Harforth making record bid for Horse of Year Show honours

They have qualified a total of 16 horses for the prestigious event, including six for the Cuddy in-hand championship.

The number going through to the Cuddy championship equals the record set by Robert Cockram, who now lives in Australia. “We have four in the pony section and four in the horse section,” said Jerome, who has been busy working out a running order for the event. “It’s very exciting but hard work.”

Leading the way will be Catwalk, the Cuddy champion, who has a filly foal at foot by Cold Beach Nightlight. Owned by Di and George Brearton, from Shropshire, Catwalk won the £1,000 Supreme in-hand Championship at the National Show Horse Show earlier this month. She also took the Supreme Ottergayle Hack Riding Horse Championship at the National Pony Show.

The first to qualify for the stud was the three-year-old filly, Dance All Night, owned jointly by Jerome’s mother, Mary, and stud manager David Dixon.

The home-bred stallion, Stanley Grange Cocksure, then took his ticket at the Derbyshire Festival of Showing. He also won the Riding Pony Breeding Championship and was champion at the Newark and Notts County Show.

Cuddington Alliance, owned by Mark Reeves and Jackie Beatham, won the Hack Breeding Championship at the Three Counties Show to qualify for HOYS. Barrdene Belle de Jour, by Moluccas Cinnamon Secret, qualified at the Royal Highland Show in the riding pony breeding section. Owned by Anita Millington, he was bred by Jackie Barr, from Stokesley.

The home-bred three-year-old filly, Rhyllandel Siskin, owned by Janet Cox, took her ticket for the Cuddy at the Cheshire County Show in the part-bred Welsh Championship.

Now all Jerome and his team at Stanley Grange Stud, Great Ayton have to do is keep calm and carry on as their biggest week of the year approaches.

In the Cuddy championship, David Dixon will be in charge of Dance All Night, David Russell will show Stanley Grange Cocksure, Jerome will take Rhyllandel Siskin and Cuddington Alliance and Simon Charlesworth will show Belle de Jour and Catwalk.

The Horse of the Year Show is at the NEC, Birmingham from October 4 to 9. For more information go to www.hoys.co.uk or call 0844 5818282.

Next week we will be meeting some of the riders making their first appearance at HOYS.

PARALYMPIC dressage riders and team GB members at the European Championships, Simon Laurens and and Sophie Wells, will be in Leeds next weekend to take part in a Therapy to Sport day at Middleton Park Equestrian Centre.

Sophie, who returned from the European Championships with three gold medals, will be riding Valerius and demonstrating her winning Kur (dressage to music) performance.

Simon will talk about the development of RDA riders and British Dressage riders and how the two are strongly linked.

A range of topics will be covered during the day, including the challenges facing autistic riders, the classification of riders, compensation aids and the principles of judging.

Some of the country’s top professionals in para dressage will be on hand and the day will be interactive for those taking part. Para riders will demonstrate their skills in the dressage arena, ranging from local riders to national champions.

The day is being organised by British Dressage northern region and Yorkshire and Cleveland Riding for the Disabled Association.

For more details go to www.britishdressage.co.uk or call Cathy Burrell on 0791 2448732; email [email protected].

NEWCOMERS to hunting will be welcomed next Saturday by the Pendle Forest and Craven Hunt. Anybody wanting to try out a day’s hunting can go along and join the hunt which will be meeting at 11.0am at Aire Bridge, Bell Busk near Gargrave, the home of joint master Nick Bannister.

The fee of £25 includes a drink to calm any nerves and Tom Bannister from the Coniston Hotel will be providing his famous burgers.

For more information ring the secretary, Tony Holmes, on 01756 749647 or joint master Jane Pighills on 01756 752882.

Top marks for student James at Allerton

LOCAL riders led the way in a number of the classes at last weekend’s Allerton Park Horse Trials.

There were major celebrations for the Rushbrooke family when 14-year-old James won section A in the BE100 class.

James, who is a pupil at Ashville College in Harrogate, won by six points with a combined score of 29, beating several top riders in the process. He only started competing in March this year and has been placed in every event he has entered, including a win at Northallerton, second at Aske and third at Skipton.

James rides a nine-year-old mare, Maranti, originally bought as a hack for his mother.

“When James grew out of his pony, he soon took to the reins of Maranti and has never looked back since. In the meantime, his mother is looking for a new horse,” said James’s father, Bryn.

James Sommerville, 23, from Marton-cum-Grafton had a total of 10 rides at Allerton.

He finished with a win in the BE100, Novice and Intermediate sections and also had second place in the BE100 and Novice and a ninth place in the Intermediate.

He was the fastest rider of the day in the Intermediate, riding Kiltealy King, to finish in first place in section H. The seven-year-old gelding is a new ride for James this season. He also made the fastest time in the Novice section H with another new ride, Wat Nou O. “I’m a big fan of Ian’s (Stark) courses and it’s probably one of the strongest courses I’ve ridden this year,” said James.

Freelance instructor Tracy Garside, from Kirkby Overblow near Harrogate, was also delighted with her win in the BD 100 Open section D riding Arabeske.

THE Retraining of Racehorses class at the Great Yorkshire Show is sponsored by Mark Johnston Racing and not by Bryan and Vicky Smart as we mistakenly reported.

Apologies for the confusion.

Both racing yards will be providing horses for a demonstration on retraining racehorses by Yogi Breisner at Richmond Equestrian Centre on Monday evening.