H&H meets the part-time native pony producer who won at HOYS with a £250 pony *H&H Plus*

The HOYS-winning native pony producer counts horses as her saviours alongside a hectic work schedule. H&H’s showing editor Alex Robinson discovers how she’s made her “hobby” so successful...

Hayley Reynolds has several plates to spin. While many of us admit we can struggle to juggle our work-life balance, the part-time native pony producer from Cheshire seems to have several jobs on the go, late nights and early starts. Hayley, 34, topped off her 2019 show season with a dream win at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

“I’d been third on three occasions,” explains Hayley, who took the New Forest pony of the year title with Lesley Cook’s bay gelding Okedene Justin. Hayley had discovered Justin as a three-year-old in a city centre allotment seven years ago, paying just £250 for him.

Alex Robinson

Freelance equestrian journalist

Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.