‘He never stops giving’: Fifth HOYS championship for ultimate showman

For the third time in his career, the Mears Family’s magnificent large contender Forgeland Hyde Park (Will) took home the Andrews Family hack of the year championship at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

Judges Mathew Lawrence (ride) and Vanessa De Quincey (conformation) selected the 12-year-old as their champion over the winning small, six-year-old Manhatten, ridden by Harriet Dennison, who was marking her first HOYS victory in horse ranks.

Both geldings are sired by the late prolific stallion Kilvington Scoundrel.

This was the second time Will’s rider, Danielle Heath, has taken the hack tricolour with him. In 2019, he won it with his former producer, Jayne Ross.

Will has also won HOYS in intermediate ranks, standing champion in 2021 with Issy Mears Wood, and also in 2018 with Miranda Wallace. He will return with Issy on Saturday to vie for the title a third time.

“He never stops giving; he’s just a showman,” said Cheshire-based Danielle, who rode Will to win his fourth Royal Windsor accolade back in May. “Even when he’s a bit tired he goes in there and rises to the occasion. We laugh when we put the red rosette on him; straight away he is in the zone and he just knows what he’s achieved.

“He does a handful of shows a year which is why there is so little wear and tear on him and he looks fantastic for his age,” added Danielle. “We’ll keep going with him as long as he wants to do it and for as long as he enjoys it.”

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