At the 2022 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), the prolific lightweight show hunter View Point was retired from the show ring after he’d won the supreme horse of the year championships for the second time in a row.
View Point — who is known as Sean at home — is owned by Jill Day and ridden by his producer, Cheshire-based showman Robert Walker. He qualified for the supreme after he lifted the HOYS hunter championship for the fourth time in his career. After his historic triumph, View Point was H&H’s 13 October 2022 cover star.
By Loughehoe Guy out of Quality Dame, Sean is an 11-year-old and he’s been based with Robert since he was purchased by Jill as a youngster from his breeder, Sean Jones.
His first major championship achievement came in 2017 when he took the hunter championship at HOYS as a six-year-old, just two years after his brother, Vantage Point, won the same honour, also under Robert.
As a four and five-year-old Sean was novice champion at the British Show Horse Association (BSHA) national championships. He also won the novice hunters at the Great Yorkshire Show as a five-year-old.
Sean is also a four-time Royal Windsor hunter champion and in 2018 he took the supreme ridden title at the prestigious show, before judges Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin.
In 2022, Sean and Robert took the supreme horse title at the Royal International Horse Show. After their individual show they scored 29/30 from the three judges, prompting a rare ride-off against equal-scoring Danielle Health and Forgeland Hyde Park, eventual reserves.
“He’s so breathtaking to ride,” said Robert, after their Hickstead triumph.
Sean was retired from the show ring at HOYS 2022, after he’d lifted the supreme title in front of judges Marcus Capel and Val Turner.
Moments after the emotional moment, Robert said that Sean will now enjoy a career on the hunt field.
“He’s been a formidable horse for us,” added Robert. “He’s given us some great days and he never gives less than 120%. But they can’t do it forever. At some point we have to call it a day, and why not go out on the top.”
Robert said that while many of his horses go home for their winter holidays when the show season finishes, Sean has always stayed with him in Cheshire for some down time, meaning the pair have developed an unbreakable bond:
“He’s just so special. Many of my horses go home for a holiday, but Sean doesn’t. My daughter always leads him to the field and as well as being a winner he’s so nice to be around,” said Robert.
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