A husband and wife team scored an impressive one two in the lightweight division before their class winner headed the Harrod & Coles Family HOYS cob of the year title at the 2022 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
Their winning mount was Richard Leeman’s seven-year-old Love Joy, who was ridden by Richard’s son-in-law Frazer Atherden. The gelding was bought from Wayne Thorneycroft as an unbroken three-year-old.
“He had his four-year-old year out to mature and then the pandemic hit,” said Frazer, who had pushed wife Janay into second on her own Red Rock III during the morning’s lightweight final. “But it did him the world of good as it gave him more time to develop at his own pace. He’s never been rushed and he’s only done a handful of shows; HOYS 2022 is his fourth show of the season. We have young children so we like to spend as much time as we can with them, too.
“I’m over the moon for Janay, but I was in the dog house a little bit,” Frazer laughed. “But I think I might have made up for it by winning the championship. We do the horses together so this result is what dreams are made of.”
Reserve champion in the HOYS cob of the year championship was Claire Oliver riding winning heavyweight, Susan Granger’s 10-year-old Freddie Kruger, who was joined in the championship by second placed heavyweight, Danielle Heath with Anne Leigh’s Bobbi Dazzler, last year’s class winner.
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