and she’s just so much fun,” she said. “The aim was always to come here, and especially after coming here and not having such a great jump-off when I was placed here before, I just wanted to come here today. Third time lucky; I’m very superstitious, and I just knew I wanted to win it this year.”

Catherine told H&H after she qualified in August that she might retire Dante after HOYS owing to her age, although the Heartbreaker mare is showing no signs of slowing down.

2026 silver league final win the icing on the cake

“She’s 19 now and winning here was just the icing on the cake, I thought ‘What a way to go out’!” she said. “But everyone’s telling me not to; look at her go, she’s still fit as a fiddle, and I don’t think she’s going to retire very easily.

“I’ve given her holidays before and she jumps out of the field and brings herself back into the stable. I’ve tried to leave her out, and she just appears one day in the yard, and you say ‘Oh, hi, holiday’s over then’!

“She’s fit, well and sound and you can see, her ears are forward in every picture, looking for the next fence, turning before I do – I have to be a bit careful of that! – but I’d love to retire her fit and sound, and maybe have an embryo from her. I’ll just go with the flow, and maybe slow her down a bit, much she’s not very keen on slowing down!”

Catherine added that there were plenty of tears at HOYS when she realised she had won, and that the lap of honour was the icing on the cake.

“You dream of it as a kid, don’t you?” she said. “To be able to do that, it’s what dreams are made of. She’s just everything to me, my horse of a lifetime, I’ll never find another one like her. I’ve run out of words for her, she’s just phenomenal.”

To stay up to date with the latest news and reports throughout HOYS, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Laura Tomlinson won the Dressage Future Elite Championship at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) for the second time in three years on Thursday evening, this time with eight-year-old gelding Ostmarks Digal (Grand Galaxy x De Noir).

The Olympic gold medallist, who took the title in 2024 on the homebred Forest Hill, scored 77.79% for her inter I freestyle in the Andrews Bowen International Arena. All three judges placed the pair first, and they finished almost two percentage points clear of Gareth Hughes and Morricone III (75.92%), with Dannie Morgan and Fever Tree third (73.58%).

“I’m feeling quite excited that I’ve got something quite special under the saddle, and hopefully something really impressive for the future,” Laura said.

“I always seem to end up with massive horses! He is well over 18 hands, but he is very elegant with it and he is lovely to ride.”

Laura has had the gelding since December, when he arrived from the same German yard as her former top ride Rose Of Bavaria, who retired in 2024.

In eight outings since, he has not finished outside the top two and has won all but two tests. At the LeMieux National Dressage Championships last month, he won two titles, the Fairfax Saddles PSG gold (71.79%) and the D&H gold inter I (71.97%).

But it hasn’t always been plain sailing. “The first couple of times I rode him at a show, I wasn’t overly impressed – he was quite challenging to get on,” Laura told H&H last month. “But the more we get to know him, the easier he is.

“For me, this is a really great milestone for him. There is lots more work to be done, obviously, but it is nice already at this stage to feel like it is all there.”

Launched in 2013, the Dressage Future Elite Championship brings together Britain’s leading eight- to 10-year-old horses in an inter I freestyle. Previous winners include championship medallists Hawtins Delicato, Mount St John Freestyle, Imhotep and, of course, Jagerbomb, who won the title in 2022.

“It is a brilliant way to prepare them because you don’t get many atmospheres like this at the lower level when they are a bit younger to prepare them for what is to come in the future,” Laura said.

“So it is a great way to give these horses an opportunity like that, and I absolutely couldn’t be happier with how he handled it all.”

Dressage Future Elite Championship, HOYS 2026 – full results

1. Laura Tomlinson and Ostmarks Digal – 77.79%
2. Gareth Hughes and Morricone III – 75.92%
3. Dannie Morgan and Fever Tree – 73.58%
4. Matt Frost and Lenika – 72.83%
5. Michael George Eilberg and EDH Saubermond – 72.17%
6. Alexander Harrison and Ventura – 71.79%
7. Demi Howard-Cartwright and Newton Astro Nascente – 69.83%
8. Jody Haswell and Valentinio – 68.21%

Judges: Nick Burton (H), Clive Halsall (C), Andrea Smith (M)

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A rider who broke her wrist “straight after” qualifying for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) has claimed the NAF Five Star bronze league championship, although her appearance at the final was “touch and go”.

Katie Benbow collected a ticket with her nine-year-old mare Latico at Northcote seven weeks ago but shortly afterwards a young horse she was hacking tripped and fell.

“I broke my wrist and it needed plating,” Katie said. “I had friends and family keeping [Latico] fit for me. I hadn’t been back on her at all til three weeks ago when I had a little hack to ease myself back into it. I needed to see if my wrist would stand up to HOYS – I only entered two days before the entries closed.”

“The surgeon has done a fab job and the physio worked wonders,” she added. “I’ve been very lucky it hasn’t given me any grief riding. I jumped at Aintree last Wednesday and Stainsby on Sunday and that was it. We completely winged it.”

Katie and Latico are no strangers to national championships, having taken titles twice previously. The mare, who she bought as an unbacked four-year-old, won the British novice championship in 2024 and the amateur 1.10m championship at Aintree last November.

Latico does have a quirk – she is not a fan of rugs in prizegivings, dumping her rider on her first championship lap of honour at Stoneleigh.

“I said to Frank [Grunnill, steward] that I was going to have to take the rug off, I can’t canter round with a rug on, I’ll genuinely end up on the floor, which wouldn’t be good just after breaking my wrist!” she said.

“He said ‘you’ve got to walk in with it’. I said that was fine but I couldn’t canter. We did the pictures then whipped it off!”

2026 bronze league final: the jump-off

Eight riders made the jump-off for the bronze league final, and all the early contenders lowered one of the last two fences.

By the final few riders, there had been just one steady clear from Martin Brake (Juduela), whose lead Katie overturned by more than 7sec. A closing bid from Anabel Cluer (Ciao bella Z) lowered the winning margin to 1sec.

“Watching the last one go was a bit nerve-wracking. She looked really fast over the first half but I think I had done two turns and I don’t think she got one of them,” Katie said.

“Buying her a quirky, unbacked horse has definitely paid off,” she added. “She is one in a million and has been an awesome little mare for me. She’s not big but has a lot of stride and is a little power pack.

“She definitely has a heart of gold and loves her jumping, especially a jump-off!”

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Stobilee Zac made his team's 15-hour drive from John O’Groats to Birmingham’s NEC worthwhile when the Clydesdale landed the Barber Family ridden heavy horse of the year championship at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) with Lucy Stewart in the saddle.

The 14-year-old by Great American GW Carver out of Stobilee Ruby and was bred by Robbie Morton.

He was bought by owner Brian Bissett as a foal and has been produced by Brian’s daughter Isla Miller since he was a four-year-old.

There were happy tears as Isla, who has ridden him to three reserve titles here, watched on from on board one of her youngsters, four-year-old Clydesdale Hartcliff Loretta, owned by Andrew Swanson. They finished ninth.

Isla said: “Lucy’s my partner in crime so we try to do it together… I took the ride on this baby so she could ride Zac today.

“Zac’s literally been a phenomenal horse. He’s competed all over the UK, but I can put my one-year-old daughter on him and she’ll ride him to the field; he’s just fantastic.”

The long journey south to Birmingham might have felt like a challenge in itself – “that’s a lot of diesel,” quipped Brian, “and at £2 a litre, we won’t attempt to calculate the fuel bill…” – but the path to the final, having secured the gelding’s ticket at Fife in May, has been smooth sailing.

Rachel Moore Rooney judged the ride portion, Randy Robertson the conformation phase.

In an interview beforehand, Rachel said she was hoping to see “top-quality horses with correct conformation” and “good movement”. She said that further ticks would be awarded to those “that give a safe, balanced and forward-going ride” and “horses that are mannerly and cope confidently with the busy atmosphere”.

The gelding, who has qualified for this final for eight consecutive years now, duly delivered, and looked at home under the bright lights of the International Arena, which comes at no surprise given his illustrious showing career.

“He’s the current ridden Clydesdale world champion,” said Lucy. “He’s such a showman.”

Lindy Winship’s Burlington Park Loose Valley son Cardington Billy Bob, a striking grey Shire gelding bred by the late Frank Evans and ridden by Emma Green, was the runner-up – they were returning to HOYS as defending champions having won this class 12 months before.

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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” - owned by Nicola Miller - 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.”

Sophie was shown at HOYS by Matt McGivern in-hand as a three-year-old on behalf of her breeder, Pembrokeshire-based Sarah Baker, when she finished an impressive fifth in the Price Family supreme in-hand.

But this was Sophie’s first time here under saddle and she pipped seasoned combination and reigning Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) supreme Boston Black Tie (DJ) and his producer Helen Baker to 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.

“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 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!”

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Alice Homer and her mother Loraine Homer’s Tidy Town proved the ones to beat once more when they were called forward as the top pick for the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) small show hunter of the year crown.

Ten-year-old “Guinness” is by Superior Premium out of Ricardos Trump. He was judged here by Rachel Moore Rooney (ride) and Susan Stockley-Bridges (conformation), and with Alice has been a tremendously consistent campaigner and arrived at HOYS unbeaten in small hunter ranks this term.

“There are no words left for how incredible he is, there really aren’t,” Alice said. “As a young horse, we maybe used to say that HOYS wouldn’t be his show because he loves a big, galloping ring, but I think as he's got older and more mature he’s proved he can either step up to the big grass rings or, like today in here, he can be so measured and controlled.

“It’s like you’re riding on a piece of silk, his mouth is so soft. He can extend then come back like a hack, but yet he has all the power of the hunter. It’s just incredible.”

The pair were extending a serious run of form, with this year’s highlights including titles at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) – in intermediates as well as in small hunters – the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) Summer Championships and the British Show Horse Association (BSHA) National Championships. The pair are also seriously dominant in working hunters.

“He won his third RIHS small hunter title, and his fifth RIHS title altogether, this summer,” she added. “He also won his third-in-a-row supreme working hunter pony at BSPS. Actually one of the biggest ones was at the BSHA National Championships when he won the overall hunter championship, so he beat the lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight to get the big classic supreme hunter championship.”

Having claimed the intermediate show hunter title here with the Irish Sport Horse last term and now with the small hunter title under her belt to boot, Alice has her eyes on one final prize.

“I would love, tomorrow, to do well in the working hunters, because I have a finite amount of time in the intermediates,” said Alice, 24, who has just one season left in this particular class. “I know it sounds ridiculous when you've had such a good season… and I really was not expecting to win this one, I really wasn’t!”

Second to Alice and Guinness was the former Royal Windsor and Hickstead Derby Meeting winner, Red Valentine – who also stood supreme hunter at the British Show Horse Association (BSHA) National Championships in 2025 – ridden by Will Morton.

Will came through to the small hunter final having earlier in the morning secured two slots in the hack showdown. He won the large division on Nicola Miller’s exciting Small-land Maytino five-year-old Copybush So Fashion, and stood second in the small section atop Sara Fisher’s Time After Time.

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Natasha Nelson was delighted to be crowned champion of the NeedleSmart, John Illingworth and Cliff Kirby ridden pure-bred Arab of the year final at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), with Mike, Jayne and Sandra Johnson's Bugatti.

Nine-year-old Bugatti, by Master Design, is a newcomer to the top echelons of ridden showing but has belied his relative inexperience to secure some top results:

“He did a lot of in-hand before he came to me to do his ridden career, but this is only his second season; his first open season,” said Natasha, a member of the Meads Show Team.

“He was British national supreme champion as a novice last year, and this is his first HOYS so I’m just absolutely blown away.”

This was not only a poignant win for the chestnut stallion, but for his rider too.

“It’s my first HOYS win. Horses from our team have been placed up to third before,” she said. “But on a horse I’m actually sitting on, I’ve never made it further than sixth so I’m absolutely made up!”

Following an enthusiastic lap of honour, Natasha describes Bugatti as “a darling” and “good fun to have around”.

“He was very excited, he’s done a lot of in-hand so he can flare up, but actually as a person he’s really gentle, cuddly,” she added. “Your nan could lead him out, he’s a darling, he’s really good fun to have around.”

So what’s the plan next?

“I’ve no idea! I need to go and have a glass of champagne, I think!” Natasha said. “But I’d like to think we’ll have him out again next year.”

Runners-up to Natasha and Bugatti were Sian Warman and Waliandro, while third place was awarded to Louisa Biles riding Arimathea.

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Aston-le-Walls hosted the British Riding Clubs Howden Combined Championships (26–27 September).

There were 14 classes for Riding Club members – with scores counting for both individual and team results. These included a mix of combined training (dressage and showjumping), and combined challenge (showjumping and cross-country), over heights from 60cm–100cm.

Darc Legend’s competitive career came to an end in the best way when he was crowned overall champion in the open combined training with Joanne Watts.

The 18-year-old home-bred gelding has represented Carleton RC at numerous British Riding Clubs championships over the past 11 years and has multiple national titles to his name – including this one in 2022.

“He’s been an amazing stalwart and has never let us down,” said Joanne.

“He felt great today, and I was really pleased to finish on our dressage score. We’ve had some of our most enjoyable days at riding club events and to finish on a win is special.”

Winners from the Riding Clubs Combined Championships

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It’s difficult to see what the decision to end the 128cm finals at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), the Royal International (RIHS) and the London International (LIHS) achieves other than taking children’s dreams away.

The dream of riding at HOYS is what motivates these kids, and has done for 70 years. We still get excited about riding there now, at our age.

British Showjumping’s (BS) new ruling will prevent children aged 12 and under from competing in finals “in front of a paying audience”. But if it is unacceptable for children to compete in front of a paying audience under BS rules, it implies the same could be true of other disciplines.

Will this mean an end to events like the Shetland Pony Grand National, mounted games, mini-major and showing? Would HOYS survive losing so many showing finals as well? Children also compete in front of a paying audience at Royal Windsor and on the county circuit. These decisions could eventually render equestrian sport unrecognisable.

It’s been billed as a safeguarding issue, but what hasn’t been made clear is what we’re trying to protect children from.

If “elite” competition is dangerous, then something should be done about it now, not when the rule comes into force in 2029. A format issue is fixable. Is it too quick, too competitive? Because these classes were flat out when I was a kid and I think standards have come a long way, with the tuition available today.

If this is about training environments, does three years not give us ample time to put in a system where all coaches are educated and accredited – potentially bringing in more money for BS – rather than taking children’s dreams away from them?

If it’s protecting children from the pressure of public gaze, then will they stop live-streaming pony classes?

Safety is paramount

I have a six-year-old little girl and a two-year-old, so I understand safety is paramount, but I don’t think I’ve experienced a safer environment than our industry. If my kids are at a show, every adult I know will look out for them.

Or is this targeting something specific to the culture of top-level showjumping? Money has brought our sport forward but in other ways, ruined it.

We’ve all heard stories of parents remortgaging their homes to buy the best pony and the resulting pressure this can put on their children.

Also, there have always been non-horsey parents who think they can buy success. I do agree that children should have to prove they can ride to a standard before they go into a 128cm qualifier, but I don’t think we should be punishing kids that are capable.

It is a piece of history gone

Not only does a generation of riders face missing out on a piece of history but you also have to ask, in what way will going into high-stakes environments, with no previous experience, benefit children’s mental health?

You can compete at the European Championships, on ponies and children-on-horses, at 12 – how does it stand them in good stead to be thrown in the deep end at championship level?

Arguably, the younger you are, the less aware you are of external pressures, so it’s a good time to learn, when you can just enjoy the experience.

We’re so lucky that we can teach children the life lessons, through this sport, that we can – from the responsibility of looking after animals, to resilience and learning to both win and lose. There is no greater leveller, after all, than horses.

My six-year-old, Amelia, is building the best network of friends through shows. My best friends from competing on ponies are still my best friends now – Will Whitaker and I did our first shows together. We chased HOYS qualifiers up and down the country, in a cattle trailer with his dad, Ian. We’d be thrilled for each other if one of us qualified.

These are memories that won’t be made.

I haven’t seen or heard any positivity about this decision, anywhere.

● What do you think about British Showjumping’s new ruling? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

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Shemkia Snip and a very teary Kelsey Bishop took the first Veteran Horse Society veteran of the year championship sash at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

At 26, “Snippy” was the oldest in the class. South Wales-based Kelsey has owned the former brood mare for 17 years.

“I bought her to showjump,” said Kelsey. “But we went to a local show and someone encouraged us to try more showing and here we are. I never imagined that a pony I bought for £700 would be at somewhere like this, let alone win HOYS.”

Snippy really found her home in the veteran showing ranks. Among her many accolades, she was reserve supreme senior at Royal International this term, and is also London-bound, having qualified for all three of these coveted places at their first attempt.

Making the success even sweeter, Kelsey almost lost Snippy to colic.

“She had two nasty bouts of colitis,” said Kelsey. “Then she did a check ligament, so she had a long period of box rest. I thought I might lose her. But she’s back better than ever.”

Snippy gave a stunning show; she is full of presence and a big-moving mare.

“She’s sassy, but she’s as good as gold,” said Kelsey.

Taking the runner up spot was Shonagh Stark with Susan Don’s Taffechan Flashman Bertie Blaze (Bertie), making their journey south from Scotland well worthwhile.

Susan has owned 21-year-old Berti – who has previously enjoyed a successful driving trials career at national level – for 12 years. He now participates in a less demanding attelage driving competitions with Susan and has also given a junior driver the opportunity to experience local driving events.

A versatile pony, Berti also competes in affiliated dressage with Shonah.

• 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

The finalists have been announced – and it’s time for you to decide who will win the 2026 Horse & Hound Awards, in partnership with NAF and Agria.

Today (8 October) we reveal the people and horses shortlisted in 12 categories, and there is now just over a week for you to tell us who should win.

H&H editor in chief Sarah Jenkins said: “Voting is quick and easy, and it means the world to those who are shortlisted, so if you have just a minute to spare we and they would be thrilled to have your votes.

“Time and time again that is what shortlisted individuals tell us – it’s not even about winning, but knowing that people you have helped or inspired have taken a moment to vote for you means the world. All of those in the shortlist are hugely worthy, we certainly couldn’t pick out a winner in each category without your input and votes. And the stories of those nominated are truly inspiring.”

Vote now

Voting closes at 5pm on 16 October and the winners will be announced at a ceremony at Dallas Burston Polo Club, Warwickshire, on 25 November, when hundreds of guests from the equestrian world will gather for a BAFTA-style evening.

“Every time we have these awards I’m reminded again what fantastic people make up the horse world and how lucky we are to be a part of it,” Sarah said.

“Narrowing it down to four in each category was a really tough task for the panel. We are surrounded by extraordinary individuals.

“Thank you to all of you who took the time to nominate your heroes and those who have stood out to you in 2026, thank you to all of our sponsors for making these awards possible, and thank you to everyone for taking a moment to vote.”

The Horse & Hound Awards Categories

● D&H Elite Sport Dressage Horse of the Year

● Event Horse of the Year

● Showjumping Horse of the Year

● Show Horse of the Year

● Agria Horse of a Lifetime

● NAF Unsung Partnership of the Year

● Professional Rider of the Year

● Amateur Rider of the Year

● Young Rider of the Year

● Absorbine Groom of the Year

● Baileys Horse Feeds Vet of the Year

● SPILLERS Horse Feeds Riding School of the Year

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Katy Green said Gorsehill Layla was “prepped to perfection” for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) – and it showed, as the pair took the Alan Marnie & Family (Meta Lounge Limited and SHB (GB)) working hunter of the year championship

Katy and her own and Charlotte Readings’ eight-year-old took a flawless turn about the imposing Colin Ellison track to lead the 30-strong field under judges Stephanie Barrington and Chris Yates.

“She was mega,” said Katy, who has deliberately chosen to campaign the mare by Emerald Van’t Ruytershof out of Gorsehill Amber lightly in the workers this year to keep her from getting bored.

“We’ve prepped her to perfection; not overjumped her, taken her show jumping and she’s had a lot of fun. We’ve not jumped many worker classes and she qualified really early this year.”

The pair finished fifth last term here.

“She was so good here last year. She had one down and I knew she had it in her, so I wanted to save her for this… It was a tough track and took some jumping.

“She absolutely loves her job so it makes my life very easy… I’m thrilled for the horse and for Charlotte.”

Gorsehill Layla: spotted in Ireland

Layla was first spotted by Katy’s mother in Ireland and though Katy wasn’t initially quite sure, her friend Laura Wheelwright persuaded her as she shared her name with Laura’s daughter, whom Katy trained to win here in the intermediate ranks a few years ago.

“She said, ‘don’t be boring’, and I didn’t have an IBAN number, so she said, ‘I’ll buy here and you can pay me back.”

She wasn’t originally intended for the workers.

“Mum wondered what I was doing aiming her for them, but I knew she had a good jump and was genuine, so I knew I could turn her into one and now she’s proven herself to be one.”

Katy described the course as “massive” and admitted some relief when she’d cleared the last.

“I watched Craig’s round so I knew what to do,” she said.

Craig – Kiddier – finished reserve with Vicky Tennant’s Irish Sport Horse Bold Adventure, who lived up to her name as she clocked up a brilliant clear to defend her reserve champion.

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Danwood Llewellyn won the Welsh section C of the year title at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) for the second time. He is owned by his breeder Linda Atkinson, who rode him to win his class and stand reserve champion in 2018. This time, however, he was beautifully piloted by Linda’s daughter Hannah Atkinson.

The Yorkshire-based family team almost didn’t make it though.

“We broke down on the M1 on the way here this morning,” said Hannah. “At that point I was really worried we wouldn't make it. Luckily, my dad Ian made an early call to contact recovery. They were great, and had us on the road a few hours later.

“Shout out to the truck boys; we wouldn’t have made it without them!”

“Lewi” – a 15-year-old by Wyken Rob Roy out of Rivervalley Loulou who was also campaigned by Hannah – has had a stellar career including standing champion at the Royal International, best of breed at London International, and supreme ridden champion at the Royal Welsh.

The Atkinsons almost retired him here last year. Thankfully, his form this spring persuaded them otherwise, and he’s gone on to prove that decision correct time and again.

“He’s ticked off a few things for us this year,” said Linda. “He won the Royal Highland for us after Hannah had had nine seconds there, he was supreme ridden at the Welsh Pony and Cob Society’s 125th Anniversary Show, and now this for Hannah. I think he deserves to retire now.”

Linda described watching Hannah with Lewi as “nerve-wracking”, adding, “but Hannah always does a good job and he always tries his best.”

Standing second to Hannah and Lewi were a delighted Jane Smith and her own Dafren Rhodri.

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Imogen King’s win at Aspen Cooling Osberton (1-4 October) on MS Team’s Camaro was a triumph in more ways than simply the colour of the rosette.

Imogen and the 10-year-old added nothing to their dressage score of 30.1 to head the Arena Saddles CCI2*-L.

“I’m really pleased with him, we’ve had an up and down year and came here to have a nice party at Osberton and hopefully have a really enjoyable end to the season,” said Imogen.

“To come and win, I can’t really believe it! We only came to have a good time.”

She added: “I had quite a nasty rotational fall last year with a different horse. I wasn’t feeling overly confident across country before that anyway, and it really knocked my confidence.

Imogen explained that she has been regaining her own confidence, but as her current string is relatively inexperienced, it has also taken time to feed that back into her horses.

“It’s just taken a bit of time to put all of that back together,” she said. “He’s a good horse, he’s done a couple of three-stars, we just hadn’t been seeing eye to eye across country, so I’m more pleased that he came out on Saturday, flew round and had a good time than I am about winning. The winning is a bonus, more importantly we both enjoyed the cross-country.”

Imogen said that the key to rebuilding her confidence has been time and finding the right plan for herself and her horses, rather than feeling pressured by what she felt she “should” be doing owing to the level a horse is capable of jumping or has competed at previously.

“I’m not a particularly brave cross-country rider, everyone thinks I am because Sir Charles [Ivar Gooden, Imogen’s late five-star horse] was really good across country. But to be honest, most of the time I used to hold on and he would jump all the jumps,” she said.

“Since then, we’ve had horses who are really capable in all three phases, but probably just need a little more of a hand-hold across country. I found that quite difficult and it’s just been a case of time, backing off, taking the pressure off and trying to make it fun.

“By stepping back and saying, ‘Let’s do a level that’s fun for everyone’, then everyone is having a good time and then the horses have actually gone up the levels. You’ve got to do what’s right for both of you, not necessarily what you think you ‘should’ be doing.”

Will Rawlin and Mackenzy were second – they finished on the same score as the winner (30.1), but Imogen was closer to the cross-country optimum time. Third-placed Dani Stewart-Richardson (Oblensky’s Heartbreaker) and Harry Dzenis (Arkadium) in fourth also finished on the same score of 31.8, also separated only by proximity to the optimum.

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A 13-year-old who was making his fifth appearance in the SEIB racehorse to riding horse final at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) stepped up to take his turn in the spotlight.

Morean Hamilton’s Rich Man Poor Man (Robbie) was ridden by his producer Kirstine Douglas to take the spoils.

The Robin Des Champs gelding started his career with trainer Philip Kirby, but after he was disappointing on the tracks, Morean was tipped off that he might make a show horse for her instead, and she instantly fell in love.

“He’s always been placed here,” said Morean, “But he hasn’t had his day and he hasn’t always given the best account of himself here. He’s a big horse in that arena and he’s different to a lot of the racehorses – he also competes in middleweight hunter classes.

“We haven’t campaigned him in hunter classes really this year, and just focused on this. Obviously we didn’t know who the judges were going to be, but when we heard that Hayden [Hankey], an event rider, was judging, we did think he may like him, and he just went for him. It was lovely.”

Robbie gave a beautiful account of himself for ride judge Hayden to take the win.

Rich Man Poor Man’s extensive CV

He adds this to a long list of accolades, having notched multiple wins in the Scottish Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) final held at the Royal Highland Show, and also standing supreme at the RoR championships at Aintree.

Kirstine was emotional, saying that she wondered whether this one would be the championship to elude the pair.

It was emotional for Morean, too, who has owned Robbie since he was a four-year-old.

“It feels quite surreal. People were saying It’s my personal first win here,” explained Morean. This made the win all the more popular for spectators who know Morean as she is known for her generous support of fellow competitors.

In second was Hannah Horton with Migration, an Alhebayeb Dam 10-year-old. Migration was given to owners Anthony and Georgina Andrews and Hannah Horton by the Gail Brown Racing Syndicate.

It is two and a half years since 10-year-old Migration last ran. He was in training with David Menuisier for whom he won over £200,000 including winning the Lincoln Handicap in 2023.

Taking third place for the second time were Sar Cassidy-Hill’s Imperial Ruby and Sarah Llewellyn.

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Jayne Ross rode Diane Stennett and Lucy Cameron's multi-garlanded campaigner KBF Lucia to secure the 2026 ladies’ show horse championship at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

The nine-year-old mare by Free Spirit out of Seabourne Swansdown, bred by Tony Reynolds and Michael Cook, has lifted this title before, in 2023, and won her coloured final three times, also netting a supreme and reserve sash in the latter division.

“She’s such a giver. She’s the most gorgeous little horse inside and out. She tries her hardest for you. She’s the one you go to when you’re not having a great day.”

Jayne and Lucia were returning to HOYS as defending supreme champions, having won the coloured supreme last term.

“[There was] no pressure, inasmuch as no more pressure than you would ever feel,” Jayne said.

“It’s always difficult to come back when you’ve been supreme but it’s a different class, she won this a couple of years ago, the side-saddle, so it’s lovely that she’s come back and won it again. You can’t put yourself under that pressure – you come back and enjoy it and have a nice time, and I always enjoy it with her because she’s so special.”

It’s a busy week for Team Ross; Jayne said: “We have 14 horses here altogether, more than enough to keep us busy, and it’s so lovely to have one in the box so early on.”

Taking the reserve championship was Amelia Hood riding her own Seabourne Singing Hills.

“He’s very special to me,” said Amelia, who has owned the seven-year-old by Aveia out of Ducal Lavender Hill since he was a foal. “I bought him straight from his breeder Michael Maryan and we’ve done everything with him. My husband Oliver backed him, and rode him in his novice season last season. I put a side saddle on him in April – ladies’ is my passion and I always dreamed of riding him. To be second is amazing, I’m delighted.”

The pair return on Friday for the lightweight hunter showdown.

• 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

“It’s a mad world!” said the seller of a colt who went under the hammer for a record-breaking 4.6m guineas (£4.83m), the most expensive male yearling ever sold in Europe.

Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin secured Norelands’ son of Night of Thunder, also the highest-priced yearling sold anywhere in the world this year, on the opening day of Book 1 of the 2026 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale yesterday (6 October).

Once the bidding passed 2.5m guineas, only MV Magnier and Anthony Stroud for Godolphin were left in. Mr Magnier took the bid from 3.6m to 4m guineas but Mr Stroud held firm.

“That was above and beyond our wildest dreams,” said Norelands’ farm manager Matt Gilsenan.

“He’s an absolute superstar colt by a magnificent stallion and out of a mare who has done it as well. He was reared on the farm, and we are thrilled for the team, it’s a great boost for them.”

The colt, who joins the ranks of the world’s most expensive horses, was bred by Mrs Tsui’s Sunderland Holdings, out of My Astra.

“All week everyone has been saying we were going great, but you never know,” Mr Gilsenan said. “It’s nerve-wracking. These big horses are hard to find, and there’s not too many people at that high level, so everyone has to play. It is a mad world!”

Hamish McCalmont of Norelands said it was ‘impossible to tell” whether the colt would make 1m guineas or more.

“If the right guys latch on, all bets are off,” he said. “Mark did a great job taking him round and it’s great for the farm.”

Mr Stroud said the colt has all the looks, and stallion potential, and is from a very good stud.

“He is a particularly taking individual by Night Of Thunder from a very good family,” he added. “We couldn’t be happier. It was the top end of our valuation.”

Godolphin also secured the second-highest priced yearling sold in the world this year, Croom House Stud’s Wootton Bassett colt for 3.8m guineas.

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Ros Canter led from the front to win the Rathbones CCI3*-L at Aspen Cooling Osberton (1-4 October) with “real three-day horse” Broadstone Lion Man.

Ros and “Leo”, owned by Jo Needler and Kate James, added nothing to their class-topping dressage score of 24.8 to land victory in the ring.

The Billy Tudor son, bred by Amy Foulstone (née Hawley), oozed effortless athleticism through his showjumping round on Sunday. It was that class and jumping ability that first attracted Ros’s attention.

“I knew Amy from when I rode for Judy Bradwell,” said Ros. “I taught Amy on him at a clinic when he was a young horse and he really caught my eye.

“I asked that if she ever decided to sell him, would she think of me. She came back to me the next week and said, ‘I’ve been thinking that I need to sell one anyway.’”

Ros added that Kate was looking to become involved in another horse after co-owning Pencos Crown Jewel was sold and that family friend Jo was also interested in ownership, so a plan came together. The now nine-year-old joined Ros in 2024 and the pair enjoyed a couple of great runs, before a setback put the brakes on their progress.

“I did two events on him and then he went through some fencing in a field,” said Ros. “He had to have a little operation, and he also had a fully blocked tear duct at the same time, so he had a very quiet year the first year that we had him, which means that he’s a year behind where we thought he would be.

“He is fantastic. He’s a real three-day horse – he loves sleeping, so being in a stable all week and only coming out for a few minutes of work is perfect for him! He came out for his dressage nine minutes before, we had it all planned, and he showed his best work in the test.”

Course-designer Stuart Buntine’s flowing three-star track, run over excellent ground, received much praise from riders. It encouraged competitors into a forward rhythm, before looping through the woods and over a decent selection of questions.

Faults were well spread. The Bucas Angled Brushes (4ab) caught out a handful, as did the Foran Equine Triple Bars (6ab) arrowheads. The Woodhouses Rail, Ditch, Hedge (8abc) was another influential question, so too was the vertiginous drop to two brush corners at the Uvex Cracking Bank (12abc) and the Aspen Cooling Water (22abc).

Scores were so tightly bunched in this 80-strong class that none in the top 10 could afford a rail and to keep their place. Emma Lawton and Dinarthall Sea King held the runner-up spot after cross-country, but one rolled pole dropped them to fifth and opened the door for Emily King and HG Woods to rise into second (27.4).

The 10-year-old HG Woods, who is owned by Alex Wilcox and Helen Morris, bounded over the coloured poles with charming enthusiasm.

“I adore riding him, he’s the coolest little chap. He was third in the two-star here last year, so nice to go a level up and a notch better,” said Emily. “He’s a pleasure in all phases – he feels like he has everything to be a top one.”

Italy’s Vittoria Panizzon turned her week around, after finding herself on the floor following Borough Tupence’s particularly athletic bronc on Wednesday, ending Sunday on the podium.

“She’s taken time as she is very sensitive and just needed to become stronger and more mature,” said Vittoria. “Her dressage has really progressed in the last year or two, particularly thanks to Flo Dawes and Lisa White. They really understand her.”

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Sofia Sjöborg’s 2025 European Championships ride Govalent will not travel to France for Pau CCI5*, after a “traumatic few days” caused by a freak stable injury.

The British-based Swedish rider had to call the vet to “Zack” this week when he was found with a wound.

“All of mine live out overnight and are in during the day to be fed and worked,” she said. “So nothing was any different when Georgy Killengray came back after lunch. Except that she found Zack in his stable with a head wound.

“We are so lucky to have the best vet ever in Fiona Jacob who was out very quickly to discover it was a lot more extensive than just a graze.”

By yesterday (6 October), 11-year-old Zack had X-rays and a CT scan.

Graphic video in post below

“We are so thankful that everything should heal ok,” Sofia said. “He luckily missed the eye structure itself and the nerve. He has two fractures as well as a fully displaced bone fragment at the top of the eye socket.”

Sofia said she has to wait to find out whether this fragment still has a blood supply. If it does, it will reattach, if not it will become necrotic over time and have to be surgically removed.

“And poor guy chipped a tooth to top it off,” she said.

“All this to say that there will sadly be no Pau for Zack… but in the same breath I am so incredibly thankful that it wasn’t worse. The poor guy has been an angel throughout all of this and it’s so sad to see him hurting with nothing we can do.

“Lots of tlc and cuddles and lots of large ‘bee-keeper’ fly masks in Zack’s future.”

Sofia and the Irish-bred Govalent would have been contesting their second CCI5* had they made it to Pau, having completed Luhmühlen in June. They also came second in a CCI4*-S and won a CCI4*-L in Montelibretti in February and March respectively.

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If you’re a horse owner who spends half your life outside whatever the weather, these Sealskinz Acle water repellent nano fleece gloves are worth a look – especially while they currently have 29% off in the Amazon Prime sale.

Sealskinz has loads of great reviews on Amazon and we rate it as one of the best Prime Day deals for equestrians. Plus, our website editor Carol Phillips invested in a pair of Sealskinz all weather riding gloves last winter and highly rated them for their durability, warmth and waterproofness however she found them a little bulky for caring out more fiddly jobs when tacking up.

Key features of the Sealskinz Acle gloves

The water-repellent coating makes them perfect for wet, miserable mornings when you’re turning out, filling haynets, bringing in or mucking out.

Nano fleece construction offers a soft, warm and comfortable fit, helping to keep your hands cosy during cold yard days and winter rides without the bulk of traditional winter gloves.

These gloves don’t inhibit hand movement so you can easily open gates, carry buckets, fasten rugs and all those fiddly jobs that are impossible with thicker gloves.

They have a touchscreen-compatible grip, which means no more taking your gloves off to check your phone, change your music or message someone while you're waiting for your horse to finish eating.

With 29% off during the Amazon Big Deal Days sale, now could be a good time to upgrade your winter yard gloves or grab a spare pair.

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