Tom McEwen was the winner of the Uvex Helmets Professional Rider of the Year at the Horse & Hound Awards (In partnership with NAF) held at Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire In the UK, on the 1st December 2021
It feels a bit naughty to start thinking about the Horse&Hound Awards, which are one of the highlights of the British off-season, already – it’s a bit like walking into the grocery store and discovering that the Christmas decorations are already on the shelves in mid-August. But these winter shindigs take some serious planning, and in the case of the H&H Awards, which take place in the midst of a glittering gala evening at Cheltenham Racecourse, there’s plenty of prizes to plan, too. Once again, the awards will be open to the public for a first round of nominations, which you can submit until 5.00 p.m. BST (12.00 p.m. EST) on September 22, after which there’ll be a round of voting.
“The Awards seek to recognise both the big names who have made 2022 special and the unsung heroes who make it possible for all of us to enjoy equestrian sport and our horses,” says the team at H&H. “Last year’s successful Awards achieved record participation from the equestrian community, with nearly 103,000 votes cast. The Awards return this year, with a glittering ceremony planned for 30 November at Cheltenham Racecourse. Some 300 people, including Olympic and Paralympic medallists and other legends of our sports, will enjoy a glamorous evening of champagne, winner reveals and dancing.”
Though the awards are open across the disciplines, a number of eventers have previously been victorious, including Lucinda Green, Tom McEwen, Jonty Evans, who won for his successful crowdfunding effort to secure Cooley Rorkes Drift in 2017, Piggy March, and plenty more besides.
The award categories for 2022 are as follows:
● Bloomfields Horse of the Year
● Equo Pony of the Year
● Pikeur Professional Rider of the Year
● PIVO Amateur Rider of the Year
● Equipe Moment of the Year
● Tommy Hilfiger Equestrian Young Rider of the Year
● NAF Five Star PROFEET Farrier of the Year
● Absorbine Groom of the Year
● The Horse & Hound Podcast Volunteer of the Year
● Baileys Horse Feeds Vet of the Year
● HorseDialog Inspiration of the Year
● Agria Horse of a Lifetime
● Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement (no voting)
H&H editor-in-chief Sarah Jenkins says: “We cannot wait to welcome once again our shortlisted stars, supporters and guests to Cheltenham Racecourse to honour their achievements in 2022. We are very grateful to our longstanding headline partners NAF, and to all our individual Awards sponsors, without whose support these Awards wouldn’t happen. It has been fantastic to see support for these Awards grow year after year, and quite how much readers want to both nominate and vote for their heroes in such large numbers.”
Isla Boxall-Loomes, UK Marketing Manager at NAF, adds: “2022 has already given us a number of incredible accomplishments and performances to celebrate at both amateur and professional level. With that in mind, we are already looking forward to a fantastic evening in which the nominees and winners’ achievements will be recognised and shared. We very much look forward to the Horse & Hound Awards every year and have been delighted to see how they have grown. We’re excited to see who the shortlisted candidates will be alongside, of course, the eventual winners.”
To make your nominations, click here.
