The Hornby Premium is an award given to exceptional RID mares in England. Two of our mares have won these awards. Opium Poppy has been awarded two Hornby Premiums and Heathercombe Silver Satin has received three Hornbys. The following description of the Hornby Premium was copied from the 2000 Yearbook of the Irish Draught Horse Society of Great Britain.

The Hornby Premium was devised to recognise the exceptional mares in the breeding herd and to encourage their owners to breed pure Irish Draughts.

The Premiums are awarded at the Mare Gradings, where the successful mares need to score a minimum of 125 points, on their own merits, which is equal to that required for a colt to become a stallion.

Like all great ideas it is both simple and effective. Put the best mares to a registered Irish Draught Stallion and the resultant foals are potentially the Stallions and Hornby Premium Mares of the future.

All graded Irish Draught mares are eligible for consideration, providing they have their own foal at foot, by an RID Stallion. The foal itself is not taken into consideration when assessing the mare

Source: The Irish Draught Horse Yearbook 2000. I.D.H.S. (G.B.) 16th Edition. p. 15.