13-year-old teen and her pony Bam Bam take home prize at Horse of the Year Show at Birmngham NEC

Amateur rider, Lexi Eccles from Barnoldswick and her mother, Shelley Harvey's pony, Little Miss Flintstone took home a big prize at the prestigious Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) at the Birmingham NEC.

Lexi was the youngest rider, and her part-bred Exmoor pony, Little Miss Flintstone - known at home as Bam Bam the smallest pony in the class.

The pair shone under the bright HOYS lights, and cleared the fences beautifully, to take the win in the SEIB Insurance Brokers Search for a Star Working Pony Championship.

Lexi said: "I'm so proud of Bam Bam, she was just amazing. It was an unreal feeling to be in there and then win! Its so exciting! Bam Bam loves her jumping and this is our last year in the ring together. I've been riding her for five-years."

In order to complete their quest for HOYS qualification, Lexi and Bam Bam travelled the length and breadth of the country in 2023 - from Scotland down to Sussex and just missed out on qualifying.

Perseverance paid off however and they qualified first time out at a Search for a Star qualifier in 2024.

Lexi said: "After coming second in the Search for a Star qualifier at Pyecombe last year and just missing out, we worked so hard all winter to qualify for HOYS at the start of this season."

The SEIB Insurance Brokers Search for a Star Championships at Horse of the Year Show offer the chance for amateur riders to compete at this major championship show.

The Search for a Star championships first took place at Horse of the Year Show in 1998 and have run ever since. Over the years Search for a Star has provided thousands of opportunities for amateur riders to compete at HOYS with many going on to compete with success in open classes.

Series organiser, Nicolina MacKenzie said: "We are thrilled to be providing these opportunities for amateur riders. The HOYS Search for a Star championships are the culmination of months, and in some cases years, of preparation and training for the riders and their horses and ponies."