Equestrians from across the world can join in the celebration of the 2020 Horse & Hound Awards, in partnership with NAF.
Nominations open today for the annual awards, which this year will run in a different format, while still celebrating the equine and human heroes of our sport. For the first time this year, five of our awards celebrate the hero of the decade in their category, while the remainder focus on the unsung heroes who have helped our industry, our horses and our spirits through this extraordinary year.
This fifth H&H Awards, on 2 December, is to be a “virtual, multi-media online bonanza”, so fans can join the celebration wherever they are in the world.
H&H editor-in-chief Sarah Jenkins said: “The H&H Awards have grown every year and it’s wonderful to welcome NAF back as our headline partner for 2020. We look forward to working with them to bring together something special for the equestrian community in this unusual year.
“Every autumn we are bowled over by the number of nominations and votes sent in and the wonderful stories the awards turn up – the blind therapy pony Smurf who won last year, and very sadly died this month, was a wonderful example. We look forward to receiving nominations this time, in both the year and decade categories.”
Past winners include Rio Olympic individual showjumping gold medallist Nick Skelton, 2019 Badminton winner Piggy French and double Olympic individual dressage gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin.
NAF marketing manager Mel Newman said: “NAF is very proud once again to be the headline partner at the 2020 H&H Awards, this time with a very timely virtual twist making them accessible to all in the comfort of our own homes.
“The new and very ‘2020’ format of what we still believe to be the most important awards in our industry is a chance to celebrate not only this spectacular decade of sport and horsemanship, but also the wonderful people and horses who showed their incredible ability to keep calm and carry on during these unprecedented times.”
H&H is inviting nominations in 12 categories, before 5pm on Sunday, 4 October. Shortlists will be announced on 29 October, at which point H&H readers have the chance to vote for their favourites.
The Horse & Hound Awards 2020 categories are:
- Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement Award
- Uvex Helmets Professional Rider of the Decade
- Pikeur Amateur Rider of the Decade
- SEIB Horse of the Decade
- Horserail Moment of the Decade
- Balanced Horse Feeds Pony of the Decade
- NAF Five Star PROFEET Farrier of the Year
- Horse Dialog Equestrian Club of the Year
- Stallion AI Young Rider of the Year
- Dengie Volunteer of the Year
- Baileys Horse Feeds Vet of the Year
- Absorbine Groom of the Year
More details on how to watch the awards will be revealed in the near future.
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