An amateur rider from Brecon has qualified for the prestigious Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in Birmingham, 20 years after she last reached this championship event.

Lucia Thomas and her horse Dowhill Belle Baie (known as Poppy) won the SEIB Insurance Brokers Search for a Star qualifier on May 3 at the British Show Horse Association’s Spring Show at Addington Equestrian in Buckinghamshire.

The pair will now go on to compete under the bright lights of the HOYS arena at the NEC in Birmingham in early October. They won the competitive Riding Horse Hack class to earn their HOYS qualification.

Lucia said: “We went to a Search for a Star qualifier two years ago when Poppy was five. She was a bit too green, so we came back for one qualifier last year, then went away to practise and came back again this year. It’s a long way for us to travel to Addington, so we went with the thought that we had a bit of a chance.

“We were pulled in sixth after the go-round, and then she went really well for the ride judge. The conformation judge liked her too, so we moved right up! I bought Poppy as a two-year-old with Search for a Star in mind. I’ve done everything with her and she has a brilliant temperament. She enjoys going out on the mountains and forestry and even the beach.”

Lucia competed in Search for a Star the second year it ran, back in the late 1990s. She said: “That was back when you had to submit a photo of you and the horse for Robert Oliver to look at. I did it with my Small Riding Horse, Dark Revenge. I then had another go maybe 20 years ago with a horse that belonged to David Broome – I know we came fifth in the Riding Horse Hack final, but I can’t remember the name of the horse!”

Lucia and Poppy have also qualified for the London International Horse Show, TSR and the Nat Champs. Lucia runs a glamping pod business at home in the Brecon Beacons.

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.