East Coast Performance Horses, Chacco Silver and Katie Laurie all top-billed at the Bayleys Hawke’s Bay National Young Horse Jumping Championships.
Top breeder at the show was East Coast Performance Horses. The win topped off an exciting year for the Wairarapa based stud. “We’ve had a really good winter selling horses with three going to Australia and one to the United States,” says ECPH’s Nicki Hull.
Jenny Booth and Nicki Hull from East Coast Performance Horses win the Leading Breeder of the National Young Horse Championships 2025. Photo Credit to Cornege Media.
The YHS are a highlight on the annual competition calendar for ECPH and one Nicki says they always want to do well at. “But you have to remember, these are young horses so you can’t expect too much of them. It is really nice they have all gone out and performed well.”
She heaped praise on her riders Logan Massie, who had won two of the age group titles, as well as Vicki Prendergast, who with Cardinal ECPH had won the five-year-old style prize, and Olivia Newsom.
It is the first time the stud has won the prestigious top breeder crown at the YHS. “It is certainly very cool,” says Nicki.
ECPH are now doing two to four foals a year using mostly their older brood mares but also some of their up and coming young fillies. Everything is done with frozen semen and with the help of MVS Equibreed. “Our goal is for the top of the market, for offshore and local buyers,” says Nicki.
She extended a huge thanks to the rest of the team who continued to support the programme and particularly her parents Jenny and Craig Booth and husband Sam who helped with all her “horsey endeavours”.
Olympian Katie Laurie made the most of her fleeting trip home, winning the leader rider crown at the champs and doing wonders for those she rode for. “It’s nice to be back competing in New Zealand,” said the Canada based rider. “It feels like you have never left when you are here. It is cool to see all those you haven’t seen for ages.”
Katie Laurie won the Leading Rider at the National Young Horse Championships 2025. Pictured here riding Van Gogh MVNZ for Mike and Carissa McCall. Photo Credit to Cornege Media.
She had a busy champs, riding seven for Mike and Carissa McCall, for whom she won the seven-year-old crown, and two for Boota and Alison Green.
Matawhio Sporthorses’ Chacco Silver was the top stallion of the YHS, much to the delight of owner Mary-Beth Willis. “That’s absolutely wonderful,” said Mary-Beth. “I am thrilled. He hasn’t had many progeny compete at the YHS over the years. He is a tall stallion who produces a lot of tall progeny and many of those won’t come into their own until they are way past that YHS age.”
Chacco Silver’s progeny were slow developers and needed time. “He has a wonderful temperament and is very easy to handle as a stallion. The biggest thing is that he produces jumpers – he really stamps every single horse.”
The New Zealand warmblood is by the very famous Chacco Blue who has been the world’s no.1 ranked jumping breeding stallion multiple times.
15 December 2025
Diana Dobson