The awards will give amateur riders as well as volunteers, vets, farriers and riding clubs a chance to step-up on to the podium, as well as crowning the horse of the year and the most memorable moment of the year, say the publishers. Winners will be announced at an exclusive ceremony hosted at Ascot racecourse and celebrated in the 3 November issue of Horse & Hound.
Open for entries now, Horse & Hound’s audience is invited to nominate the equestrian heroes it thinks are deserving of an award for their skill, dedication and contribution to the sport. A panel of experts from Horse & Hound will whittle entries down to a 5-strong shortlist for each category and each contender will be showcased in the 15 September issue. Equestrian fans will decide the winners by casting their votes online at horseandhound.co.uk/awards.
Horse & Hound Content Director Sarah Jenkins says: “We have been wanting to launch these awards for some time, to have the opportunity to honour the achievements of the greatest in our industry — including those missed by the limelight and deserving of recognition, and who have stories that are worthy of being told. Horse & Hound has an audience of 2.3 million, so we are expecting a vast number of quality entries for these awards and the panel cannot wait to sit down to discuss who should make the shortlist.
“For this to culminate in an evening of celebration reminiscent of the much-missed Horse & Hound Ball will I hope be a fitting tribute to those worthy winners, chosen by our myriad readers and users. We’re of course very grateful to all our sponsors for helping us to make these awards a reality this year.”
