Warleigh Brushing Groom wins HOYS show hunter pony championship

A home-producing family from South Wales had cause for celebration when their 133cm show hunter pony reigned above seven other animals in the Binks Family HOYS show hunter pony championship at the 2022 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

The winning combination was 13-year-old Daisy May Allen at the helm of her mother Jodie Allen’s Warleigh Brushing Groom (Joey). The 10-year-old by Soudley Talismen was bred by Scott Arrowsmith. He was providing Daisy May with her first ever HOYS win, though earlier in the week she’d taken a strong second in the M&M small breeds junior ridden final with her Welsh section A Crumpwell Harry Potter.

“While we have enjoyed a great run Daisy has been really ill this year; she was diagnosed with anaemia,” she said. “We’ve had the best season pony wise, but her health has been so up and down. She’s been in and out of hospital so we’ve missed some shows. She’s worked so hard. This is the first time we’ve had the ponies at home, too, as last year we felt Daisy was a little bit young, but she had Joey back over the winter and got to know him doing dressage.”

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Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.

‘She’s been in and out of hospital’: HOYS joy for star young rider and home-produced pony

“We home-produce him,” confirmed Daisy May, who has ridden Joey for two seasons and had him in production with Kevin Cousins and Christina Gillett during 2021. “It feels like I’ve just clicked with him this year.”

Joey qualified for HOYS at Staffordshire County and at the NPS summer championships he came out on top of the gold medal final.

“We’ve done lots of hacking ahead of HOYS,” said Daisy May. “This season still doesn’t feel real.”

Jodie said that the family didn’t expect their year could have improved after the RIHS:

The winning 122cm, Annandale Phoenix ridden by Maise Peter, took reserve in the HOYS show hunter pony of the year championship.

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