EQUINE NEWS

11th September 2007

Pony Club Competes for Prestegious Prize

Visitors to Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), the world’s most famous horse show, will have the opportunity to witness the fast and furious Farmers Guardian Pony Club Mounted Games competitions at the Show each day from Wednesday 3rd – Sunday 7th October at the NEC Arena, Birmingham.

Every year, since the event was first established, Horse of the Year Show has hosted the Pony Club Mounted Games. Sponsored by the Farmers Guardian, young riders competing in the Mounted Games give their all as they race against rival teams to win the Farmers Guardian Trophy and the historic Prince Philip Cup.

From the first to the last race, the atmosphere is electric as crowds cheer for their favourite team. The skill and expertise of the riders as they vault on and off their ponies (often at high speeds) is incredible to watch. While there is plenty to be taken seriously at Horse of the Year Show, the fun of the Pony Club Mounted Games is something that continues to entertain year on year. The tremendous team spirit of the young riders in this intense competition is second to none and something that is a joy to witness.

Over 250 teams challenge for the six finalist places at HOYS each year, of which only six lucky finalists reach Horse of the Year Show. Qualifying rounds are held at 19 areas across the United Kingdom where branches compete against other teams from the same region. These top teams from the 19 areas then go on to compete in the zone finals in July and the top five teams qualify automatically for Horse of the Year Show. The teams placed second or third in the zone finals then go forward to the Pony Club Championships in August where they play off to determine who will be the sixth finalist at Horse of the Year Show.
Qualified Pony Club Teams for this year’s HOYS

• Banwen & District, Wales
• Oakley Hunt West, Bedfordshire
• Atherstone Hunt, Warwickshire
• Eglington Hunt, Ayrshire
• Percy Hunt, Northumberland
• West Perthshire, Stirling

All six qualifying teams will compete for the Farmers Guardian trophy over the first three performances at HOYS. The teams are awarded points according to their placing in each round and the winner of the Farmers Guardian Trophy will be the team finishing with the most points after Thursday afternoon’s round. The six teams then go on to compete for the Prince Philip Cup, which was donated to the Show by Prince Philip himself in 1957, with four teams competing in each performance on a rota system, with points awarded according to placings in each of the games. The competition starts on Thursday evening and the four teams which have accumulated the most points in the competition by the end of Sunday afternoon go forward to meet in Sunday night’s esteemed final, where double points are awarded in each game.

Banwell riders' lap of honour, winners of 2006 Prince Philip Cup –
A high resolution version of this image is available.

Horse of the Year Show takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, from Wednesday 3rd October – Sunday 7th October. Call the Box Office on 08700 10 10 52.