All eyes on HOYS

Top British show jumpers are currently en route to the Birmingham NEC for the 2006 Horse of the Year Show (4-8 October). Young talents Ellen Whitaker and Robert Maguire are joining a line-up of experts to contest the coveted Leading Horse of the Year competition in Sunday evening’s gala performance. Britain’s best hunters, show ponies and retrained racehorses will also be strutting their stuff in the show classes and displays including the Household Cavalry, fire-eating horsemen and the Pony Club Mounted Games, which will all take place intermittently throughout the four days.

The world-class show jumping competitions will take place in the Cushion Track International arena which consists of 1,300 tonnes of sand, rubber and wax supplied by Equestrian Surfaces. Esteemed course designer Bob Ellis will be the brains behind the show jumping courses throughout the week, working with a team of 12 assistants and 40 members of the West Midlands Regiment Territorial Army who form the arena party for Horse of the Year Show. Outside there are over 800 stables and 3km of security fencing to accommodate the 1,500 equestrian entrants.

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