dressage rider Rebecca Hughes snaps during the H&H Awards

After more than 25,000 of you cast your votes, the winners of the second Horse & Hound Awards were announced at a star-studded ceremony at Ascot Racecourse on 2 November

THERE’S something addictive about horse sport — so addictive that this year’s Inspiration of the Year winner Julie Payne defied doctors by winning triple gold in the European Para Dressage Championships in August. Just five years ago, she was told that within two years she would not be able to walk or speak, let alone ride.

Most of us, thankfully, don’t have to face such adversity, but that ability for horses to push our boundaries is something we all share. And the 2017 Horse & Hound Awards was a chance for us to celebrate that driving force uniting every corner of the horse world as we ride the ups and downs of equestrian sport, whether you’re a farrier, vet, amateur, groom or indeed an Olympic rider. Even our guest speaker Sir Mark Todd reminded us that things haven’t always gone smoothly for him — in those early days there were Badmintons and Burghleys he’d rather forget. Much has changed since Mark began forging his glittering career. “No one wore hats in those days to warm up, most of the British girls wore headscarves because it kept their hair tidy and if you watch some of the old videos, most of the horses in the dressage arena weren’t even on the bit,” he laughed.

But during Mark’s career, spanning more than four decades, the passion the horse world ignites has remained a constant. Let the countdown begin for the 2018 rollercoaster of horse sport — and, meanwhile, enjoy reliving 2017 through these awards.