The winner of the inaugural SEIB Insurance Brokers Search for a Star British Riding Clubs (BRC) championship lifted the Your Horse Live Search for a Star Supreme title at Stoneleigh Park on Saturday the 9th November 2024. Daisy Beards piloted her stunning grey Connemara gelding, Spinway Colm to win the Search for a Star British Riding Clubs Championship on the Friday at Your Horse Live before taking the Supreme Ridden and Overall Supreme on the Saturday.
Stoneleigh Riding Club member Daisy said: “The atmosphere here today was just great, I went in with the attitude to have fun and at the same time try our absolute hardest. What an experience! He was brilliant from start to finish!” Daisy has owned Colm since he was a four-year-old. She is currently studying Agriculture at Hartpury University.
Daisy continued: “I thought he would be calmer here but he’s absolutely loved it! We’ve competed in lots of different Riding Clubs competitions including the Winter and Summer Riding Clubs Championships in dressage and juniors. My sister saw the new BRC Search for a Star class on Facebook so we decided to give it a go! You don’t have to belong to a show society so it makes it nice and straightforward and we thought it would be a bit of fun for both me and Colm! Colm loves cross country too! I’m on a work placement year from university – on a farm near Banbury at the moment. Its been brilliant to do Search for a Star and its given us a great opportunity to do something different!”
The Search for a Star BRC members class is open to members of BRC Affiliated Riding Clubs and their horses or ponies that meet the Search for a Star amateur criteria. In the class, competitors are expected to give a short show but horses and ponies are not required to be ridden by the judge.
Head of British Riding Clubs, Rachael Hollely-Thompson said: “Congratulations to everyone who took part in SEIB Search for a Star this year. We are delighted to offer this new opportunity to BRC members and are grateful to the Search for a Star team for hosting the BRC classes. I hope members out there are inspired to have a go next year as it’s such great fun and you never know - you may end up as the 2025 champion, just like Daisy and Colm!”
Longstanding Search for a Star judges Katie Jerram Hunnable and Chris Hunnable said: “Our Supreme Champion gave an outstanding performance both yesterday and today in the Supreme – he was the best throughout the championship. His suppleness and the way his rider has trained him shone through. It's great to see this new Riding Clubs showing series and the support it is getting. I spoke to our champion and said she must go and do some Mountain and Moorland Working Hunter Pony classes as he is also a great jumper. We’ll look forward to seeing him in the future – no doubt being a champion again, they are a great combination!”
The Supreme In-Hand SEIB Search for a Star Championship at Your Horse Live went to Friday’s In-Hand Plaited-Pony Champions, Claire Crerand and her Part-bred Welsh pony, Tambrook Prayer in C. Claire said: “We’re a very new partnership and we’ve had the best time! She has exceeded all expectations! I was really nervous this morning and this is the absolute icing on the cake for the end of the season. This is only the sixth show we’ve been to and I’ve only ever competed her in-hand so far. Every time we’ve been out she’s won her class including taking the Reserve Supreme In-Hand Championship at Equi-Fest and Supreme Champion at the British Elite Championships. I bought her to show and we will either aim at competing in ridden small hack classes next year or we will stay in-hand and go for the HOYS Price Championships. Tambrook Prayer in C has spent two-years out having a foal. I thought Search for a Star would be a good first outing In-Hand to see how we got on!”
Competitors through to the Search for a Star Your Horse Live finals on the Friday were lucky enough to go before judges, top show producers and Search for a Star stalwarts, Katie Jerram-Hunnable and Chris Hunnable and Mathew Lawrence. Competitors in the SEIB Search for a Star Open Ridden Veteran class – open to any rider and any horse or pony 16-years-old or over – were judged additionally by celebrity judges, Marcus Capel and Hannah Horton.
The first championship final of the Friday encompassed three of the five classes that make up the SEIB Search for a Star in-hand championships. Ten horses and ponies came forward in total and it was the ‘golden oldies’ that dominated this section. Each finalist completed a go-round in walk before lining up and coming out for individual conformation assessment followed by trotting-up for the judges. Detailed commentary was provided by judges, Mathew Lawrence, Chris Hunnable and Katie Jerram-Hunnable.
The first winner to be announced was the in-hand Veteran champion. This went to Search for a Star stalwart, twenty-six-year-old Randall IV and his owned and handler, Lucy Ashworth from Oxfordshire. Lucy said: “I’m thrilled with Randall, he loves coming out to shows and we’ve qualified and been to the Search for a Star Your Horse Live finals for the last three years – he’s never been out of the top two and we won back in 2022. Randall lives at home with other veteran horses I have, he is pampered and is still regularly ridden, including jumping. He’s taken me to places I could only have dreamed of going to!”
Next up was the Search for a Star in-hand plaited horse and hogged show cob presentation. The win went to ex-showjumper, 28-year-old, Midnight’s Magic, known as Larry, owned by Gemma Hoe and handled by Donna Hoe from Merseyside. Donna said: “Larry was fabulous today, I thought a younger horse might win but it just proves that’s not for granted! He couldn’t be happier to be out in the ring. Myself and my two sisters have all had a great time with Larry over the years.” Larry and Gemma Hoe used to compete up to 1.30m level in showjumping before Donna’s sister, Samantha took him in the show-ring and contested amateur hunter classes including the Royal International for many years. The 2024 SEIB Search for a Star season has been a very successful one for the Hoe family with sister Samantha winning the Search for a Star Horse of the Year Show championships last month with her horse, Redshaw Valentino.
The winner of the in-hand mountain and moorland championship at Your Horse Live, Treworgan Titanium provided a very special day for his handler, Jessica Bowring and her six-year-old daughter, Molly. Known as Teddy at home, this lovely Dartmoor pony also won the Search for a Star Pony Club Lead Rein championship with Molly. A thrilled Molly said: “Winning and getting to wave were my favourite parts of today!” Jessica said: “It's just fantastic to be double winners! And with a pony that is just five-years-old! We only came along for the in-hand qualifier as a warm-up for when Molly got on him. Teddy and Molly have been doing loads of Pony Club dressage and rallies and hacking in the lead up to this.” Jessica bought Teddy as a two-year-old and Molly is a member of the South Nottinghamshire Branch of the Pony Club.
A traditional cob won the Search for a Star in-hand Native and Traditional Your Horse Live championship. This was Bromley Cask of Magners owned and handled by Kimberley Turner from Lincolnshire. Kimberley said: “I’m beyond words, we’ve been preparing for this for weeks! I gambled and clipped him out last week, we completely didn’t expect to win, he loves it in the ring and just skips into trot! Our original goal was to go to HOYS, but he’s not that confident under saddle so we aimed for this instead.” Bromley Cask of Magners is known as Magnus at home and he used to belong to Kimberley’s late father who drove him a lot.
Next in the arena were the Pony Club Search for a Star classes. These classes are in their third year at Your Horse Live and a total of seventeen ponies came forward for the championship. Pony Club Chief Executive Officer, Marcus Capel said: “Search for a Star provides a fabulous opportunity for our members to come to a great show here at Your Horse Live! It's lovely to see the branches supporting their members and the competitors have once again done the Pony Club proud with their performances.”
The lead-rein Search for a Star Pony Club Championship went to Treworgan Titanium and Molly Bowring.
The first ridden Search for a Star Pony Club championship was won by former Search for a Star Your Horse Live Supreme Champion, Emily Hiscox. A member of the North Warwickshire Pony Club, Emily rode her mother, Heather Hiscox’s Welsh Section A, Shilbrook Mr Holly confidently to the win. Emily said: “My best bit today was the lap of honour, and my lucky new whip I got for my Birthday last week.” Emily’s mum Heather explained: “Emily turned nine on the 5th November and we’ve owned Duncan (as Shilbrook Mr Holly is known) for 8 years. Emily’s big brother Henry rode Duncan in Search or a Star last year and now it's his sister’s turn! Emily and Duncan do jumping, dressage and cross-country as well as showing. Emily won the Search for a Star Your Horse Live Supreme Championship on her old pony, Thistledown Elpaso.”
The smallest pony in the class won the Open Pony Club Search for a Star championship at Your Horse Live, this was Welsh Section A, Brynseion Montague, owned by Sarah Stone and ridden by Emilia Stone from Cheshire. Twelve-year-old Emilia said: “He was amazing in our individual show, he’s the first pony we’ve owned.” Emilia and Monty as this pony is known as members of the East Cheshire Pony Club. Emilia’s mum, Sarah continued: “We’ve owned Monty for two-and-a-half-years, we bought him originally for showing and then Pony Club. They also compete in First Ridden and Small Breeds Mountain and Moorland classes and Working Hunter Ponies. We saw the Pony Club Search for a Star on Facebook and there was a qualifier local to us at Greenlands Equestrian Centre in Cumbria so we came along!”
The first Your Horse Live Search for a Star championship took place in 2018 for Mountain and Moorlands, and now, five years on, the championship has become a true amateur mountain and moorland goal. The winner of the Search for a Star finals was Highland pony, Orkneyringa Norseman owned and ridden by Amanda Barton from Co Durham. Nine-year-old, Orkneyringa Norseman, known as Norrie, and Amanda very nearly didn’t make it down from County Durham to Stoneleigh Park for the championship. Amanda said: “My daughter-in-law was rushed into hospital so yesterday we very nearly didn’t come. Norrie really pulled out all the stops today though, he went great! He’s not a brilliant traveler on long journeys so we have to try and feed him haylage to keep him happy. We’ve not done a lot of showing, we mainly compete in British Dressage area festivals at prelim level. The lady I bought Norrie from, Lyn Denholm, in Bonnie Bridge in Scotland, messaged saying there was a Search for a Star qualifier locally and we should go – so we did!”
Judge Mathew Lawrence said: “Our Mountain and Moorland winner was true to type and performed really well. What’s great about this class is that our former winners have all gone on and I would expect this one to as well. The Search for a Star Your Horse Live championships give the competitors the chance to dip their toe into a championship atmosphere and then the confidence to go on and compete in open classes.”
Eight top horses and ponies came forward to contest the Search for a Star Open Veteran final at Your Horse Live. This championship is open to any rider riding any horse or pony over 16-years-old. Each finalist gave a unique individual show with plenty of flamboyance to some fabulous backing music and the four judges held up score cards – similar to Strictly – and gave a mark out of 10 for the shows before the winners were announced.
The title of Open Search for a Star Veteran championship went to Gallifrey, owned by Carole West and ridden by Lynn Russell. Coloured cob Gallifrey is now 18 years-old. Lynn said: “Gallifrey loves it, he likes to rise to the occasion although last year he rose to it a little too much! I’m so supportive of this class as it gives older horses a chance to still be doing something where they can be competitive. Gallifrey is owned by Carole but he has been in my yard since he was three, when he arrived looking like a wooly bear!” Over the years, Gallifrey and Lynn have competed in coloured classes, working hunter, side-saddle and lightweight cobs.
Founder and Organiser of Search for a Star, Nicolina MacKenzie said: “Your Horse Live is simply brilliant and provides an unforgettable experience for everyone lucky enough to qualify. Our Supreme ridden and in-hand champions were exceptional and we look forward to seeing them in the ring in the future. Thank you to everyone involved for making it all happen.”
Your Horse Live Event Director, Emma Bedford said: “We were thrilled to welcome the Search for a Star competitors to Your Horse Live in what has become a key part of the show. The standard of horses and ponies was so high and it's always a pleasure to have the championships here.”
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SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live Supreme Ridden and Overall Champion 2024
Spinway Colm owned and ridden by Daisy Beards from Oxfordshire
SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live Supreme In-Hand Champion 2024
Tambrook Prayer in C owned and handled by Claire Crerand from Nottinghamshire
SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live In-Hand Plaited Horse
Midnight’s Magic owned by Gemma Hoe and handled by Donna Hoe from Shropshire
SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live In-Hand Plaited Pony
Tambrook Prayer in C owned and handled by Claire Crerand from Nottinghamshire
SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live In-Hand Veteran
Randall VI / owned and handled by Lucy Ashworth from Oxfordshire
SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live In-Hand M and M
Treworgan Titanium / owned and handled by Jessica Bowring from Nottinghamshire
SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live IN-Hand Native and Traditional
Bromley Cask of Magners / owned and handled by Kimberley Turner from Lincolnshire
SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live British Riding Clubs Horse or Pony
Spinway Colm owned and ridden by Daisy Beards from Oxfordshire
SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live Pony Club First Ridden
Shilbrook Mr Holly owned by Heather Hiscox and ridden by Emily Hiscox from Warwickshire
SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live Pony Club Lead Rein
Treworgan Titanium owned by Jessica Bowring and ridden by Molly Bowring from Nottinghamshire
SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live Pony Club Open
Brynseion Montague owned by Sarah Stone and ridden by Emilia Stone from Cheshire
SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live Mountain and Moorland Ridden
Orkneyringa Norseman owned and ridden by Amanda Barton from Co Durham
SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live Open Veteran Ridden
Gallifrey owned by Carole West and ridden by Lynn Russell from Surrey
