A handful of top show horses have moved homes and have new riders for the 2022 season.
Angela Tucker now has ownership of Robert Walker’s former ride, star heavyweight hunter Patric’s Choice, formerly owned by Jill Day. The chestnut gelding, now 12, was ridden by his new producer Sophie Curry to a Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) ticket at Wiltshire Show at the end of March.
“He joined us in January and Wiltshire was his first show with us,” said Sophie, of the RIHS and Great Yorkshire winner, who was also reserve supreme at the BSHA hunter championships last year. “He’s a sweetheart to do in all ways and a real gentle giant. He’s a pleasure to have and is adored by us all.”
Last year’s BSHA hunter show supreme, Temple Ogue, has also found a new nest at the Leeman family’s Kellythorpe Stud in Essex. The superb 10-year-old lightweight was shown previously by Jayne Ross, winning the overall hunter supreme at the 2021 RIHS, among others.
The prolific ridden coloured and lightweight cob contender Red Rock III also joins the Leeman family from his former owner Tracey Veale. Red finished his 2021 season standing both reserve cob and ridden coloured of the year at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) with Victoria Hesford.
“We’re really looking forward to the season ahead,” said Lisha Leeman, whose daughter and son–in-law, Janay and Frazer Atherton, will produce and show the two horses.
Ami Miller has two new hacks based with her producer Jo Bates, including 2021 RIHS intermediate supreme Ballinclare, who has joined their team as a large hack after a successful first open season in both intermediates and hack ranks with Alice Homer.
Ami will also take the reins of the small hack Shildons Plan B, who was supreme at the 2021 BSPS summer championships and was piloted last year to much success in horse ranks by Adam Forster.
Jo and Shildons Plan B secured their pass to the RIHS in hack ranks at NPS Area 14 and also booked their part-bred ticket at BSPS Area 7.
Last year’s RIHS amateur supreme cob champion, Brookdale Justin Time, joined Harriet Hunter in early March from his former home-producing rider Jodie Smith.
“He’s eight this year and at our first show of the year, Sports Horse Breeding (GB) in the northwest, we qualified for the RIHS in the lightweights and took reserve champion,” said Harriet. “We tried to buy him last year but Jodie didn’t want to part with him yet, so we tried again this year and after some persuading he’s finally ours. We feel very lucky to have him.”
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