Showing ponies with the British Show Pony Society.
What the society offers its members, written by the society itself: the shows, the qualifiers for the national finals, and the Areas that run it locally.
This page was written for Stable & Hoof by Karen Ward of the British Show Pony Society, and is published as she sent it. The breed standards themselves belong to the breed societies, so for those go to the society for your breed.
The British Show Pony Society (BSPS) offers an extensive framework of competitions, qualifications, and localized support for its members, making it the premier showing society for ponies in the UK.
Competitions & Events
Members gain access to a vast calendar of fixtures, including the BSPS Winter, Summer, and Heritage Championship Shows. Alongside traditional showing, the society features prestigious multi-discipline events. A prime highlight is the TopSpec BSPS Gold Cup Sports Pony Final, an exciting season culmination held live at the iconic Defender Burghley Horse Trials. This unique competition tests versatility through a dressage test, a cross-country style Working Sports Pony (WSP) course, a gallop assessment, and a timed show jumping finale featuring a high-stakes “joker” fence.
Qualifications
The society serves as a major pathway to the country’s most celebrated national finals, including the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) and the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) for Show Ponies, Show Hunter Ponies, Working Hunter Ponies, Intermediate Horses, Mountain and Moorland Ridden, Lead Rein and First Ridden as well as the Pretty Polly series for home produced ponies.
Furthermore, the society runs a full qualification series for the London International Horse Show (LIHS). Members can qualify for the widely popular Mountain and Moorland Supreme Championship and the LIHS Performance Classes, which feature highly competitive sections like the Junior Performance Pony, Cradle and Nursery Stakes, Coloured Performance classes, alongside the Lead Rein and First Ridden Working Sports Pony and the newly expanded 148cm and 158cm Working Sports Pony performance finals.
Area Structure
To remain accessible, the BSPS is organized into 20 distinct geographic Areas across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Each Area is run by a local committee that hosts its own points shows, training clinics, and social events, ensuring that grassroots competitors receive regional support, education, and pathways to national success.
Karen Ward, British Show Pony Society. Membership, the rule book and the full fixture list are on the society’s own site at bsps.com.
Ponies you will meet in the ring
Most native breeds show in the Mountain and Moorland classes. Our breed pages cover the Welsh pony, the New Forest pony, the Connemara and the Shetland, and the showjumping answer explains the jumping phase. More in the rest of the guides. Buying for a child who shows? The gifts for horse riders page has a section on children and beginners.
