Candy is pick of the mix
The new season gathers speed, as a HOYS card is up for grabs and RIHS tickets continue to be rolled out to deserving winners
HOT competition was witnessed in the first Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) horse working hunter qualifier of the term.
Several combinations returned fresh after their winter breaks ready to tackle a superb David Norlander-designed course, but top of the tree was Matt Cooper in the saddle of his own Irish Sport Horse Coevers Candy (Archie), who ended his day as overall worker champion. Matt has owned the Sligo Candy Boy eight-year-old for three years.
“He’s a big horse – he’s at least 18hh – so he took a long time to come into himself,” said Matt, who qualified Archie for HOYS in 2021. “We’ve done a lot with him over winter and it was nice to realise all the work has been worth it. Gaining an early ticket means we can now relax a bit and enjoy our favourite shows.”
The course produced four clears in total, and second place went to Allan Birch and Vicky Tennant’s Bold Adventure, eventual working hunter reserve.
“It was a great, testing course to jump and there wasn’t a single trappy fence catching people out; there were challenges the whole way round,” commented Matt, who has three working hunters to contend the circuit this year.
DELICIOUS COB CROWNED
THE grand main indoor arena played host to the flat classes, as the North’s elite producers made successful season debuts.
Cheshire-based Danielle Heath left with a hat-trick of victories as well as both Royal International (RIHS) cob and hack accolades with her two respective 2021 HOYS winners, Anne Leigh’s grey heavyweight Bobbi Dazzler and Guy and Issy Mears’ reigning hack and intermediate of the year Forgelands Hyde Park (Will).
Nine-year-old Bobbi Dazzler, also second at Hickstead last year, was found at the Aughrim Stables in Ireland by Pauline Miller for Anne, who had been on the hunt for a prospect show cob.
“He’s like putting on a pair of slippers,” said Danielle. “He’s so balanced for a heavyweight. When the ride judge [David Froggatt] handed me the championship rosette he said, ‘I could just eat him with custard and cream,’ and I couldn’t think of a better way to describe him.”
Of Kilvington Scoundrel 10-year-old Will, a ride she gained two months before she reigned with him at HOYS, Danielle says she feels “incredibly lucky”.
“I’ve never had something which has a record like his,” she added. “He’s a real showman. The plan is to show him lightly as both a hack, and intermediate with Issy, while letting him continue to enjoy his job.”
Finally, Danielle rode Pauline Binks’ classy yet relatively inexperienced small hunter Cuddington Royale to his RIHS ticket. The seven-year-old was third at the RIHS final last July.
“He missed his novice year due to Covid but he had a very good run of accomplishments in 2021 nonetheless,” said Danielle. “He had a little baby blip at HOYS, so I was delighted with the ride he came out and gave today.”
Team Walker’s charge of
hunters showed the benefits of a season on the hunt field as they took the RIHS accolade with the middleweight Chief Whip, reserve with top heavyweight Elusive
Gold and the novice hunter rosette with Crystal Cove.
Home-producer Camilla Davies finished open hunter reserve on her RIHS amateur hunter champion, her own superstar lightweight Glenkeeran
Dance In The Deep.
The RIHS riding horse tricolour went to Raine Hathern’s victorious large Hoghton Maverick and Freya Metters, who had also headed the novice riding horses earlier in the day. The five-year-old by Furstenball was crowned novice section champion at the British Show Horse Association national championships last September.