Oliver Hood riding GATESHEAD for owner Zoe Turner, winner of the SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse HOYS Championship at Horse of The Year Show 2018 at the NEC near Birmingham in the UK between 2nd- 7th October 2018
Unstoppable show horse producer Oliver Hood was in the money on the first day of competition at the 2018 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) when he took the SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse title on Zoe Turner’s exquisite Gateshead.
On his second appearance at the NEC, the six-year-old bay gelding put on a foot-perfect show to claim the honours over the second-placed Lizzie Harris and her own 10-year-old gelding Wild West.
Gateshead contested this championship last year during his first season with Allister Hood and finished sixth.
By First Defence and out of Tsar’s Pride, Gateshead was trained by Bryan Smart, whose wife Vicky Smart was a previous winner of the SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse championship with her own Rogers Revenge in 2012.
Zoe rides out at the Hoods’ yard a few mornings a week and Gateshead trotted away with his HOYS ticket in June at the Bury Farm qualifier.
“He is a real showman with lots of presence,” said Oli. “And he really enjoys his job – sometimes a little too much. We’ll carry on doing what we’re doing; he will make a really nice riding horse.”
Another show producer who kept up her form on the first day of the show was Jayne Ross, who defended her ladies’ side saddle title with Time 2 Reflect. Jayne has dominated this particular championship for four successive years with two of Diane Stennett’s horses – the first two years with Hello Dolly – and this and last year with Time 2 Reflect.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
A long wait proves worthwhile for this prolific showing family
Runner-up was Georgina Wilkes’ 10-year-old mare Mexican Summer who moved up the line from their fourth and fifth placings in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday. Read the full 2018 Horse of the Year Show report next week for all the showjumping, showing and dressage action.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
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.
