Wigan cardiac physiologist qualifies for Horse of the Year Show
Ella Hunter and Taste of Diamonds qualified for Horse of the Year Show after winning at the North of England summer show.
A cardiac physiologist from Wigan has qualified for the prestigious Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) Search for a Star Championship in Birmingham this October.
Ella Hunter and Taste of Diamonds (aka Krystal) won the SEIB Insurance Brokers Search for a Star qualifier last month at the North of England summer show, held in Formby, to earn their qualification.
They will now go on to compete under the bright lights of the HOYS Arena at the NEC, in Birmingham, in early October. The pair competed in and won the competitive Riding Horse Hack class to earn their HOYS qualification.
Hunter and Krystal qualified at their first attempt at Search for a Star.
She said: “After the initial go-round we were pulled in second which I thought was amazing and then she went well for the ride judge. I had no idea that we would win though – qualifying for HOYS is a lifelong dream!
“I’ve owned Krystal for a year and HOYS was our aim but I didn’t think it would happen in our first season together! I’ve shown at local level for 10 years on my other horse Elvis.
Ella continued: “I work as a Cardiac Physiologist in Wigan Hospital and often get up at 4.30am to ride before my shift. The horses provide a nice bit of downtime and I go both early and late each day to do them. Krystal and I have also qualified for Royal International Horse Show this year.”
SEIB Search for a Star first took place back in 1996 and over the years has provided thousands of opportunities for amateur riders to compete at HOYS.
Each of the SEIB Search for a Star qualifying shows offers opportunities for a full range of show horses to earn a place at the series championships at Horse of the Year Show and Your Horse Live.