Jodie Hall McAteer had a long trip from her Dutch base to Birmingham for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) – but it was worth every mile as she won the leading showjumper of the year title after a thriller of a jump-off.
Jodie and her mother Mandy’s 11-year-old Hardessa saw off all comers in the grand prix, which included some of the cream of British showjumping talent. Harry Charles, who took the title in 2021, came second on his Olympic partner Romeo 88 with his sister Sienna third on Harry’s 2021 winning ride Stardust.
Jodie, whose last HOYS win was the 2016 pony showjumper title with the wonder mare Tixylix, managed to secure pole position of the 12 riders through to the jump-off; as the fastest first-round clear, she was last to go and knew exactly what she had to do.
“I’m over the moon,” she said. “I wasn’t really expecting it; this is her first bigger show for a while but she’s an amazing horse, a real little fighter, and she really stepped up today. She’s so lovely; just pricks her ears and takes everything in her stride. She’s really brave and really careful; hopefully this is just the beginning for her.”
Jodie and the Berlin mare came in meaning business; attacking from the start and making two killer turns before the last line that allowed her to breathe before they flew the last, to huge applause.
“I came back especially for this show; my trainer in Holland said I was half mad, coming all the way to England, he wanted me to jump in Belgium, but I said ‘You don’t know how special this is for British riders,” she said. “And I’ve paid my bills, anyway!
“The atmosphere is amazing; I don’t think there’s another CSI3* in the world like HOYS, it could be a five-star, and the crowd gets behind you as a Brit. I’ve been coming here since I was nine or 10 and as a young rider you spend the year trying to qualify. It’s the pinnacle for so many British riders.
“I’ve always wanted to win this, and it’s a big tick off the bucket list.”
Harry and Romeo had looked on top form; Ann Thompson’s 14-year-old gelding looked fresh and strong and up for the challenge as they put in a fantastic clear less than half a second behind Jodie.
“That’s great,” Harry said. “He hasn’t competed for six weeks so it’s a perfect start to the indoor season.”
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