Showing Life
Stallions land HOYS tickets and ‘Wocket Woy’ makes his show ring debut
TWO stallions from West Wales made a triumphant return to the show ring after a season at stud, qualifying for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) at their first attempt.
India Latter partnered her 2016 HOYS section A victor Powys Sprite to win and stand section champion at Denbigh and Flint Show, and Georgia James booked her return ticket at the National Pony Society (NPS) summer championships with Anna Stevens and Lara Joslin’s remarkable Shetland Brinleyview Camanchee (Chee).
“After last year’s HOYS win, it was decided Sprite should be given a chance to prove himself as a sire, so he’s spent an idyllic time running with the Glebedale mares,” said India’s mother Chris. “He came back to us two weeks before Denbigh and looked really well, so India decided, after riding him twice, that he’d go to the show to keep another pony company and we’d see what happened.
“We were all just hoping he looked well enough not to seem out of place, but he turned it on and thoroughly enjoyed himself to earn his sixth HOYS ticket.”
Chee, 14, had not even been sat on since Olympia last December, but will now make his seventh HOYS appearance.
“He’s had a busy season running with his mares, so we decided to take him to Malvern, just to compete in-hand,” said Lara. “However, a friend, Lauren Jarvis, had a casual ride on him the night before the class and [producer] Debbie Barr saw him.
“She sent us a text the next morning – with an hour to spare — saying he looked good to go and we should put him in the HOYS class, so we did,” added Lara. “We got poor Georgia out of bed and they went in and won.”