TROTTING down the centre line after securing one of the supreme horse or pony sashes during Sunday night’s closing evening performance at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) is an ambition many riders strive to achieve over their careers. That position under the spotlights is the ultimate aspiration on many producers and breeders’ bucket lists, too, but with only one horse and one pony of the year crowned each season, it’s a dream that will never be a reality for the majority of people.
Sophie Staveley had been riding at HOYS for 21 years before she joined the elite few who have their name etched onto the Timberwolf Trophy awarded to the overall pony of the year winner. Her victory in the 2023 Supreme Products supreme pony championship was something of a surprise as her ride was a novice five-yearold making her debut in Birmingham.
Swan Lake (Can Can), an elegant bay mare bred by Jerome Harforth and David Dixon, had clinched the part-bred tricolour earlier in the
