‘I can’t stop smiling’: dream RIHS championship win for amateur and mare of a lifetime

An amateur rider got the shock of her life when she was called forward to lift the 2024 RIHS De La Hey Family supreme riding horse championship at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS).

Beauty therapist Sophie Openshaw, 24, steered her own and her mother Lynn Openshaw’s exquisite eight-year-old New Illusion (Lily) to the top of the small field en route to this year’s supreme title.

Judges were Melissa Richardson (ride) and Greer Taverner (conformation).

“She was exactly what I was looking for,” said Melissa. “She looked through her bridle, sat up and she rode as she watched. She was lovely and supple in my hand. She carried me, but with manners.”

At last year’s RIHS final, Sophie experienced a dream championship victory with Lily in the amateur riding horses. And she never imagined she’d be returning 12 months later to reign in open ranks.

Lily is a daughter of showjumping stallion Crackenthorpe Formula 1 and she was bred by Pam Prickett. Sophie and Lynn purchased her from Julie Guildford-Smith in December 2022.

“We jumped at the opportunity to buy her,” said Sophie.

She has been based with Team Moore in Cheshire for the duration of her career, and was formerly campaigned as an intermediate prior to Sophie’s acquisition of her.

“That was insane; I can’t stop smiling,” said Sophie, as she left the International Arena. “Lily is the easiest mare. She’s very laid back, but in these big grass rings her ears are on and she pings; she comes alive. I’m not a nervous jockey but I did believe that I couldn’t top last year.”

Sophie and Lily were initially pulled fourth in the small class, as Sophie explained: “She looked to ride incredibly for the judge. When they were pulling the horses forward, the initial top horse was still standing in the final line-up. I did think we might have been dropped out of the placings, so I was feeding Lily polos. When they called us into first I had to quickly put them away!

“I’ve always known Lily was good enough, but it was a complete shock to win in the opens, especially as I’m an amateur.”

Reserve for the 2024 RIHS supreme riding horse championship honours was Vicky Smith riding Jane Davies’ exciting home-bred mare Tremarl Timperni, a six-year-old by Timolin, who was contesting her first Hickstead final.

“She was a lovely moving horse; very loose and she swung over her back,” said Melissa.

Greer added: “They were very hard classes to judge as we had some lovely horses forward. Both champion and reserve stripped very well.”

Second in the smalls was on-form Jayne Ross riding Linda Upton’s mare Duette, while Wayne Thorneycroft finished second in the large class on his own First Man, a former championship runner-up.

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