The Great Yorkshire Show, held in Harrogate from 9th-12th July, is introducing new equine classes.
Rescue Equine will feature animals that have been adopted or fostered by an equine charity, or rescued by an individual who can provide supporting evidence of the animal’s rescue status.
The equine classes get bigger and better every year and so will The 165th Great Yorkshire Show with 2,000 horses, ponies and donkeys competing.
Two new competitions have been added to the line-up, including the British Ridden Heavy Horses; traditional breeds more usually associated with being driven or ploughing, will be in the ring with their riders.
It is the first time this Horse of the Year Show qualifying class (HOYS) has been held at the Great Yorkshire Show.
Horse welfare has always been of huge importance to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and this is reflected this year by the introduction of two new classes for rescued animals.
Rescue Equine will feature open-in-hand and ridden classes for rescue animals.
The classes will be amongst the first for the Rescue Equine Showing Society (RESS) which will have its official launch event at Equifest in August.
Founder and Chair of RESS Cathy Hyde said:
“We really want RESS to give these rescues the opportunity to shine and to demonstrate how successful they can be and we also want to highlight the work of the rescuers and those that take on the task of rehabilitating the equines that have been subjected to cruelty and neglect.
She added,
Ideally, it will also encourage people to consider adopting from the equine charities – for every equine that is rehomed, this makes space in rescue for another to be brought into a rescue charity where it can undergo rehabilitation and go on to find kind and loving homes”.
Both the Ridden Heavy Horses and the Rescue Equine classes take place on Friday 12th July.
Last year’s new additions, the Connemara and Traditional Cob classes are also back, following their successful debuts in 2023.
There's set to be nearly 40 different types of horses, ponies and donkeys on show, from the mini Shetland ponies, through to the UK native breeds and the heavyweight hunters.
The standard is undoubtedly always high, with many of the sections resulting in qualification for the Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham in October.
The Supreme In Hand championship takes place in the Main Ring on Thursday (11th July) afternoon.
Tickets for the 165th Show, from Tuesday 9th July to Friday 12th July, are on sale now and will be in advance only, as visitor numbers are capped at 35,000 per day.
Tickets are: Adults £35, Children £13 and Families £86.
Please visit their website here for more information and tickets
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