If you have heard people talking about HOYS and are not quite sure what it actually is, here is the simple answer. The Horse of the Year Show is the biggest equestrian event in the UK calendar. It lands in Birmingham this October for its 25th anniversary at the NEC.
This guide explains what the show is, when it takes place, and what happens each day. It also covers how tickets work and the easiest way to get there, including a private chauffeur option for a stress free day.
Event at a Glance
- What it is: HOYS, the World’s Most Famous Horse Show. The UK’s largest and most prestigious equestrian event.
- When: Wednesday 7 October to Sunday 11 October 2026, five days in total.
- Where: bp pulse LIVE, NEC Campus, Perimeter Road, Birmingham, B40 1NT. Directly beside Birmingham Airport.
- Why 2026 matters: the show’s 25th anniversary year at the NEC, with an expanded anniversary programme.
- Scale: around 60,000 spectators expected across the five days, with roughly 50 acres of the NEC site transformed into stabling for up to 1,600 horses and ponies.
- Tickets: from £42.00, via AXS or the official HOYS website.
- What’s new for 2026: the debut of dog agility and a new veteran horse championship, covered in full below.
What Actually Happens at HOYS
Think of HOYS as the grand finale of the British equestrian season. Riders spend the whole year qualifying at smaller regional shows for the chance to compete here. What you are watching in Birmingham is the best of the best, not a general open competition.
The show covers a huge range of disciplines. Expect world class showjumping, dressage, driving, and showing classes. Family favourites feature too, including the Pony Club Mounted Games, where young riders race through relay style games on ponies. A proper retail village sits alongside the competition, packed with equestrian brands and lifestyle shopping, so even visitors who are not deeply into horses find something to enjoy across the day.
The main competition happens in the Andrews Bowen International Arena. A second arena, the TopSpec Arena, hosts extra classes and displays throughout the day.
Staying Overnight for the Show
Given how early several sessions start, and how late the evening performances continue on Saturday and Sunday, a number of visitors choose to stay overnight in Birmingham rather than making a long same-day round trip.
The NEC Campus and bp pulse LIVE sit close to Birmingham Airport and Solihull. Several hotels in this immediate area offer the shortest journey to the venue on both showday mornings and late finishing evenings. The Hilton Birmingham Metropole sits directly on the NEC site itself, overlooking Pendigo Lake. It has its own gym, pool, sauna, and steam room, making it the most convenient option for anyone attending multiple days. The Windmill Village Hotel, Golf Club and Spa in nearby Meriden offers a quieter alternative around five miles from the NEC. It has its own leisure facilities if you want some distance from the show between sessions. Our guide to hotels near the NEC and Birmingham Airport covers further options in this area. Our guide to where to stay in Birmingham is worth reading if you plan to combine HOYS with time in the city centre.
If you book a Staycation Ticket through the official HOYS packages, this already includes your overnight stay and breakfast. A separate hotel booking is not needed.
If you are flying in for the show, or travelling a longer distance, the airport-side location works genuinely in your favour.
Daily Schedule: What Happens Each Day
Times can shift slightly closer to the event, so always double check the official schedule before you travel, but here is the structure across the five days.
Wednesday 7 October. Andrews Bowen International Arena is open from around 7:05am to 10:35pm. TopSpec Arena is open from around 6:50am to 7:25pm. The Retail Village opens from 9am to 8:30pm.
Thursday 8 October. International Arena is open from around 6:55am to 10:50pm. TopSpec Arena is open from around 6:50am to 7:50pm. Retail Village opens 9am to 8:30pm. This is also the day of the Dressage Future Elite Championship, a standout fixture of the week.
Friday 9 October. International Arena is open from around 7:10am to 10:30pm. TopSpec Arena is open from around 7am to 7:35pm. Retail Village opens 9am to 8:30pm.
Saturday 10 October. The day splits into two sessions. Daytime covers the International Arena from around 7am to 3:55pm. TopSpec Arena stays open until around 7:35pm, and the Retail Village until 9pm. The evening session takes place in the International Arena only, from around 5:20pm to 10:35pm. There is no TopSpec access during this slot.
Sunday 11 October. Also split into two sessions. Daytime covers the International Arena from around 6:55am to 4:15pm. TopSpec Arena stays open until around 5:20pm, and the Retail Village until 7:30pm. The evening session takes place in the International Arena from around 5:35pm to 9:30pm, again with no TopSpec access.
A Shopping Only ticket is also available every day. It gives access purely to the Retail Village from 9am to 8:30pm, with no arena access included.
Ticket Types Explained
Ticket prices start from £42.00, available through the official HOYS website or AXS. Here is what each type actually covers.
Weekday tickets, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, are all sold as Gold tickets. These give you access to both performances in the Andrews Bowen International Arena that day. You also get the TopSpec Arena and Retail Village throughout the day and evening. This is the most complete single-day option.
Saturday and Sunday Daytime tickets cover the daytime performance in the main arena, plus all-day access to the TopSpec Arena and Retail Village.
Saturday and Sunday Evening tickets cover the evening performance in the main arena only, alongside all-day access to the Retail Village. TopSpec Arena is not included in the evening ticket on either day.
Staycation Tickets bundle in an overnight hotel stay with breakfast, alongside Band A seating for a chosen day combination, including a new option for 2026 covering Saturday and Sunday together.
Season Tickets cover the entire week with the same allocated seat every day, plus complimentary parking and a programme included.
Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over holding a valid ticket. This is the 25th anniversary year, so strong demand is expected. Booking ahead is genuinely worth doing rather than leaving it until the last few days.
What to Expect: The Highlights
A handful of fixtures across the week tend to draw the biggest crowds.
The Puissance is a high jump competition where the wall climbs higher with every round. It is one of the most dramatic moments of the week for anyone new to showjumping. International showjumping classes continue throughout, featuring some of the sport’s top competitors. The Dressage Future Elite Championship, held on Thursday, showcases the next generation of British dressage talent. The Pony Club Mounted Games bring genuine family energy to the arena, with young riders competing in fast paced relay games. The Supreme Championship caps off the in-hand showing classes. It is one of the most prestigious titles awarded across the whole week.
Beyond the arenas, build proper time into your visit for the Retail Village. Equestrian brands, lifestyle shopping, and food stalls spread across the site.
New for the 25th Anniversary: Two Fresh Additions
Two genuinely new events join the HOYS programme for 2026, both confirmed as part of the anniversary celebrations.
The Agility Nexus Hunter & Gather Dog Agility Grand Prix makes its debut in the main arena. This brings competitive dog agility to HOYS for the first time. Two finals take place across Wednesday and Thursday. One covers large dogs. The other combines extra small and small dogs, marking the first time extra small dogs have featured in a major UK final at this level.
The Veteran Horse Society Ridden Veteran Horse of the Year Championship also debuts this year, held in the TopSpec Arena on Wednesday. The class celebrates horses aged 15 and over, held under Veteran Horse Society rules, open to amateur riders only. It joins the show to recognise the longevity and lasting partnership between riders and their older horses. This gives a genuinely different tone to the younger, high performance classes elsewhere in the schedule.
Alongside these two new additions, the show’s most prestigious showing titles remain central to the week. The Price Family Supreme In-Hand Championship and the Supreme Products Supreme Horse and Pony of the Year both rank among the most respected titles in British showing. Both are worth planning your visit around if showing is your main interest.
Why Qualification Makes HOYS Different
Much of what makes Horse of the Year Show special comes down to how riders actually get there. Nobody simply turns up and enters. Most classes at HOYS work as the final stage of a season long qualification process. Competitors earn their place through results at smaller shows held across the country throughout the year.
Take the Dressage Future Elite Championship as one example. To qualify, horses need to be aged between 8 and 10 years old at the time of qualification. Combinations must also achieve the highest average percentage across three Prix St Georges or Intermediate I scores. These scores need to come from Premier Leagues, High Profile shows, or domestic CDIs, held between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2026. This is genuinely the culmination of a full competition season, not something riders enter on a whim.
That same pattern continues through the show’s other major titles too. The showing championships in particular represent the top of a genuine pyramid. Thousands of horses compete regionally throughout the year for a tiny number of places in the HOYS final. This explains why the atmosphere inside the arena feels so different from a typical horse show. Every combination you see has already won through a genuine competitive process.
Getting to Horse of the Year Show 2026
By Car
Pre-pay parking is available for the show, and booking this in advance is strongly recommended given the volume of visitors expected across the week, particularly on the busier weekend dates.
By Train
Birmingham International railway station sits within walking distance of the NEC Campus, with regular services connecting to Birmingham New Street and the wider rail network.
By Chauffeur
A private chauffeur transfer removes the stress a big event like HOYS usually brings. The parking search disappears. There is no long walk from an overflow field with bags or young children. Working out train times around an early start is no longer your problem.
Why it helps on early sessions
Several arena sessions start before 7am. Driving yourself means an early alarm and a rushed departure. A pre-booked chauffeur removes that pressure. Your driver checks the roads before setting off. They drop you directly at the venue entrance, not a distant parking zone.
Why it helps on evening sessions
Saturday and Sunday evening sessions continue past 10pm. Walking back to a dark car park after a long day is tiring. With a chauffeur, your driver is already confirmed and waiting. You get straight in the car and head home.
Why it helps if you are flying in
bp pulse LIVE sits on the NEC Campus, right beside Birmingham Airport. If you are flying in for the show, a chauffeur can collect you straight from the terminal. You go directly to the venue. There is no need to arrange separate airport and event transport.
About our service
National Executive Transfers has operated from Birmingham Airport since 2015. We cover the NEC Campus, including bp pulse LIVE, on a regular basis. This applies whether you need a pickup from home, a hotel, or straight off a flight. Our NEC transport guide covers the venue in more depth. Our airport transfer service covers the journey from Birmingham Airport itself.
Practical Tips for Visiting
Dress for an indoor arena with an outdoor feel. The main halls are covered, but temperatures can still feel cool, particularly during early morning sessions. Layers are a sensible choice.
Arrive earlier than your ticket time if you want to explore the Retail Village properly. Shopping access generally opens well before the first arena performance. A longer visit lets you browse without rushing between sessions.
Check the exact arena times for your specific day before you travel. As the schedule above shows, timings shift noticeably between weekday and weekend, and between daytime and evening sessions on Saturday and Sunday.
Book parking and transport in advance regardless of how you are travelling. Around 60,000 visitors are expected across the week, and this year marks the 25th anniversary. Demand on the roads and in the car parks is likely to be higher than a typical year.
Getting There Without the Stress
With five days of world class competition, a 25th anniversary programme, and tens of thousands of visitors expected, Horse of the Year Show 2026 is shaping up to be one of the biggest events on Birmingham’s calendar this October.
Whichever day you attend, a stress free journey there and back makes a real difference to how much you enjoy the day. At National Executive Transfers, we provide fixed price chauffeur transfers to bp pulse LIVE and the wider NEC Campus. Pickups start from home, hotels, or directly from Birmingham Airport. Book your chauffeur transfer to Horse of the Year Show and start the day exactly on time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Wednesday 7 October to Sunday 11 October 2026, continuing for five days at bp pulse LIVE on the NEC Campus in Birmingham.
At bp pulse LIVE, part of the NEC Campus, Perimeter Road, Birmingham, B40 1NT, directly beside Birmingham Airport.
Prices start from £42.00, with several ticket types available covering different combinations of arena access, days, and add-ons such as overnight hotel stays or season-long seating.
Gold tickets, sold for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, include both performances in the Andrews Bowen International Arena that day, plus full access to the TopSpec Arena and Retail Village.
Yes. A Shopping Only ticket gives access purely to the Retail Village, without arena access, available every day of the show.
Two new events debut this year: the Agility Nexus Hunter & Gather Dog Agility Grand Prix, held Wednesday and Thursday, and the Veteran Horse Society Ridden Veteran Horse of the Year Championship, held on Wednesday in the TopSpec Arena for horses aged 15 and over.
Yes, for the first time. The Agility Nexus Hunter & Gather Dog Agility Grand Prix debuts across Wednesday and Thursday, with separate finals for large dogs and for extra small and small dogs combined.
Several arena sessions begin before 7am, so check the specific schedule for your day and allow extra time for parking or travel, particularly during the busier weekend sessions.
Yes, pre-pay parking is available and recommended booking in advance given the scale of the event.
Yes, with family favourites including the Pony Club Mounted Games. Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over holding a valid ticket.
bp pulse LIVE sits on the NEC Campus directly next to Birmingham Airport, making a short chauffeur transfer or taxi the quickest option straight from the terminal.
