Day one: check out these dedicated amateur riders who reigned in London International’s BSHA finals

For the first time in history, amateur show horse riders got the chance to compete at the London International Horse Show in the British Show Horse Association BSHA Rising Star finals.

The 2023 BSHA Rising Star finals for hunters, hacks, cobs, riding horses and show horses welcomed strong entries across the board, but only one combination could reign in each of the performance-led classes.

Meet the winners from the 2023 BSHA Rising Star finals (so far…):

Middleweight and heavyweight hunter type

Eleanor Liddle rides Val Doidge’s Cu Chulainn Carrabawn Rebel to the top spot in the middleweight and heavyweight hunter class. This is the pair’s first season showing at affiliated level and they add this result to a second at Royal Windsor and a championship at Liskeard.

Small and lightweight hunter type

Hertfordshire-based Sarah Moreland’s Coultard Z leads the lightweight final en route to the overall hunter title. The bay gelding was a SFAS winner in 2022, and he’s since won many amateur titles, including at the BSHA supreme hunter championships.

Lightweight cob

Top of the lightweight field is Riverdance Rio, who also competes in ridden coloured classes, piloted by his owner Heidi Menhinick.

Heavyweight cob

Foxes Covert, ridden by Carly Chapman, heads the heavyweight cob line-up. The pair have featured at the RIHS in previous years.

Maxi cob

Alex George rides Kerren Bissmire’s maxi cob Paulines Boy into poll position in their class, before finishing as reserve section champions.

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