LUCINDA GREEN WINS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT & NICK SKELTON WINS MOMENT OF THE DECADE AT THE HORSE & HOUND AWARDS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NAF
Thursday 10 December 2020
Lucinda Green took top billing at this year’s Horse & Hound Awards in partnership with NAF, winning the Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement Award.
The 12 award winners were announced in online ceremonies on Tuesday 8, Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 December, with equestrian fans around the world tuning in to hear from their icons and watch unsung heroes enjoy a moment of glory. There was record participation in this fifth year of the awards, with nearly 58,000 votes cast.
Julian Seaman, former Badminton media director and an erstwhile rival of Lucinda’s, presented her prize in a tack room in Hampshire, carrying out a moving video interview with the Olympic medallist which can be viewed at horseandhound.co.uk/awards
“I’m very touched to win this,” said Lucinda. “What I’ve done with my life has been a huge and exciting journey with the help of so many people – there’s no way I could have done it without them. I’m just the lucky one who got my name out there.
“And my goodness we’ve had some fun. Heartbreak, too – for every one fabulous moment there are nine disappointments, but I have had plenty of fabulous moments and I’m so grateful to have this recognised on behalf of those wonderful people who helped make it happen.”
Five “of the decade” awards were given, with double Olympic dressage individual gold medallists Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro scooping the Uvex Helmets Professional Rider of the Decade and SEIB Horse of the Decade awards. Nick Skelton’s gold medal at the Rio Olympics on Big Star at the age of 58, the culmination of a lifetime’s dedication to showjumping, was judged the Horserail Moment of the Decade.
Six winners took “of the year” prizes, among them the youngest and oldest winners of this year’s awards – 13-year-old showjumper Tabitha Kyle (Stallion AI Young Rider of the Year) and 81-year-old Esme Fordham (Dengie Volunteer of the Year).
Esme said: “It’s wonderful; I send my love to everyone who voted for me.”
The winners of the 2020 Horse & Hound Awards in partnership with NAF are:
• Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement Award: Lucinda Green
• Uvex Helmets Professional Rider of the Decade: Charlotte Dujardin
• Pikeur Amateur Rider of the Decade: Evie Toombes
• SEIB Horse of the Decade: Valegro
• Horserail Moment of the Decade: Nick Skelton’s gold medal in Rio
• Balanced Horse Feeds Pony of the Decade: Teddy the Shetland
• NAF Five Star PROFEET Farrier of the Year: Daniel Bennett
• Horse Dialog Equestrian Club of the Year: Essex Hunt North branch of the Pony Club
• Stallion AI Young Rider of the Year: Tabitha Kyle
• Dengie Volunteer of the Year: Esme Fordham
• Baileys Horse Feeds Vet of the Year: Tim Randle
• Absorbine Groom of the Year: Amelia Jay Sanderson
.jpg "Thrilling Weekend Kickstarts the STX-UK Pony British Novice Championship Second Round")
