Know a fantastic mare? Nominate her for Horse & Hound’s award

Nominations are now open for the Horse & Hound outstanding mare award, the winner of which will be announced at the annual British breeders’ awards dinner in London’s Grange City Hotel on 16 January.

If you know a mare who has excelled in sport and/or breeding, we want to hear about her.

Previous winners of this prestigious prize include the Suffolk Punch Whitton Daisy (pictured, top) and the grand prix dressage horse Woodlander Dornroschen, dam of Woodlander Farouche.

“We’re delighted to be sponsoring this fantastic prize yet again,” said H&H’s sport horse breeding editor Alice Collins.

“It’s a chance for us to show our appreciation of and recognition of these prized breeding mares and the invaluable role that quality dam-lines play in creating the next generation of talent or top examples of quality or endangered breeds.”

Nominations close on Friday 4 December 2015 and should be downloaded from www.tinyurl.com/hhMareAward, completed and sent to rebecca.rawson@wallacepr.co.uk

There are no restriction on the type or breed of the mares put forward.

Nominations are also invited for the SEIB Meritoire award for services to breeding. Last year, this award was awarded to the rider and breeder Richard Meade, who died the day before the ceremony.

The 2015 winners’ trophy was awarded to Whitton Daisy’s breeders, Tom and Sandy Walne for their prodigious Suffolk Punch Whitton Daisy.

“I just can’t believe that out of all the mares up for the award Daisy was chosen. I was quite expecting a polite letter saying she wasn’t what fitted the criteria for the award. I still haven’t come down to earth yet,” said Sandy. “This means so much to us — we put everything in to this and are delighted to be recognised like this.”

Whitton Daisy has produced six foals to date (four fillies and two colts), all of whom have had significant success on the county show circuit. Daisy stood best mare and foal at the Suffolk Show with her 2010 colt Whitton Teazel.

The winner in 2014 was Lynne Crowden, who picked up the accolade on behalf of her mare Woodlander Dornroschen, dam of the double world young horse champion, Farouche

To put a candidate forward in either category — and for full information about the awards dinner, visit www.tinyurl.com/hhMareAward

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