TALENTED riders from south Cumbria will be sharing the stage with Great Britain's Olympic heroes at the world's most famous horse show this week.
Riders from the Furness peninsula are competing at Horse of the Year Show, which also features show jumping supremo Nick Skelton and dressage superstars Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester.
HOYS got under way at The NEC in Birmingham today and runs until Sunday. The equine festival hosts the national showing championships, national and international show jumping, and championships for dressage, driving and Pony Club games.
Kate Wilson, of Dalton, was competing this morning in the NPS/Baileys Horse Feeds Mountain and Moorland Ridden Fell/Dales Pony of Year finale.
Mrs Wilson rides Glenis Cockbain's Dales mare Tarbarl Mary Jane. The pair were placed in the top 11 at HOYS in 2014.
Competitors have to qualify to compete at the world-famous show and Mrs Wilson qualified at the Royal Three Counties Show in June.
The pair also qualified and competed at the prestigious Royal International Horse Show in July. Mrs Wilson married her husband Luke days earlier and the newlyweds honeymooned at the Royal International with ponies Tarbarl Mary Jane and Mrs Wilson's other pony, Rhum Archie.
Mrs Wilson said: "It's very special to qualify for HOYS on a Dales pony this year as it's the Dales Pony Society's centenary year.
"We are really excited to be going back again. I'm very lucky to ride."
Dalton teenager Ellie Kirkbride has qualified for two classes at HOYS riding young ponies.
The 14-year-old Ulverston Victoria High School pupil rides her pony Tremarl Bumble Bee in the Topham Barnes 143cm Show Hunter Pony of the Year class.
Ellie qualified the four-year-old pony for HOYS at only her second outing, the Moreton-in-Marsh Show.
The teenager has also qualified Rebecca McColl's four-year-old Hopgarden Playboy in the Coloured Ridden Non-Native Pony of the Year sponsored by CHAPS (UK). They collected their HOYS tickets at The Royal Highland Show.
Ellie competes in both HOYS classes on Sunday.
Her mum Lisa said: "Ellie is really excited about competing at HOYS again."
Mrs Kirkbride said the family were all going along to support Ellie. She thanked Emma Boardman who produces the ponies.
The Dodd family will see one of their Burlington Park-bred shire horses compete at HOYS in the inaugural British Ridden Heavy Horse Championship on Sunday.
Burlington Park Tudor - known as Big Trev - will compete with his owner and rider Emma Green. The grey gelding stands at 17.2 hands.
The Dodds, of Dalton, have been breeding shires for more than 20 years.
Glenys Dodd who has the Burlington Park stud with her brother John said: "We are proud and looking forward to watching him at HOYS.
"Big Trev has loads of presence. Emma is an excellent rider and she has done all the work with him."
Lottie Mayvers, of Ulverston, competes in the National Show Jumping Blue Chip Pony Newcomers Championship today.
The Windermere School pupil will ride her pony, Gortahork Maeve. They qualified at the British Show jumping National Championships at Stoneleigh.
Lottie is one of the youngest riders in the class.
A spokesman for Windermere School said: "This is a fantastic achievement and one of which we are all very proud. This is a dream for all young show jumpers, and one that does not come easy."
Ellie Simmonds, a student at Ulverston Victoria High School, competes in the NPS/Baileys Horse Feeds Mountain and Moorland Ridden Dartmoor/Exmoor/Shetland Pony of the Year tomorrow with Shetland Birchmoor Drover. The pony is owned by Alice Tomlinson.
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