‘My life revolves around this horse’: HOYS glory for home-bred and home-produced Arab

A home-bred and home-produced Arab gelding provided his owner/breeder/rider with her first Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) centre line moment as he lifted the Donna Gambrill, Oakways Healthcare and Amanda Miller and Islandbridge Properties 2024 HOYS ridden pure-bred Arabian title.

The flashy 12-year-old Valletta Hunters Song and his breeder Georgina Rees were on song on what was their second Birmingham appearance. They qualified for HOYS at Derbyshire Festival back in June.

“William” is sired by Silvern Surprise out of Silvern Sheena.

On his last HOYS appearance, the atmosphere proved too much for the then novice William, as Georgina explained: “Unfortunately, he was scared of the walkie talkie and he wouldn’t let the judge ride him. So for him to come today and behave was all I could ask for, and the win it is so unexpected.”

William is very much Georgina’s ‘baby’: “It’s because I bred him and I produce him from home.”

She added: “Darren Crowe has helped me an awful lot over the last year and we’ve worked very hard with him. At home he does a lot of hacking and he also does a bit of dressage.”

Georgina runs her own cleaning agency and juggles work around a passion for the Arab breed and showing. She has never won HOYS before.

“Everything is about William; my life revolves around this horse,” she confirmed. “I cannot wait to ride in the supreme on Sunday, especially on a horse like William.”

Emily Constable and her own mare Ottiliah JJ were reserve in the 2024 HOYS ridden pure-bred Arabian championship, while third spot went to Elizabeth Lowe riding Shaun Daniels’ CS Lelisha.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout Horse of the Year Show, London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Home-producers shine at HOYS — Meet the 2024 SEIB Search For A Star winners

‘We’ve been on a journey’: big-moving Welsh and 12-year-old rider are champions at HOYS

‘This never gets old’: Olympic gold medallist takes blistering HOYS win

‘They don’t make them like him often’: worker stuns on the flat to lifts HOYS hunter title

A breeder’s dream: home-breds lead HOYS in-hand supreme field, as young filly steals the show

‘On a horse, I feel like a young man’ Whitakers’ guard of honour as John given top HOYS award

‘He’s sent me flying a few times’: hard work with ‘tricky’ horse pays as he scoops HOYS title

‘This one was for him’: rider dedicates HOYS win with superb Welsh stallion to late father

‘I felt the pressure today’: Connemara mare achieves rare ‘big three’ by winning at HOYS

‘She is pure elegance’: 15-year-old mare leads HOYS heavy horses after phenomenal performance

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now