It was an emotional first HOYS victory for a delighted Gemma McClorey and her Shire gelding Cotebrook Sgurr Alasdair (Al) in The Barber Family Ridden Heavy Horse of the Year Championship on the final day of Horse of the Year Show (HOYS). A collection of Clydesdales and Shires filled the Andrews Bowen International Arena all hoping to take the title, but in the end William Morton piloted Al into the spotlight after impressing judges Katie Duxbury and David Curtis. Eight-year-old Al has qualified for HOYS three times, but he was unable to compete in his first year after coming down with a virus just a few days before the show.

The final day of competition got underway at Horse of the Year Show 2023, and 22 combinations came forward to contest the British Horse Feeds Speedi-Beet Grade C Championship. Riders have been competing throughout the year, up and down the country, to qualify for the final which culminates at HOYS this week. Previous winners of this national showjumping class include the likes of Nick Skelton, Geoff Billington, Tim Stockdale and William Funnell. Landing the title this year was James Whitaker riding eight-year-old bay gelding, Just Call Me Henry, who is by the magnificent stallion Argento. James was second to go in the jump off and produced an effortless quick round

Commandant Geoff Curran and Bishops Quarter did it again to take the Ripon Select Foods Puissance class with an outright win at Horse of the Year Show 2023. Since making his debut at the infamous horse show last year, Curran got bit by the HOYS bug and returned this year to defend his title. Twelve initially came forward to face the big red wall and four riders made it through to round five in front of a rocking sell-out crowd at Birmingham’s NEC. The imposing wall stood at 2.20m, which proved too much for the other three competitors. Representing Ireland’s Ministry of Defence, it was a moment of Déjà vu 

Show producer Jerome Harforth’s homebred five-year-old mare Swan Lake won The Andrews Family Partbred Pony of the Year Championship with Sophie Staveley in the saddle on the penultimate evening of Horse of the Year Show (HOYS). By Llanarth Top Cat out of Dance All Night, Swan Lake has a number of HOYS connections to her name. She was shown by Jerome as a yearling and took reserve twice in the In-Hand Horse of the Year qualifiers, while her dam, Dance All Night, won here back in 2012 in the Children’s Riding Pony of the Year with Lucinda Elliott. After a quiet season last year, Sophie started riding Swan Lake this

Saturday night at Horse of the Year Show is always a fan-favourite and the packed-out crowd were in for quite a treat! The first class of the evening, the Grandstand Stoneleigh Events Cup, was hotly contested by the international showjumpers and the crowd were revelling off the electric atmosphere. Eight riders made the cut through to the jump off course set by course designer Kelvin Bywater. Despite Italian rider Lorenzo De Luca setting a tough time to beat of 37.47 seconds, Joe Stockdale was determined to do one better. Riding the striking chestnut stallion, Ebanking. Joe meant business from the off. He plotted his route to perfection, taking calculated risks

Ten pairs of ponies across the large and small sections of the Osborne Refrigerators Double Harness Scurry qualified over three days at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) to battle it out to be crowned Scurry Supremo this Saturday night. The final saw the fastest times of the week posted, but no one could catch Nelson King driving Gareth Roberts’ nippy pair of ponies, Omega Equine Darkhouse Fred & Barney. They completed the course in an eye-watering 40.59 seconds with Gareth as backstep. Hot on their heels were Jemma Millman with Piglet & Roo, finishing in 40.86 seconds, and Alison Osborne with Osborne Refrigerators Chip and Dale on 41.00 seconds.