Innholdsfortegnelse for 04-Mar-2021 i Horse & Hound

MONDAY was not a good news day. We woke up to trainer Gordon Elliott’s apology for what many assumed couldn’t be a real photograph (news, p5), while the seriousness of the EHV outbreak in Europe gathers pace (news, p6). Then, by 10am, Badminton cancelled – a stark contrast to the upbeat plans for the resumption of sport (news, p4). Badminton gave so many riders and enthusiasts something to look forward to. Its cancellation is heartbreaking for all concerned. Organisers reveal why it wasn’t possible to simply move the date (news, p5), and riders explain their contingency plans. Between travel restrictions, Brexit and EHV, rerouting is no simple task, but there are options. Looking for further positives, we have a lovely feature this week looking at the work horses, charities and…

PERCEPTION of equine weight needs to change, vets have warned, as hundreds of equids could be existing on the knifeedge of potentially fatal laminitis. H&H has reported on the obesity epidemic in Britain’s horses and ponies, which is thought by leading vets to be one of the major welfare issues affecting the national herd. This week, two owners of laminitic ponies have shared their experiences and fears. Miranda Wallace, who shows Dartmoors, told H&H she had thought she was taking enough precautions to keep laminitis at bay and weight under control, such as strip-grazing, weighing hay and feeding minimal concentrates. Then last September, two of her ponies started showing signs. The younger pony recovered fast but the older, Honey, was hit hard. “We thought we were going to lose him,”…

STRIKE THE POSE AS with many who love their weekly copy of H&H, I’ve always wanted to open up the hunting report to fi nd myself sailing over a Leicestershire hedge in style. I am actually a Lincolnshire lady, so spend my winter jumping dykes and hunt jumps, apart from the visits across the A1 when I put my brave pants on and hit Leicestershire. But my lockdown was made when I appeared in the “Giving something back” feature (11 February), picking litter and beautifully turned out in waterproofs, hi-vis and the essential bobble hat. However, here is my most treasured hunting picture (right), taken with the Cottesmore on my precious Tango — it makes me smile every day and reminds me we will be out again next season. Tessa…

alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ LISTENING to Boris’s recent announcement made me realise how much discussion topics have changed. During the season, we’re usually among the gossip of who’s got what in their yards or who’s judging where. Nowadays, we’re only concerned about what the Prime Minister will say next. The most recent broadcast regarding the roadmap out of lockdown was something all competitors have been waiting for. It was refreshing to get some positive news so we can set some goals. We sometimes get laughed at for calling ourselves “athletes”, but showing riders, like all sportsmen, need vision and targets to aim for. “Now, we finally have something to work towards” In all honesty, it’s been pretty miserable around the place of late; with hunting removed from the calendar, the yard no…

catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123 HOW many people reach the top in three separate careers? There can’t be many; few people would have the skill, the desire and the application. Guy Landau does, though. He was a leading jump jockey, the best showman of his era and, in his second season as master and huntsman of one of the most famous packs of hounds in the country – the Meynell and South Staffs – is motoring his way towards the peak of that profession, too. A quietly entertaining man, a world of equine experience lies behind his eyes, around which the laughter lines are deeply etched. Possibly the greatest influence on his life was his stepfather, the famous showman Roy Trigg, and it is his tenets of “old-fashioned” horsemanship that have guided him…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @ jen_donald Kempton Racecourse, Surrey THE Close Brothers Handicap Chase – once the Racing Post Chase – has an amazing list of past winners, including Pendil, Combs Ditch, Rhyme ‘N Reason, Desert Orchid, Docklands Express, Rough Quest and Gloria Victi, but in recent years it has not attracted quite that calibre of horse. However, that has not put Tom George off the race, which is worth more than £42,000 to the winner. And, having won it twice with the grey Nacarat, he returned on Saturday to win it with Clondaw Castle who, like Nacarat the first time he won it, was being tried at three miles for the first time. “As a young horse, he was keen and we spent quite a lot of time restraining him,” explained George.…

THERE is a great tradition of dual-purpose trainers in Britain and Ireland, but those operating at the highest levels under both codes are few and far between. Peter Easterby, Jimmy FitzGerald, David Elsworth and Jessica Harrington are four that spring to mind but, with Harrington seemingly more focused on the Flat now, it is Alan King who has taken the mantle of top dual-purpose trainer of the current crop. He has been building his Flat string up gradually. Unable to compete financially with the trainers whose owners source winning Irish pointers in the £400,000-plus bracket, it is fair to say that after saddling three winners at Royal Ascot last summer – and Trueshan winning the staying race on Champions Day – he now has better Flat horses than he does…

Share your news story Call 01252 555021 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @jones_eleanor_ NATIONAL competition looks set to restart within weeks, as England emerges from lockdown. Prime minister Boris Johnson announced on 22 February that organised sport could run from 29 March, if various criteria including on infection rates are met. The British Horse Society has confirmed that, from this date, arena hire and travelling horses to training and competition will be allowed. In Wales, lockdown restrictions still apply, and will be reviewed on 12 March, while in Scotland it is hoped competition could run from 26 April. British Eventing (BE) chief executive Jude Matthews told H&H it is hoped the eventing season will start on the Easter weekend, from 2 April. “We’re expecting a fairly normal season,” she said. “There will be…

GRAND NATIONAL-winning trainer Gordon Elliott has apologised after a picture emerged of him sitting on a dead horse. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) is investigating the picture, which shows Mr Elliott astride the horse, phone to his ear and hand raised. Mr Elliott said: “I apologise profoundly for any offence that this photo has caused and can categorically state that the welfare of each and every horse under my care is paramount and has been central to the success that we have enjoyed here at Cullentra.” He said the “old” photo was taken after the horse had died of an apparent heart attack. He said he was standing over the body, waiting to help remove it, when his phone rang and he sat without thinking. Someone shouted, and he…

David Rendle, chair of the British Equestrian Veterinary Association’s (BEVA) health and medicines committee, told H&H while the recent cases linked to Valencia are a concern, provided competitors act responsibly the risk to other horses in the UK should be very small. “Equine herpes virus can be highly contagious, but it typically spreads from horse to horse over short distances. Unlike other viruses such as influenza, spread over greater distances is very unlikely and effective quarantine precautions should halt transmission,” he said. “BEVA would emphasise the importance of competitors fully adhering to guidelines provided by the FEI, and would urge vets to remain vigilant to the possibility of EHV in horses returning from Europe. This episode serves as a reminder of the importance of biosecurity, vaccination and plans for protecting…

Showjumper Ben Maher will act as chef d’équipe for the British team in the Nations Cup at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, Florida, 3-7 March. He will also ride on the team. Spruce Meadows’ co-founder Marg Southern has celebrated her 90th birthday. A spokesman said Marg’s “love of the horse and commitment to the community” helped shape the venue. Bryan Smart Racing’s head girl Rebecca “Beck” Edmunds, was named 2021 employee of the year at the Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff Awards for her “unwavering dedication”. Showjumping legend John Whitaker, 65, won the CSI3* Atlantic Tour 1.50m grand prix at Vilamoura on his and his wife Clare’s gelding Unick Du Francport on 28 February. The National Pony Society vice-chairman Jayne McAuliffe has been appointed chairman for 2021. The society’s…

A 96-YEAR-OLD, who only gave up hunting in her eighties, says her twice-weekly rides are her “lifeline”. Elizabeth Breton, who rides 17hh thoroughbred Billy, won point-to-points in her youth but returned to riding — and skiing — when she was about 70. She hunted a pony, also named Billy, who had proved a bit much for her grandchildren, and had great fun hopping hedges, then bought a cob. “That was a great mistake as she simply wasn’t fast enough, so I sold her,” said Mrs Breton, who has no plans to stop riding. “They’re lovely, horses, aren’t they? I had great fun on little Billy and I have great fun on big Billy now.”…

WITH reference to your letter of the week (11 February), I was offered a native pony on loan when my Fell mare died suddenly and tragically just over a year ago. But this was not just any native pony, but a Fell pony mare who had been a Horse of the Year Show winner in her youth. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am smiling again. Her owner and I have perfect trust in one another, but I did insist on contracts being exchanged. Her owner asked what would happen if “Cassie” became unsound and I answered that although I enjoy riding, I also enjoy the smell and sound of a horse. I even like checking the stables on a winter evening, leaving…

“IN my second year working for Nicola, her old head girl Lynn Swift – who is my idol and taught me everything – took a step back, so I went to the Europeans with Berry. It was a big deal, but Berry is calm and easy to look after. “Berry adores Nicola and as soon as Nicola gets on, she’s conscientious and knows it’s time to work and she has a job to do. “At a competition, she’ll pick a spot in her stable to think and concentrate. She stands so still, and I have to tack her up and do her studs in that place. “She’s affectionate and she knows when she’s done well and if she hasn’t, she’s disappointed. When she came out of the dressage at Badminton…

AT the 2019 pony European Championships, there were three offspring by the bay section D Machno Carwyn (pictured) competing across two disciplines and representing three different nations. In the showjumping was Makuba 21 (Oliwia Platek) for Poland and Marcello (Mathilda Mercuri) for Italy, as well as Romica (Olga Arzhaeva) for Russia in the dressage. But this is the tip of the iceberg of this iconic stallion’s list of offspring laden with silverware; across Europe there have been national showjumping champions and strings of grand prix winners. Bred by Meirion Jones, of the Machno Stud in north Wales in 1992, Machno Carwyn was sold as a five-year-old and became a double pony Euros individual gold medallist representing Switzerland in the showjumping. During a career that began in 1997, he was placed…

“Somehow, I knew he’d either be a disaster or the best horse we’d ever have” THERE’S something a little bit mean about asking someone to single out a favourite horse in a lifetime of working with them on a daily basis. It’s like picking a favourite child. Charles Frampton, jointmaster and huntsman of the Heythrop, insists on pointing out that he has had numerous good horses, none more so than Paddy, who has done 14 seasons with him so far. But once he has given fair credit to the others, he looks into the distance and starts talking about Dawson. “He stands out because he was quirkier than any of the others and more talented, too. We had an almost-weird relationship,” says Charles. “We’ve always waited for horses to come…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix CSI5*, WEF, Florida BERTRAM ALLEN’S self-confident jump-off ride on Pacino Amiro in the Winter Equestrian Festival’s (WEF) $401,000 (£288,082) Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix CSI5* set a standard for stylish speed that deserved a standing-room-only crowd to cheer the Irishman’s victory. But standing to watch any competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) is prohibited under a protocol that also calls for social distancing and mask-wearing by everyone except a mounted rider. The strict mandates are overseen at the Florida showgrounds by roving enforcers in yellow vests. In the pre-Covid era, the venues would have been packed, but these days the general public is not invited. The US Equestrian federation bars fans, allowing only five people per horse plus support staff, media and…

WHEN it takes half an hour to get on a horse for the first time, most people aren’t keen to get back on it ever again. Luckily for Jerich Parzival, Adelinde Cornelissen is not most people. In 2002, Adelinde was at a loose end when Henk Koers asked her if she’d ride his five-year-old to show him to some prospective clients. Unbeknown to her, none of Parzival’s previous riders wanted anything more to do with him. The leggy chestnut and the amateur Dutch rider learnt together and not only reached the international grand prix in 2007, but stayed there for almost a decade. He was Adelinde’s first grand prix horse and, as the linchpin of the Dutch team for years, took her career interstellar. Initially, Parzival’s latent talents were well…

BEFORE setting off with your trailer, the DVSA advises checking the following: TOWBAR AND CONNECTIONS Ensure the trailer is correctly coupled and that the electrical cable is plugged in securely. BREAKAWAY CABLE As well as checking this is properly attached (some towbars have a designated attachment point to the side or underneath), make sure the cable isn’t worn, damaged or stretched, and that the cable isn’t so loose that it will drag on the floor. WHEELS AND TYRES Check there are no cuts, bulges or signs of deterioration on the tyres, that they are the correct pressure as per the manufacturer’s recommendations, have a tread depth of at least 1.6mm, and that the wheel nuts are tightened to the correct torque. LIGHTS AND INDICATORS Have a person on the ground…

DELIVERY drivers are our heroes. They arrive at all times of day and night, having battled their way from somewhere near Glasgow with an item that seemed essential at the time of ordering: screen wipes, hand cream, a new bit for Izzy. Adam, a latecomer to internet shopping, has taken to tracking their progress online. “He’s got 76 drops before he gets to us at around 9pm,” he informs me, squinting at his iPad. When revving outside the house announces their arrival, Adam is outside like a rocket to greet Mr Yodel, DPD or whoever like a long-lost friend. The driver meanwhile is disorientated, expecting to be eaten by wolves at any moment and wondering how people function without streetlights or proximity to other humans. I SUPPOSE we are just…

SLIGHTLY fewer road incidents involving equines have been reported to the British Horse Society (BHS) in the past year, it has emerged, as a new safety video and reporting app have been released. The 2020-2021 statistics were due to be announced at the National Equine Forum (NEF) today (4 March). BHS safety director Alan Hiscox told H&H the 1,010 incidents reported was a 3% decrease from last year and that at 46, the number of horses that died had nearly halved. But he added that this may be owing to the fact that there was less traffic, and maybe fewer riders, on the roads during the lockdowns, and that next year’s stats may be a truer picture. “But I’m hoping the Dead Slow campaign messages are getting out there,” he…

BLACK CORTON The Paul Nicholls-trained chaser has retired after a career boasting 14 wins, to enjoy life with regular jockey Bryony Frost. She rode the now 10-year-old to her first Grade One win in 2017 and many other victories. BUNOWEN CASTLE RI Jacqueline Webb’s Connemara has died, aged 23. Ridden and produced by Matthew Lawrence, he won the NPS Olympia supreme twice and was M&M champion at HOYS. He leaves successful progeny. UPSILON Signs are positive that Tom Carlile’s double Barbury-winning stallion is still fertile, following his first semen collections after his recovery from a form of encephalitis. The 13-year-old has been working under saddle.…

VET COLLEGE’S PLAN FOR DIVERSITY THE Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has set out how it will improve diversity and inclusion within the profession at all levels. The RCVS diversity and inclusion group’s (DIG) strategy, published on 17 February, aims to “help create veterinary professions where everyone can flourish, and which have no place for discrimination”. DIG chair and RCVS senior vice-president Niall Connell said: “If we are losing colleagues to discrimination or just not attracting people from diverse backgrounds because they think it’s ‘not for people like them’, we are losing out as a profession... this strategy is crucial for the vitality and credibility of the veterinary team.” NO AMATEURS AT CHELTENHAM AMATEUR riders will not take part in the Cheltenham Festival this year, as they are not…

▲ SINGERS A report published online last week said that while riding out with Priscilla, Elvis’s horse spooked and took off with him. When he eventually managed to stop, the King was apparently furious with the horse. All Shook Up, perhaps… ▲ SKIN A leather jug made from the skin of Oliver Cromwell’s war horse, some 368 years ago, is up for auction and expected to fetch £6,000. I mean, we get horsehair bracelets and ornamental shoes but we’re not sure this will catch on. ▲ SEMEN One hears that a legal case has been initiated over the rights to the frozen semen of the late, great Totilas. Imagine trying to explain to a Muggle why you were embroiled in a legal case, possibly lasting years, over semen ownership… only…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 WITH Brexit now a reality, travelling horses to compete in Europe has become an expensive, severe pain, with ridiculous hoops to be jumped through. British Equestrian has estimated that travel costs have increased by 220 to 320% depending on whether you use the Eurotunnel or the ferry. The journey time to Europe is also hard to plan at the moment as it depends how quickly one gets through the multiple checks. One has to plan far ahead as horses’ bloods need checking in advance and the paperwork needed seems to require a diploma in itself. There have also been issues with taking feed and bedding abroad if the relevant paperwork was not provided. I cannot see how riders from other European countries will be enticed to make the…

We have 16 ponies and three generations of foals that we have bought from the farmers here in Powys who own the feral herds on the hills. The farmers know which ponies belong to which of them. The ponies are all 12hh and will never be ridden; even the 20- to 25-year-olds have had nothing done to them until they come to us and we socialise them. The best way is to bring the foals in with the grown-ups that know what to do, and they learn from them. Once they see other ponies having headcollars put on and their feet being picked up, they relax. They’re very biddable. It’s a slow process, from resting a halter over them and brushing them with a pole to get them used to…

DYNAMIQUE JACKET BY LEMIEUX This elegant jacket is ideal for chilly days as winter turns to spring, with its soft lining and padded chevron satin panelling. A sleek, shaped fit gives the wearer a flattering outline, and the jacket also features detailing on the front zipped pockets, full zip closure and the LeMieux badge. Available in sage, musk or navy. £59.95 lemieuxproducts.com BELT BAG BY MOCHARA Useful and elegant, this belt bag is made from technical four-way stretch fabric, which is lightweight, stain repellent, durable and fast drying. This inconspicuous bag fits neatly on to a belt so you can keep belongings safe and close to hand whether out riding or on the yard. Available in black, navy, white or stone. £25 mochara.co.uk KOOKI LADY HELMET BY KASK An everyday,…

HENRY BROOKE has not long been back after breaking his neck and is already back into the winners. He had a proper tonic on Saturday riding Sam’s Adventure (right) to a three-quarter length victory in the Vertem Eider Chase at Newcastle. The jockey was a bit lost for words after Brian Ellison’s gelding had looked like throwing it away with a moderate jump at the last. But letting the runner-up, Crossley Tender, back in at the point meant he’d time to rally up the run-in with company. Brooke said: “Days like this are why I’m a jockey. You always want to win on the big days, although the little days mean as much after you’ve come back from an injury. I’m just very happy. “I know the horse pulls up…

2009 ▸ TRIPLE MEDALLIST AT THE WINDSOR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: TEAM GOLD WITH 80.638% IN THE GRAND PRIX, INDIVIDUAL SPECIAL GOLD (84.042% – A NEW WORLD RECORD) AND INDIVIDUAL FREESTYLE SILVER WITH 87.35% 2010 ▸ RESERVE CHAMPION AT THE ’S-HERTOGENBOSCH WORLD CUP FINAL WITH 82.85% ▸ TEAM GOLD AT THE WORLD EQUESTRIAN GAMES (WEG) IN KENTUCKY DESPITE BEING ELIMINATED IN THE GRAND PRIX FOR A SPECK OF BLOOD IN THE MOUTH 2011 ▸ WORLD CUP FINAL CHAMPION IN LEIPZIG WITH 84.804% ▸ TRIPLE MEDALLIST AT THE ROTTERDAM EUROS: TEAM BRONZE WITH 81.155% IN THE GRAND PRIX, THEN DOUBLE INDIVIDUAL GOLD (82.113% IN THE SPECIAL AND 88.839% IN THE FREESTYLE) 2012 ▸ WORLD CUP FINAL CHAMPION IN ’S-HERTOGENBOSCH WITH 85.25% ▸ DOUBLE MEDALLIST AT THE LONDON OLYMPICS, HELPING THE DUTCH TO TEAM…