‘I don’t care if I never win another rosette’: glorious HOYS supreme win for dream pair

A fairytale season concluded with an incredibly happy ending for one showman and his horse of a lifetime, as they won this year’s Supreme Products 2024 HOYS supreme horse of the year accolade at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

Craig Kidder and Sue Tennant’s Mulberry Lane were last to perform out of the 10 supreme horse finalists in the pre-judging, assessed by Tissie Reason and Ann Overton-Ablitt.

Craig and “Obi” are no stranger to a supreme showdown, though, as earlier this year they triumphed in the horse supreme at the Royal International Horse Show after clinching the working hunter title. However, the large grass space of Hickstead is a very different setting to the tight setting of the NEC’s TopSpec Arena.

The pair were entering the supreme under a different guise this time, too, as they’d captured the overall hunter spoils after shining on the flat.

Craig’s professional show had it all; smooth and effortless changes, Obi listening to his teammate above completely. A flying change was followed by two roof-raising gallops. The untouchable partnership had shone once again, with the crowd fully behind them.

Craig was understandably bowled over to reign supreme on his horse of a lifetime: “I’m lost for words. If I never win another rosette ever again I wouldn’t care; he’s made all my dreams come true. When they called us forward, I thought they were joking.

Of Obi, Craig said: “We’re very similar; he’s got no manners most of the time, he does what he likes and he’s pretty ferral! Jokes aside, horses who do both the workers and flat are so rare; they aren’t there. We’ve been trying to find another one like him, and I don’t think we ever will.”

Sue found Obi in Dublin as a four-year-old. He was then sent to Craig to begin his ridden career.

“He was big and raw, and we didn’t know what he was going to be,” Craig said. “Sue wondered about some young event horse classes, but when I saw him I laughed in her face and said ‘he’s definitely no eventer’. And this year’s he’s just gone on and on for us.”

Sue was ringside to watch their 2024 HOYS supreme horse of the year victory: “In Dublin, I thought he was just a lovely big horse. They are an amazing partnership, the pair of them. They’re both so special.”

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