THIS year’s TheraPlate UK Liverpool International Horse Show saw two new awards launched at the prestigious event – with lucky groom Daniel Tarpey winning a car for 12 months!

The Golden Groom Award and the Peak Performance Award were supported by TheraPlate UK and included the use of a fantastic Toyota Aygo car for the winning groom for a year.

The winning owner, Peter Charles won the use of a TheraPlate for six months.
Said Daniel who grooms for Peter’s son Harry: “It is just fantastic to win a car for a year.
“I am now 28 and have been grooming since I was 16, and this is just a brilliant prize for the industry as a whole.”

Daniel won the award for the care and attention he showed to Harry’s ride, Sieco, a nine-year-old gelding who was judged to be in excellent condition.
As the leading therapeutic performance platform used for equine sports conditioning and injury rehabilitation, TheraPlate UK truly understands how important a groom’s role is in maintaining the equestrian athlete.

The Golden Groom Award was presented to the groom of the best turned out and cared for horse which tried the TheraPlate at the Liverpool International Horse Show.
Dominic Fox, owner of TheraPlate UK said: “The Golden Groom Award recognises the groom’s role within the equestrian industry. Equestrian sport regardless of the discipline would not be the same without the endless hours of hard work and dedication from our grooms.
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“The Golden Groom Award is a great way for TheraPlate UK to support and reward this commitment and we are delighted for Daniel.”
The Peak Performance Award was presented to the owner of the horse from the Golden Groom Award. This horse was judged on condition and overall wellbeing. For this award, the winner will receive a trophy and the use of a TheraPlate for six months.
Said Show President, Nina Barbour: “We are delighted that Dominic and the team from TheraPlate UK generously supported this prize. The commitment and dedication of the grooms in this industry is second to none, and often gets overlooked.”

Eve Staveley rounded off the amateur classes at this year's TheraPlateUK Liverpool International Horse Show with victory in the CSIAm-A class, sponsored by Irish Horse Gateway.
 
Seven combinations made it through to the jump-off, with Eve riding Shadow IV, clocking 40.44 seconds to take top spot by seven hundredths of a second from Jade Meekings with Pauls Lass.
 
Third place went to Liverpool International show promoter Nina Barbour with the bay mare Douglas Delight, jumping clear in 42.61 seconds.
 
Lincolnshire's Ava Vernon took top honours in the CSIAm-B jump-off class, sponsored by Easibed.
 
And she did it in style on six-year-old gelding Here I'm B, a horse that as been produced by Great Britain international rider Holly Smith.
 
Ava triumphed in a time of 28.11 seconds, just 14 hundredths of a second quicker than Madison McCrory and Wynton D, with Debbie Lawrence and Berlin van Kloosterholt finishing third.
 
"I was holding my breath! It was pretty close," said Ava, who is based neat Skegness.
 
"It is only my third ever show on this horse. He is only six, and I have only had him since October. I have ridden him just a handful of times, and this was his biggest show by a long way.
 
"He is quite a fast horse, so once I got into the jump-off I trusted him to jump the fences and I just tried to go as fast as I possibly could. He is a very mature six-year-old.
 
"He coped with it very well. Holly produced the horse and is a great trainer.”

​Great Double for Claudia Moore
 
Essex teenager Claudia Moore completed a brilliant double at the TheraPlateUK Liverpool International Horse Show on Saturday.
 
The 14-year-old, who lives near Brentwood, won the Liverpool International 148cms Championship, sponsored by Carden Arms.
 
And in doing so, she repeated her victory of 12 months ago in the same class, completing a memorable 2018.
 
Claudia was a member of Great Britain's gold medal-winning team at the Pony European Championships this summer, when she also claimed individual bronze.
 
And she carried that form with her to the Echo Arena, emerging triumphant by more than four seconds after six combinations contested the jump-off.
 
Scottish challenger Shaunie Greig, a prolific winner on the pony circuit this year, had one fence down aboard Casino Royale VIII, and Claudia followed her into the arena, clocking 31.49 seconds on the 10-year-old mare Delflip.
 
And it was a time that proved too much for her challengers, with Lila Bremner - daughter of the television impressionist Rory Bremner, who was among the audience - going closest aboard Lapislazuli.
 
Anoushka Mauree, riding Miami Moonbeam, finished third, with Shaunie and Casino Royale VIII fourth and Jake Myers and Razorlite II fifth.
 
Reflecting on her victory, Claudia said: "It was the most nerve-wracking experience. I won this class last year, and I really wanted to come first again and make it two years in a row.
 
"She has been such a lovely pony for me. She tries so hard for you.
 
"I didn't watch Shaunie's round in the jump-off because I knew I would change my round if I watched it. I knew she would be extremely fast, so it was just about doing my own thing and sticking to what to what I was going to do.
 
"There were people to jump after me who are big competitors, so I was nervous as to whether or not my time would be quick enough.
 
"This is one of the most amazing shows. Nina Barbour does such a good job with everything, and I am really honoured to be able to jump here in that amazing arena."

​Matt Sampson has reflected on the "amazing" experience of Puissance glory at the TheraPlateUK Liverpool International Horse Show.
 
Yorkshireman Matt and Irish challenger Michael Pender shared the top prize after they both jumped 2.20 metres (7ft 3in) to clear the famous red wall in a class sponsored by Equitop GLME.
 
And for Matt, it was a remarkable result, given that he only knew about his ride - Top Dollar VI - barely 30 minutes before the start after its regular rider Laura Renwick rang and offered him the ride.
 
Eleven combinations began the class - it could run for a maximum of five rounds - but the final drama was enacted by Matt and Michael, with his 2018 Dublin Horse Show Puissance title winner Hearton du Bois Halleux.
 
And they both delivered the goods, sending a capacity crowd wild at the Echo Arena and bringing an end to day three of the show that no-one could have scripted.
 
"It was a bit different because I hadn't jumped him before," Matt said. "I didn't really know him, so I just tried to ride forward and give him a little bit of room because he is such a big horse, and keep him confident.
                                                                                                                     
"I knew about 30 minutes before the class about the ride. Laura rang me and asked me what I was doing, and I said 'nothing' and she said 'do you want to ride the horse in the puissance?' and that was that.
 
"If I don't ride him again, it was great to end on a high. It was amazing. I had only ever done one puissance before at a show in Holland, so I don't have a lot of experience in that type of class.
 
"But the horse jumped amazing and filled me with confidence."
 
For Michael, his latest achievement continued an impressve run of success this year, and he said: "He was a little bit sticky in the first round, but he felt more comfortable with each round, and in the last round, it was the best round he put in. I was delighted with him.
 
"We were equal first in Dublin this year, and I feel like he is getting better and better every time. He has jumped 2.20 metres twice now."

Great Britain's Harriet Nuttall signed off day two at the TheraPlateUK Liverpool International Horse Show with a memorable victory.
 
Somerset-based Harriet, who features prominently among an exciting group of young British showjumpers, won the four star jump-off class, sponsored by Voltaire Design.
 
And it meant double delight for the Voltaire brand, whose UK and Ireland general manager Matt Tarrant presented the prizes, as Harriet features among their sponsored collection of riders.
 
Twelve combinations from 31 starters made it through to the the jump-off, and it was Harriet who prevailed with Galway Bay Jed in a time of 34.40 seconds.
 
And that proved enough to eclipse the time of Germany's Tobias Mayer with Queentina, while Sweden's Angelie von Essen finished third on Cochella.
 
A delighted Harriet said: "The horse has had a bit of a break, and he has come back and feels so good.
 
"I wasn't meant to go that fast, but he was really, really good. He kept working hard and giving it everything, and I feel when you are jumping a four-star class that you just know the time to push on.
 
"Tobias was really fast, and I am so happy to have won. The horse felt amazing all the way through."
 
Saturday's opening four-star competition - a speed class sponsored by The Pullman Hotel - went to Egypt's Sameh El Dahan.
 
Sameh, riding Miss G Tracy clocked a clear round in 57.22 seconds to eclipse Germany's Tobias Meyer aboard Couer de Lion 22 in 57.26, while rising British star Harry Charles took third aboard Doulita.
 
"It is always exciting to have a good win at the very start of the week because it keeps you confident for the rest of the week," Sameh said.
 
"There were so many fast riders in the class, so I knew I had to give it my all, and then if I am lucky, I am standing on the podium at the end.
 
"The mare is quite a new horse for me. It was a bit of a gamble because she is 13 and she hadn't jumped for a year, but we really liked her and decided to buy her. She has been going from strength to strength.
 
"We have been getting to know her, maybe four or five shows together, and it was great to to get the right result on the day.
 
"She is very brave and quite quick, so there is a lot to like about her. When she trusts the rider, she gets better. It's a big atmosphere here - there is such a buzz - and as riders, you really feel that."