Horse of the Year Reflections

Published on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 in Sponsored Shows

The end of the road for the New Zealand Horse of the Year Show saw over 74,000 people through the gates during the six sunny days of fierce competition, non-stop shopping and celebrations aplenty.

Kate McVean (pictured, courtesy of Elizabeth Charleston) stole the show for the third time, winning the Bell Tea Olympic Cup on catch ride Seremonie MVSH, to secure the $40,000 prize purse.

Owned by Mount View Sport Horses, the imported daughter of Cento is normally ridden by stable rider Ike Unsworth, however, injury left him on the sidelines this time.

Not to be outdone, Australian riders were also to the fore with Jamie Kermond and Cothaga managing second in the $100,000 class, while Billy Raymont won the Norwood Gold Cup on Nicalette NZPH.

The battle for top honours in the dressage arena went to Vanessa Way on her Hanoverian gelding by Anamour, KH Arvan. The combination will join Penny Castle with Gymstar One to head over for the for the Sydney CDI from 28 - 30 April while Eventing winner Lizzie Brown, on another son of Anamour in Henton Attourney General, jets off to base in the UK in a bid for a spot at the London Olympics.

Kiwi horses listed for sale on Horsezone excelled, including Brad Cunningham’s Cheltenham winning the coveted Speed Horse of the Year title and Lucy Allen's and Prima Magneto winning the Level 3 Pony of the Year title.

Everyone enjoyed the free tea served throughout the event from the generous sponsors Bell Tea, although the odd gripe was heard from the not-so-early-birds regarding Matt Greenwood, the tea guy's, wake up calls across the loud speakers at 7am each morning…

Interesting facts from the show:

85 tonnes of horse manure was taken away.
25 tonnes of general rubbish was taken away.
807 camp sites on the grounds for the five or six nights.
Bell Tea served up over 4,500 cups of free tea and Gravity Coffee throughout the event.
Horsezone gave away 4,000 lollypops with a free code to list New Zealand horses until the end of April. If you are interested in listing on Horsezone, email haylie@horsezone.com.au for more details.

Everyone went home singing the popular ‘Stand up for the Champions’ song that was played for each presentation in the main arena and best of all, the Horsezone concept was well received by competitors and spectators alike.

A big thank you to the Saturday Night Extravaganza announcer David Nicolls, who during the six-bar and puissance informed the crowd that the place to go and get their horses for these competitions is Horsezone!

Stay tuned for the www.horsezone.co.nz site launch in the coming weeks and for Horse of the Year Showing guru, Elizabeth Charleston’s, take on this year’s event.

For those New Zealanders wanting to catch some of the action, the remaining television times for the show are:

TV1
Sunday 3rd April 2.00pm - 3.00pm Bell Tea Olympic Cup.

Country Channel 99
Saturday 2nd April 9.00am - 10.00am Lady Rider
Monday 25th April 10.00am - 8.00pm Show Coverage

Horse of the Year Reflections

Kevin Hansen, NZ Horse of the Year Show Event Director.

"The Hawkes Bay turned on great weather over the six days. The 39mm of heavy rain on the Monday and Tuesday after the show did nothing but make the ground even better."

"We are pleased with the immediate reaction for the show, but financially we won't know for about another 14 days the outcome - which is the important result."

"The dates for next year are 13th -18th March 2012 (the weather forecast is fantastic). Going forward to 2012 we will have the same format but want a more structured Australia vs New Zealand series at this time of the year. Although 2012 is relatively clear in my mind, until we have all our reviews of the show which will all be completed by the 22 April, no definite plans can be formulated so stay tuned to www.hoy.co.nz for more information."

Grant Baldock, Equestrian Australia CEO.

“I was very impressed with the NZ HOY Show that I recently attended. It is certainly a great mix of the elite and grass roots participants within Equestrian sport and brings together the whole Equestrian community of NZ. The entertainment package that was provided in the main arena on the Friday and Saturday evening was very engaging for both the Horse Community and general public. There are certainly aspects of the show that I will be recommending are implemented in Australia”

Anthea Gunner, Para Equestrian competitor.

What did it mean to the para equestrian fraternity to be included in the Horse of the Year Show this year?

It was a great honour to be included at HOY this year for the first time. The discipline is really starting to get some momentum and being at HOY also gave us an opportunity to showcase our riders to our fellow disciplines and the spectators. It’s also a great opportunity to prepare our horses for travelling and competing overseas, and you can’t match the atmosphere anywhere else in NZ.

What was your impression of the event as a whole?

It’s a pretty impressive event, as a first timer I was amazed at the sheer number of horses there! Having so many disciplines all within the same showground was amazing and it was great to be part of it all. Plus the shopping was great! The organisation seemed very good considering the sheer scale of everything and I am looking forward to returning again in 2012.

Julia Hargreaves, visiting Australian showjumper, Copabella.

“The New Zealand Horse of the Year Show is always a great one. The highlight for me is every time I get to canter into the main ring – the atmosphere and crowd is awesome. Plus the prizemoney is so good.”

“I’m heading to Europe in May so hopefully I will still have a Grand Prix horse down here so I can still compete!”

Marie Horsley, Equine Inc.

“My show highlight has to be watching Amanda Wilson and her liver chestnut Showtym Girl thrill the crowd in the NZ Horse and Pony Magazine Puissance class riding BAREBACK! It was a dream show for Amanda as she also took out the prestigious Seven-Year-Old Horse of the Year title on the ever popular Showtym Viking - certainly one to watch."

"Well done to Kevin Hansen and the team for another great HOY – I can’t wait for next year!”