Maisy Williams riding BILLY HEINZ winners of the Senior Newcomers Championship during the Horse of the Year Show held at the NEC in Birmingham in UK between 9 - 13 th October 2024
Maisy Williams wants to be as good as her dad Guy one day – and she showed she is well on the way as she and Billy Heinz took the senior newcomers championship at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
The 18-year-old rider and John Leggott’s seven -year-old mare by Billy Mexico gave a jaw-dropping display of speed to finish just ahead of Charlotte Ash and Air Sandulay.
Asked what advice Guy had given her, Maisy said: “She’s so fast, he just said to keep my brain going, don’t go too fast, so every jump like we’ve practised, have a go – and ‘Go and have fun’.”
This was a first HOYS win for Maisy, in the first class she has ever contested here.
“I’ve been watching it my whole life and always dreamed of cantering down the middle at Horse of the Year Show – and hopefully next year it will be in the international classes here!”
Both Maisy and Heinz were clearly up for the challenge from the off; starting fast and only getting faster but with perfect balance and control.
“She’s definitely going to be my best horse in the future,” Maisy said. “She was bought in the Billy Stud auction as a three-year-old; John and Blossom Stud still own her, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity. She’s so competitive and careful. She wants to win as much as I do.”
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And Maisy added that she has been watching Guy doing what she is doing now, for as long as she can remember.
“I’d love to be as good as he is, one day,” she said. “That’s the aim. I always try to do exactly what he says and what he’s done. He’s very happy tonight.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
