A husband and wife team scored an impressive one two in the lightweight division before their class winner headed the Harrod & Coles Family HOYS cob of the year title at the 2022 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
Their winning mount was Richard Leeman’s seven-year-old Love Joy, who was ridden by Richard’s son-in-law Frazer Atherden. The gelding was bought from Wayne Thorneycroft as an unbroken three-year-old.
“He had his four-year-old year out to mature and then the pandemic hit,” said Frazer, who had pushed wife Janay into second on her own Red Rock III during the morning’s lightweight final. “But it did him the world of good as it gave him more time to develop at his own pace. He’s never been rushed and he’s only done a handful of shows; HOYS 2022 is his fourth show of the season. We have young children so we like to spend as much time as we can with them, too.
“I’m over the moon for Janay, but I was in the dog house a little bit,” Frazer laughed. “But I think I might have made up for it by winning the championship. We do the horses together so this result is what dreams are made of.”
Reserve champion in the HOYS cob of the year championship was Claire Oliver riding winning heavyweight, Susan Granger’s 10-year-old Freddie Kruger, who was joined in the championship by second placed heavyweight, Danielle Heath with Anne Leigh’s Bobbi Dazzler, last year’s class winner.
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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.
