Super Six Bowing Out on High at HOYS…
Photos by 1st Class Images
Mexican Summer
Georgina Wilkes and her incredible small hunter mare Mexican Summer won the Ladies Show Horse of the Year, and also stood reserve Small Hunter of the Year. A former winner at HOYS in the intermediate hunter type ranks and a prolific prize-winner at shows across the country, it was a magical end to her ridden career and we can’t wait to see what Georgina’s plans for her at stud hold. If we had a crystal ball, perhaps we’d see a Price Family Supreme In-Hand Final ticket lie somewhere in her future…?
Woodbank Smokey Sam
Cheryl Mackintosh’s super-consistent Connemara pony Woodbank Smokey Sam and Kirsty Aird won the 143cm mountain and moorland working hunter pony class on their first HOYS appearance together in 2018 and they also made their last NEC trip together count, completing a copybook jumping round and taking the class for the second time. Sam is also a former HOYS, RIHS and Olympia finalist on the flat, and earlies this summer, jumped a super round at RIHS and gave a blistering gallop up the hill to stand RIHS mountain and moorland working hunter pony champion. Don’t be fooled though, his saddle won’t be redundant just yet…
View Point
Where to we start? Jill Day’s inimitable View Point [Sean] stood Supreme Horse of the Year for the second year consecutively, having won the hunter championship for the fourth time – an incredible achievement! He’s also had a dream-like career, being the reigning RIHS supreme horse and four-time champion at Royal Windsor Horse Show. The hunting field beckons for the 11-year-old…
Annandale Phoenix
Melanie Peter’s 15-year-old Annandale Phoenix is another who started his career as a hunter pony at Team Walker on the lead with Sam. But it ended on a high at HOYS under Melanie’s daughter, Maisie, whose infectious grin delighted onlookers when the pair stood 122cm Show Hunter Pony of the Year and reserve champion. Maisie is now out of class, and so Phoenix is set for reinvention as a mountain and moorland working hunter pony. “He’ll never leave us,” said proud mum, Melanie, adding, “We can’t bear to part with him”.
Ennis Boy
17-year-old Ennis Boy looked evergreen springing around the Top Spec Arena to claim the 153cm working hunter title by an impressive four marks and the reserve champion spot under Ellie Callwood.
They have had an incredible run of luck through the years with championships at Royal Dublin, NPS and BSPS champs, and a second at the RIHS. They were also Gold Cup champions at Burghley a few weeks ago.
Though he bows out of the working hunter circuit, he will continue to showjump, team chase and hunt with Ellie, who describes him as a pony of a lifetime.
Lovestruck
Vicky Smith and Rosemary Penn’s classy Lovestruck took the championship in the Price Family Supreme In Hand Final, shown by Steve Pitt. This was her third win at HOYS, having won the horse division of the Price Supreme – then the Cuddy Supreme – as a three-year-old in 2011 before going on to stand reserve, and some years later she won her riding horse class under Vicky.
She attended just one show this year, Midland Counties Show, where she qualified for this most prestigious of in-hand finals.
An emotional Vicky explained: “I can’t put it into words. That mare never gives up. She never looks sour, and she tries every time. She is just amazing. I mean to take the supreme here is just the perfect end to her career. I just feel so lucky to own her.”
