‘She’s just right’: Jayne Ross rises to the top in the 2025 coloured championship at HOYS

Jayne Ross and consistent campaigner KBF Lucia (Poppy) gave a foot-perfect account of themselves to secure the 2025 coloured championship at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), sponsored here by the Coloured Horse and Pony Society (CHAPS).

This triumph came after the nine-year-old netted the coloured ridden non-native horse final, sponsored by CHAPS and the Burghwallis Stud, earlier in the morning, securing their spot in the International Arena showdown, where, Jayne admits, “everything just went to plan”.

The Free Spirit daughter, who shares a sire with KBF Crescendo who stood Royal International (RIHS) coloured supreme champion with Jayne, is out of Seabourne Swansdown and was bred by “very good friends” Tony Reynolds and Michael Cook.

Jayne has won the coloured class here on Lucy Cameron and Diane Stennett’s mare three times now and had brought home the reserve title but today they were able to go one position better than their previous personal best. Jayne brought the mare to the coloured final off the back of fourth place in the ladies’ side-saddle horse of the year final – in which her yard fielded three of the top four placings.

“She’s called Perfect Poppy for a reason,” said Jayne. “She finds it easy because she’s such a beautiful animal.”

Jayne has produced Poppy from the very beginning: “I went down to see her as a three-year-old and she was so beautiful even then. When you’ve produced the horse from the start, they really are special as you feel like you’ve been through everything with them – and I suppose you have. You get to know them inside out.

“Even though I say that she’s easy, you always have little hiccups here and there. Once or twice she’s been perhaps a little too laid-back for life and you need to cajole her a little bit, but part of her appeal is the supreme easiness about her so you don’t want to break that. There’s a balance and I think we’re there.”

It’s clear that Jayne thinks a lot of the mare.

“She’s so lovely to work with and she’s ‘just right’. She’s the right size, she’s the right shape, she’s marked beautifully, she’s a great mover. Everything about her is just lovely.”

Jayne hasn’t won a coloured championship at HOYS since 2012, when she recorded her fourth title on the trot with Carol Bardo’s prolific The Humdinger.

Runner-up in the HOYS 2025 coloured championship

Taking the reserve spot in the coloured horse and pony of the year championship was the winner of the native/ traditional type pony class. This was Pippa Kirby’s home-bred Monivea Black Magic (Merlin), ridden by Pippa’s daughter Indianna “Indie” Kirby, 16.

This was Boston seven-year-old stallion Merlin’s third win in this class. He won in 2023 with Pippa in the saddle, and again last year with Indie’s older sister Izzy in the saddle, so he’s won HOYS for three different members of the family.

Does Indianna feel the pressure following Mum and Izzy into the ring?

“Of course,” she said, “it’s hard not to feel a bit of pressure because of all he’s done before, but I tried to enjoy it. When I was called forwards as the winner of the class, it was a mixture of relief and happiness, but I really enjoyed it in the championship.”

She added with a smile, “And now I’ve done the best of us in there”.

Her mother Pippa said: “This is the dream. I didn’t think we’d manage it but it just shows what a brilliant pony he is, and Lucy Glover who produces him for us does a brilliant job.”

And what of his future plans?

“This will be his last time here, now, we won’t bring him back,” said Pippa. “He’ll go to London with Indie; he finished third there last time, and that was their first time together. That’s a different challenge as it’s judged differently so we’ll do that.

“He’ll do other things with him; he can do some dressage and some jumping, and he’s won Royal International twice – with me and with Izzy – so we may take him back there some time for Indie, too, as he had a summer break this year.”

Pippa rode Merlin’s mother Chantilly Lace IV to be third here, and she stood runner-up multiple times with Sarah Harrison in the saddle.

Also in the championship was Stephanie Fitt’s nine-year-old British riding pony Castra, winner of the coloured ridden non-native pony final, whose glittering show-ring CV boasts second place in the HOYS coloured final in 2022 – her first year here – champion the next, second again last year and now another win.

“Her temperament is what makes her so special. She is a yard favourite, all of the kids ride her,” said Elliee. “She’s the easiest person but she’s also full of character. She is an absolute once in a lifetime horse.

“Next year, she’s going in foal, so to win meant a lot to all of us to have her going out on such a high.”

Rhianon, 24, added: “She’s so lovely to ride and because I suppose we’ve learnt together, We both did our first proper shows together and we’ve really gone to the top together.

“I’m very thankful that Steph gave me the ride on Cassie four years ago now and I’ve had it ever since.”

The first class – the junior coloured pony – was taken by Shetland Briar Puzzle with Alexia Lilley, and Kevin Lee enjoyed his second centre line moment in 48 hours having won the traditional and cob type horse class astride reserve cob champion Ad Blue.

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