COMPETING at the Horse of The Year Show is every equestrian’s dream and this year that dream is about to come true for Middlesbrough rider Chloe Hardwick and her Piebald Traditional Cob, Return Ticket.

Chloe and Daffy, as she is known at home, qualified for HOYS at Greenlands Equestrian Centre near Carlisle, by winning the new class for Coloured Traditional Cobs, in the penultimate SEIB Search for a Star qualifier of the season.

Chloe bought Daffy last year from her livery yard owner, following the sad loss of her previous horse Emma, a Thoroughbred who she had owned for seven years.

Daffy is still kept at Claire Robinson’s yard near Stokesley, where she is a working livery and where, coincidentally, one of her stable mate’s, Claire’s own Hunky Dory, also qualified for HOYS last year, where he not only won his class, but then went on to stand SEIB Search for A Star Reserve Champion.

Speaking about Daffy and her Greenland’s qualification, Chloe said: “She was so good at the Search for a Star show. Until I got Daffy, qualifying for anything like HOYS was not an opportunity.

“We did some shows last year and she was a bit green, but this year we have been determined and have aimed at Search for a Star.

“We do a bit of everything in between including dressage, showing and have just started a bit of jumping.”

As a bio medical science student at Teesside University, Chloe fits this in around working in cellular pathology at the hospital.

Chloe added: “My mum is a great help with Daffy, she doesn’t ride, but she is great at helping out with everything else and coming to shows.”

Karen Hunton