The SEIB Search For A Star Championships took place this morning (Friday 7 November) on day one of Your Horse Live at Stoneleigh Park.
Judges Chris Hunnable and Mathew Lawrence crowned 12 champions, all of whom will come forward to bid for the supreme title tomorrow morning (9.10am). View all of the newly crowned winners below.
In-hand plaited pony
Victory in the in-hand plaited pony class went to Emily Masters riding Kathryn Masters’ five-year-old mare Broadtown Make A Wish.
Kathryn and Emily fell in love with Broadtown Make A Wish after seeing her during a family trip to Cornwall. They bought her on Valentine’s Day last year and Emily has started showing her in-hand this season.
Emily and Broadtown Make a Wish qualified for the Your Horse Live SEIB Search for a Star finals at Pickering Grange.
In-hand plaited horse
Scaffolder Thomas Peet and the three-year-old bay gelding Monivea The Dark Secret were crowned champions in the in-hand plaited horse.
Monivea The Dark Secret is out of a Thoroughbred mare and was bought by Thomas as a foal at foot.
Thomas’ aim is to get the mare out eventually showing under saddle in riding horse or hack classes.
The pair took the supreme in-hand title at the Northern Sport Horse at Mysercough College, won the Hack Breeding Championship at Derbyshire County and at Cheshire County.
In-hand veteran
Maisie Filler and Liz Filler’s Charlwood Not The Norm, a 20-year-old liver chestnut gelding who is known at home as Norman, won the in-hand veteran final.
Maisie and Norman, who qualified for the finals at Pickering Grange Equestrian, previously competed in jumping and cross-country, but now they mainly do dressage.
The pair also qualified for the SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live championship in the in-hand plaited pony section.
Maisie has just started studying Business Management at Surrey University which is not too far from her Hertfordshire home. She comes home Thursday to Sunday each week to ride and keep Norman fit.
In-hand mountain and moorland
North Yorkshire’s Andrew Elsworth and the Connemara mare Chilham Night Sky took the spoils in the in-hand Mountain and Moorland (M&M) class.
Vera, as the mare is known at home, is Andrew’s daughter Molly’s pony. Molly does ridden classes on her while Andrew started in-hand showing her in 2024.
This year, Andrew and Vera took third place at York Show and won the Supreme President’s Cup at the NCPA show.
The pair qualified for the Your Horse Live SEIB Search for a Star finals at Greenlands Arena.
In-hand rare, native and traditional breeds
Native pony Luneside Mario and his owner and handler, Chelcea Brough, triumphed in the rare, native and traditional breeds in-hand class.
Chelcea has had Mario, who was bred by Donna Gough, since he was six-and-a-half months old. Her mum saw him advertised on Facebook and her dad bought him for £50.
Mario loves jumping, cross country, showing, beach rides and fun rides.
The pair started competing in in-hand qualifiers last year and have also qualified for STARS this year. They qualified for the Your Horse Live SEIB Search for a Star finals at Greenlands Arena.
Chelcea combines working as a full-time carer with eight horses and 40 Texel and Beltex sheep.
In-hand rescue horse and pony
Clare Castle and the traditional cob, Minnie, emerged victorious in the inaugural running of the in-hand rescue horse and pony class.
Clare and her mum Lynda originally fostered Minnie from the RSPCA and adopted her as soon as she was eligible.
“When we first got her we went to the place where she was, there were two ponies there and they ran to the back of the stable,” said Lynda.
“I turned my back to avoid eye contact and not be a threat to the ponies. Minnie was the one that came and sniffed my hand so we knew she was the one coming back with us.”
Minnie loves the showring though and is placed every time out – at county shows and even Hickstead. She especially enjoys the atmosphere at indoor shows.
Clare and Minnie qualified for the Your Horse Live SEIB Search for a Star finals at Arena UK.
Meet Minnie (video)
Hear more about Minnie’s story in the video below.
British Riding Clubs
South Shropshire Riding Club members Hannah White and the 15-year-old mare Delamere Kaleidoscope triumphed in the British Riding Clubs class.
Delamere Kaleidoscope’s stable name is Doris and she has been owned by Hannah’s mum Helen for 12 years.
Over the years Hannah and Doris have competed in showing, dressage and side-saddle.
Hannah, who works in insurance, moved house about 18 months ago and joined the Riding Club to get to know other horse people in the area.
Pony Club lead rein
Taking the spoils in the Pony Club lead rein class was Thistledown Alice who is owned by Laura Moore and ridden by Efa Moore from Pontyclun.
Alice is a Welsh Section A who Laura bought from the Welsh Pony and Cob sales last year to teach six-year-old Efa to ride.
Efa is a member of the Pentyrch Pony Club and the pair has enjoyed competing at a handful of shows and going to Pony Club rallies.
Pony Club open
First place in the Pony Club open pony qualifier was awarded to Alice Taylor and the 10-year-old cob Rising Phoenix, known at home as Arti.
Alice, who is a member of the South Oxfordshire Hunt Central Pony Club, is 10-years-old and has been riding Arti for three years.
The pair qualified for the Your Horse Live SEIB Search for a Star finals at Stoneleigh Park.
First ridden
Sofia Drummond and Lucy Drummond’s Weston Candy Girl triumphed in the first ridden class.
Nine-year-old Sofia and the palomino Welsh Section A pony are members of the Beaufort Branch of the Pony Club.
They qualified for the Your Horse Live SEIB Search for a Star finals at the Pony Club Championships.
Ridden Mountain and Moorland
Victory in the ridden M&M class went the way of Sarah Hobbs and the Welsh section B Wishaw Ellie May.
Sarah, works for the NHS as a theatre team leader, has owned Ellie May since she was a yearling and has produced her herself.
The pair also qualified for the Your Horse Live final in this class last year.
Open ridden veteran
Jill Wormall and Colour Coded were crowned champions in the open ridden veteran class after they received 10/10 for their individual show from judges Chris Hunnable and Katie Jerram-Hunnable.
Colour Coded is a 17-year-old tri coloured gelding who Jill describes as being “like a bottle of wine – he just gets better as he gets older”.
Over the years, Colour Coded has won the coloured class at most of the county shows across the country including the Great Yorkshire and Royal International.
Jill and Colour Coded qualified for the Your Horse Live SEIB Search for a Star finals at Hartpury University.
Photos by 1st Class Images
