Heavy horses in the limelight at Horse of the Year Show

New driving championship aims to promote breeds to a wider audience

 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) has announced a championship for heavy horses in a new championship class. Breeds that could qualify include Shires, Percherons, Suffolk Punches and Clydesdales among the others and, during the class, competitors will drive two-wheeled show carts in the Andrew Bowen international arena. It is hoped the championship will raise awareness within the general public of these heavy breeds.

Qualifiers for the new championship will be held at county and country shows across the UK, including the Royal Highland, Fife Show, Great Yorkshire Show and New Forest and Hampshire. The championship will be judged to the highest standards according to driving expertise, appearance and the performance of the horses at different paces. The judge is yet to be announced.

Now in its 74^th year, HOYS has included heavy horses since its early days when audiences enjoyed displays to music as the horses harrowed the main arena, and, today, the show continues to support British heavy horse breeds, especially those that feature on the rare and endangered breeds list.

Jemima Walker, HOYS equestrian manager, said: “Horse of the Year Show is proud of its heritage…[and] has an enviable platform to shine a spotlight on the heavy horse breeds and we are looking forward to welcoming the leading horses and drivers into the arena this year.”

Find out more at hoys.co.uk