‘The key is to enjoy your horses’: meet the showing star who is beating the best in the business

Liberty Taylor-Hopkins has become known on the showing circuit for her exceptional talent in the saddle and showmanship in the ring. At the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in October, she ticked off a bucket list win when she took home the intermediate show riding type of the year honours on her grandmother’s home-bred gelding Dare To Dream.

Liberty, who is known by those closest to her as Libby, has been showing since she was just three years old.

The pony from her childhood who she credits for putting her on the map is 14hh show hunter pony Eskside Carnellian, a British Show Pony Society (BSPS) championships novice supreme winner and regular face at HOYS and the Royal International (RIHS).

“He was a real character who taught me lots,” says Libby, who is in her last year of studying for a sports management degree.

In the past two seasons, Libby has successfully moved into horse classes and despite being just 20, she’s won multiple horse titles at the RIHS and the British Show Horse Association (BSHA) championships among others.

She says: “As a young rider it’s daunting riding against professionals who I’ve watched and admired for years.”

“My favourite memory prior to 2024 was winning the small hunters at the Great Yorkshire in 2022 aboard Tiger Eye; this was my first year in BSHA horse classes, so it was such a special win,” explains Libby, who was amateur hunter supreme at the RIHS and the BSHA championships in the same year on the same horse.

The 2024 season has seen Libby reign at all the majors in the calendar. In July, she won the RIHS on Dare To Dream (Dee), who had previously only been shown by Libby’s mother Amanda Picillo in small hack ranks, winning Windsor and being well-placed at the RIHS and HOYS.

“Dee and I only did qualifier together where we won and went champion so going onto win the final and stand reserve champion was just amazing,” says Libby, of the gelding who was bred by her grandmother Carol Taylor. “We always planned to have a go at the intermediates when he was established enough and I was ready. At home he is the biggest character on the yard. He knows his job to perfection now and he never lets you down; as a rider you can always trust him 100%.”

Libby also won the amateur heavyweight cobs later in the week at the RIHS riding Indigo Marvel who only joined the family earlier in the year.

“After getting to know him at small shows and qualifiers it was incredible to get my first big win on him,” Libby says.

Dee was supreme champion of champions and intermediate supreme at the BSPS summer championships in August and the following month he was young rider supreme at the BSHA championships, Libby retaining the title she won the previous year with Tiger Eye.

“This championship is a really great opportunity for young riders who are transitioning into horse classes,” Libby adds.

Liberty Taylor-Hopkins: ‘Sometimes dreams do come true’

Winning her first HOYS championship with Dee was “a dream come true” for Libby, as she explains: “It was something I’d always dreamed of but never expected to happen. The show riding types is one of the strongest classes with some established and talented partnerships coming forward. I still watch the videos over and over and get emotional. I’ve only ever competed at HOYS five times before and it felt like I’d achieved something I never thought possible. A win at this level takes a huge amount of time and commitment from everyone involved.”

Libby runs her horses from home. Their small team is supported by producer Martin Skelton.

“Martin is fabulous. He keeps the horses in a routine that they love; they have lots of turn out and are regularly hacked to keep their minds active. Martin teaches Mum and I, not just about the riding side but also about ring craft and how to present the horses in the ring. Our team works incredibly hard to keep everything going when we are away competing, too.”

Looking ahead to 2025 and Libby has some new rides to debut, including an ex-racehorse, a four-year-old novice large hack and a four-year-old novice small hack and small intermediate.

“My main goal is to continue contesting the horse classes, competing against the best and pushing myself to become a better rider,” she says. “Showing has a lot of ups and down. Even if you are lucky enough to win at shows there are always improvements to be made. The key for me is to enjoy the horses and you must remember that there’s always another day. Try to ignore any negativity, support others and remember that sometimes dreams do come true.”

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