Who has wowed you this year with their determination, spirited achievement or fight against the odds?
Four inspirational people in the equestrian world, whether through resilience in the face of injury and trauma, or raising funds for worthy causes – who will you vote for in the annual Horse & Hound Awards?
Inspiration of the Year 2025 shortlist
Saffron Cresswell
The 24-year-old rising star’s eventing career was cut short by a spinal injury – her candour, realism and perseverance in forging a new path is an extraordinary example to everyone
Life as Saffron Cresswell knew it changed when she sustained a spinal injury at Defender Bramham Horse Trials in 2024.
The 24-year-old is paralysed from the chest down, and has embraced the new normal by pursuing new experiences – both professionally, with presenting gigs at events like Burghley, and physically.
“I’ve played around with a few new sports,” she says, “I’ve been having tennis lessons and I’ve been doing wheelchair races, 10kms and half-marathons.
“Shortly after the fall I was upset by the thought of things I can’t do, so I realised I needed to think about the things I can do. The hardest part is that I haven’t found that one thing I love to do yet, but I do enjoy being really busy.”
Derek Knottenbelt
The super-vet who goes the extra mile to fight equine skin diseases at home and away
Professor Derek Knottenbelt established Equine Medical Solutions (EMS), a support service for those managing equine skin diseases, notably sarcoids. He is also a founder member of Vets with Horsepower, a veterinary education charity.
So vast and wide-ranging are his achievements that a fellow vet has penned an ode to him.
Says one of his colleagues: “Every day the EMS team sees Derek’s amazing dedication and passion to supporting vets and owners with his exceptional knowledge on equine skin cancers.
“His kind and caring expertise has helped to save many horses’ lives over the years. Derek is always honest and realistic with each case referred to him, but also very positive and encouraging, often taking time to speak directly with the treating vet about the case.”
Abi Lyle
A dressage rider who is all about the horse, and who rose to the top amid significant challenges
A dressageE star from a non-horsey family, Abi found her campaign ahead of her Olympic debut for Ireland punctuated by news of her former boyfriend and abuser’s suicide while on trial for murder, which reached her while she was competing at Hagen in 2024. She told her survival story as part of Sky’s recent Death of a Showjumper documentary.
“I filmed it two days after returning from Paris,” she says. “Eight hours in the interview chair was wild, but I’m glad I did it.”
Last year was tumultuous, so 2025 was about enjoying her horses.
“Ironically, I had time to cross-country school and break my back,” she says.
Abi returned to the saddle in March, grateful for the enforced downtime, and has resumed one of her favourite pastimes – riding her horses bridleless.
Sammi Wenn
The army veteran who toured in Afghanistan and uses beautiful hand-decorated rugs to support worthy causes
Sammi Wenn’s MO is to ensure war horses are not forgotten. With the help of her The Floppy Ear Pony Facebook community, of which her gelding, Chester, is mascot, Sammi produced a rug adorned with knitted poppies for Chester to model at parades and events to boost the profile of horses who served.
Inspired by Keech, the hospice that cared for her late father, Sammi and her team created a second rug adorned with hearts and names of those once under their care.
“Creating this rug was our way of thanking the staff, and honouring my father’s final wish for us to keep supporting Keech,” she tells H&H.
Sammi has so far raised nearly £3,000 for the hospice, and plans to continue enlisting Chester’s help in raising the charity’s profile.
Voting closes at 5pm on Thursday 30 October and the winners will be revealed at a star-studded ceremony on 26 November, and featured online, on social media and in the following week’s magazine (4 December). Read the H&H Awards 2025 terms and conditions
Previous Inspiration of the Year award winners
Previous winners of this award include:
- 2024: Jesse Campbell, the New Zealand five-star event rider whose wife Georgie passed away in an eventing accident in May 2024 showed resilience, courage and determination to continue in the sport while “putting the needs of so many others above his own”. Jesse had the whole of the eventing community behind him when he jumped clear at Burghley in September.
- 2023: Dylan Ward, eight, was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer with less than 50% chance of survival, in June 2022. Dylan has gained lifelong disabilities from the damage the cancer has caused, but he has not let it get in the way of pursuing his dream of becoming a “champion dressage rider”. He took home three wins at the RDA National Championships and since joining British Dressage has qualified for the Quest regional finals and the Associated Championships.
- 2022: Nicola Wilson, the European champion event rider suffered life-changing injuries in a fall at Badminton Horse Trials in May 2022. Nicola spent more than four months in hospital undergoing intensive rehab and physio work as she relearnt basic life skills, before returning home where she has since been offering mentorship and coaching to other talented riders.
- 2019: Joe Stockdale, 20, put a flourishing career as a cricketer on hold to embrace the daunting prospect of taking on a string of top-class showjumpers when his father Tim died in 2018. In less than a year, Joe, transferred his natural sporting ability to the showjumping ring in phenomenal style, landing a grand prix at Royal Windsor and being picked for the young rider squad at the European Championships.
- 2018: Daisy Sadler, 73, she travelled nearly 1,000 miles from Banbury via Edinburgh to The Kelpies and back in a traditional horse-drawn wagon pulled by two Brabants (Belgian Drafts) Olive and Arthur, and accompanied by Tad the dog. She raised more than £21,000 for the Imogen Whitby Fund as part of The Brain Tumour Charity.
- 2017: Julie Payne, the former advanced event rider who was told by her doctor five years earlier that within two years she would be able to neither walk nor speak. In August 2017 she claimed two individual golds at the para dressage European Championships, as well as being on the gold medal-winning team.
- 2016: the late Hannah Francis, who died from bone cancer in August 2016, but whose charity Willberry Wonder Pony has raised thousands for cancer research and granting horsey wishes to those with serious illnesses.
About the Horse & Hound Awards 2025
The Horse & Hound Awards are celebrating their 10th year, being held in partnership with NAF and Agria.
As ever, the Horse & Hound Awards winners will be nominated and voted for by you, with the exception of the Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement award, which is decided by a Horse & Hound panel. We will recognise both the big names who have made 2025 special and the unsung heroes who make it possible for all of us to enjoy equestrian sport and our horses, at every level.
The ceremony will take place at Dallas Burston Polo Club in Warwickshire, where some 300 people, including stars of this summer’s European Championships, will enjoy a glamorous evening of champagne, winner reveals, Oscar-style speeches and dancing on Wednesday 26 November.
