A prize pot of £1,000 is on offer in a new Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) performance award for open showing.
The winner, who accumulates the most points in open showing classes during 2017, will take home £750, with the runner-up winning £250.
Points will be awarded for top-six finishes in hunter, riding horse and hack classes, at shows at which qualification for the Horse of the Year Show or the Royal International Horse Show is on offer.
An RoR spokesman said the award, which is supported by Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain (SHB(GB)) and the British Show Horse Association (BSHA), “aims to demonstrate the thoroughbred can be competitive in mainstream showing classes, and to reward riders and horses who compete outside classes restricted to RoR horses”.
Points will be on offer in novice, amateur, ladies’ and open classes and anyone who would like their results to be included is asked to apply by 20 October.
RoR chief executive Di Arbuthnot said: “In recent years the number of horses participating in our own RoR showing classes has increased dramatically and consequently the classes themselves have become more and more competitive.
“Such is the standard now, I am sure many of those competing would more than hold their own in open classes.
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“The aim of this new award is to give RoR horses an incentive to try their hand in open classes and in doing so to highlight how former racehorses have the stature and talent to make their mark in the show ring too.”
Horses must be registered with RoR and have raced in Britain, while horses and riders must have full affiliated membership of either SHB (GB) or the BSHA.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
