I can't believe it - Chorley dental nurse and horse with stage fright qualify for Horse of the Year Show
Even more impressive is that Finn has stage fright!
A dental nurse from Chorley has qualified for the prestigious Horse of the Year Show.
Amateur rider Deana Bamford from Coppull and her striking chestnut horse Run for Red (aka Finn) won the SEIB Insurance Brokers Search for a Star qualifier on Sunday, June 28, at the North of England Summer Show in Formby to earn their qualification.
They will now go on to compete under the bright lights of the HOYS Arena at the NEC in Birmingham in early October. The pair competed in and won the competitive Show Hunter class to earn their HOYS qualification.
Deana explained: “Finn suffers from stage fright and I came to Search for a Star with no expectations and before the placings were announced, I was just so proud that he’d gone well. Then to find we’d won the class was beyond what I’d hoped!
“When we got Finn he was three-years-old and untouched and unhandled. He wasn’t strong enough to do much when he arrived with us, we went to a couple of shows but he didn’t really enjoy it.
“I decided to take him trail hunting instead and we went out with the Holkham Harriers for two seasons which he absolutely loved!
“We did a couple of shows, not very successfully, last summer so at the start of this season we said we’d give showing one last go. It’s turned round and he’s improved each time out.”
Finn has won at Otley County Show and had his first ride judge at the Cumberland Show before improving again to then win Search for a Star!
Deana added: “I’ve worked as a dental nurse for Horwich Dental Practice for 32 years now – I only applied for the job in the first place as the hours meant I finished at 3pm on a Friday which gave me time to get the horses ready for shows at the weekend.
“I’m very glad I did apply and get the job as it’s a great place to work.”
SEIB Search for a Star first took place back in 1996 and over the years has provided thousands of opportunities for amateur riders to compete at HOYS.
Each of the SEIB Search for a Star qualifying shows offers opportunities for a full range of show horses to earn a place at the series championships at Horse of the Year Show and Your Horse Live.
The Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) will be in Birmingham this October.
Good luck Deana and Finn - we have fingers and hooves crossed!