Teenage amateur rider from Pendle wins Search for a Star Working Pony Championship at the Horse of the Year Show

Lexi Eccles from Barnoldswick and her mother, Shelley Harvey's pony, Little Miss Flintstone fought off strong competition to win a national championship at the prestigious event at the Birmingham NEC.

Lexi was the youngest rider, and her part-bred Exmoor pony, Little Miss Flintstone - known at home as Bam Bam – was the smallest pony in the class. The pair shone under the bright HOYS lights, and cleared the fences beautifully, to take the win in the SEIB Insurance Brokers Search for a Star Working Pony Championship.

Lexi said: "I'm so proud of Bam Bam, she was just amazing. It was an unreal feeling to be in there and then win. Its so exciting. Bam Bam loves her jumping and this is our last year in the ring together. I've been riding her for five-years."

In order to complete their quest for HOYS qualification, Lexi and Bam Bam travelled the length and breadth of the country in 2023 - from Scotland down to Sussex and just missed out on qualifying. Perseverance paid off however and they qualified first time out at a Search for a Star qualifier in 2024. Lexi added: "After coming second in the Search for a Star qualifier at Pyecombe last year and just missing out, we worked so hard all winter to qualify for HOYS at the start of this season."

The SEIB Insurance Brokers Search for a Star Championships at the Horse of the Year Show offer the chance for amateur riders to compete at this major championship show. The Search for a Star championships first took place at the Horse of the Year Show in 1998 and have run ever since. Over the years Search for a Star has provided thousands of opportunities for amateur riders to compete at HOYS with many going on to compete with success in open classes.