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HOYS was first held in 1949 at Harringay Arena in Harringay, London. It was held as an annual event which moved to Wembley Arena, London, ten years later. The show again moved to Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre in 2002 due to the impending closure of Wembley Arena for reconstruction,[2] where it is now held every October. The event has become larger and more complex each year in its larger venue, including the introduction in 2003 of an extensive Equestrian Retail Village.Its purpose was to be a 'champion of champions' Show, and originally took the best from showing and show jumping competitions throughout the year. Nowadays HOYS allocates showing qualifiers to Societies and Shows and the Champions of these qualifiers compete at HOYS to be crowned the Champion of Champions. British Showjumping allocates the National Showjumping qualifiers [3][4][5] Over 120 county and equestrian shows in Great Britain host qualifiers for this huge indoor event. It is difficult to qualify and difficult to win.[6]
Due in part to its high standards of competition and its placement at the end of equestrian year, the Show has become a national treasure in the UK[7] rich in heritage and tradition and is considered to be the most famous horse show in the world[8]
The show runs every October and incorporates a full programme of international show jumping, the British National Show Jumping finals, Showing Finals and a range of displays and entertainment including the Pony Club Mounted Games for the Prince Philip Cup.[9]
In 1997 the then promoters of HOYS went bankrupt. Grandstand Media Ltd were based at Wembley and with help from the shows existing supporters, officials and sponsors the show went on that year under Grandstand Media Ltd. Following the 1997 show, Grandstand Media obtained a long license from British Showjumping to run the show in its entirety [5] and they have since revitalised the presentation and content[5] including a special celebration in 1998 to commemorate the fiftieth show. Horse of the Year Show remains a National Institution, the finale to the showing year and the climax to the domestic show jumping year[10]
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
NEC Birmingham, B40 1NT Birmingham, UK, Birmingham, United Kingdom