Emotions have run high at Hampston High this weekend as Toffee Boy, a 31 year old veteran claimed one of the much sought after Olympia Finalist Tickets at Hargate Arena in Derbyshire.
Toffee who is owned and was bred by Pauline Beal of Hampston Hill was born in 1980 and now 31, is proving himself very special, most horses of his type and breed have long since gone to heaven, yet he is the absolute picture of health, still standing at almost 17 hh high, he wowed the judges with his conformation, condition and his amazing suppleness.
Winning his local qualifing show back in April, he has been kept on track winning a Regional Class and claiming the Reserve Champion prize back in July, then this weekend at Hargate he came back to again win the Regional Class, then to be pulled in as the Champion, beating last years Olympia Reserve Champion, thus claiming his right to attend the Finalists Competition at Olympia in London in December.
Amanda Beal, who competes Toffee in the classes is very excited and said, we have been members of The Veteran Horse Society for over five years, Veteran horses are often just thrown out to pasture and are forgotton about, its lovely when you give them a chance to prove they still have a use, the classes that the Veteran Horse Society run are very competitive and the standards are remarkably high and a lot of competitors are show ponies and horses that have been regular visitors to The Horse of the Year Show .
The Society runs a showing schedule throughout the summer months and to obtain an Olympia Ticket the horse most of won an Area Qualifier, then go on to a Regional Final, then win its Regional Final class to then be in with a chance of obtaining the Championship against the others winners of all the classes of that day, there are only 25 tickets throughout the whole of the UK to be claimed for the year, its a steep hill to climb but this time we have done it !
To be able to attend and compete in the show at Olympia is going to be amazing and all of us here at Hampston Hill are hoping to be there to support their very special Boy !
