HOYS 2025 round up
5 Days of HOYS 2025: Behind the scenes and from the stands
Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) 2025 at the NEC, Birmingham. Just the name is enough to send a buzz through the equestrian community. For us at pocket-horse.com, it was a week of fun, chaos. We had a chance to switch between our stand, meet the community in person and watch some incredible wins and performances.
The shop floor bustle: selling value, not just classifieds
The alarm clock at 5:30 am every morning wan’t too brutal, the energy the moment you step into the hall was instantly infectious. Our focus at the stand was simple: proving that advertising your horse, stallion, or business doesn’t need to cost a fortune and building a great community in the process!
As a service-based platform, our job isn’t about shifting saddles; it’s about making high-quality connections accessible. We were showcasing how our low-price options offer the same, if not better, value as bigger sites.
- Stallion owners, we met some serious breeders and names, ready to learn how pocket-horse.com can boost their sales. We chatted about the simplicity of listing a stallion at stud or a new equine business advert with us.
- We met so many wonderful people looking instructed in how selling a horse with us is quick and easy. The real win was seeing their faces when we told them how all adverts get shared onto our socials.
- The Best Part? Hearing genuine feedback. Nothing beats a customer stopping by to say, “I sold my mare using your website last month!” That’s what makes us know we are doing everything right!
The days were long, fuelled by lukewarm warm teas and adrenaline, but we absolutely loved meeting more of you in person, as we spend so much of our time behind our computer screen!
Swapping to audience mode
The real magic of HOYS, however, when you make that dash to the Andrews Bowen International Arena. Slipping out of the ‘stall-holder’ mindset and into the ‘spectator’ seat is the best.
This year’s show was absolutely unmissable:
- Thursday Night: Watching the Dressage Future Elite Championship was just incredible, we certainly had goosebumps! A huge well done to Becky Moody for her well deserved win!
- Saturday Night: The Puissance Night is always a highlight. The huge gasps as they clear the wall is something you just have to experience. The sheer skill of the horses and riders is a total inspiration.
- The Pony Club Games: Honestly, the most fun! The speed, the teamwork, and the passion of the kids were brilliant.
HOYS 2025 was a spectacular reminder that beneath all the hard work and the early mornings, we are all united by a shared love for the horse, which ever class your in or watching. We closed the week exhausted, but with a renewed network, a stack of new advertisers, and hearts full of inspiration from watching the very best in the equestrian world. Bring on HOYS 2026!
Is there a particular element of the pocket-horse.com platform you would like a future blog post to focus on, such as stallion advertising or the equine business directory?
