Three-year-old sport horse and Highland stallion lead the supreme in-hand final
Steve Pitt and Vicky Smith achieved both the top spots in the horse section of The Price Family in-hand championship as well as the overall supreme title at the 2021 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
Their leading animal was Regina Daly’s three-year-old sport horse Tell Me Another. The attractive Future Illusion bay was bred by Cathy Wood and the undoubtable star of the future earned his HOYS pass at Norfolk.
In 2021, Tell Me Another was crowned British-bred in-hand champion at the Sport Horse Breeding (GB) National Hunter Championships.
The Pitt/Smith stables also produced the second placed horse, Sarah Gibbons’ Aveia three-year-old The Seducer. The gelding, who is out of former HOYS in-hand runner up Elite De Roulette, was bred by Ann Bassett and Tony Wareham and qualified at Three Counties.
Reserve overall was the top pony, Julie Barton’s prolific Highland stallion Ellister Islay Spruce. The eight-year-old stallion was making his third appearance at the NEC in-hand, posting his first win after previous top placings. Handled by Ross Keys, Spruce, who is by Ellister Islay Forester, qualified at the Stoneleigh Horse Show after winning the new semi-final championship. Earlier in the week, Spruce graced the TopSpec Arena under saddle with Rebecca Penny, where they stood seventh in the Highland pony of the year final.
Alan Charlesworth led Joanna Adams’ riding pony broodmare Megland Moonglow into the bridesmaid spot in the pony class. The Turberry Top Cat nine-year-old out of Rotherwood May Flower was shown with her Tandridge Democrat filly foal.
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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.