On Thursday 9th October, showing stalwart Carey Knox played host to the highly respected Kellythorpe Leading Breeder and Kellythorpe Leading Sire of the Year Awards at Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham. Now in their 14th year, the highly esteemed awards kindly sponsored by the Leeman family, have firmly embedded themselves into the annual celebration of the horse. They celebrate the vital contributions of breeders and owners within the showing industry, paying tribute to some of Great Britain’s most outstanding and accomplished horses and ponies. The HOYS awards series is an opportunity to reward the consistent success of the animals bred by a person or stud in this country

The Equestrian Index HOYS Trade Stand of the Year Awards (TOTY) recognise exhibitor excellence in trade stand presentation and customer engagement throughout the show week. All exhibitors at Horse of the Year Show are automatically entered into the awards, which feature two categories: Best Display 20sqm and Under and Best Display Over 20sqm. Judging took place anonymously over Wednesday and Thursday of the show during trading hours. Each trade stand and its team were observed and assessed across four key criteria: overall impression, warmest welcome, best use of space, and customer interaction. The winner of the 20sqm and Under category for 2025 was Clare Haggas Fine Art & Designs. Judges

The 2025 Horse of the Year Show reached a thrilling conclusion on Sunday night as Ireland’s Trevor Breen and Kannoon Blue won the Leading Showjumper of the Year Grand Prix. Just 17 months after suffering fractures in his lower neck and back following a fall at the Hamburg Grand Prix, he recorded an outstanding career win after an absorbing jump-off. Eight combinations went through to a race against the clock – six clear rounds and the two quickest four-faulters – with a top prize of more than £16,000 on the line. Ultimately, a second successive clear for Trevor and the nine-year-old grey gelding was enough to keep his rivals at

The final evening of Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) saw the creme de la creme of the week’s Champions crowned in the Supreme Products Supreme Horse of the Year and Supreme Products Supreme Pony of the Year Championships. The line-up of Champions were this year judged by Iain Graham, Chief Executive of British Showjumping, and Lisha Leeman of the Kellythorpes Stud.  You could hear a pin drop in the Andrews Bowen International Arena before the spotlight fell on Jayne Ross, as the striking Piebald mare KBF Lucia was crowned Supreme Products Supreme Horse of the Year. KBF Lucia, known as Poppy, is owned by Diane Stennett and Lucy Cameron.

There were tears all round for Team Harker when their own Rotherwood Fantasia, the 13-year-old Partbred Arab, stood The Binks Family Partbred Pony of the Year Champion ridden by Emma Harker. Rotherwood Fantasia is now a double HOYS 2025 champion, after taking the Children’s Riding Pony of the Year yesterday. She is produced by Victoria Harker and owned by Emma and Victoria’s mum, Jenny Harker. From being the bridesmaid at HOYS with two seconds to standing double Champion, Emma was over the moon as she exited the TopSpec Arena. Sister Victoria was equally emotional: “I’m absolutely speechless; winning once, never mind three times, is a dream in itself”. The team

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