Sophia Rogers becomes the Demolition Services Ltd Leading Pony Showjumper of the Year
Friday 10 October 2025
In the Demolition Services Ltd Leading Pony Showjumper of the Year, a competition first staged at HOYS in 1949, the crowd held their breath to see if Hollie Gerken could complete an unprecedented hat-trick of wins.
But it was Sophia Rogers, from Chelmsford in Essex, who took the top honours with an outstanding performance on 13-year-old Neil 55.
Just six combinations from 27 starters made the jump-off, including Great Britain pony European gold medal-winning team members from earlier this year in Sophia, Hollie and Darcy Breen.
The stakes were high, but Sophia remained impressively composed to post a time of 28.27 seconds, edging Lucy Capper and Oscar van de Beekerheide into the runners-up spot, with Hollie and Galaxy V finishing third.
"I found it quite hard as I knew Hollie was there, who won last year and was behind me in the jump-off," Sophia said.
"Last year I had the last fence down and missed the jump-off, which was really annoying, and winning the class now is quite an achievement for me.
"I get quite nervous, but I love HOYS, the atmosphere is amazing and it is one of the nicest indoor events I have ever competed in. It means so much to me."
Image: 1st Class Images