Innholdsfortegnelse for 18-Feb-2021 i Horse & Hound

IS there anything more endearing and hopeful than a long-legged, bright-eyed, hairy-eared foal such as he who is gracing this week’s cover for our sport horse breeding special? While we continue to report the travesty the pandemic is exerting on many equestrian businesses, particularly riding schools (comment, p14), there are those breeders and sellers who are thankfully reporting positive trade despite restrictions (sport horse breeding special, p34). Those in a position to breed from their mare this year may feel the urge to do so more than ever as we look to the future, optimistic for more positive times to come, and consider the hopeful nature of creating a potentially ideal horse with whom to enjoy hours of sport. You will find both inspiration and advice in this issue, and…

MARK HANKINSON, director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association, has been charged with one count under the Hunting Act after Hunting Office webinars were leaked. This follows an investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police into what was said by Hunting Office personnel during two trail-laying webinars in August 2020. Mr Hankinson, former master and huntsman of the Wilton, is due to appear before Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on 4 March. A Hunting Office spokesman said: “The Hunting Office is very disappointed by this decision, and does not believe it is justified. Hunts operate legally, as has been evidenced by hundreds of thousands of days of legal hunting since [the Act] came into force. The notion that anybody is encouraging them to do otherwise is unsustainable and we look forward to those…

WARNING OVER TYRE LAW CHANGE EQUESTRIANS are urged to check their horsebox tyres to avoid falling foul of new legislation that came into force on 1 February. Tyres aged over 10 years old are no longer permitted for use on all vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, including those owned for private use. The manufacturer’s date code must also be legible on all tyres on all vehicles and trailers over 3.5 tonnes. Polly Portwin, from the Countryside Alliance, warned that vehicle owners with non-compliant tyres face failing the annual test and immediate prohibition notices, if inspected at a DVSA enforcement check. NEW SHOWING COUNCIL MEMBERS THE Showing Council has welcomed two organisations under its umbrella. The Shire Horse Society, a founder member, has rejoined after a sabbatical, and the Veteran Horse Society…

▲ MUD There must be few days riders can be heard exulting at the sight of rain and deep mud. The day after a week of snow, however, is one of those days. All hail the rain god! (And if the sun god could also step in, that would be great, thanks.) ▲ PONIES A My Little Pony fan was taken on Judge Rinder by her boyfriend over her £20,000 collection. He apparently said there is nothing worse than being stared at by 40 ponies while eating… just be glad they’re not real ones, mate. ▲ ART Equine residents of a Polish sanctuary are using carrots dipped in non-toxic paint to create masterpieces, which are sold. Should they be renamed David Hock-ney and JMW Turn-on-the-forehand, we wonder? Or just carry…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 WE’VE had no choice but to stay positive this winter while training at home. To all those who have stuck with it outdoors in force 10 gales and sub-zero temperatures, I salute you! My goals may not be as high as they once were, and many riders are in the same boat. But achieving daily goals with an end goal in sight – perhaps even a “live” competition or two – is what has kept us all going. My latest target is 200 metres in my best sitting trot with no wobbles or flops; no changes or resistance; horse and rider in balance, rhythm and outline to produce one picture... although I find that 20 metres in, my inner core (wherever that is) screeches with inability. “Riding schools…

When I left university, I swore I would never have a proper job. I always found the most interesting times I had while travelling were when I had no plan and everything went wrong – that’s an adventure. I can’t say a lot of thought went into founding the Adventurists – the parent company of the Equestrianists – it began in the early 2000s with the Mongol Rally, a race in rubbish cars which begins in the UK and ends in Ulan-Ude, Russia. I charged nothing for people to enter, and even then it wasn’t very popular – six people came along when I imagined there would be thousands. When I did it for a second time I realised that money would be useful, so I charged people £50. We’ve…

“EVERDALE really is an angel – he is so well behaved and not like a stallion at all to deal with at home. He’s no trouble to take away to shows either. He eats everything, drinks everything, and we have no problems with him. He loves his carrots and apples and we always make sure we take a good supply with us. “He is a very affectionate horse, and loves cuddles; he will happily bury his head in you. I call him Flower as a nickname – I don’t really know why but it stuck. “We tend to mix up his routine quite a bit at home. Lottie decides what each horse is going to do each day, whether that is training, going in the paddock, or on the treadmill…

“I LIKE to get to know the journalists as it helps make the conversation personable. If you are nervous, start by talking about your horses to help you relax. I used to like to know the questions beforehand, but now I’m happy to talk naturally to someone, but that comes with experience. “If you are being asked a difficult question, take a minute or two before answering. I try to take ownership of things that have happened and not play the blame game. If you need help, ask someone you trust for advice on how to deal with a situation – you don’t have to do it alone.”…

catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123 IF any one person could be said to be the face of Irish hunting, it is David Lalor, currently in the middle of his second term as chairman of the Irish Masters of Foxhounds Association (IMFHA). “I’d say that I’ve had to devote more time to it this year than any other chairman who went before me, due to insurance and Covid and the whole lot,” he tells Horse & Hound. The strain of the job appears to rest lightly on his broad shoulders. He is a level-headed character, a shrewd judge of both horses and men, with a good- humoured tolerance for human frailties. He is also, of course, a desperately keen hunting man, battering his way across the bank-and-ditch country of Co Laois on his big,…

Share your news story Call 01252 555021 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @jones_eleanor_ PREPARATIONS for Badminton continue apace as top events grapple with uncertainties and financial hits owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Badminton said in October that the 2021 event (5-9 May) would run behind closed doors. The CCI5* is the first European top-level international event of the year and organisers are working to ensure both the 2021 and future fixtures are viable, given current circumstances. “The lead-up is not as long so our onsite preparations are starting a little later than usual, but everything is in hand,” a Badminton spokesman told H&H. Covid has hit the event’s finances, which has resulted in redundancies. The prize money total has been cut by close to 59%. The FEI has rules on minimum prize totals…

BUTTERFLY FLIP Malin Baryard-Johnsson’s top mare Butterfly Flip has died, aged 30. The combination won multiple senior championship medals for Sweden, including team silver in her second Olympics at Athens 2004. YORKHILL The Grade One winner, owned by David and Donna Armstrong and Lee Westwood, has retired aged 11 owing to a tendon injury. Trained by Willie Mullins then Sandy Thomson, he won 11 of his 27 starts. POGGIO II The medal-winning ride of late US eventer Amy Tryon has died, aged 29. They were world champions in 2002, and won team and individual bronze at the 2004 Olympics and 2006 World Equestrian Games respectively.…

alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ WHO could have thought that coronavirus would still be with us a year later? Currently, everyone is still learning to adapt to the new normal. Other elite sports have paved the way in proving that anything is possible and organisers have devised ingenious ways of allowing fixtures to run. Although showing is not classed as elite, it’s clear that the passion for our sport is still strong. While it has been encouraging for the societies to be planning a way forward, I would now like to see virtual meetings with members to discuss how we might progress. Often, the members are seen to be discussing issues on social media, which certainly has its downfalls. We need structured and regulated meetings, whereby the people who have paid their memberships…

LIFE as we know it is on hold, at least for now. But when breeders make their decisions, they’re required to look to the following year. So how do they think the pandemic has shifted the landscape and what might come next? Many in the breeding world have been forced to adapt in this torrid time, flexing to new ways of working or selling. One of those is Emma Blundell of Yorkshire-based dressage stud Mount St John. Covid-19 came knocking for Emma, who was laid low by the virus in March and had to postpone many 2020 plans. “We pivoted to an online auction for the first time,” she says. “Though it was later than we’d planned due to my illness.” With the onset of the pandemic and the ensuing…

“He was very much point and shoot; he’d really take you into fences” THERE’S a certain satisfaction in clicking with a horse that has been rejected by another, especially when that other person is your own father and fellow master of hounds, who neglected to mention why he was selling him. “He’d had a day with the Bedale and jumped lots of hedges, but Monty started stopping,” explains Nick Bannister, joint-master of the Pendle Forest and Craven. “Father didn’t tell me this but said, ‘I’ve got just the horse for you.’ He sold him to me, the devil!” A three-quarter bred from Ireland, Monty had been bought for Michael Bannister by Alan Saxby of the Hurworth as a four-year-old. Fortunately, with Nick: “He was fabulous. All was forgiven!” Indeed, Nick…

Olympic rider Scott Brash was Britain’s most successful showjumper of 2020. He rode in 207 FEI classes, including two four-star grand prix wins, and won over €300,000 (£262,000). Multiple eventing youth medallist and apprentice jockey Saffie Osborne, 18, has returned to the saddle four months after a horrific fall. Saffie thanked the “amazing” team at Oaksey House. Professor Padraic Dixon has retired from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies after 45 years. His contribution to equine dentistry and upper airway surgery has been “outstanding”. Former national showjumping champion Harriet Biddick (née Nutall) and her husband, point-to-point jockey Will, have welcomed son Archie. Harriet is “excited to start a new chapter”. Champion jump jockey Brian Hughes became the first jockey to reach 100 winners in the 2020/21 season. Brian hopes…

THE risk of Covid-19 being transmitted via sporting equipment – including saddles – is low, a study has indicated. Researchers from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Imperial College London and Loughborough University looked at how long the virus could survive on equipment including a saddle, cricket gloves, cricket, tennis and rugby balls. The tests involved dropping low and high concentrations of the virus on the equipment, then testing each after one, five, 15, 30 and 90 minutes. While the virus remained on the saddle the longest, the detectable amount greatly reduced over time. At one minute, the virus was only detectable in seven out of the 10 materials, when using the low dose. At five minutes, it was only detectable on the saddle, and no virus was found on…

YOUR feature, “7 ways top riders deal with nerves” (7 January), has prompted me to write and tell you about mine. My horse took me to British Eventing (BE) novice level with very little help – but much trepidation. I remember one particular outing where, out of nowhere, my usually laid-back horse lit up and piaffed his way out of the collecting ring, which jangled my nerves like sleigh bells at Christmas. I decided to take my spurs off and put them in my pocket. But as I started my dressage test, the spurs began knocking together and started “ringing”. And I started laughing – here I was, 100-plus miles from home, on my own, riding a snorty beast in a test. And all the way through, jingle jangle went…

SOMETIMES, you just have to jump in both feet first. In February 2018, sisters Jessica and Rebecca Ely made the biggest decision of their lives. The two high-flying career women bade farewell to their nine-to-five professions to pursue their dreams as showing producers. It was the ultimate risk, but later in the season they got the confirmation they needed when they clinched the small intermediate show riding type of the year accolade with part-bred Arab Brindlebrook Little Scoundrel (Yorkie) on their Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) debut. “We both loved our jobs but it was getting to the point where we were both moving up the ladder and work was taking up all of our time,” explains Jessica, 27, who is a qualified barrister and worked at a law…

Need to know EVERDALE Age: 12 Breeding: Lord Leatherdale x Negro Studbook: KWPN Breeder: Piet Kluytmans Rider: Lottie Fry Owner: rider and Van Olst Horses Greatest achievements: grand prix freestyle winner at Compiègne CDI3* 2019; third in World Cup qualifier with 82.62% at Olympia CDI-W 2019; ninth in World Cup qualifier with 78.25% at Amsterdam CDI-W 2020. RIDER LOTTIE FRY “EVERDALE loves to work and is one of the most trainable horses I know. He would happily work all day and he never says no. He also has this incredible power but at the same time he is so light to ride, and you can feel his elegance – he is like a machine underneath you. “I’m so excited about his future, because he is good at everything. I’ll always…

MANY driving horses are also ridden, switching happily between the disciplines. When introducing a horse to a completely new activity, however, bear in mind that established riding and driving animals are very different. Riding horses usually have better developed shoulder and forearm muscles, whereas driving horses tend to develop the medial (inner) thigh muscles – which can only add power to the ridden capacity. A horse who has only ever been driven will lack muscle across the withers and back, so this area must be developed gradually with “long and low” work, through a mixture of riding and lungeing. A programme of static and active exercises, including stretching, polework and circles, will further help the driving horse adapt to being under saddle. He may already be familiar with lateral work,…

THE future is paved with the dual uncertainties of the ongoing global pandemic and Brexit. Tullis pictured) has been feverishly trying to digest all the new post-Brexit regulations. “Initially I think semen imports and exports will be a nightmare and everyone will be confused, so those could take a battering,” he says. “There could well be an uptick in mare owners using British-based stallions while the kinks are ironed out. “Anyone using a stallion based abroad should consider whether using frozen semen would be possible – for the mare and the vet – instead, if there are issues with chilled,” he concludes.…

“WE all have ups and downs and things go wrong, so try not to get cross and angry in front of the media – always be polite and friendly. Being kind to your horses is important, too – painting a good picture is helpful to attract sponsors and owners, as well as to gain respect from your followers. “I try to be as helpful as I can to journalists and always get back to them and give them my time. If you don’t find it easy speaking to the press, get some training in how to talk to people, as it is important for your image. Remember, you are telling your story, you’re not telling people how they should be doing things.”…

HOW many times have you heard someone say, “Where are all the wonderful hunting ponies like the ones we had when we were young?” In happy reminiscences, perfect ponies seemed to arrive gift-wrapped, as if by magic at exactly the right time in a child’s riding education. Although, of course there was some clever work going on behind the scenes to ensure that this was the case. There are wonderful hunting ponies around, but they take some finding and you need to be on the ball – or just plain lucky – to get hold of them. First hunting ponies seem to be the most elusive. To secure them you need to stake them out while the future jockey is still in the womb, add your name to a waiting…

LAURA RENWICK netted a cool four victories over the week, including the small grand prix and 1.45m rankings class, partnering double-winner Arkuga and her other prolific performers Dublin V and Top Dollar VI. Two of the classes also showcased British one-twos, with Jackson Reed- Stephenson (Muna VD Bisschop) and Lily Attwood (Karibou Horta) collecting the runner-up spots. “It’s not been an easy experience getting here and we had to take two lorries at different times, so we didn’t jump the younger horses the third week,” said Laura, who plans to head on to the Sunshine Tour next. There was an Irish-British one-two-three in Friday’s 1.45m rankings class. Ireland’s Mikey Pender topped the line-up with the 10-year-old Cavalier Royale gelding HHS Calais a full 2.61sec out in front, followed by Britain’s…

NICK CHANNING-WILLIAMS made one of his first international wins “in a few years” a notable one when he took the Kuwait CSI2* grand prix with the 10-year-old Gijsbrand. Nick moved to Kuwait in October 2019 as coach for the Equestrian Sports Club and hadn’t anticipated finding himself back in the spotlight. Gijsbrand is one of a few rides he has picked up this season from Abdulrahman Al Fuzae. The pair also placed second in the World Cup qualifier, where they delivered the fastest round but lowered the last, and collected a win in the preceding week’s 1.45m “I jumped him a couple of times last year and then Abdulrahman asked me to jump him this season as well,” Nick said. “We were planning to do a tour of the Gulf…

SHUTTERFLY was originally named Struwwelpeter, a character from a German fable on whom the movie Edward Scissorhands was based. “Struwwelpeter was this young boy who was really messy, never washed his hair and never cut his nails – it was totally not Shutterfly!” laughs Meredith. “He was gorgeous, elegant and glamorous, not at all dirty or mischievous.” The gelding was bought for Meredith by Jim and Nancy Clark, who owned US digital photo company Shutterfly, and was renamed with the far more pronounceable moniker, although the shortened “Petey” remained his stable name. “I liked the name Shutterfly because it was elegant and so suited him,” says Meredith.…

PONIES were our salvation last spring when we were stuck at home day after day. They offered varied time away from the house and were ridden more than ever. With all three children back in the homeschool routine, we should be leaning heavily on our four-legged friends once again. But it is dark when school finishes in the afternoon and it keeps on snowing. The yard outside the stables resembles a skating rink with a thick shell of bumpy ice. We gingerly skate across it every morning. The fields are rock hard and iced with frozen snow and the horses can’t understand the lack of activity in these peak hunting months. They eyeball us from their gateway from midday onwards, waiting to come in. Down the valley, the next farm…