Horse of the Year Show Qualifying Story 💜
“My HOYS Journey – 1989 to 2026. It’s been a very long time since I last qualified for HOYS. My first time was back in 1989, when I qualified in the ponies. That year, I was 1st, 3rd, 7th and 8th in the Pony Fox and Christy’s Show Jumping classes.
“I qualified again in 1991 in Grade C, then in 1993 in the Under 21s, and the last time I qualified was in 1996 in the International classes.
“So, to say it has been a very long time is an understatement!
“For a few years, I gave up competing and concentrated on taking my daughter to shows. Then, in May this year, I took over the ride on my daughter’s horse, Eddy, while she went away to further her training.
“Eddy had come to us two years ago to be sold, but we fell in love with him and decided to buy him ourselves. His previous owner had sent him to several yards to be sold, but nobody really believed in him or saw the talent he had. He had a terrible BSJA record and had mainly competed at a low level in eventing, but that was never really his passion.
“Eddy also has his quirks and suffers with ADHD, but underneath all of that is a very talented and special horse.
“When my daughter started riding him, she took him from 85cm all the way up to 1.20m. She believed in him and brought out a side of him that other people simply hadn’t seen.
“This year, after taking over his ride, I managed to get Eddy qualified for the Silver League, finishing in the top 15 in the area points.
“Then came the qualifier at Northcote Stud. Eddy jumped three mega rounds, and we finished 4th, securing our place at HOYS.
“I honestly never thought I would qualify for HOYS again. After all these years, I thought that chapter of my life was over.
“But then Eddy came along.
“A horse that had been passed from yard to yard. A horse that people didn’t believe in. A horse with a terrible record who had never really been given the chance to show what he could do.
“But we believed in him. My daughter believed in him. And now, after all these years, Eddy has given me the chance to go back to HOYS.
“From my first qualification in 1989, through 1991, 1993 and 1996, to now, in 2026, I am incredibly proud to say that I’m going back.
“And this time, I’m going with Eddy.
“He is such a special horse to us, and I am so proud that he has taken me back to HOYS when I truly thought it would never happen again.
“Sometimes, all a horse needs is for someone to believe in them.
“Thank you, Eddy, for making this dream come true.
“HOYS, here we come!”
Sarah Winterbottom & Eddy Merchx M25 qualified for NAF Five Star Silver League Championship at Northcote Stud