East Kent Pony Club triumph at Horse of the Year Show
HOYS report
5th to 9th October 2016 • Photography by Localrider and ES Photography/HOYS
The East Kent Pony Club Members (Brooke King, twins Megan and Ellie Tutt, Imogen Lyons, Charlotte Giles and Abbie Bean winners of the Prince Philip Cup.
T
he East Kent Hunt Branch of The Pony Club won the Virbac 3D Worming Cup and the Prince Philip Cup after five nail-biting days of competition at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS). They also won the Stable Cup earlier in the week, so completed an historic triple. The team, consisting of Brooke King (15), twins Megan and Ellie Tutt (15), Imogen Lyons (15), Charlotte Giles (15) and Abbie Bean (14) finished on 108.5 points to clinch the victory, just 3.5 points ahead of runners up Oakley Hunt West. Four other teams, including defending champions Monmouthshire, Romney Marsh, Wylye Valley and Eglinton Hunt also
qualified to compete at HOYS after battling it out at the Area and Zone competitions. The final on Sunday evening at HOYS captivated the crowds, with the teams giving it their all to thrill spectators with some very close finishes. Classic games such as the Virbac Stack tested the Members’ control and athleticism, but the loudest cheers were for the novelty games which included the ‘Bending Race’ and the ‘Big Sack’ race which provided moments where the audience held their breath and gasped in anticipation. Shelley Aylott, trainer for the East Kent Hunt team was delighted with the win, and commented how the team had done themselves, their parents and their Pony
Club proud. Shelley said: “The team trained so hard for this; I couldn’t be happier! They put an incredible amount of time and effort into training and it’s really paid off.” Shelley was also proud of their efforts to raise funds to buy new kit especially for the event, by holding cake and sweet sales, a dog show and a quiz night. Speaking after their win, the team agreed it felt ‘amazing’ especially as for five of them it is their final year competing in Pony Club Mounted Games. “We’d like to thank everyone involved, especially our parents and Shelley,” said Imogen. “We’d also like to thank our DC Michele Dingle for coming to watch the final.”
East Kent branch of the Pony Club racing for points at the Horse of the Year Show 40 Localrider november 2016
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