1^stNovember 2022

Search for a Star at Your Horse Live

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Ponies from across Great Britain to take part in the first ever SEIB Search for a Star Pony Club Championships at Your Horse Live

The first ever SEIB Insurance Brokers Search for a Star Pony Club Your Horse Live Championships will take place in the main SEIB Arena at Your Horse Live at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire on the 11^th and 12^thNovember 2022. Each of the four nations of Great Britain are represented in this exciting championship with young riders and their ponies travelling from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales for the big day.

The SEIB Search for a Star Pony Club Your Horse Live championship is part of the Search for a Star Your Horse Live championship which includes a total of eleven championship finals on the Friday of the show. For the first time ever, a Search for a Star Supreme Championship will be held for all the amateur finals winners on the Saturday of Your Horse Live in the main SEIB Arena.

The Search for a Star Pony Club championships include three finals, lead rein, first ridden and open. To compete, children and young people must be a member of a Pony Club branch or centre. Pony Club members from as far a-field as the Ross-Shire Pony Club in Inverness and East Antrim Pony Club in Northern Ireland have qualified for the first ever Search for a Star Pony Club championship.

SEIB Search for a Star has been running since 1996 and over this time the series has helped many amateur riders learn showing skills and go on to compete with great success in open classes. Founder of Search for a Star, SEIB's Marketing Manager, Nicolina MacKenzie said: "We are delighted to welcome The Pony Club to Search for a Star and are looking forward to the first ever Pony Club Search for a Star championships. Our competitors have worked so hard to secure their qualifications, we wish everyone the best of luck at Your Horse Live."

Following six qualifying shows across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a total of sixteen young riders have qualified for the three Search for a Star Pony Club finals. Search for a Star 2022 kicked off with its first qualifying show at Vale View Equestrian Centre back in April and qualifiers followed at Bury Farm, Netherton Equestrian Centre in Perthshire, Laurel View in Northern Ireland, Stoneleigh Park and Onley Grounds Equestrian Centre. All finalists have either won, or been placed runner-up at one of these qualifying shows.

Search for a Star is unique owing to the support provided to amateur riders and their horses and ponies. Qualifying shows are headed up by senior judge, Mr Richard Ramsay who has a lifetime of experience producing, judging and mentoring showing competitors. Other series judges include Nicola Taylor, Hannah Horton, Samantha DeCaprio and former Search for a Star competitor, Louise Gaunt. All competitors are supported and encouraged by the team of Search for a Star judges and stewards who also give up their time for two Search for a Star ‘Weekender' events throughout the season - where a training workshop is offered the day before the qualifying show and the Search for a Star training day held in September for all riders that have qualified for a Search for a Star final.

Competitors at theSearch for a Star Pony Club Your Horse Live championships are lucky to go under top judges, Katie Jerram-Hunnable and Chris Hunnable and Matthew Lawrence for their final. As each class is underway, the judges will voice their thoughts over a microphone. This has proved very popular with the audience.

Your Horse Live Event Director, Emma Bedford said: "We are thrilled to welcome and host more SEIB Search for a Star championship classes than ever before. The Search for a Star schedule is packed and will run back-to-back all morning on the opening Friday of the show with for the first time ever, the Search for a Star supreme championship to follow in the SEIB Arena at prime time on the Saturday lunchtime!" 

The SEIB Search for a Star Your Horse Live Championship 2022 will begin at 8.20am in the main SEIB Arena with the in-hand finals. This final includes in-hand plaited horse and hogged show cob. In-hand plaited pony, in-hand native and traditional, in-hand veteran and in-hand mountain and moorland. At 9.40 the first of the new Search for a Star Pony Club finals gets underway with first-ridden and lead rein. At 10.25, the Pony Club Open final will take place, going on at 10.50 to the Search for a Star ridden part-bred traditional final. The biggest championship class of the day follows with the Search for a Star ridden mountain and moorland final at 11.15am and the action-packed morning will have its finale at midday with the SEIB Search for a Star open veteran championship.

Each winner of the ten Search for a Star amateur sections on the Friday will be invited forward to the Search for a Star Your Horse Live Supreme Championship at 1pm on Saturday in the main SEIB Arena at Your Horse Live.

Leading equine Insurance brokers, SEIB Insurance Brokers set up Search for a Star nearly 30 years ago so they could offer a unique competition opportunity to many of their amateur rider customers. SEIB has a long association with the showing world and is renowned for ‘putting something back' by supporting many equestrian events and activities in addition to Search for a Star. 

Leading equine Insurance brokers, SEIB Insurance Brokers provide cover for horses, horse boxes, yards and much more. The company has a long association with the showing world and is renowned for ‘putting something back' by supporting equestrian events and activities. 

For insurance queries visitwww.seib.co.ukor call 01708 850000.

Qualifying riders for the inaugural SEIB Search for a Star Pony Club Your Horse Live Championship 2022

Search for a Star Pony Club Lead Rein 

Blackhill Osprey / owned by Lisa Croft and ridden by Millie Croft from the Rufford Branch of the Pony Club

Clearfell Bumblebee / owned by Sophie Milczarek and ridden by Florence Milczarek from the Wheatland Branch of the Pony Club

Collstone Caventina / owned by Jamie Clarke and ridden by Charlotte Knight from the Worcestershire Hunt Branch of the Pony Club

Saintjohnstar Harry Potter / owned by Zara Wardle and ridden by Eirin Wardle from the North Down Branch of the Pony Club in Northern Ireland

Thistledown Elpaso / owned by Heather Hiscox and ridden by Emily Hiscox from the North Warwickshire Branch of the Pony Club

Thistledown Honky Tonk / owned by Mary-Jo Grant and ridden by Ianna Grant from the Ross-Shire Branch of the Pony Club

Search for a StarPony Club First Ridden

Ballyhill Boy / owned by Stacey Erwin and ridden by Paige Erwin from the East Antrim Branch of the Pony Club in Northern Ireland

Desabre Sparrow Hawk / owned by Victoria Cable and ridden by Lucia Cable from the Puckeridge Hunt Branch of the Pony Club in Essex

Honey Bee / owned by Victoria Piper and ridden by Abigail Piper from the Glamorgan Branch of the Pony Club in Wales

Just The Way You Are / owned by Sara Ridgway and ridden by Emily Ridgway from the Old Berkshire Hunt Branch of the Pony Club

Larchgrove Isabella / owned by Connie Elliott and ridden by Emily Elliott from the Rufford Branch of the Pony Club

Nerwyn Leonardo / owned by Sarah Fraser and ridden by Annabel Fraser from the Cumberland Farmers Hunt North Branch of the Pony Club

SEIB Insurance Brokers Search for a Star Pony Club Open 2022 Championships

Battlestown Jenny / owned by Fiona Radford Jones and ridden by Isobel Radford Jones from the Woodland Hunt Branch of the Pony Club

Cavan Mick / owned by Naomi Kitchener and ridden by Helena Kitchener from the Mid Surrey Branch of the Pony Club

Phantoms Masquerade / owned by Sarah Adams and ridden by Grace Adams from the Ryburn Branch of the Pony Club

Rooan De Goariva / owned and ridden by Jessica Ross from the Grafton Hunt Branch of the Pony Club

Rosedust Class Act / owned by Karen Watson and ridden by Aaliyah Watson from the Deveron Branch of the Pony Club in Aberdeenshire

ENDS

General notes:

• Now well into its third decade, Search for a Star was the brainchild of SEIB Insurance Brokers who still run the series today. Search for a Star is exclusively for amateur riders and owners and is designed to give enthusiastic people a chance to compete at championship shows Your Horse Live and Horse of the Year Show.
• The SEIB Search for a Star championships here at Your Horse Live are being judged today by Katie and Chris Jerram-Hunnable and Matthew Lawrence
• SEIB Insurance Brokers are the title sponsors of this beautiful main arena here at Your Horse Live.
• SEIB Search for a Star, along with SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse, was also set up with the intention of creating a job, and therefore an increased value, for certain groups of horses. SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse has helped give many ex-racehorses a second career over the years and in more recent times, the Search for a Star team has worked closely with the Traditional Gypsy Cob Association to help facilitate the traditional cob Search for a Star championships. 
• Many riders subsequently become hooked on showing, having first "had a go" in Search for a Star. Many well-known horses also started out in this competition, where their talent was first recognised.
• The winner of the first ever SEIB Search for a Star Championship was the four-year-old Shelford Rupert in 1996, who went on to win many heavyweight, working and ladies' hunter classes and championships at top level all over the country.
• The 2007 SEIB Search for a Star supreme champions, Jordan Cook and Fleetwater Xecutive, went on to win major open titles at both HOYS and the RIHS. Jordan is now a very proud judge of the series and is delighted to put something back into Search for a Star.
• In recent years, Search for a Star has grown and there are now Search for a Star championships at both HOYS and Your Horse Live.
• The Your Horse Live Search for a Star finals include championships for mountain and moorlands, part-bred traditional, open veterans, in-hand horses and ponies and completely new for 2022 is the Pony Club Search for a Star championship with classes for lead rein, first ridden and open Pony Club members.
• One of the things that makes Search for a Star particularly popular with audiences is that the judges use radio microphones to describe what they are looking for and, most importantly, explain their decisions

• SEIB Insurance Brokers have been providing equestrian insurance for over five decades. SEIB offers a wide range of equestrian insurance - from horses to horseboxes, trailers, stables, cars and homes.
• SEIB Insurance Brokers also provide personal accident cover for people involved in equestrian activities and business cover for liability, riding schools, livery and competition yards. Care, custody and control cover can be included. 

• SEIB Insurance Brokers also sponsor the SEIB Trailblazers Championships, the British Showjumping Winter Novice Championships, the BRC Winter Championships and the Working Show Horse Championship.
• SEIB are committed to furthering good causes and recently held the fifth annual SEIB Awards. These awards are SEIB's way of supporting and celebrating achievements in the main markets they insure in. Achievements were recognised in the SEIB Yard of the Year Awards in association with Horse and Hound, SEIB Giving which supports the Charity sector and Funeral Directors.  Over £40,000 was granted to charity at the 2022 SEIB Awards.
• Since 2018 SEIB has given over 250,000 to good causes through SEIB Giving.
• SEIB provides insurance services and public liability cover for members of The British Horse Society and The British Riding Clubs movement and many other charities and organizations such as World Horse Welfare, Arab Horse Society, and British Showjumping.
• Please support SEIB by using its insurance services to enable the company to continue to provide valuable sponsorship which keeps our equestrian sports going.

For further press information please contact Jenny Viner atjenny@jennyviner.com