Sophia Rogers becomes the Demolition Services Ltd Leading Pony Showjumper of the Year
Friday 10 October 2025
.JPG "Sophia Rogers becomes the Demolition Services Ltd Leading Pony Showjumper of the Year")
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
.JPG "Jack Whitaker showcases a masterclass win in the Al Shira’aa four-star Grand Prix at Al Shira’aa Bolesworth International")