The 75th Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) came to a thrilling close tonight as it was decided which horse and pony would become the Champion of Champions. All of the Champions from throughout the week were invited back for one final show; this time in front of judges Tissie Reason and Ann Overton-Ablitt who had the honour of choosing which two equines would take the ultimate accolades and join the HOYS roll of honour for this very special anniversary year. You could hear a pin drop before the spotlight fell on Craig Kiddier as Sue Tennant’s exceptional Show Hunter Champion, Mulberry Lane II, was crowned Supreme Products Supreme Horse

North Herefordshire completed a memorable Horse of the Year Show hat-trick as they won the LeMieux Pony Club Mounted Games for the Prince Philip Cup at Birmingham NEC. First contested in 1957, the competition once again delivered an action-packed fashion as four teams – North Herefordshire, North Warwickshire, Wynnstay and Wylye Valley – contested the double-points final. Atherstone, Lanark and Upperward missed out on qualification following the afternoon’s penultimate event, finishing fifth and sixth respectively, while North Herefordshire took a 19-point lead over North Warwickshire into the final. And it proved an unassailable margin, with North Herefordshire finishing on a total of 133 points for three titles in succession, North

French rider Julien Anquetin saved his best until last to be crowned Leading Showjumper of the Year at the Horse of the Year Show. Julien guided Farah Tame to an outstanding win, clocking 38.92 seconds to give his preparations for the World Cup indoor season lift-off. Sweden’s Angelie von Essen took second aboard Daniel on 40.55, with third place going to British challenger Adrian Whiteway on Chacco Volo. Defending HOYS grand prix champion Jodie Hall McAteer was fourth, with reigning national champion Rebecca Marsh fifth and triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Maher in sixth. It brought the curtain down on HOYS’ 75th anniversary, concluding a memorable showjumping programme across national

The Hamilton Tarmac Small Show Hunter of the Year Championship, judged by JJ Kemp and Gregory Gerry, saw a double HOYS Champion crowned; Bridget and Meg Edmondson’s Briarhill Buddy Bolden (Buddy). Fresh from his victory yesterday in The Ross Family Intermediate Show Hunter of the Year Hunter with Harriet Dennison, Buddy was victorious once again in this prestigious open Championship with Meg in the saddle. The eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse is by Kings Cornet out of Durida, and is produced by Rachel and Julie Helliwell. An ecstatic Meg said: “What a horse! He went so well and he makes mine and Harriet’s job easy.” When asked about their secret to

Rachel Proudley accomplished what she described as “the number one win” of her showjumping career by landing the Speed Horse of the Year crown at the Horse of the Year Show. A thrilling one-round class looked to be heading the way of Welshman Mark Edwards, who produced a blistering performance on Royale Tale, clocking 56.91 seconds. He had led from early in the competition, but everything changed when the final two competitors entered the arena – Jodie Hall McAteer and last-to-go Rachel. Jodie and Kimosa Van Het Kritrahof went more than half a second inside Mark’s time, leaving 19-year-old Rachel a Herculean task aboard Petitfour VD Wareslage, but they delivered

Will Fletcher added his name to the family’s Horse of the Year Show successes with victory in the British Horse Feeds Speedi-Beet Grade C Championship. Twenty eight years after his mother Tina claimed the first of her two wins in the same class, Will fought through considerable discomfort to land the concluding national showjumping competition of HOYS 2024 After being accidentally kicked by a horse in the warm-up area, Will defied a severe limp and bruising to take first place on Qian Van Heiste and third with Calixte Heartbreaker Z. He had four horses in the class, and three made the jump-off. His winning time of 31.61 seconds after being