In advance of this year’s Jersey Horse of the Year Show, Ruth Le Cocq met the originator of the show, Karen Barette, chair of Home Farm Equestrian
The second Jersey Horse of the Year Show (JHOYS) starts in September, with all ten days being livestreamed enabling more people to enjoy the wonder of horses performing dressage, showing, driving and showjumping.
The success of last year’s show encouraged the organisers, Home Farm Equestrian (HFE), to host a bigger event in 2023 supported by over 75 sponsors including RURAL Jersey Country Life Magazine.
‘The show jumping was so huge. We thought we were putting on a horse show for horsey people and there would be competitors and some of their friends – we didn’t realise how many spectators would come and watch and spend the whole day and have their lunch here,’ she said.
Karen Barette, HFE’s chairman, said the JHOYS committee members had been surprised to see so many spectators at the inaugural event.
This year, to add to the excitement, there will be a puissance class to test the horses’ ability to jump high, as well as an accumulator in which the jumps get progressively bigger throughout the course.
‘Originally, I wanted to give everybody the magic of the UK’s Horse of the Year Show here in Jersey and I think we did that,’ said Karen. ‘I remember sitting there on the last night and there was the relief of doing it and everything being the best it could be. How many people can go and watch a horse jumping from that close in an indoor arena and have that buzzy atmosphere?’
A lot of preparation goes into organising the event and, with just two weeks to go before last year’s show, Karen worried about the weather and needing to tow vehicles out of muddy fields.
Fortunately, her fears did not come to fruition, but it did prompt the committee to bring this year’s event forward.
‘In September the weather is still nice, the daylight hours are longer, the horses still have their summer coats and are looking their best and it’ll be warmer in the shopping village,’ said Karen.
JHOYS begins with dressage on Wednesday 6 September. Showing classes will be held during the first weekend with horse driving on the Monday. The following Thursday the show jumping starts, culminating with the puissance on Saturday evening and the accumulator on Sunday evening.
It was back in 2020 that Karen reached out to other horse lovers in Jersey and launched an all-inclusive ‘fun, friendly and kind’ club. Three years later Home Farm Equestrian has over 260 members supported by a 23-strong committee.
‘I love it,’ said Karen, ‘but it’s like having three full-time jobs in the day. Keeping the yard done, setting up before competitions, harrowing the arenas, getting the car parking out and the bins emptied is down to me.’
Fortunately, she and the committee work as a team to ensure clinics and competitions run smoothly even when there are over 70 entries for show jumping evenings.
‘I couldn’t manage without Nicolle Maltwood who does all the tech side of things including the bookings,’ said Karen, who particularly enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge to help others fulfil their potential with their horses.
She remembers how a prestigious show judge in the UK gave her younger self advice on how to succeed with her horse at HOYS.
‘I broke him in myself in a pair of shorts and a halter and lead rope and no hat. I decided I wanted to show, even though I’d never been properly showing, and she said “get rid of that bridle, get it on a diet and you’ll do well with that horse” and we were the top amateur that year at HOYS!’
But things could have turned out very differently for Karen if her parents hadn’t made the decision to move from Yorkshire to Lancashire where, as a nine-year-old, she made friends with a girl who had a coloured cob.
‘I used to go with her before and after school and feed her horse and we used to stink of horses all the time,’ laughed Karen.
She waited on tables at her parents’ guest house and bought her first pony for £150 before bringing him on and selling him to a friend for £350. Aged 11, she decided to buy a jumping pony.
‘Standing next to the jumping pony was a bay mare which looked like a hat rack and in my heart, I felt sorry for her,’ said Karen. ‘She was a part-bred Arab called Tiffany and I got her home, fattened her up and she was absolutely beautiful.’
That love of Arab horses remains, but Karen’s head was turned several years ago by a mountain and moorland Fell pony and she has been showing so-called ‘hairies’ ever since, including her coloured stallion, McCartney’s Balios, otherwise known as Pom Pom.
JHOYS is being held at Home Farm, St John. For more information please visit www.jhoys.co.uk.
THE MAGIC OF THE JERSEY HORSE OF THE YEAR SHOW
In advance of this year’s Jersey Horse of the Year Show, Ruth Le Cocq met the originator of the show, Karen Barette, chairman of Home Farm Equestrian
The second Jersey Horse of the Year Show (JHOYS) starts in September, with all ten days being livestreamed enabling more people to enjoy the wonder of horses performing dressage, showing, driving and showjumping.
The success of last year’s show encouraged the organisers, Home Farm Equestrian (HFE), to host a bigger event in 2023 supported by over 75 sponsors including RURAL Jersey Country Life Magazine.
Karen Barette, HFE’s chairman, said the JHOYS committee members had been surprised to see so many spectators at the inaugural event.
‘The show jumping was so huge. We thought we were putting on a horse show for horsey people and there would be competitors and some of their friends – we didn’t realise how many spectators would come and watch and spend the whole day and have their lunch here,’ she said.
This year, to add to the excitement, there will be a puissance class to test the horses’ ability to jump high, as well as an accumulator in which the jumps get progressively bigger throughout the course.
‘Originally, I wanted to give everybody the magic of the UK’s Horse of the Year Show here in Jersey and I think we did that,’ said Karen. ‘I remember sitting there on the last night and there was the relief of doing it and everything being the best it could be. How many people can go and watch a horse jumping from that close in an indoor arena and have that buzzy atmosphere?’
A lot of preparation goes into organising the event and, with just two weeks to go before last year’s show, Karen worried about the weather and needing to tow vehicles out of muddy fields.
Fortunately, her fears did not come to fruition, but it did prompt the committee to bring this year’s event forward.
‘In September the weather is still nice, the daylight hours are longer, the horses still have their summer coats and are looking their best and it’ll be warmer in the shopping village,’ said Karen.
JHOYS begins with dressage on Wednesday 6 September. Showing classes will be held during the first weekend with horse driving on the Monday. The following Thursday the show jumping starts, culminating with the puissance on Saturday evening and the accumulator on Sunday evening.
It was back in 2020 that Karen reached out to other horse lovers in Jersey and launched an all-inclusive ‘fun, friendly and kind’ club. Three years later Home Farm Equestrian has over 260 members supported by a 23-strong committee.
‘I love it,’ said Karen, ‘but it’s like having three full-time jobs in the day. Keeping the yard done, setting up before competitions, harrowing the arenas, getting the car parking out and the bins emptied is down to me.’
Fortunately, she and the committee work as a team to ensure clinics and competitions run smoothly even when there are over 70 entries for show jumping evenings.
‘I couldn’t manage without Nicolle Maltwood who does all the tech side of things including the bookings,’ said Karen, who particularly enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge to help others fulfil their potential with their horses.
She remembers how a prestigious show judge in the UK gave her younger self advice on how to succeed with her horse at HOYS.
‘I broke him in myself in a pair of shorts and a halter and lead rope and no hat. I decided I wanted to show, even though I’d never been properly showing, and she said “get rid of that bridle, get it on a diet and you’ll do well with that horse” and we were the top amateur that year at HOYS!’
But things could have turned out very differently for Karen if her parents hadn’t made the decision to move from Yorkshire to Lancashire where, as a nine-year-old, she made friends with a girl who had a coloured cob.
‘I used to go with her before and after school and feed her horse and we used to stink of horses all the time,’ laughed Karen.
She waited on tables at her parents’ guest house and bought her first pony for £150 before bringing him on and selling him to a friend for £350. Aged 11, she decided to buy a jumping pony.
‘Standing next to the jumping pony was a bay mare which looked like a hat rack and in my heart, I felt sorry for her,’ said Karen. ‘She was a part-bred Arab called Tiffany and I got her home, fattened her up and she was absolutely beautiful.’
That love of Arab horses remains, but Karen’s head was turned several years ago by a mountain and moorland Fell pony and she has been showing so-called ‘hairies’ ever since, including her coloured stallion, McCartney’s Balios, otherwise known as Pom Pom.
JHOYS is being held at Home Farm, St John. For more information please visit www.jhoys.co.uk.
