Pride of Yorkshire celebrate successes

Their success was celebrated by members of Yorkshire Sport Horse at their annual dinner and awards presentation.

From horses shown in-hand to dressage, showjumping and event horses, Yorkshire horses showed they could hold their own at competitions all over the country.

Eastern Index, bred in Yorkshire by Joyce Houseman and now owned by Delwin Evans and Paul Jarrett, has won championships at every stage of his career from a foal to a three-year-old.

His successes this year included taking the overall in-hand championship at Devon County and the in-hand hunter championship at Royal Bath and West. He completed his in-hand career on a high by being placed second in the Cuddy final at the Horse of the Year Show.

Mafra Smithers’s home-bred Stanhopes Mr Macoy was bred for eventing, but has turned out to have a talent for showing.

Starting with the very competitive Event Horse Breeding classes at Bramham, he won the three-year-old gelding class and the championship.

He then went on to take the three-year-old class and the in-hand hunter championship at the Great Yorkshire Show and at the Scottish and completed the season by winning the in-hand championship at the National Hunter Show.

Another three-year-old hunter, bred in Yorkshire by Nigel and Sue Cowgill, Hawlmark Classic Twilight, also had an excellent season. He won a total of 11 in-hand classes, 10 championships and two supreme championships and ended the year as the Sport’s Horse Breeding’s national three-year-old points winner.

Kath Barley also had a good year.

Her yearling filly Drummatic, the last foal and only filly out of the late Drummacy, won its class and the filly championship at Bramham, had first places in the both the sport horse and hunter classes at the Yorkshire Sport Horse Show and second places at the Great Yorkshire and Lincoln.

Mellamaid, having featured on the show’s website, was best Yorkshire-bred hunter brood mare at the Great Yorkshire and her filly foal, Maid of Honour, was reserve champion at the Yorkshire Sport Horse and first in both sport horse and hunter classes at the National Hunter Show.

Hazel Bramley’s yearling, First Term, won at Otley, the Great Yorkshire, Ryedale, Huby and Sutton and Nidderdale shows.

This foal’s full sister, What a Yarn, won and was champion foal at Hambleton, Driffield, Ryedale and the Great Yorkshire and was reserve champion at the National Hunter Show,

Steve Pullan’s filly, Jaguar Moon, won and was champion young hunter at Ryedale and Driffield and reserve champion at Malton.

Michael and Jeryl Grubb’s Lambwath Ace of Diamonds won at the Yorkshire Sport Horse and at Malton.

Lambwath Dalesman, owned by Jill Day and ridden by Robert Walker, was first and champion novice at the North of England Spring Show, first at the Derbyshire Festival and Warrington and first and reserve champion five-year-old hunter at the National Hunter Show.

Jermoon Starcatcher, bred by Jane Moore, had first placings in Small Hunter classes at Notts County, Hambleton, Derbyshire Festival and Lincoln County and was second and reserve champion Small Hunter at the Royal International.

In the riding horse category, Champagne Charlie, bred by June Traves, was first and reserve champion at the Wales Hunter Show and ninth at HOYS.

Hillocks Rustic Gold, bred, owned and ridden by Karen Hill, won at Hambleton, North of England Summer Show, White Rose County and Derbyshire Festival and was sixth at HOYS.

A Yorkshire-bred horse made his mark in the popular Racehorse to Riding Horse classes this year.

Treat ’Em Mean, bred at Middleham by Sally Hall and ridden by Lizzie Richmond, was first and champion at Hambleton, first and champion at the ROR Tattersalls final at Hickstead and champion at the Aintree Silks Show.

Yorkshire-bred horses have also been succeeding in the world of dressage.

Loumic Antioni, bred by Sue Raper and now with Paul Hayler, has been competing at Advanced Medium, Prix St George and Grand Prix level, culminating in a win at the Keysoe Advanced Medium Regional Championships and fourth place in the Advanced Medium National Finals.

Antioni’s half-brother, Loumic Flow Joe, is also succeeding in the dressage field, having celebrated recent wins at Advanced Medium with his owner and rider, Vicky Metford.

In show0jumping, Randi’s Gold won over £5,000 in prize money and a newcomer from Graham Fletcher’s stable, Foxglade Little Lady, won the five-year-old Grand Prix at Arena UK and should be one to watch for the future.

In eventing, there was much to celebrate, including Lucinda Broad’s Sir Suave being successfully graded into the Sports Horse Breeding stud book and qualifying at the BYEH and Lycett Young Horse Event championships.

Julie Lawson’s home-bred stallion, Primitive Faerie Tale, had Open Intermediate wins at Allerton Park and Hexham and was fifth in the advanced section at Chatsworth.

Family Affair, one of this horse’s first foals, was on the gold-medal winning British team at the European Junior Eventing Championships.

Rosemary Search’s Opposition Buzz, ridden by Nicola Wilson, goes from strength to strength.

He finished seventh at Badminton and is a permanent fixture on the British team, gaining a team bronze medal at the European Eventing Championships.

His half-brother, Bee Diplomatic, was placed sixth at Bramham in the CCI and followed this up with a victory in the three-star Scottish Open Championships at Blair Castle.