Wylye Valley ended a 22-year wait to win the LeMieux Prince Philip Cup at Horse of the Year Show as they ended North Herefordshire’s reign as champions.
The Pony Club Mounted Games, first contested at HOYS in 1957, once again showcased the sport at its finest, and Wylye Valley came up trumps.
The team, based near Frome in Somerset finished on 124 points, 13 clear of runners-up North Herefordshire, with Atherstone in third and Staff College and Sandhurst fourth.
Victory for North Herefordshire would have seen them become only the second team to lift the trophy four years in succession, matching Eglington’s achievement during the 1990s.
But Wylye Valley, fielding the same team that competed at HOYS 12 months previously, were not to be denied.
“This is the creme de la creme. You can’t win anything bigger than this,” Wylye Valley assistant trainer Sammy Garrett said.
“This is absolutely everything. It is all they dream of, and it is a massive team effort. They have worked so hard for this.
“This year, we have been very successful. We won the Royal Bath and West Show, and we were feeling like we could do it (at HOYS).
“We just had to go out there and do what we did. They are really great kids, and it really is the best thing ever. We couldn’t have asked for a better week.”
ENDS
For more information on Horse of the Year Show 2025, please contact
Horse of the Year Show Press Office, Grandstand Media Ltd.
Tel: 02476 858205. Email: press@hoys.co.uk
Image credit: 1st Class Images.
