Innholdsfortegnelse for 24-Dec-15 i Horse & Hound

IN a dramatic conclusion to the Olympia grand prix, Bertram Allen was denied the title after blood was found on the flank of his ride Quiet Easy 4 on Monday night (21 December). The chestnut sped round in 30.45 seconds for the 20-year-old Irish rider. However, as the class ended, it was revealed that the gelding had a spur mark. Under FEI rules elimination is mandatory for blood on the flank. This left the way clear for Michael Whitaker and his World Equestrian Games mount Viking to collect the spoils, as they finished on 32.05 seconds. Bertram said he was “utterly devastated” after the grand prix. “I’m just speechless,” he said. “I have a fantastic relationship with all of my horses and their welfare is paramount. My foot must have…

APPRENTICE jockey Tom Marquand finished runner-up with para swimmer Tully Kearney in the race to become Young Sports Personality of the Year. Tom was among a shortlist of 10 young athletes, whittled down to three finalists. The award was won by gymnast Ellie Downie. Tom picked up the champion apprentice title after riding 54 winners in his first season. The 17-year-old was 26th in the Flat jockeys’ championship, with just five fewer wins than Frankie Dettori in 2015. “I’m gutted to not bring home the award for racing, but would like to thank everyone for the massive amount of support that has got me this far,” said Tom.…

EVENT rider Emily Pope was forced to put down her promising young horse Coevers Gamble (Brindy, pictured, below right) on 4 December, after an arson attack at her yard last month (11 November). A “considerable amount of tack” was stolen, and police believe a lorry (pictured, right) was set on fire to cover the thieves’ tracks. “We think they tried to hot-wire the lorry to steal it, and when they couldn’t they set fire to it,” Emily’s mother Sophie told H&H. “I looked out of the window at 4.30am and saw the lorry in flames and the stables on fire. It was terrifying.” Brindy had been “in good spirits” but her condition deteriorated recently. “She just wasn’t happy,” Emily told H&H. “It was the right decision.” Sophie added: “The burns…

A number of Pony Club qualifications will now allow direct entry to British Horse Society (BHS) and British Showjumping (BS) examinations. And those holding specified BHS and BS qualifications will be able to take Pony Club tests at the level relevant to their experience. The collaboration between the organisations means that eligible riders can use their existing qualifications to advance within another organisation’s training structure without having to start at the first level of the BHS Stage One, BS Five Star Performance Awards or The Pony Club D Test and repeating subject matter already covered, saving both time and money.…

FAIRFAX Saddles’ performance bridle is specially shaped and padded to fit the anatomy of the horse’s head. It features cushioned pads under the headpiece for clearance at the base of the ear and contoured padding where the browband fits onto the headpiece. The noseband is designed to articulate with the horse’s head as it moves and has additional padding around the nasal bone for added protection. Prolite pressure-absorbing material is used to line the headpiece and noseband.…

A United States eventing enthusiast is willing to donate $25,000 (£16,400) to continue an important cross-country safety study that brought new collapsible technology to the fore, before it ran out of funding five years ago, writes Ellie Hughes. Jacqueline Mars has offered to give the money to the United States Eventing Association (USEA) if the governing body can raise an equal figure by mid-January. The study aims to further research by Dr Suzanne Smith of the University of Kentucky in her 2009-2010 Frangible (Collapsible) Fence Study, and will take up to two years. Restarting the study has been one of the goals set by the USEA task force, which was established last year. Its joint-chairman Jonathan Holling told H&H: “Technology is constantly changing and the 2009 study left us with…

A ST BERNARD Police in North Yorkshire responding to reports of a loose Shetland pony on 13 December instead found a St Bernard dog. A GREEDY DONKEY Whisper, who was set to star in a nativity show at Hoo Farm in Telford, chewed through a set of Christmas tree lights, baubles and tinsel. A vet was called in to check on him and he was given the all clear. SAM TWISTONDAVIES The jockey said he is “reviewing his riding style” after being unseated twice in three days. Sam fell yards from victory when Hawkhurst bucked twice and jinked to the right. He also hit the deck two days earlier. STOLEN HORSE HEADS Two masonry horse heads were stolen from the gateposts of a home in Lincolnshire on 9 December. Two…

RACING The famous King George VI Chase on 26 December is the highlight of the Christmas Festival at Kempton Park (26-27 December). kempton.thejockeyclub.co.uk GO TO THE BEACH Blow away the cobwebs with a ride along Irvine Beach, Ayrshire, on 27 December. The event is jointly organised by Ayr Riding Club and British Horse Society Ayrshire and there will also be mince pies afterwards. Contact: juleshanna@yahoo.co.uk POINT-TO-POINT Harkaway Club is hosting its point-to-point at Chaddesley Corbett, Worcs, on 28 December. www.pointtopoint.co.uk WELSH NATIONAL The Welsh National will be held at Chepstow on 27 December. The prize fund for the prestigious race has been increased to £120,000 this year. www.chepstow-racecourse.co.uk SHOW JUMPING Arena UK is holding a New Year showjumping show from 30 December to 1 January. Classes…

I am writing to tell you about my collection of Horse & Hound magazines. My first copy is dated 30 May 1964, I am now 64 years old and have been buying the magazine ever since. I am retired now and have been sorting out the loft, where I found the box in which I stored my first copies — I have kept every issue (I couldn’t bear to part with any). Can you imagine the weight of them? If your readers have any ideas as to what I can do with them all, please get in touch through the H&H letters page. It’s obvious how much I love H&H . Thank you for my years of reading such a good magazine, and long may it continue. SHEIlA ROBINSON Barrow-on-Humber,…

• Allow access to high-quality forage, predominantly during the day (7am to 11pm), at a minimum daily rate of 1.5kg/100kg body weight (BWT). This should ideally be given continuously or at no more than 6hr intervals. • Create multiple forage sources in the stable to improve eating consistency and allow foraging activity. • Use hay (dry, soaked or steamed) or haylage as a forage source — there’s no difference between them in relation to ulceration. • Feed no more than 0.25kg/100kgBWT of straw. This should not be the only forage source. • Provide continuous access to fresh, clean water 24hrs a day. • Split the concentrate ration into three rather than two meals per day. • Opt for grains such as barley and oats instead of sweet feeds. • Add…

IF this feature has brought back distant memories, or if you didn’t read the Pullein-Thompson books as a child and fancy doing so now, we recommend these: Three Ponies And Shannan (Diana Pullein-Thompson) Pony Club Camp or The Radney Riding Club (Josephine Pullein-Thompson) We Hunted Hounds/I Carried The Horn/Goodbye To Hounds (Christine Pullein-Thompson) I Wanted A Pony (Diana Pullein-Thompson) The Woodbury Pony Club series – Pony Club Cup, Pony Club Challenge and Pony Club Trek (Josephine Pullein-Thompson)…

( € 1,000 is approximately £700) • Luhmühlen CCI4*(GER) € 33,000 • Pau CCI4* (FRA) € 31,800 • Aachen CIC3* (GER) € 31,000 • Boekelo CCI3* (NED) € 12,500 • Saumur CCI3* (FRA) € 8,500 • Tattersalls CIC3* (IRL) € 7,000 CIC2* € 4,000 • Marbach CIC3* (GER) € 4,600 • Strzegom CIC3* (POL) € 3,300 • Millstreet CIC3* (IRL) € 3,300 • Arville CIC3* (BEL) € 1,600 • Oudkarspel CIC2* (NED) € 1,000 • Renswoude CIC3* (NED) € 800 • Kreuth CIC2* (GER) € 560…

Another elimination THREE riders progressed to the fifth and final round of the six-bar, in which Spanish rider Eduardo Alvarez Aznar jumped clear to take the € 5,500 (£4,030) prize pot. Victoria Gulliksen was originally placed joint first after her clear with Grand Balou, but was later disqualified. Michael Whitaker and new ride Right Now Semilly were the third combination through, but ducked out at the final 1.95m vertical. Norwegian rising star Victoria had entered the class, when the rules specifically stated that she couldn’t do so — having been invited only to take part in Thursday’s puissance. It was a first international win for Eduardo’s new ride Chatman, whom he purchased recently in France. “He was jumping with an amateur, not at international level. This is his first week…

THIS Belgian combination attracted admirers, finishing eighth in the freestyle with 74.12%. The 10-year-old is a typical Dutch mare, with legs so long she could be a supermodel — giving her bags of expression as well as athleticism and suppleness. The Lord Loxley x Havel daughter displayed such willingness to sit in piaffe that her tail almost touched the ground, and she unveiled a spectacular extended trot. The pair have contested grand prix for a year, scoring high 60s and 70s. Once the mare learns to contain both her power and her excitement, she’ll be one to look out for, as Olympian Imke Schellekens-Bartels acknowledged: “There’s a fine line between expression and tension, but she showed some beautiful work.”…

Blue Chip BSPS Heritage Ridden Mountain & Moorland Ridden Championship 21 DECEMBER AFTER 15 years of trying, native specialist Becki Penny finally landed her first Olympia victory. She scored with a foot-perfect performance on her debut-making Fell stallion, Townend Schubert, who became the first of his breed to lift the title for 23 years. “I spotted him as a foal on the Fells and bought him as an unbroken three-year-old,” she said. “For me, he has everything: he’s ponylike, small and has the most incredible, textbook hair. Plus it’s not often you get a pony which suits both breed and ridden judges, but he does.” Becki was quick to credit producer Aimee Devane, for whom it was also a best-ever Olympia result. Aimee has had Schubert for the past two…

EMILY WARD HANSEN put 70% and 73.09% medium wins on Mars’ British Dressage (BD) record at Step Aside, West Sussex (10 December), reports Celia Cadwallader. These were the De Noir x Weltjunge seven-year-old’s best results to date. “I was careful not to ask for too much going towards the boards in the trot and canter extensions as he spooked at them last time out,” said Emily. “We had some nines which compensated for some lower-marked movements, including one for a relaxed walk.” Clare Waterman and 19-year-old Pryma stepped up from marks in the low 60s to be rewarded with a 67.21% score for their advanced medium at Blue Barn, Kent (9 December). Clare said: “After riding ‘Pye’ for five years, I managed not to have an issue with his tongue…

THE eventing team competition demands consistent jumping phases of predominately clear rounds with few time-penalties. Only then do dressage scores come into play. With today’s elevated standards, winning teams need dressage scores over 74% (38 penalties), with most team members striving for 80% (30 penalties). This implies “technically clear” movements of good to excellent quality, scoring some nines. Riders must be objective and if winning results are elusive they will, like all top sportsmen, need to take a critical look at their performance starting with the basics. Then, like those such as tennis player Novak Djokovic, prioritise the work that needs to be done. The “golden thread” woven through the three phases of eventing is largely overlooked, as each is traditionally viewed in isolation. But in every phase the horse…

FOR AP McCoy to pick up the BBC lifetime achievement award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards this weekend was great recognition for both him and the sport (see p5). It’s good for me too, as he can’t possibly return to riding now he’s received that! It’s brilliant that AP’s years of work have been publicly recognised as an achievement by the sporting world globally. I can’t see that anyone could do any more — to be at the top of your sport for 20 years is incredible. AP also came across very well in accepting the award and thanking the horses and the stable staff who ride them day in, day out. Without them we couldn’t do this job; horses are not something you can pick…

HORSE & HOUND columnist Carl Hester raised the roof when he won his first ever Reem Acra FEI World Cup grand prix freestyle title at Olympia last week (Wednesday, 16 December). Carl, aboard his own and Jane de la Mare’s Nip Tuck, scored 83.75% to win, showcasing a new routine. “This is huge for me,” he said. “I thought I had a chance and decided to grab it. I was a little nervous as to whether it would come off, and to produce a test like that you really need to have a horse on your side. “It just shows that after 25 years in the job and riding grands prix you never really know what you have. Nip Tuck is turning into something I never thought he was.” It…

DOCTOR KINGSLEY The 13-year-old pointing star, who won 14 times between the flags as well as three hunter chases at Cheltenham, has been retired. “He’s a truly wonderful horse with a quirky sense of humour,” said owner Pauline Harkin. CONEYGREE The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, trained by Mark Bradstock, has been ruled out of the King George VI Chase after sustaining an injury at home. The eight-year-old was not entered but connections could have paid a £10,000 supplement. STERREHOF’S VOLTAIRE Marc Houtzager’s Dutch team horse has been sold to the States to be ridden by Eve Jobs, daughter of Apple founder Steve. With Marc the 13-year-old gelding was on the 2012 winning Nations Cup team in St Gallen. AMERICAN PHAROAH The Triple Crown winner scored 47% of the votes in…

GINA RUCK The event rider issued a warning to horse owners to wear a helmet while handling horses after she was kicked in the head turning out a horse. She was taken to hospital with head injuries, but is now back home recovering. CARL BOUCKAERT The Belgian Olympic event rider and partner of fellow Belgian Olympian Karin Donckers has been hospitalised after suffering a broken leg. The 61-year-old had an operation on 16 December. CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN The World number one has donated equipment to The Brooke. The tack, including items worn by Charlotte and Valegro at London 2012, is being auctioned until 3 January at www.jumblebee.co.uk/ charlottedujardin NICK GAUNTLETT The event rider and his wife Amanda have welcomed a baby boy into their family. Arthur Gauntlett was born on 17…

THE first ladies’ snow polo tournament is being held in Bad Gastein in Austria next year (19-21 February 2016). The inaugural tournament is being organised by the Polo Instructors and Players Association (PIPA) following demand from players. Teams are expected from England, Spain, Austria, Slovakia and Argentina. PIPA hopes to add another three tournaments to the women’s snow season in 2017 after the February pilot. PIPA president Dr Uwe Seebacher said that the ladies’ snow tournament will help broaden the appeal of polo. “Snow polo is a fast and furious, action-packed game. It is totally different from the game on grass,” he told H&H.…

RIDERS are being reminded of the new hat standards they must comply with at affiliated competitions in 2016. The standard (BS)EN 1384 was withdrawn from European Legislation last year. This means that hats made solely to this standard cannot be used at British Eventing (BE) competitions from 1 January 2016 and all protective headwear must be retagged. BE riders will still be allowed to use protective headwear that carries the (BS)EN 1384 label as well as a BE approved standard for 2016. This will also apply to the Pony Club, Riding Clubs, British Horse Society and British Showjumping. British Dressage will permit (BS)EN 1384 hats next year and is plans to remove them from its list of standards from 1 January 2017. Accepted BE hat standards for 2016: • British: all…

RICHARD MATSON THE leading figure in the sport horse breeding world (pictured) died on 11 December. Mr Matson was the senior partner at Twemlows Stud, which was at the centre of the return of specialist test-tube technology to the UK this year. He was also a panel judge for the Sports Horse Breeding Society of Great Britain, a council member of the British Horse Foundation and, until recently, vice-chairman of the National Equine Forum. Mr Matson was a former master of the Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn hunt. GILL DREW THE retired List One dressage judge died on 3 December aged 76. Her niece, Pippa, described her aunt as “the kindest person that I will ever have the privilege to know and love”. On Gill’s retirement Pippa took on her advanced horse…

A pet funeral association has slammed the sentence given to the owner of a crematorium who gave bereaved owners ashes of the wrong pets, writes Amy Mathieson. Allan McMasters appeared at Cannock Magistrates Court last month (19 November) and was handed a 12-month community order including 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £6,400 in costs, £2,000 of which went to victims. Stephen Mayles, of the Association of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria (APPCC), described the sentence as “ridiculously lenient”. After a tip-off that animals were not being cremated, trading standards officers visited Swanpit Pet Crematorium in Gnosall, Staffordshire, in November 2015. The officers found chest freezers filled with dead animals, plastic bin liners full of ashes and horse carcasses at the yard. McMasters pleaded guilty…

MARK DARCY’S iconic Christmas jumper may be hard to beat, but Ascot racecourse is giving the Bridget Jones hero a run for his money with its festive “foursie”. The track has tailored a seasonal one-piece for Shetland pony Daffy to keep him toasty when the weather outside is frightful. Nick Smith, from Ascot, said they wanted to do something fun and festive to mark the racecourse’s Christmas Racing Weekend (18-19 December). Daffy is owned by Jackie Rowberry, a trainer at animal TV and film company Animal Dramatics. “In winter I always worry about Daffy getting chilly as he likes to spend so much time outside,” she said. “I love that Ascot has created a special foursie for Daffy so that he can get into the Christmas spirit. “He has loved…

WHEN you’re expecting, people tell you how much the baby will change your life. I’d assumed they had meant this on a practical level, so was surprised to find that beyond not being able to head off to Olympia for an evening without enlisting Grandma’s help, there’s not much us parents can’t do. I now realise they meant children change your outlook, which doubtless changes your life. A different perspective leads to different priorities, and perhaps it’s having less time that clarifies those priorities. Returning to H&H in all its guises, my focus for the magazine is clear — what can we do to help the horse world? The answer begins next week, with the announcement of our charity of the year, and will continue throughout 2016 as we campaign…

TROOPER NICK BARRETT The Blues and Royals squadron, Household Cavalry WHAT’S YOUR CHRISTMAS DAY ROUTINE? We start at 6am, muck out and take the horses for an hour’s exercise round the streets of London. The 12 soldiers and horses on duty for the Queen’s Life Guard will be inspected and head down to change the guard at 11am. Then we’ll rotate standing on duty until 8pm, when we sit down for Christmas dinner. CHRISTMAS DINNER: it must be a roast of some sort, turkey being my favourite. It’s never too busy to enjoy a drink, but hot chocolate has to substitute for a glass of mulled wine. COMMUNITY SPIRIT: the regiment splits into two halves: half work Christmas Day and have New Year’s Eve off, and vice versa. This means…

THE same day that Michael Jung won his third European title and € 18,000 (£12,780), Scott Brash (pictured, right) was pocketing € 1m (£707,000) in showjumping’s new Rolex Grand Slam, as well as the C$500,000 (£251,000) first prize for winning the final leg, the Spruce Meadows grand prix. Badminton, Burghley and Kentucky devised the eventing slam in 1998, with Rolex later coming in as sponsor. The eventing slam bonus was raised to $350,000 (£234,000) in 2008, having initially been $250,000 (£167,000). After HSBC dropped out of the FEI Classics in 2013 the FEI underpinned the series prize money, although the winner now receives only $40,000 (£26,800), having previously pocketed $150,000 (£100,000). The FEI is still looking for a sponsor. “Clearly, as the FEI is a not-for-profit organisation, the prize fund…

OUR day includes a session on the simulators — the closest a jockey can get to emulating race riding. Senior jockey coach Richard Perham puts us through our paces, emphasising the importance of your own fitness. We take turns on a simulator set up in front of a screen, showing a headcam view of a race at Aintree. Richard wants us to get a feel for riding in a race, and practise riding a finish. “That was four minutes and two miles,” Richard says at the end. “In a point-to-point you will have another mile to go.” At this point, I realise just how fit we will have to be. “You should ask for a simulator in the office,” he adds. I’m still waiting to hear about that. “Or just…

I feel for my teammate Bertram Allen who annihilated the opposition to “win” the grand prix. The general consensus among the top riders was that the FEI rule needs to be reviewed regarding mandatory disqualification. In my view, over zealous stewarding compounded by some apathetic actions brought the sport and this great show into the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Olympia is one of my favourite shows. My top horse Good Luck is in quarantine so I rode two horses borrowed from my students. Coco II went clear in Saturday’s 1.55m and I was very pleased with Super Sox, who finished sixth in the Longines FEI World Cup leg. It’s his first season at this level, so he’s still learning — the ring at Olympia is tight and the jumps…

THEIR third appearance in this celebrated hall proved the lucky one for 21-year-old Chloe Winchester (pictured, right) and her “horse of a lifetime” Avoca Valkyrie. The 2014 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) young rider champions added the Olympia title to their form with the quickest of two double clears. The win gilded a season in which the pair claimed Hickstead’s historic Queen Elizabeth Cup, made their three-star Nations Cup debut at Odense and secured team and individual fourth at the young rider European championships. There were 10 available jump-off slots in this class, which were taken up by six first-round clears and the four fastest four-faulters. One of the trickier fences in the initial round — a water tray oxer jumped from a slightly offset angle off the boards…

FOR Carl and his many fans it was a dream ending to Olympia. For us Brits it is such an iconic event and the Grand Hall has a magic all of its own; it is therefore understandable that, touched with emotion, Carl described his victory as being as good as winning a medal. For many dressage devotees it has become the annual pre-Christmas break, with tickets for the freestyle selling out months in advance. But it was particularly pleasing for me, as part of the organising team, to see an almost full-house for the first day’s grand prix class. There are very few shows in the world that attract that amount of public interest for a technical qualifying class, and this must reflect the substantial following dressage now enjoys in…

• FELL — R Penny’s Townend Schubert • WELSH SECTION D — Ringside Stud’s Ringside Game Over • HIGHLAND — M Stanford’s Benbreac Of Croila • WELSH SECTION C — I Gawith’s Menai Celtic Hero • DALES — S Field’s Tarbarl Matthew • CONNEMARA — S Burton’s Banks Timber • WELSH SECTION A — I Latter’s Powys Sprite • WELSH SECTION B — K Scott’s Cadlanvalley Sandpiper • DARTMOOR — D Barr’s Okeleat Navigator • EXMOOR — M Bryant’s Moonpenny Aquarius • SHETLAND — A Stevens’ Brinleyview Camanchee • NEW FOREST — G Jeffries’ Applewitch Magister…

CORNWALL TREC GROUP team (pictured, below) trainer Verity Perry was forced to step in as the scarecrow just two weeks before Olympia after Zoe Caines was taken ill. As the Lycra suits had been tailor-made there was no chance to substitute the horse so Verity had to ride Zoe’s medium dressage mount Talkland Abbeygale. “It’s completely different riding it to being on the ground, but there were no major mishaps so we can’t grumble,” said Verity, who was joined by Emily Dunstan as Dorothy, Marie Wood as the tin man and Katherine Davis as the lion. Moat View RC also had to make adjustments, having just two practice runs with Charm, who was brought into the fold after Buddy Allum’s Old Park Rose did a check ligament.…

IT might have been six days early but a new star was born this Christmas when Colin Tizzard’s Thistlecrack ran away with the JLT Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday (19 December). The Long Walk, in its traditional slot sharing centre stage with Father Christmas and carol singing at Ascot on the last Saturday before the holiday, gives staying hurdlers a rare chance to shine before Cheltenham in March. Big Buck’s won the race three times while Reve De Sivola, who neither loves Cheltenham like he does Ascot nor ever gets the ground in March, had won the last three editions and was bidding for a four-timer. But it was a measure of Thistlecrack’s authority that he merely used Reve De Sivola for a nice lead to the second-last…

Mike Dillon, of sponsors Ladbrokes, while waiting for the judge to call the winner of the Ladbroke Hurdle: “It can’t be a dead heat — I only have one winner’s sheet.” THE race was indeed a dead heat, between Sternrubin, a second big winner for Richard Johnson and Philip Hobbs in a week, and Jolly’s Cracked It for Harry Fry and Noel Fehily. Having led all the way it appeared Sternrubin was beaten when passed 100 yards out by Fehily’s mount in a perfectly delivered challenge, but Hobbs’ German-bred showed great tenacity to fight back on the line.…

OUR NOBBY appeared at our gate when I was about 14 — a local farmer arrived asking if we “wanted to buy an ‘oss”. He turned out not to be an ‘oss at all, rather a very weedy thoroughbred pony. On arrival Nobby infected the entire yard with Canadian Pox, including me, and was so nappy that Jennie [Loriston-Clarke, Jane’s sister] and Mike [Bullen, Jane’s brother] had to ride him at first. He once jumped a 4ft6in post and rail fence, mid-nap, with Mike aboard — such was his determination to go the way he wanted. He was also a terrible weaver, but got himself fit by doing so, and had legs of iron. Nobby never quite made the then mandatory 15hh, so we gave the vet an excellent lunch…

BRITISH Eventing (BE) has told H&H it is “considering changes” to the minimum eligibility requirements (MER) following news that the FEI is beefing up its four-star qualification criteria (news, 10 December). “Following the FEI General Assembly and the changes to the four-star MERs, BE are considering changes to our national MERs to take into account the increased requirements,” said a BE spokesman. “The finishing touches are being put to the 2016 rulebook now; it will be published online at Christmas.”…

A bridle has been proven to improve a horse’s comfort and way of going in a recent study. The two-year project investigated optimal bridle design, before creating a bridle that matched the findings. Sites of high pressure under the headpiece of a double bridle and a standard crank cavesson noseband were determined on 12 high-level competition horses using pressure mats under their usual bridles. High-pressure zones were found behind the base of the ears on headpieces and on either side of the nasal bone on nosebands. A bridle, which has since been released to the market by Fairfax Saddles, was then created to reduce the pressure in these areas, as well as additional sites where high pressure was recorded. The bridle was tested on the 12 horses and the results…

A livestock welfare group is working on finding a way of binding reflective beading to paint in a bid to prevent equine deaths on Dartmoor’s roads. The Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society (DLPS) hopes that daubing reflective stripes on animals that graze the moors could help stop them from being hit by traffic. This autumn, the society trialled a paint on the coats of two ponies. The trial was a success, but they now need to find a durable reflective component that will mix with it.…

VALEGRO Martje and Joop Hanse, the breeders of British gold medal-winning dressage star Valegro, have been honoured at The World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses’ awards — for the third year running. ABBIE MCCAIN The 16-year-old jockey, granddaughter of Grand National legend Ginger, had her first win in only her second race under Rules. She was riding Danceintothelight, trained by her father Donald. WORLD HORSE WELFARE The Hunks & Horses 2016 charity calendar raised more than £1,000 in under 24 hours after appearing on www.horseandhound.co.uk. The calendar, which is in aid of World Horse Welfare, has already raised more than last year’s effort. THE KELPIES Miniature versions of Scotland’s famous sculptures will remain at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh for the winter. The…

H&H will be introducing specialist news pages in dressage, showjumping and showing in 2016, alongside the existing equivalents in hunting, eventing and sport horse breeding. In addition to our weekly eight-page news section at the front of the magazine, the Life pages in the three Olympic disciplines and showing will rotate monthly. Dressage Life kicks off the series on 7 January, followed by Eventing Life (14 January), Showjumping Life (21 January) and Showing Life (28 January). “These pages are the ideal place for all the little titbits which might not make our main news pages — where the pressure for space is always intense — but which are still fascinating to our readers,” said eventing editor and acting print director Pippa Roome. “I’ve been trialling Eventing Life since July this…

TOWING THE LINE Sir — I would like to make your readers aware of a potentially dangerous habit some people who drive trailers have. Last Tuesday while I was driving our lorry on the way to go hunting, I met an oncoming vehicle towing a trailer on a lane, which was wide enough for us to pass each other with ease. The top door of the trailer had not been fastened and, as the driver slowed down, the door swung and smashed into me. Luckily it did no damage — it just bent the mirror. However, it could so easily have smashed the windscreen and hit me. Please, anyone who drives a trailer, fasten the top door before anyone has a nasty accident. Jane Allfrey Malvern, Worcs CASE-BY-CASE CUSHING’S Sir…

My secret weapon… My life coach David Collins. I used to suffer with nerves but now I have a toolbox of techniques that help make competing more fun than training. One of them is writing your anxieties on a piece of paper, aggressively screwing it up and then putting it in a box and jumping on it, then you burn the box... So if you see my lorry rocking, I’m jumping on a box! My earliest equestrian memory… Going to my first camp with the Brocklesby branch of the Pony Club aged three. I was the youngest one there, and I remember being annoyed because I had to go home and everyone else was allowed to stay. Biggest mistake... Not getting involved in the British Young Rider Dressage Scheme at…

MY favourite exercise is suitable for horses at every level. Build five fences on the arena centre line, with one canter stride between each. Make the middle fence an oxer and the other four verticals. Now angle each fence by 45 degrees, turning the first fence to the left, the second to the right and so on — so you have a line of zigzagged fences on the centre line. Canter to the first fence on the left rein, jumping it square on. Loop round on a circle to your left after landing to meet the next fence square on, before looping round on a circle to your right, and so on down the line. This is a great way to help a young horse to develop balance and rhythm,…

SHOWJUMPING’S Global Champions Tour (GCT) delivers millions in prize money. At GCT Vienna, 20 of the 49 starters in the opening five-star class were world-ranked well below 100. Not surprisingly, four-star eventers feel ill-served when showjumpers of moderate achievement are able to compete for € 500,000 (£354,000). The world’s top 30 are automatically invited, but low-ranked riders participate through a private “pay card” arrangement with the GCT — an entry fee understood to be about € 30,000 (£21,200). Pay cards are clearly incompatible with eventing, where cross-country competence is built into qualifications. Furthermore, the FEI is currently reviewing the CSI invitations system, and how rankings points could better reflect the quality of the field. In April, FEI vice-president and jumping committee chair John Madden said pay cards allowed riders to…

FORMER jockey and coach Steve Smith-Eccles educates us on the “tuck and roll” theory of falling during a race. “Although anything can happen when you fall, and it usually happens quickly, it is good to have this seed planted in your heads,” he says. First, he gets us doing forward rolls in the gym and over the exercise ball. We practise bringing our right arms around to create a twist in our bodies, and tucking our heads in so we land on our shoulder blades. This prevents us from landing on our head or neck, and from putting both arms out to break the fall. We then move on to the mechanical horse, which throws you forward out of the saddle from a height onto a crash mat — a…

Leonard stretches to victory WITH two close seconds already on his account, Pius Schwizer saved the best until last as he scooped a searing victory in the Holly speed stakes. A high octane round from Maikel van der Vleuten (Kisby) had established the initial bar, before Cian O’Connor and Coco II clawed back 0.08 of a second. It looked like a closed shop, but Pius, jumping third-last, made the most of Leonard De La Ferme CH’s lightfooted but ground-covering stride to find an impressive 0.34 of a second. “Leonard is a good horse — he was spooky the first day but then got better and better and today he is on top,” said Pius.…

IT seems Olympia attracted a host of budding dressage judges. An exciting new element this year was the public judging app, which allowed viewers to mark competitors, and compare their scores to that of the judges. Using the Black Horse 88 app, dressage enthusiasts can choose to score each movement, mark using a shortened test sheet or simply estimate a final percentage. The viewers’ results were strikingly similar to that of the judges, having Carl on 82.55% compared to 83.85%. They were even more astute with Charlotte, averaging 82.11% — just 0.4% lower than her actual percentage.…

TOWNEND SCHUBERT is a worthy native champion (report, page 58). He’s a striking pony who is beautifully produced and he really sold himself. I also liked third-placed Benbreac Of Croila. He’s a lovely stamp with a good front; I could picture him carrying a stag off the hills, which is what Highlands are bred for. There were 21 stallions forward and, as a conformation judge, I felt that a lot of riders could improve their handling of them. A number were pushy and ill-mannered, trying to bite their handler and turning their head, which spoilt the overall picture. They should work on that at home — it is important that ponies are respectful of their handler. A number of competitors trotted too fast in the ride-round, pushing ponies out of…

THERE was drama for Koos de Ronde when one of his leaders stumbled and fell as they completed the third round. Chestnut gelding Palero was dragged a few feet by the rest of the team but quickly righted himself to escape unharmed. Koos was ejected from the driver’s seat but course-builder Johan Jacobs, who was in the arena, was quick to pull the team to a stop. “The left leader went down and when 600kg of horse fell to the floor it pulled me out of the seat. The horses fortunately stayed pretty relaxed,” said Koos. “I am not sure why it happened. The surface is always good here and it drove fine in the first round.” Koos’ wife Marie, who was on the backstep, aggravated a knee injury as…

“WE must be crazy!” declared Ian Stark as we peered out of the windows of his house at Greenhill Farm, near Selkirk, on 5 December. Sixty mile-an-hour winds howled around us, buffeting the house, and torrential rain drove horizontally across the Scottish landscape. Storm Desmond was setting in, dire weather warnings had been issued, and people were being evacuated from their homes in the nearby town of Hawick. Every other hunt in Scotland had cancelled. Yet in spite of this, the Duke of Buccleuch’s joint-master and huntsman Tim Allen had just telephoned Ian to tell us that we were going ahead. If Ian Stark declares something to be crazy, then it very probably is. A three-time Badminton-winner, multiple Olympic medallist and European eventing champion, Ian thrilled a generation of eventing…

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE JOB? I rode as a jockey for 23 years, and when I retired couldn’t think of anything I wanted to do. Then a job came up with The Jockey Club [now the British Horseracing Authority], so I applied — I had a three-month trial period learning the ropes and I have now been doing it for 16 years. WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL DAY INVOLVE? I turn up a couple of hours before the first race and will grab a bit of lunch before the racing kicks off. Then we have a meeting in the Stewards’ Room to discuss and go over the card — we talk about any potentially tricky horses that may be difficult to start. I go down to the start 10…