Katie Moore riding the stunning lightweight hunter Rosenbright won this year’s McCusker Hunter Championship at the new look Horse of the Year Show
A foot-perfect Rosenbright ridden and produced by Katie Moore won the McCusker Lightweight Hunter of the Year at the Horse of the Year Show and then went on to take the championship.
The 16.2hh dark bay gelding owned jointly by Katie and Mrs J Jerram was bought from Moggy Hennesey as a six-year-old. He looked an absolute picture and his win clearly delighted Katie’s supporters and the crowd.
Several of this season’s prolific middleweight winners came forward, but in the end David Tatlow riding Aerdenode won, with Man Of Honour ridden by Guy Landau, second.
Man Of Honour was bred by his owner John Dunlop OBE and this was his last show as he will now retire to go hunting.
Noticeably absent in the heavyweights was Spot On, who enjoyed such huge success this year. Instead it was last year’s winner and champion Otter Point who won, with Katie Moore enjoying second slot with Mr and Mrs William’s Owen Bouy.
All six horses came forward for the championship and none galloped quite like Guy and Man Of Honour, although Rosenbright and Otter Point came close.
There was little doubt that Katie and Rosenbright would stand champion, while Otter Point settled for reserve.
A delighted Katie speaking after her first ever hunter championship win said: “I’m ecstatic – absolutely over the moon, this is a dream come true. He was faultless all day, I love hunters and hope this will be won of many.”
All change
It was all change at this year’s HOYS and the new venue at the NEC in Birmingham provided a more central location for both visitors and competitors.
Lack of space was definitely not a problem – competitors were able to enjoy almost limitless warm up facilities and the Horse & Hound arena was free from pillars, something that had proved a problem at its London location.
The tradestands were housed in a separate shopping hall and felt slightly dis-jointed from the rest of the show.
Mountain & moorlands
The Simpson Refractories Mountain and Moorland championship was a real crowd-pleaser and the crme de la crme of our native breeds came forward to contest the championship.
The audience’s favourite was the Welsh section A &B winner Glenwood Caradog. This delightful little bay gelding performed the most enormous extended trot and received a rapturous reception.
Champion was Connemara stallion Castle Comet, who behaved impeccably throughout the show, while reserve was the Dales Kilmannen Black Pearl.
Stars of the future
The afternoon’s and evening show jumping classes saw show jumping stars of the future battling it out to take the Squibb & Davies National Junior Foxhunter championship and the Unex Corporation Young Riders Championship of Great Britain.
Winner of the junior Foxhunter was Hannah Penny riding Blue Amber, while Robert Whitaker riding Karin produced a stylish and brilliant round to win the Young Riders Championship.
There were several names who stood out with the junior Skeltons, Whitakers and Broomes clearly inheriting the “show jumping genes”.
Another young starwith her eye on the seniors is Louise Pavitt in her last year as a junior and already making the successful transition over to horses.
For all the latest results from HOYS click here to visit their website.
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