HOYS 2023 Qualifiers Announced – Welcoming new opportunities for amateurs, members, and the reintroduction of an established qualifier

With the showing judges for HOYS 2023 in place and the turn of the new year, the countdown for the 2023 qualifying season and the prestigious championships at Horse of the Year Show is on!

Horse of the Year Show will take place from 4^th to 8^th October, and this year will welcome exciting new opportunities for showing competitors as well as the reintroduction of established qualifying occasions.  For the full list of HOYS 2023 qualifiers please click the link here.

Following continued requests from competitors across the UK for more amateur opportunities, we are delighted that The Showing Register will be offering a total of 112 HOYS tickets dedicated exclusively to amateur competitors through the TSR Summer Show and the Premier Amateur League.  The initiative is to provide greater scope for competitors whose lifetime ambition is to qualify for Horse of the Year Show, together with the training and advice of TSR, we hope that this will become a reality for those that have previously only ever dreamt of the occasion.  For more details about The Showing Register and the HOYS Premier Amateur League click here.

Reflective of the current climate, the upcoming season will see an opening up of the membership requirements for some Horse of the Year Show classes with the aim of providing competitors greater choice to meet their requirements.  The upcoming year will see the HOYS Hunter Weights, Small Hunters, Working Hunter Horse and the Ladies Side Saddle qualifiers opened to members of The Showing Register and/or Sport Horse Breeding in addition to the existing British Show Horse Association.  It is hoped that this will allow competitors to make their membership as cost effective as possible.    

Jemima Walker, Equestrian Showing Manager for HOYS comments: “We are working to provide increased choice for competitors that may compete across multiple classes and therefore currently have a requirement to join multiple showing societies.  TSR in the past has been a showing society offering membership for HOYS M&M, plaited pony classes and Coloureds, however with the new opportunities at Horse of the Year Show through The Showing Register, it seemed like a natural progression to extend this to the hunter classes too.”

Horse of the Year Show is pleased to welcome back a working relationship with Sport Horse Breeding GB, following a parting in 2014, it will be a welcome reinstatement for the SHBGB members, and we look forward to their support in 2023. 

It has been extensively discussed with the relevant showing societies, over some years, about the concern in numbers of the plaited pony classes.  It is the ambition of HOYS that we continue to support these classes, however, as organisers we are mindful that they must reflect the current numbers so that we can provide increased opportunities to classes that are growing.  It is for this reason that the Intermediate Show Riding Type will now be combined at HOYS to see the 153cm small intermediate and the 158cm large intermediate classes as one Championship.  To maintain the identity of the classes, classes for both height sections will remain at the qualifying shows along with a subsequent championship to allocate the qualification ticket for HOYS 2023. The total number of qualifiers for the Intermediate Show Riding Type has increased to 18 to reflect this change. 

Both the Intermediate Show Riding Type and the Intermediate Show Hunter will welcome the introduction of a new award at Horse of the Year Show 2023, which will see a competitor in both Championships acknowledged for their presence, etiquette, and ringcraft.    

Following the cancellation of the 2022 Scottish Horse Show, we are aware of the disappointment for competitors in this area.  As organisers we remain committed to providing qualifiers across the UK, and it is for this reason that we are pleased to confirm that the Scottish Horse Show will return as part of the qualifying calendar for 2023.  Having built up a favourable reputation with competitors both north and south of the border the show will build on its previous successes and in the upcoming season will welcome HOYS qualifiers for all Working Hunters, the Price Family In-Hand, Coloured Horse/Pony alongside many others for plaited ponies and M&Ms.

We’re confident that showing at Horse of the Year Show is developing and moving with the times to reflect a championship that encompasses all breeds and types and provides opportunities for amateurs and professionals alike.  We encourage the seasoned competitors to support the qualifiers new and old, and to be a role model and aspiration for those that are taking their first steps into the showing community. 

There’s only #ONEHOYS so let’s get SHOWING!

ENDS

For further information on Horse of the Year Show please contact the HOYS Press Office via email press@hoys.co.uk or call 02476 858205.