Editorial: Land Rover as sponsor excellent boost for Horse of the Year

Linda Hall, Assistant Editor, Hawke's Bay Today.

It's fantastic news that Land Rover has been named as the major naming sponsor for Horse of the Year.

In 2015 I was invited to the Land Rover tent to watch the cross-country.

It was an amazing experience being right in among it as the horses galloped through the tent. Everyone was pleasant and professional.

It's about time HOY had a decent boost. It got off to a tough start when the new event managers took over and then last year the weather was well and truly against the event.
With the cancellation of one major event — The Mission Concert — that weekend I think it's important that Hawke's Bay supports HOY as much as possible. It is so good for our region as thousands of riders, supporters and exhibitors flock to the area.

Of course, events such as these need more than one sponsor and, at the official launch of the Land Rover Horse of the Year (HOY) competition yesterday, event director Dave Mee acknowledged others such as Tomoana Warehousing, Emmerson Transport, and Bostock New Zealand who, he said, had increased their support.

In its 20th year the event has more than doubled in size and that's thanks to the many hours of hard work and planning by organisers and volunteers throughout those years.
Personally I love it.

The atmosphere is always buzzing with anticipation as riders wait to compete. The horses look magnificent, as do the riders, both groomed to perfection. There's so much to see and do.

If you have never been because you are "not a horsey person" give it a go — I think you might just be pleasantly surprised to find it's lots of fun.