HORSE lovers will have the chance to qualify for the prestigious Horse of the Year show at a popular Cotswolds county show.

Moreton Show 2024 is the place to get your golden ticket to compete at the 75th Horse of the Year Show.

The Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) holds qualifiers across the country, giving competitors the chance to go head-to-head for a sought-after spot at one of the most esteemed equine shows in the world.

The show will host over 30 Horse of the Year Show qualifiers this year, including the ever-popular Mountain & Moorland Ridden classes and the new Coloured classes.

The HOYS qualifiers have been well supported at the event for many years and Moreton Show consider themselves exceptionally lucky to be hosting such a wide variety of qualifiers.

Jess Parkes, horse secretary at Moreton Show, said ‘It is an honour to be hosting an outstanding schedule of Horse of the Year qualifiers at the show this year. Moreton Show is one of the last opportunities in the qualifier calendar to secure your spot at HOYS, so we hope to have a great turnout. The standard of competition is always exceptional high at our show, and we are looking forward to welcoming new and returning competitors to our beloved showground.’

Moreton Show is also extremely excited to announce the return of the Arena Eventing Challenge. This was a new addition to the schedule last year and proved hugely popular with both the competitors and the spectators.

This challenge consists of individual riders or teams of four competing over a course of show jumps, once completed, they then take on a course of cross-country obstacles, all striving to be the team or individual home with the optimum time around the course.

A spokesman said: "As you can imagine, this exhilarating competition had spectators on the edge of their seats! The novelty classes will be back for anyone who would like the fun of competing without the qualifying part."

This year the classes will be; Best Turned Out Ridden, Most Handsome Gelding/Prettiest Mare, Childs Best Friend and the firm favourite: Mounted Fancy Dress.

The Horse Area will be bursting with things to see, not only will there be six different competition rings jampacked with back-to-back classes, there will also be the Hooky Horse Area where you will get to meet all different breeds of Heavy Horses and learn about their history and how they used to work the land before four legs were swapped for four wheels. The Farriery competition will be back this year too! Watch the fantastic farriers craft a horseshoe from a single piece of metal - and then fit it perfectly to a horse’s hoof.

The Grand Arena welcomes back the super Shetland Pony Grand National, the Six Bar Show Jumping Challenge and the Hayman-Joyce Pony Club Pairs Relay - which was a huge hit last year! Moreton Show are also introducing a new Ridden Heavy Horse competition to the timetable, so prepare for the ground to shake as they canter around the Grand Arena.

Horse entries are now open.. Head to the website to view the full schedule of classes www.moretonshow.co.uk or e-mail the horse secretary at jess@moretonshow.co.uk.