Driven Heavy Horses to Grace HOYS Arena
HOYS have announced that visitors to this year’s show will be treated to a new and spectacular sight in the Andrews Bowen International Arena: a Championship for Driven Heavy Horses. In HOYS’s early years, audiences were presented with majestic displays of heavy horses working to harrow the main arena to music. Now in its 74th year, HOYS continues to understand and recognise the significance of supporting the heavy horse as the British heavy breeds continue to feature on the rare and endangered breeds list. It is hoped that the new championship will support the work of the societies in promoting the breeds to a wider audience.
The Championship will welcome a fabulous presentation of qualified heavy horses with the potential of including Shires, Percherons, Suffolk Punches and Clydesdales, among other heavy horse breeds. The turnouts in the Championship will be judged according to standard of driving, appearance, and the performance of the horse at different paces.
Jemima Walker, Equestrian Manager stated: “Horse of the Year Show is proud of its heritage, and we want people to continue to be able to enjoy watching these heavy horse breeds in arenas up-and-down the country for years to come. HOYS has an enviable platform to shine a spotlight on the heavy horse breeds and we are looking forward to welcoming the leading horses and drivers into the arena this year.”
As the pinnacle of the showing season, this will no doubt be a spectacular sight. The judge for this showcase will be announced soon and we look forward to seeing who will take home the inaugural title!
Exhibits can qualify for this Championship at County and Country Shows across the UK, including The Royal Highland, Fife Show, Great Yorkshire Show and New Forest and Hampshire. For a full list of qualifiers click here.
Photo by Michelle Martin Randolph
