Innholdsfortegnelse for 30-Jul-2020 i Horse & Hound

IT’S troubling that the latest research into concerns over equine welfare suggests that little, if any, progress has been made since the last research of its kind in 2016 (news, p5). Roly Owers, World Horse Welfare CEO, states that some of these problems, for example worm burdens and resistance, are deteriorating, suggesting that many owners are not following best practice. Roly is unsurprised, on account of many of the issues listed being “systemic and chronic”. That and human behaviour being notoriously difficult to change. Researcher Cathy Dwyer talks to us about horse management, and how often this is set up for the convenience of people as opposed to horses’ needs. Some attitudes are changing – the last yard I was on there would have been eyebrows raised for wanting limited…

FUND FOR WORKING DONKEYS OPENS THE Donkey Sanctuary has launched a fund to help owners of working donkeys and mules in Africa, Asia and the Americas during the Covid-19 pandemic. The fund will help the most vulnerable owners as well as protecting the welfare of donkeys and mules. Donkey Sanctuary chief executive Mike Baker said: “By tackling the wellbeing of working animals and the people who work with them, we can support both to be more resilient in an increasingly complex and difficult world.” BHS AWARDS NOMINATIONS OPEN NOMINATIONS have opened for the British Horse Society (BHS) annual awards. The awards aim to recognise the achievements of BHS volunteers, partners and supporters. A spokesman said: “We are passionate about celebrating the impact we can make, both as individuals and as…

Royal Ascot-winning jockey Hollie Doyle has become a retained rider for Epsom Derby-winning owner Imad Al Sagar. Hollie said she was “delighted” to be teaming up with Imad. German dressage world gold medallist Isabell Werth won three grands prix and a special at the Austrian CDI on Weihegold OLD and DSP Quantaz, scoring more than 80% in each. Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Paddy Aspell, 38, has retired owing to a cruciate ligament injury he suffered in a fall last year. He said he decided to “quit while he was ahead”. Showjumping legend Nick Skelton won the Olympic edition of the BBC’s Pointless Celebrities. Nick was teamed up with Invictus Games medallist JJ Chalmers for the quiz. Group One-winning jockey Pat Cosgrave has been sidelined for four to six weeks after he…

IT’S always good to have a success at your first show after a break – let alone winning four grands prix in one day at an international. Tabitha Kyle, 13, took every grand prix for which she had qualified, on the last day of a show in Le Mans, France, on Sunday (26 July). Tabitha started with a win on Licken Lady in the seven-year-old pony grand prix, followed it up by taking the pony large tour title on Gangnam Style II and went on to win the amateur grand prix on the 17.1hh Grennanstown Sarco Lux Hill. But that wasn’t enough as the teenager finished her day by coming first and second in the pony small tour grand prix, on Orchid’s Vienna and Atomic Du Bary respectively. “It was…

IT’S good to be back competing, even if – at my first event back at Aston-le-Walls – four quite well-known riders came up to me, one by one, and said, “We thought you’d retired!” It might have been because I hadn’t been at Barbury, my local event, the weekend before; instead, I was in Switzerland training the Swiss team, which I had originally organised round Barbury, but then its date was moved back a week and I was committed to going to Switzerland. Mind you, I wished I had retired when I got up at 3.30am last Sunday to go to Bicton. I am enjoying it, though – I thought the horses and I were going well during lockdown, but competition sharpens you up and raises the bar in a…

What’s the best or last book you’ve read? It was probably back when I was at school and being forced to read a book! Although I did enjoy the children’s series ofThe Famous Fivebooks when I was younger. These days, I stick to reading Horse & HoundandRacing Post–that is enough for me. What are your favourite tunes for a road-trip? I listen to all sorts. I love 80s music and Heart 80s Radio will always be on in the car, but I also enjoy 90s rap music. I have seen Snoop Dogg twice, once in London and once in Brighton, and I also like American hip-hop trio The Sugarhill Gang – you probably need to Google them! What was your first pony? An 11hh Welsh pony called George when I…

CARE CONUNDRUM THERE is overwhelming evidence that keeping a pet or caring for an animal like a horse or pony is good for our mental wellbeing. With the increase in pleasure horse ownership, the distinction between horses as working or competition animals and as pets has become less clear. Horses are also being kept into their geriatric years more than they used to be; in the US, the proportion of those aged 20 or older has increased by over 50% since 2005 and the same trend is apparent in the UK. Vets and social scientists in the US have explored the physical, emotional and mental burden of caring for horses over 20 years old. Using a survey of nearly 1,500 owners or keepers, they investigated the costs, the worry and…

• Michael Jung was only 11th after dressage – and a discard score for the German team. • The judges ordered a 10-minute break in the worst of the storms on the second dressage day to repair the roof of one of their huts. The delay interrupted Andrew Nicholson’s preparation on Nereo, leaving the horse “a bit flat and confused” – and his rider furious. Andrew finished fourth and believed this cost him an individual medal. • Japanese rider Yoshiaki Oiwa led the dressage, with a personal best which exceeded all his previous form. A fall across country put paid to a first Japanese Olympic eventing medal. • The most faults across country came at fence 3ab, the Bandstand Rails, two apparently straightforward small angled uprights. • The cross-country going…

1 A celebration of the new format: one of the greatest fears ahead of this Olympics is whether the new format with all three scores counting (no fourth rider or drop score) still produces the “right” winner. Horses can have off days, mistakes are made in the heat of the moment and wouldn’t it be a disaster if a rider jumps the gold medal-winning round for a team, only to be eliminated for the blood rule? But as events such as the Global Champions League, where all scores count, have proved, it can make for exciting viewing. Perhaps it will be the rejuvenation the sport needs as a TV spectacle. 2 A proper test: there is some talk about how stern a test the Olympics will be, if they do…

• At the 1972 Olympics, eight Palestinian terrorists broke into the Olympic Village on 5 September, killing two Israeli athletes and taking nine others hostage (pictured, right). In a battle at Munich airport that evening, all the hostages, five terrorists and a West German policeman were killed. Competition was suspended for 24 hours, including the dressage, and memorial services held. “Everybody was just sad,” recalled US eventing coach Jack Le Goff, who died in 2009, in an interview for Jennifer O Bryant’s Olympic history book. “It was just terrible.” Jack added that the event had an impact on the following Games in Montreal too: “You had the feeling you were entering an army camp there. There were police and machine guns everywhere.” • One person was killed in a bomb…

Sparsholt College EC, Hants “IT’S exciting to be back in tails,” said Olivia Oakeley, who headed the prix st georges (PSG) qualifier with Rock Diva. Olivia, a team member at five European championships as a junior and young rider, was competing in her first PSG for five years. “‘Rocky’ is the most trainable horse I’ve sat on,” she said of the seven-year-old Rock Forever daughter, who was bred by Katarzyna Koch in Germany and bought at two. “She’s sassy but such a trier; she felt pretty much like a horse who has been doing it all her life. While her pirouettes are still a work in progress, her tempi changes are a highlight.” Olivia has been using the facilities at her new base, Allington Equine in Hampshire, to introduce some…

WORKING on the basics has paid off for Sarah Jorgensen and her Danish warmblood Sandro IIII, who scored a personal best of 76.03% to win the medium 61 at Kings Equestrian, Herefordshire. “One issue was that he was sometimes a little high in the neck, but after the competition break he seems more correct,” said Sarah, who moved here with Sandro (Blue Hors Soprano x Windeck) from Denmark to study a master’s in veterinary physiotherapy at Hartpury University. “We’ve been training with Kate Cowell and have also done a lot of hacking and hill work, so he feels symmetrical and supple. “Sandro is a good buddy in the ring,” she added of the 15-year-old gelding. “The other competitors were riding really well, so I never thought we’d beat them. I…

Ascot Racecourse, Berks IT may have been a by-product of Enable’s owner/breeder’s desire to have one last crack at winning a record third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but the supermare wrote her own page in British racing’s history books by becoming the first horse to win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes three times, on Saturday, 25 July. Disappointingly, only four were declared for the £400,000 race and only three ran after last year’s Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck was taken out overnight with a poor blood picture. The small field was probably a combination of this strange year – particularly with the Derby having been run only three weeks before, ruling out many three-year-olds – and the fact that the best mile-and-a-half horses are all…

Frankie Dettori 1995 Lamtarra (trainer Saeed Bin Suroor) 1998 Swain (Saeed Bin Suroor) 1999 Daylami (Saeed Bin Suroor) 2004 Doyen (Saeed Bin Suroor) 2017 Enable (John Gosden) 2019 Enable (John Gosden) 2020 Enable (John Gosden) Lester Piggott (pictured) 1965 Meadow Court (trainer Paddy Prendergast) 1966 Aunt Edith (Noel Murless) 1969 Park Top (Bernard van Cutsem) 1970 Nijinsky (Vincent O’Brien) 1974 Dahlia (Maurice Zilber) 1977 The Minstrel (Vincent O’Brien) 1984 Teenoso (Geoff Wragg)…

“European riders want this”BRUCE HASKELL – EVENTING RIDERS ASSOCIATION THE chance of the 2021 European Championships’ running has taken another step forward. The FEI board asked the European Equestrian Federation (EEF) to bring a “realistic proposal” for a reinstated showjumping championships to the board meeting on 21 July (news, 2 July). This followed a push from owners and riders in showjumping, and support from national federations, for the Europeans to run next year. “The FEI board decided to provide the bids/expressions of interest received through the EEF for these championships to the relevant technical committees and calendar task forces to understand if they want the FEI board to reconsider its decision to cancel these championships,” states the minutes from the meeting. While the showjumpers were first out of the gates…

MR BASS Laura Collett’s eventer has had his first run since sustaining a leg injury at Badminton 2019. They scored 26.9 in dressage, rolled a pole showjumping and went clear cross-country in the AI at Bicton. ENABLE The John Gosden-trained six-year-old won a record third King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on 25 July under Frankie Dettori for owner Prince Khalid Abdullah. This was her 11th top-level win (report, p50). CASTLE EMPEROR Vanessa Compton’s Connemara has been sold to Germany to stand at the Sternbergs stud. The nine-year-old has qualified for the Cuddy championship five times and stood second at the 2019 final.…

CALLS have been made for England to follow Scotland’s lead in increasing the maximum sentence for animal abusers. The Scottish legislation, granted royal assent on 21 July, increases the maximum jail term from 12 months to five years. “The focus now shifts to Westminster and the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill,” said charity Battersea dogs and Cats Home. “The second reading date for the Bill has been postponed a number of times, although it has huge cross-party support. “Together, we’ll make sure that Westminster follows Scotland’s lead. We know the political support is there – it’s time to get this over the line.” The new Scottish law means charities can start the rehoming process sooner, and incorporates Finn’s Law, which came into force in England and Wales in 2019, and means…

MIGHTY NICE Phillip Dutton has lost the ride on his Rio Olympic bronze-medal winner – to his daughter. Phillip said he expected the 16-year-old, who also finished fourth with Phillip at Kentucky 2016, to be out soon with Olivia, 18. ENFANT The Olympic dressage horse has died, aged 34. He and Vicki Thompson-Winfield represented Britain at the 1996 Games. Vicki and “Impy”, with Carl Hester and Gershwin, won the pas de deux at the 1995 Europeans. LAST ROYAL The Keiran Burke-trained full brother to unbeaten Cheltenham Festival winner Honeysuckle won his debut in a Uttoxeter bumper on 23 July under Tom Bellamy. The five-year-old is out of the late First Royal.…

LONG MANES A rider was looking for advice on how to make her hair, all 32 inches of it, neat for hunting. Lots of suggestions about buns and double hairnets, and also the succinct: “Hog it!” There’s got to be an argument for that, think of the grooming time you’d save. DRIVE-THROUGHS We’re very keen on the idea of drive-through pointing, or running “behind closed car doors”, to allow spectators to watch the action from their cars. Anyone who’s stood on a bleak, wind-and rain-swept hillside in February will undoubtedly agree… LEGENDS Olympic champion Nick Skelton went on BBC quiz show Pointless at the weekend, and won. Is there anything he can’t do? Sort out Brexit and the coronavirus? Skelton for PM? It looks promising...…

A VERY good American friend suggested that I address the value of a properly used whip in this day and age, when some feel we can’t even carry one round the edge of an arena as it’s considered ugly for the public. Firstly, a whip is not for keeping the horse going – it’s an auxiliary aid. It has been very evident at regionals and other championships that there are riders who are so reliant on carrying a whip that when the horse enters the arena it goes flump, after which the rider scrambles to ring the vet thinking the horse has a virus. The first rule is to make sure you don’t use a whip all the time so you don’t come to rely on it. Used correctly, however,…

Goshen (pictured) – he’s a four-year-old son of Authorized and has been a consistent hurdler for our yard. We had a frustrating fall at Cheltenham in March when 10 lengths in the lead, so if I can stay on his back he is a very exciting horse. He’s a sweet horse and kind-natured in his stable. He used to get very nervous around other horses, but he’s got much better. Goshen has a bucketful of natural ability, even more so than Sire De Grugy actually – he is relentless and just doesn’t stop galloping.…

TO continue our four-part series looking back at the glories of London 2012, we reminisce about the first equestrian discipline to take place, the eventing. It was immediately apparent that the horse sport at this Olympics, taking place right in the heart of our capital city, would be very special. Greenwich’s historic buildings formed the nearby backdrop, while the London skyline could be seen in the distance, with cross-country fences cleverly positioned to provide wonderful photos. Germany started as favourites and lived up to their billing with team gold and the individual title for Michael Jung and Sam, who were already world and European champions, although with hindsight their extraordinary reign was only just beginning. The public had high hopes of the home team and silver was an honourable result,…

“I WAS gripped by the cross-country from beginning to end. On flatter ground, you might have described this course as a ‘two-and-a-half star’, but the terrain and hills completely changed the difficulty. You couldn’t get away with any concentration slip or weak riding position, although some will wish it had a couple more technical questions that forced you to consider a long route.” Pippa Funnell “No one produced a really high-class, mistake-free dressage test. Some people looked on target, but then made a mistake. It just shows how hard it is at an Olympics to pull it out of the bag.” Ruth Edge “The home team did so well, and yes, I’m a proud dad [of Zara Phillips], only to fall short by the smallest of margins. Yes they could…

Bicton Arena (2), Devon MARY KING scored a local win when she captured open intermediate (OI) section Q with King Robert II. “I haven’t won at Bicton for years,” confessed the Sidmouth rider, who led the dressage on 24.8. “The ground was good, so I thought I would go fast, but not flat out.” King Robert is home-bred, out of Kings Temptress and by Chilli Morning, whom Mary briefly competed before passing the stallion to William Fox-Pitt. “Bobby” was eighth in the CCI4*-S at Tattersalls last year, but has also had some more patchy form. “With my neck issues, I haven’t been riding that well,” said Mary, who suffers from cervical dystonia – neck muscle contractions which cause her head to involuntarily turn to the left – and also added…

HAVING finished first and second in novice sections at Warwick Hall (3) in 2019, Amy Roberts very nearly pulled off the same result this year. She won novice section J on Fruitloop on her dressage score of 24.8 and finished fifth in section L with Lionheart. “If I hadn’t had the final jump down, Lionheart would have been second,” rued Amy. “Last year he won and Fruitloop was second.” Eight-year-old Fruitloop, named because of his behaviour when Amy was breaking him in, has been consistently placed but this was his first win at novice level. “He was dressage and showjumping-bred [by Fidertanz], but he’s really good at eventing and always makes the time,” said Amy, who trains with Caroline Moore, Chris Bartle and Becky Moody. Both horses will tackle the…

IRISH Sport Horse Spring Tide is finally settling into his niche, with elementary success at Allens Hill, Worcestershire. The 16.1hh skewbald was originally bought as a yearling, as a stallion prospect, and then aimed at eventing. His owner Boo Riley now feels that dressage could be his forte. “I’ve been training with Leonie Brown, who thinks he is really rather nice,” said Boo, a freelance rider. “I was doing dressage on a wing and a prayer, like most event riders, but Leonie has helped me to truly connect him from back to front – rather than just creating a pretty picture. “The fact that the direction he needs to go in isn’t the one I’d intended is what makes it such a fun journey.”…

JAMES SHORE runs Shore Horses with his father, former British championship team rider Keith Shore, at home in Cheshire. At Dean Valley Farm, Cheshire, James won with the eight-year-old Manzano De Rigo, a son of Inschallah De Muze who has just moved up to 1.40m level, while Keith and the 17-year-old Mystic Hurricane took the runner-up spot. “I don’t often beat Dad, but luckily this didn’t upset his horse’s owner-breeder Betty Brandon,” said James. “She’s just bought a half-share in Manzano, so instead of being sold, he’s one we can keep.” The plan now is for James and Keith to share the ride. “I’m hoping to take Manzano to Bolesworth and then he’ll go abroad with Dad,” said James. “I’ll stay at home and work on the horses we have…

BSPS Area 6 working hunter show, Dallas Burton Polo Club, Warks AFTER winning at the Royal International (RIHS) last year in her novice season, a scopey mare ensured she started her 2020 open campaign at the top of the tree. Imogen Rodger, 17, rode Bowland Undercover (Betty) to win both open 15hh and intermediate classes, before netting the section championship. Imogen’s mother, Danielle, bought seven-year-old Betty – who is produced by Russell Ingram – two years ago from the Bowland stud unseen and has been “blown away” by the bay mare’s talent and natural boldness over fences. “I was looking for a 15-hander to replace Imogen’s 13hh worker,” said Danielle. “I saw a video of Betty loose jumping and ended up buying her unseen. She’s a quirky mare but she’s…

“MEET: two days a week from November to March in Baghdad area,” runs the entry for the Royal Exodus Hunt (Baghdad) (REH) in the 1935 to 1936 edition of Baily’s Hunting Directory. Today we think of Iraq as a country torn apart by the ravages of the Saddam Hussein regime, two Gulf Wars and ISIS. Images of endless deserts, armoured cars, crippling conflict and improvised explosive devices spring to mind. There are few places on earth less suited to a pack of hounds. Yet in 1935, the REH was a thriving concern, with 20 couple of English foxhounds and kennels on the outskirts of Baghdad. Jackal and desert foxes were hunted and the obstacles were “irrigation ditches and mud banks”. The subscription was modest – three Iraq dinars – although…

“EVERYBODY knows about his brilliance in the saddle, but John has many other qualities. One of the lots at a charity auction was a round of golf with John, and it was bought by a lady from Fakenham. “On the appointed day John drove all the way there from Lambourn – only to find the lady had completely forgotten about it. He’d spent nine hours in his car, but he drove back there two weeks later and played the round with her. That’s the sort of bloke he is.”…

THOUSANDS of people have backed calls for Welsh lockdown restrictions to be eased so sport can restart safely. Outdoor gatherings are restricted to 30 people in Wales, but the fact greater numbers can sit outside some pubs is among the inconsistencies causing frustration. The David Broome Event Centre was forced to cancel the Welsh Home Pony fixture (23–28 July) due to the restrictions. “To say we, alongside James Broome and his team at Wales and West, are disappointed would be a huge understatement,” said British Showjumping (BS) chief executive Iain Graham, adding that Mr Broome had been in touch with the local authority, so the ban was “devastating news”. Mr Broome is working with BS on possible alternative dates, and with the council. “It was extremely upsetting news for the…

SUBSTITUTES A rider who ordered her trusty copy of H&H as part of her online supermarket shopping was rather befuddled by the option of selecting a substitute, should her magazine be unavailable. “That’s definitely the ‘no suitable substitute’ box to be ticked,” she hmmphed. Couldn’t agree more, madam. RELAXATION A Defra study found visiting beaches boosts wellbeing and has therapeutic effects. Not if you’re riding and there are kite-fliers out, the tide tables were wrong and your horse is well up on its postlockdown toes, or is that just us? PAINKILLERS A mature equestrian who fell over and hurt her wrist was taken to hospital for an X-ray. When she mentioned how much it hurt, she was offered paracetamol. “Can’t I have an injection of ketamine?” she asked. Er……

I ENJOYED your nostalgia issue (9 July), highlighting some of your more senior readers’ reminiscences of the equestrian world. And the prominent theme was of good, old-fashioned horsemanship. It seems that not only were complicated gadgets and the like not yet available, they were not needed. People learnt not just to ride, but about real horsemanship. Horses were fit for purpose and kept in suitable conditions for their mental and physical wellbeing. Equine obesity would have been a rarity, yet is now a more prevalent problem than malnourishment. How sad that we now see many people buying a horse having learnt the basics of riding in an arena, rather than sticking around to learn more from our excellent riding schools. They often over-horse themselves. Compounding the problem, many horses are…

DESPITE her amateur status, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone in the showing world who hasn’t heard of Polly Coles. The 26-year-old from West Yorkshire has cemented her name over the past eight years with her host of classy show horses and impressive results achieved at the major championships. Polly’s 2019 was a particular cracker, the tally including four Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) tickets, a Hickstead Derby hunter supreme and various other wins in open and amateur ranks. “I couldn’t do any of it without my team, they’re the driving force behind me,” admits Polly, who credits riding grooms and showmen Nathan Arnold and Sean Scallan as well as staff grooms Shelley Catch and Debbie Pickering for their dedication; Debbie has worked for the Coles for over…

74 starters 20 THE AGE OF THE YOUNGEST RIDER – THAILAND’S NINA LIGON 9 clears inside the time across country, including for Britain’s Tina Cook, Zara Phillips and Nicola Wilson 18 the height of the biggest horse in hands, Marcelo Tosi’s Eleda All Black 6th Olympic medal for Mark Todd with team bronze 19 AGE OF THE OLDEST HORSE COMPETING, NEW ZEALAND TEAM BRONZE MEDALLIST LENAMORE (PICTURED BELOW), RIDDEN BY CAROLINE POWELL 1 pair finished on their dressage score, namely the individual gold medallists – Michael Jung and Sam…

• An Illustrated History of Equestrian Sports, by Marie de Pellegars-Malhortie and Benoît Capdebarthes • The Austerity Olympics, by Janie Hampton • An Affair to Remember: the 1980 Olympic Games – Three Perspectives, online at Eurodressage.com • FEI history hub online • Equestrian Sport at the Olympic Games, by Max E Ammann • The Games: Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic Journey to London 2012, by Brendan Gallagher • Olympic Equestrian: A Century of International Horse Sport, by Jennifer O Bryant • Equestrian Olympic Games: Ancient and Modern, by E Schmit-Jensen • International Three-Day Event Results & Record from 1912, by Rhydian Wynn-Williams…

TRUDY JOHNSON had the perfect restart to her eventing season, with two wins at Aston-le-Walls (3). She took the open novice on 14-year-old Reggae Man (pictured, below) and novice section M on Catch Me If You Can. “It would have been amazing to win with one of them – for them both to do so is taking time to sink in!” she said. “And both of them led after dressage and finished on those marks [24.8 and 26.3 respectively].” Trudy admitted she had “been working hard” during lockdown with both horses. “I set myself the challenge of doing the Badminton CCI5* test on Reggae Man – I rode through it at the beginning of lockdown and my husband filmed it. I worked through different exercises I found on the internet,…

Dorset Showground THE decision to run two days of competition up to 1.40m paid off for the organisers here, with many new names making a first trip to the Gillingham venue. Having their first outing for more than a year, local rider Charlotte Lee and Zarina showed their rivals a clean pair of heels in the major class on day two. “I’m relieved that neither of us has forgotten how to do it. The pressure’s now on because we’ll have to keep it up,” said Charlotte, who fits in running a livery yard with her “proper job” as a police officer. Zarina, now 16, has been with Charlotte since the start of her career and has competed successfully in two-star classes at the London leg of the Global Champions Tour.…

USUALLY at this time of year, we would be getting ready for Pony Club camp. My feelings about this annual jamboree haven’t changed since childhood. The thought of it is horrendous, the camp itself is quite fun and everything is worthwhile for the elation you feel when it’s over for another year. Instead of camp, our branch of the Pony Club, the North Northumberland, is cranking up its summer programme with a series of flatwork lessons. Anyone who does anything volunteer-wise with children these days deserves a medal. The amount of red tape is unreal. Add a modern-day plague into the mix and you are talking serious headaches. While common sense tells us that children sitting apart on ponies in the fresh air must be fairly low risk, it is…