HOYS 2019: Five-year-old is crowned working hunter of the year
The youngest of 39 starting horses ended up defying the odds to not only jump a flawless clear round but also scoop the top accolade in the Cuddy working hunter of the year at the 2019 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
The winning combination was event rider and producer Hayden Hankey with Irish sport horse Heads Up (Malvern), a five-year-old jointly owned by Hayden and Catherine Witt.
The gelding — who qualified for the final at the last qualifying opportunity of the year at the British Show Horse Association hunter championships just a few weeks ago — produced a stunning clear round which showed maturity and scope well beyond his years. He later returned to perform impeccably under the evening performance spotlight.
The combination has only been together for 12 months. After three summer show fixtures were cancelled due to bad weather this season, Hayden wanted Malvern to get some extra mileage on the clock. HOYS is only Malvern’s third show to date.
Taking the runner-up spot for the second year running was Louise Lyons with Paulette Cooper’s MJM Laszlo. The nine-year-old gelding, a former Royal International Horse Show champion, qualified at the Northern Ireland Festival in April.
David Cole’s rustic track provided 12 clear rounds from the starting line-up and just 10 combinations were invited back to the evening championship.
Also achieving success on the first day of the show was Thistledown Van-Der-Vaart and Lily Richardson who secured the mini Mountain and Moorland title and Francoise Babington and her own Seabourne Silent Valley who won the side-saddle ridden class.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday. The full 2019 Horse of the Year Show report with all the action from the showing, showjumping and dressage classes will be in the 10 October issue. Catch up at horseandhound.co.uk during the week.
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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.