IRISH-bred or sourced horses and ponies always shine at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), but perhaps never as much as this year. Not only did Ireland claim recognition for producing the supreme ridden horse View Point, but also the supreme ridden pony Noble Peppermint.
In an atmosphere charged with emotion, Jill Day’s prolific winning lightweight and supreme hunter View Point again gave his rider and producer Robert Walker maximum effort to take the supreme ridden horse title.
After standing HOYS champion four times and ridden horse supreme last year, the Loughehoe Guy 11-year-old, bred by Sean Jones in Co Clare, was retired from the show ring.
Walker dismounted the imposing gelding and led him out of the ring for the last time in front of an emotional crowd.
“This horse never tries to just win, he always gives that little bit extra to try and win by a mile. He’s a nice character and a yard favourite and it would be nice for him now to go hunting,” said Walker of the horse Day bought as a foal from Jones.
“He did so well here last year. We had reservations about bringing him again and it being an anti-climax, but he was fit and ready to come so we thought we’d give him one final whirl. He’s the most amazing show horse I have had, we were lucky to have him, he’ll never leave us. He will go hunting on Tuesday morning!” Walker added.
Supreme debut
At the other end of the experience scale, supreme pony rider Elsie Lynch had never even visited HOYS as a spectator, let alone ridden there.
The 10-year-old rider from Cheshire is enjoying a fabulous first season riding Kelly Ward’s well known and much-loved charismatic pony Noble Peppermint who topped the 133cm class before taking the working hunter pony championship and ridden pony supreme.
After seeing a photograph and video, Kelly bought Peppermint out of Ireland as a four-year-old through Brian Slinn. Although the blue and white pony had just been ‘sat on’, she was broken to harness.
Kelly’s daughter Ruby, who donated the purchase price from her lead-rein prize money, started Peppermint in nursery stakes before progressing to open classes, the pair becoming prolific winners at County level before Ruby outgrew her.
“She will always stay with us, and she is now out in the field in her winter woollies,” said Kelly who teaches Elsie and leased Peppermint to the Lynch family this year.
Ruby was also in good working hunter form with her Irish ponies, and she finished third in the 14hh class with her Royal International champion Noble Ronan and fourth in the 15hh section riding Woodfield Hazy.
Walker dominates
Robert Walker dominated the hunter weight classes; the Cheshire rider and producer also fielding the reserve, Jill Day’s winning middleweight Crystal Cove.
The Rehy High Society six-year-old, bred by Martin Costello, was bought by Jill Day four years ago from Dessie Gibson and the upstanding grey still has very low mileage.
“He was a late developer and bringing him here was never the plan so early. But he’s had a handful of wins and improved so much over summer, we gave him a spin and nothing fazed him,” said Walker, whose wife Sarah took the championship ride.
There was an abundance of quality and quantity Irish horses within the hunter ranks and taking the next two places in the lightweight division were Will Morton riding Kilcarna Brilliant (Brilliant Lad x Condios) and Camilla Davies with her prolific Crosstown Dancer-sired Glenkeeran Dance in thedeep (Crosstown Dancer x Snurge), his breeders John and Marie Melvin at the ringside to watch.
Standing second and third in the middleweight division and flying the flag for Daphne Tierney’s Bloomfield prefix were Bloomfield Greystones and Bloomfield Eloqence.
Making it a clean sweep of hunter winners, Lauren Brill rode the pure Irish Draught Fuerty Emperor to win the heavyweight division for Jono Fryer. The Welcome Emperor 10-year-old was bred by Michael Bailey out of Fuerty Grey Mist (Carrickrock Close Shave). Bailey, from Enfield, Co Kildare, was over the moon with the horse that he sold as a foal. “It was tremendous to see, he looked so well. It is not won by a full Irish Draught every year so it’s very special,” he said.
Lauren Brill rode the pure Irish Draught Fuerty Emperor to win the heavyweight hunter division at HOYS. The 10-year-old gelding was bred by Michael Bailey from Enfield \ 1st Class Images
Legacy
Heading the small hunter line-up was Shanbally Legacy. Bred by Joseph Eagan, this Pride Of Meath 10-year-old was originally found for his owner Susan Granger by the late Robert Oliver and he was ridden here by his wife Claire who has produced him for the past three seasons.
“He went well last year to stand fourth and he gave me a wonderful ride,” said Claire, who intends to hunt him with the Ledbury for a second season this winter.
Winning Irish form continued into the working hunter division where Alice Homer topped the class after producing one of only three clear rounds riding her mother Loraine Homer’s Little Joe.
The scopey nine-year-old was bred in Co Wexford by MJ Kavanagh. He is by KEC Maximum Joe out of an Aldatus mare and he was bought unbroken by Alice’s grandfather David Tatlow. Maintaining his wonderful HOYS consistency was Paulette Cooper’s fourth placed MJM Laszlo, ridden by Ireland’s Louise Lyons.
Bradbury breeds winner
Jane Bradbury made a dash over to Birmingham and arrived just in time to see the winning large hack, Ami Miller’s Ballinclare lift the hack championship for Jo Bates.
Jane bred the daughter of Sylvano who is out of the home-bred second-generation mare Katoda. Ballinclare is Katoda’s second foal and her third foal Bloomfield Breagura (Dignified) was youngstock champion at Balmoral earlier in the year.
Jo Bates won The Andrews Family Hack of the Year Championship with the Jane Bradbury-bred Ballinclare \ 1st Class Images
While Mexican Summer continued her winning ways for Georgina Wilkes in the ladies’ class, Danielle Heath and Brookdale Limited Edition stood a creditable second with Bloomfield Greystones and Bloomfield Eloquence taking third and fifth places under Lucinda Martin and Alice Homer.
Limited Edition was bought in Ireland as a foal by Michelle Jones from Cumbria and he is enjoying a sixth season showing on the English circuit. The upstanding grey cob also finished third in the maxi division for owner Isabella Mears.
Owner Lisha Leeman enjoyed a one/two in the lightweight cob class Love Joy and Red Rock III giving their riders Frazer Atherden and Janay Leeman a great spin.
Love Joy, who took the championship, was bred by Gerard Moloney. He is by Cloneen Sea King out of the Merry Mate mare Killanena Merry Lady. He was originally bought in Ireland by Wayne Thorneycroft. In the heavyweight division, the top three honours went to (reserve cob) Freddie Kruger, Bobbi Dazzler and Randalstown Cromwell ridden by Claire Oliver, Danielle Heath and Polly Coles respectively.
Frazer Atherden rode Love Joy (ISH) to win the The Harrod and Coles Family Cob of the Year Championship \ 1st Class Images
After competing at HOYS since her lead rein days, Polly Coles celebrated her first win when Boheradurrow Fred topped the maxi cob division.
One of a successful number of HOYS cobs originating from Aughrim Stables, Polly bought him from Ruth Flack earlier this year, primarily to go hunting with a view to ladies’ classes next year.
However, after clinching a late HOYS ticket at Ashbourne Show, Polly decided to give him a run at Birmingham. “He went in ears pricked and smiling as usual,” said Polly.
Vanessa Compton’s Skaergaardens Delicious Love created her own piece of HOYS history. Although bred in Denmark, this mare became the first Connemara pony to win the Price Family supreme in-hand pony section. The Wirtsmuhle Delaney’s 10-year-old grey mare going on to stand reserve supreme to the winning horse Lovestruck.
Delicious Love won the M&M ridden championship at HOYS in 2017 and was shown last week with her filly foal Chilham Delightful, by the stallion Cloverhill Magic who finished fourth in the class for owner Cathy Wood and breeders Peter and Bridget Lee who travelled from Connemara to see the event.