A home-produced gelding who has taken his 12-year-old jockey up the ranks in the show ring topped the 2024 HOYS Dartmoor pony of the year final at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
Samantha Walker’s mannerly nine-year-old Feldons Red Kite, known at home as Tonto, and Evie Walker took to the centre line on what was their debut in an open final at the NEC.
Bred by Sue Williams by Moortown Crusader out of Shilstone Rocks Meadow Sweet, Tonto is also through to the M&M junior ridden final later in the week.
This marked Evie’s first-ever HOYS win, though her sister, Lilly, has reigned here before on her family’s Welsh section B pony Melau Aramis. The sisters have landed six HOYS tickets between them this season.
Tonto joined the Walker Family five years ago.
“We’ve done lots of things together, even arena eventing,” said Evie. “He was the first pony to ever take me to HOYS, too, in first-ridden. He’s a funny pony, I love him to bits.”
Samantha said: “The girls are very dedicated and work very hard with their ponies. Evie is still very young to be in this class but Tonto is a diamond; you could put your granny on him. He’s literally done everything for her, initially taking her into first-riddens off the lead-rein.”
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The family will be kept busy this week as they have three ponies to compete.
“We’ve had a really great year as a family,” Samantha added.
Katy Marriott-Payne took second in the 2024 HOYS Dartmoor final aboard Felicity Thompson’s home-bred Salcombe Frowder Cove, while Sam Roberts finished third with Newoak Bobby James, owned and bred by Joyce Newbery.
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Former H&H showing editor and deputy features editor
Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.
