HOYS 2023 Welsh D winner: Thorneyside Guardsman

The final result of day one in the TopSpec Arena at the 2023 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) provided the biggest reaction from the crowd, as a home-producer and her popular stallion lifted the M&M ridden Welsh section D pony of the year title. Katy Marks took home her first Birmingham win with her own Thorneyside Guardsman (Douglas).

By Thorneyside The Saracen, 11-year-old Douglas has featured at HOYS and the Royal International multiple times.

“I have a weekly lesson with Katy Carter and she’s been the driving force behind us this season,” said Katy. “Douglas has really come into his own. He’s finally matured, but I have also worked so hard this year to get him to where he is now. I hope this proves that you can do it as an amateur if you’re willing to put the work in. I’m not from a horsey family or anything. I remember coming to HOYS as a kid and watching Poppy Carter win the supreme on the lead rein. On that day I told myself that I was going to win HOYS one day, so today really has been a dream come true.

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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.

‘I hope it proves amateurs can do it’: popular combination raises the roof after HOYS win

Katy bought Douglas as an unbroken four-year-old and after he was broken in by Sarah Parker, Katy has produced him through the ranks herself.

“The crowd was absolutely wild,” said Katy, reflecting on her NEC triumph. “It was so lovely that everyone was behind us like that.”

This season, Douglas, previously 10th and sixth at HOYS on his other two appearances, won both open Welsh section D and home-produced classes at Royal Windsor.

“Douglas is my horse of a lifetime,” Katy added.

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