All Mountain & Moorland (M&M) Champions at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) will once again be invited to compete for the ultimate accolade of Supreme Pony of the Year, when the Show returns to Birmingham’s NEC from 8th – 12th October 2014.
The Champions of the NPS/Baileys Horse Feeds M&M Ridden Pony of the Year, M&M Working Hunter Pony of the Year and Brineton Colne M&M Mini Pony of the Year will each contest the Supreme Pony of the Year Championship on the final evening of “The World’s Most Famous Horse Show”.
For the past three years just one native pony – the M&M Supreme Pony of the Year Champion – has been eligible to enter. However, from 2014, the M&M Supreme Pony of the Year Championship will be removed from the HOYS schedule, allowing all M&M Champions the opportunity to compete in the Supreme Pony of the Year Championship.
The move will bring the format of M&M Championships back into line with all other showing Championships at HOYS.
The Supreme Pony of the Year Championship has been fiercely contested since its split in 2003 from the Supreme Horse of the Year Championship. In that year, an M&M pony took the title – the Welsh Section A Penwayn Ryan with the now eventing star Laura Collett in the saddle. Native ponies have stolen the show in the past two consecutive years. Last year, Dressage supremoes Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester chose the picture-perfect Welsh Section A Nynwood Fantasia as their Champion of Champions. In 2012, it was the turn of crowd-favourite Highland pony Stirlingdene to take the honours.
Helena Pettit of Grandstand Media Ltd, organiser of HOYS, commented: “The M&M classes have been a popular part of the HOYS schedule since 1999. This move will allow our native breeds to be shown at their best and compete against all of the other pony Champions at HOYS once more. It will also up the ante in the already hugely competitive Supreme Pony of the Year Championship.”
Tickets for Horse of the Year Show 2014 will soon be on sale for what promises to be another exceptional event. For show information, visit www.hoys.co.uk or call 01582 711411.