Who has wowed you this year with their determination, spirited achievement or fight against the odds?
Inspiration of the Year shortlist
Bubby Upton
British event rider Bubby Upton, 25, sustained multiple fractured vertebrae in a career-threatening fall in August 2023, which required six hours of high-risk surgery to stabilise her spine
Bubby’s gruelling road to recovery began and she continued to surprise her surgeons and everyone around her, before an emotional return to the saddle last November. At the beginning of the year, Bubby’s competition season was unknown as she continued to recover, but she “never lost faith that I would get back to what I was”, and in May she finished 10th at Badminton Horse Trials with Cola III. “I have to pinch myself at what we’ve managed to achieve. Knowing how lucky I am was what has pushed me on.”
Loretta Joynson
Coach and former event rider Loretta Joynson sustained serious injuries in a rotational fall in 2018
Loretta stepped back from riding, having suffered nerve damage and being left with poor function in her left hand. “I had to accept that my eventing career was over. Initially, I didn’t want anything to do with the competitive world as it was just too painful and confronting,” she said. But Loretta “kept getting drawn back to horses”, and having returned to the saddle, she started competing in showjumping in July 2023. Loretta, who underwent a tendon transfer and rides with looped reins, jumped at the British Showjumping National Championships in August. She is also a grade V para dressage rider.
Sandra Murphy
Equine nutrition entrepreneur Sandra Murphy founded the British Ethnic Riders Federation in 2020 to support, encourage and inspire members of ethnically diverse communities in all disciplines and areas of the equine industry
Sandra formerly rode in the RAF and has had a lifetime passion for horses. She is a prominent businesswoman, appearing on Dragon’s Den, and is a former winner at the Black British Business Awards. Sandra’s colleagues, Linda Greening and Jermaine Gregory, say that Sandra “inspires people for excellence with horses”. “Sandra’s perseverance and commitment to increasing representation and opportunity for ethnic riders is unwavering. Without Sandra, the industry wouldn’t have an authentic sounding board ready to champion ethnic riders and their talents.”
Jesse Campbell
New Zealand five-star event rider Jesse Campbell lost his wife Georgie in an eventing accident in May
Jesse has shown resilience, courage and determination to continue in the sport while “putting the needs of so many others above his own”. At the end of a tribute he made soon after Georgie’s death, Jesse encouraged his fellow riders: “When you’re out competing, please just smile at each other, and above all, try to love everything and everyone.” Jesse had the whole of the eventing community behind him when he jumped clear at Burghley Horse Trials in September, and looked up and pointed to the sky, with purple and white ribbons – Georgie’s cross-country colours – attached to his body protector in his beloved wife’s memory.
Previous Inspiration of the Year award winners
Previous winners of this award include:
- 2023: Dylan Ward, eight, was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer with less than 50% chance of survival, in June 2022. Dylan has gained lifelong disabilities from the damage the cancer has caused, but he has not let it get in the way of pursuing his dream of becoming a “champion dressage rider”. He took home three wins at the RDA National Championships and since joining British Dressage has qualified for the Quest regional finals and the Associated Championships.
- 2022: Nicola Wilson, the European champion event rider suffered life-changing injuries in a fall at Badminton Horse Trials in May 2022. Nicola spent more than four months in hospital undergoing intensive rehab and physio work as she relearnt basic life skills, before returning home where she has since been offering mentorship and coaching to other talented riders.
- 2019: Joe Stockdale, 20, put a flourishing career as a cricketer on hold to embrace the daunting prospect of taking on a string of top-class showjumpers when his father Tim died in 2018. In less than a year, Joe, transferred his natural sporting ability to the showjumping ring in phenomenal style, landing a grand prix at Royal Windsor and being picked for the young rider squad at the European Championships.
- 2018: Daisy Sadler, 73, she travelled nearly 1,000 miles from Banbury via Edinburgh to The Kelpies and back in a traditional horse-drawn wagon pulled by two Brabants (Belgian Drafts) Olive and Arthur, and accompanied by Tad the dog. She raised more than £21,000 for the Imogen Whitby Fund as part of The Brain Tumour Charity.
- 2017: Julie Payne, the former advanced event rider who was told by her doctor five years earlier that within two years she would be able to neither walk nor speak. In August 2017 she claimed two individual golds at the para dressage European Championships, as well as being on the gold medal-winning team.
- 2016: the late Hannah Francis, who died from bone cancer in August 2016, but whose charity Willberry Wonder Pony has raised thousands for cancer research and granting horsey wishes to those with serious illnesses.
About the Horse & Hound Awards 2024
The Horse & Hound Awards are back for a ninth year in a row, in partnership with NAF and Agria.
As ever, the H&H Awards winners will be nominated and voted for by you, with the exception of the Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement award, which will be decided by a Horse & Hound panel. We will recognise both the big names who have made 2024 special and the unsung heroes who make it possible for all of us to enjoy equestrian sport and our horses, at whatever level.
This year we will be returning to Dallas Burston Polo Club in Warwickshire, where some 300 people, including Olympic and Paralympic superstars, can look forward to a glamorous evening of champagne, winner reveals, Oscar-style speeches and dancing on Wednesday 27 November. If you’d like to join us, you can book an individual ticket or a platinum table for 10 people at www.hhawardsuk.com
