Come behind the scenes at double HOYS winner Harrison Taylor’s yard – complete with budding superstars and Christmas decorations

The show season just gone has been the most glorious yet for up-and-coming showing producer Harrison Taylor. The Lancashire lad gained his first-ever Royal Windsor title, was crowned overall champion at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS), reigned champion on his Dublin Horse Show debut and won two of the most hotly contested finals at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS). It was a year of dreams for the 24-year-old, but he’s only just getting started.

Based at his own yard in the town of Kearsley, Lancashire, Harrison has rapidly risen through the pony and native ranks and is now one to watch in horse classes. At HOYS in October, his own and Karen Wood’s lightly campaigned mare, Cranbornes Sirius, was crowned small hack of the year, before leading the intermediate show riding type field just 48 hours later. She had only contested a handful of shows prior to her reign in Birmingham.

“I still can’t quite believe what happened at HOYS; the hacks are definitely a section I’ve always wanted to win, as I consider it to be one of the hardest and most competitive,” Harrison reflects. “We knew Sirius was a top horse when we first saw her in the field at Jerome Harforth’s yard as a two-year-old – she’s such a mover – but you can never predict these things.

“She bred a foal for us a few years ago, so I’m lucky to have her three-year-old son by Tiger Attack, Leevale Jubilee Star, waiting in the wings as a large hack prospect. He’s just like his dam, only bigger.”

Foraying into the world of professional show production wasn’t always on the cards for Harrison. He began his competitive career, aged nine, in British Showjumping ranks, competing successfully on 138cm ponies.

Harrison explains: “We had two really good ponies, but when I was out of the class, we couldn’t afford to buy bigger ponies of the same level. We decided to try my smaller 138cm jumping pony, Skipper II, in the 133cm workers. I took him to the RIHS before he was sold on. Jumping was a great foundation and it definitely made me braver in the saddle.”

Harrison’s talent soon caught the eye of professional producer Penny Hollings, who asked him to ride a handful of show ponies, while owner Lynn Scott invited him to show Welsh section A Friars All Gold, who gave him his first HOYS ticket. Alongside taking rides, Harrison was developing his craft at home, home-producing his own ponies.

“I always wanted to work with horses, but my parents said I had to try something else first,” he says. “I went to college at 18 to study business, but I only stayed for three months. I then went to the Jinks Show Team for a stint, alongside running a small team at home. That was an invaluable experience in running a large yard and learning how to juggle competing lots of horses at the highest level at once. In 2021, I went out on my own full-time and things really started to kick off for me.”

The ponies that put Harrison Taylor on the map

One of Harrison’s long-standing clients and dear friends is esteemed Connemara and Welsh pony breeder Kerry Wainwright, of the Skellorn Stud. Over the years, Harrison has produced many Skellorn ponies to top level, including HOYS and RIHS winner Skellorn Prairie Starlight (Star), 2021 HOYS Connemara pony of the year Skellorn Deja Vu (Dan) and the multi-garlanded Welsh section B Skellorn Miss Ellie, a HOYS and RIHS runner-up under Harrison’s instruction.

Harrison recalls how their friendship began: “We’d bought the mare Skellorn Tootsie to jump. She didn’t have the scope, but through our acquisition of her, we met Kerry. Kerry invited us to her stud up the road in Cheshire, where we picked Ellie out of the field.

“We have an amazing thing going with Kerry and I’m so grateful for her support. She very much leaves me to get on with the job, though we’ll work together to pick out the ponies for the future. We have some exciting Connemaras coming through, including two-year-old Skellorn Lord Hamilton and his full sister, Skellorn Lady Harriet, a three-year-old, who I hope will be good enough to replace Dan, who has now retired but still lives with me.”

Harrison credits Star as the pony who truly put him on the map. Harrison’s long-time trainer, Stu Mason, mentioned that the then four-year-old gelding might be a good fit for him, as his former owners, the Seedhouse family, were looking to put him out on loan. Together, the pair won the open Connemara and New Forest final at Hickstead when Harrison was the youngest rider in the class, as well as the junior ridden pony championship at HOYS.

“He was an amazing pony who gave me so much, including my first taste of success at those big shows,” Harrison recalls. “I’ve also been fortunate to have ridden some top-class ponies, including Amanda Torrens’ part-bred Highmead To Be Or Not To Be, and I also started intermediate Shildons Royal Affair before he went to the Kirkbride family and won HOYS.”

Training philosophies and the home system

During the 2025 season, Harrison ran 15 show liveries – his biggest team yet. He has steadily built up his yard since the family moved to their base 13 years ago, and it now boasts 21 boxes, all-weather turnout, an arena, lunge pens and individual grass paddocks. He lives on site with his family and has weekly help from yard grooms Jade McGarry Bolton and Ella Tebay, as well as assistance at shows from his friend, Mia Whittaker.

Harrison’s mother, Nicola, is his right-hand woman and without her he couldn’t follow his dreams.

He says: “I wouldn’t be able to do it all without her. She runs everything on the admin side – paperwork, invoicing, entering shows. She’ll also be out there all day putting me on breakers and watching me ride, giving her critique. We get on really well, too.”

On his training philosophy at home, Harrison adds: “We keep it simple and we always give a horse time – as much as they need. Plus, I’m competitive and a perfectionist, so I don’t rush a good animal. Once they’ve learnt the basics under saddle and are light, soft and forward, I mainly hack out. Early on, I do plenty of long-reining, lungeing and polework.

“I like them to enjoy life and only do the shows we need to do, as I prefer them to come out fresh and up for it.”

Harrison credits his owners for the trust they place in him. He never feels rushed to work to a time frame.

“I have such a good group of clients, many of whom are also friends and have been with me from early on,” he says. “We also like to have youngstock coming on all the time, so you’re always looking to the future. If I see something with potential – I like a correct horse with movement and glamour – I’ll usually try to buy in, at least a half, and I’m lucky that we can throw them in the field to mature. It’s so important to keep looking ahead; this game never stops.

“I’ve had to work to have such a good team of horses, though, as in the early days, like we all do, I had to take the rides I could get. I’m so excited about the 2026 string; it’s my best yet.”

One pony Harrison is particularly looking forward to returning to the spotlight is Lostock Up Till Dark, Caroline Hamilton’s home-bred coloured mare. Rising seven, she was supreme coloured champion at the RIHS on her debut there.

“She was also second at HOYS, which was great in her first season, as she’s still got somewhere to go,” Harrison said.

Harrison is also honoured to take the reins on Sandboro Sir Henry, Leanne Imbusch’s small riding horse contender. He has now been gelded after a prolific in-hand career when owned by Joanna Adams of the Tandridge Stud, another of Harrison’s long-standing clients.

“He’s a mega horse with an amazing temperament. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for him,” Harrison said.

Set for the novice circuit is Dibynn Magic Mike, Jo Nicholls’ striking hack contender bred by Di Nicholson, and Menai Euromillions, Peter Jones’ home-bred Welsh cob stallion.

With a variety of types and breeds to compete, Harrison finds there is little time to catch a breath during the show season.

“It can get relentless in summer; there’s a show every weekend,” he says. “Even if it’s not a qualifier, there’s always somewhere to go with a novice. Juggling it all can be a challenge.

“I do feel the pressure, too; I don’t get nervous, but I want to do well and keep the momentum up. When I took Sirius into the intermediate final after she won the hacks, for example, I felt it a lot then. A lot of people said I shouldn’t have done the second final after winning earlier in the week.”

But showing producer Harrison Taylor can’t imagine himself doing anything else.

“While I enjoy the big shows, I love the day-to-day at home, especially those little breakthrough moments during training. When you do well on a horse that you’ve produced from unbroken, it’s an amazing feeling.”

Looking ahead, Harrison aspires to keep up his stellar form.

“Of course, winning a HOYS supreme one day would be nice,” he says. “But mainly, I’d like to keep producing nice horses. I think Rob Walker is my inspiration; he’s constantly got good horses coming through, which means he’s always at the top of the line.”

As winter takes hold and the showing community hunkers down ahead of next season, Harrison is working hard behind the scenes to ensure his exceptional string of horses are fully prepared for the stage. And if his past successes are anything to go by, he’ll be more than ready.

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