‘She is pure elegance’: 15-year-old mare leads HOYS heavy horses after phenomenal performance

The oldest horse in The Barber Family 2024 HOYS British ridden heavy horse of the year championship stole the show to provide her connections with their first Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) victory.

Alice Pimbley piloted Harry and Hannah Bardsley’s 15-year-old Shire mare Moorfield Nancy into the top spot.

Judges JJ Kemp (ride) and Captain James Anderson (conformation) were both captivated with the upstanding mare’s “phenomenal performance”.

Nancy was bred by Peter Williams. She is a daughter of the stallion Trem Y Wyddfa Mascot.

She has only been lightly shown, having bred three foals prior to her joining the ridden heavy horse scene last year.

Alice took the ride on her last summer. She first rode her in the ring at Staffordshire County where they finished second in the HOYS qualifier. Earlier this season they returned to that show ground to bag their ticket. She was also champion at Cheshire County this term.

“We’ve had a fantastic year, though she’s done very little,” Alice said. “When she’s stood still she’s a nice horse, but she really shines when she goes up a level. She rides like a hack. I’ve never known anything like her.”

Nancy is based with Harry and Hannah full-time, with Alice taking the reins at shows.

“I met Nancy when she was two hours old,” said Shire enthusiast Harry, who has now owned her for 10 years. “Nancy is pure elegance. She’s also a sweetheart; you can lead her out to the field in the headcollar and she’ll just follow you. This was our first time at HOYS, and while it sounds like a cliche, winning is a dream come true.”

This was Alice’s first HOYS win, following in the footsteps of her mother, Jayne, who has won in Birmingham before: “As horses are my job we always have to sell them with the ride, but Harry and Hannah have been so loyal and have let me go all the way through with Nancy. I am so grateful.”

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