Zoe Clarke and Marley VI saw off strong competition yesterday (8 October) to win the title on their HOYS debut.
“I couldn’t have asked more of Marley; he thrived on the magical HOYS atmosphere and I am delighted,” Zoe said. “My mum, Nicola Clarke bought Marley 12 years ago when he was six months old for just £85 at a dispersal sale, in a cattle shed. She wanted him as a happy hacker but has never ridden him herself!”
Zoe said the trip was two days overall from her home in Inverness to the NEC Birmingham, including an overnight stop in Carlisle.
“Marley just takes it all in his stride,” she said. “We’ve enjoyed the build-up to HOYS and I would love one day to come back in the open classes. I work as a veterinary physio and am very lucky to be self-employed and control my diary so we can come to these shows.”
The Search for a Star classes have run at HOYS every year since 1998, giving amateurs the chance to ride in the arena of dreams.
Series organiser Nicolina MacKenzie said: “We are thrilled to be providing these opportunities for amateur riders. The HOYS Search for a Star championships are the culmination of months, and in some cases years, of preparation and training for the riders and their horses and ponies.”
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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.
