Innholdsfortegnelse for 1-Jun-2023 i Horse & Hound

PREVENTING weight gain is the key to battling equine obesity – but a pioneering initiative is helping make positive changes, vets believe. The Horse Trust's Healthiest Body Condition Awards, which have been running since 2019, were presented in some showing classes at Royal Windsor (10–14 May). Vets assessed the animals and presented rosettes to those in the healthiest condition. One of these was Jane Nixon, an experienced equine vet, chair of The Showing Council and advocate for healthy equine weight. “I was delighted,” Dr Nixon told H&H. “It was a marked imnprovement from what I'd seen in the past.” “It was a marked improvement from what I'd seen in the past” JANE NIXON Dr Nixon said she spoke to all the exhibitors in her classes, and “there was understanding and…

A NEW campaign aims to help “safeguard the future of equestrianism” and “protect the horse-human bond” for future generations. The British Horse Society's (BHS) Keep Britain Riding campaign has been created in response to the society's nationwide survey, which revealed that more than 250 riding schools have closed since 2018 (news, 9 March). The campaign aims to raise funds and celebrate the horse-human relationship and the benefits it brings, and increase diversity in the industry. Equestrians are being encouraged to share photos and videos of their horses and what they mean to them using the hashtag #horsehumanbond. Money raised will support the BHS alternative education programme Changing Lives Through Horses (CLTH), for young people who may be excluded from school, or at risk of exclusion, or who are not in…

AHORSE becoming trapped can be extremely frightening, both for the horse and for the owner and other humans nearby. These scenarios can range from less serious situations in which the horse can be aided, such as being entangled in a fence, to larger more serious cases like a road traffic accident. More serious cases qualify as emergencies, and it is essential to call out a vet in order to examine the horse and aid in assisting rescue. Fortunately, we don't see these incidents too often. However, it is vitally important to remember in such situations to keep yourself out of harm's way and to stay as calm as possible. You are not helping your horse if you become injured trying to help them. “It is vital in such situations to…

A SOCIAL media bargain is proving a successful purchase for Christa Davis. The eight-year-old mare Supersymmetry (pictured) won the in-hand Retraining of Racehorses qualifier. “I had an operation nine weeks ago and while I was recovering at home, I was scrolling through a social media site when her advert popped up; I bought her over the phone,” said Christa. “She hadn't done anything since 2018 when she finished racing. I loved her frame and hoped she moved well. “She will contest in-hand classes this season and then we'll see what next year brings, but I'm excited about her,” added Christa, of the mare who is by Kyllachy, one of the leading Flat racehorse sires who has now retired at Cheveley Park Stud. ONE TO WATCH…

A SON of Stanley Grange Cocksure will make his RIHS debut after winning the lead-rein hunter pony qualifier at BSPS Area 9B. Howe Crest Cookie Dough will be ridden by Matilda Haywood, who was riding in the ring for only the second time. He also won the Blue Riband lead-rein show hunter pony final at the BSPS Summer Championships last year, led by Sharn Linney. “Cookie loves attention in the stable so he's a favourite with the children,” said Matilda's grandmother, Annie Short. FIRST RIHS TICKET…

HIGHLIGHTS 28 May Berks & Bucks Draghounds, Kingston Blount, Oxon TAKE TO HEART sprang something of a surprise victory when winning the mixed open under Charlotte Butler for owners, the Turner family. “We were going for a day out as we knew it would be a tough enough race for him, so we weren't expecting much,” said Charlotte of the 11-year-old who was bred by The Queen and was campaigned under Rules by Nicky Henderson before going pointing with trainer Edward Turner. “He travelled so well throughout and went on when they came to him at the end.” Charlotte is in her last week of studying at Hartpury before moving to Ireland to work for Shark Hanlon. Lily Bradstock and Southfield Lily were the convincing winners of the conditions (level…

WHEN you've got eventer Harry Meade in your pocket, you need to be on a good horse. “I needed one that would not let me down,” says Paul Lyon-Maris, former jointmaster of the Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray (CLC) and Beaufort subscriber. “It had to be Nemo.” The day in question was the Charlton Hunt Ride in 2016, when the then Earl of March welcomed “mad hunters” to his Goodwood estate to recreate the famous Charlton Run of 1739. “I planned the route and the trails with huntsman Sage Thompson and we built 72 jumps. We had 165 riders, half the Beaufort, William Astor, the Rothermeres…” Paul field mastered with Harry “on my shoulder, shouting ‘Sit up, slip the reins’. I would turn round and yell ‘Shut up!’ It was not…

JANE GLASS THE dedicated Fell pony breeder of Wolds Stud died on 6 May, aged 87. Miss Glass was born in Nottingham, and moved to Wymeswold, Leicestershire, as a child. She gained her Pony Club A test and went on to own Cum Cottage Riding School, while showing horses for various people. She had a Fell pony early, and always swore to have another as she was so taken with the breed. In 1967 she bought Shilstone Rocks Blackberry, and a year later Waverhead Rob, to be her foundation stock at Wolds. Miss Glass was dedicated to breeding true-to-type Fell ponies under her Wolds prefix, and she remains respected for the ponies she bred. She promoted the breed globally, and several of her ponies were exported to Germany and Holland.…

THE following measures will put you in the best position possible to avoid accidents, and to manage any that do happen: ● Check fencing and hedges routinely. Any insecure areas can provide an exit point for a horse to escape and find themselves in trouble. ● Any areas that are hazardous and deep enough that a horse could easily become trapped – such as ditches, wells or open holes – must be fenced off very well, ideally with solid fencing rather than white tape or electric fencing. ● If going out riding or moving your horse, try and go out with someone else whenever possible. If you do go alone, ensure that someone knows where you are going and how long you intend to be. ● Take a well-charged mobile…

DISMOUNTING WITHOUT PERMISSION MAJOR DICK HERN was chief instructor and at the end of one of his jumping courses, the pupils found that the cordon around a fence that had been cordoned off had been removed and the stinging nettles cut down. One particular pupil was riding a pony of 14.2hh. All the riders were, by now, pretty tough and there was a great air of excitement and electricity running through the group as they planned their way of jumping this fence. There was, at the time, a rule that anyone who “dismounted without permission” would put 1/- (5p) into the charity box. The group joked about how much money there would be in the box at the end of the lesson. The students were told how to tackle the…

HIGHLIGHTS 19-22 May DO YOU WANT TO BE ON THIS PAGE? HAVE YOU WON A SECTION? Email eventinghighlights@gmail.com within 24 hours of your event and please include a contact telephone number Tweseldown (1), sponsored by the Lucinda Green XC Academy, Hants TOM ROWLAND and the “unlikely eventer” Honeybrook Extra Special (Ebony) added another intermediate win to their already impeccable record at the level when they headed section F1. Tom, like many other pros, rerouted to Tweseldown at the 11th hour when the Hampshire fixture rallied to put on an extra day of competition following the cancellation of Rockingham. “She's not a natural event horse; she's basically a coloured dressage mare who has found her niche eventing,” said Tom of the nine-year-old daughter of Negro, who belongs to H&H columnist Pammy…

SUPER six-year-old Gentle Caledonia scored the highest percentage among the young horse classes, 84.8% – eight percent more than the chasing pack in his class. Britishbred by Reay Campbell of the Caledonia Stud, the gelding is by Grand Galaxy Win T out of Surprise Caledonia and was bought as a foal. “He is beautiful with a gorgeous head but when he trotted round the arena the first time with his dam he just had this amazing balance,” said rider Robyn Smith. “He took me by surprise today, we put him on the lorry as a bit of an afterthought and I was panicking as to whether he was ready for a show like this and he was perfect. He really is the most humble, gentle giant – a girl's best…

HIGHLIGHTS 15-21 May Royal Welsh Smallholding and Countryside Festival, Royal Welsh Showground, Powys A 28-YEAR-OLD producer made a winning debut at this show when he went through the card to stand supreme on a five-year-old hunter. South Wales-based Jimmy Hooker and Rob Scrine's grey middleweight Cummano Cassini (Fergal) took top honours in the hunter championship en route to the ridden supreme title. The gelding was bought as an untouched three-year-old from a Facebook advert. “He was pretty wild when he arrived – we couldn't even get a rug on him – but Rob did an amazing job on the ground with him,” said Jimmy, who also credits his trainer, dressage rider Vikki Pengilly, for her help with Fergal's way of going. The red-letter day was unexpected for Jimmy, who had…

TWO Chaseford ponies took the top two spots in the RIHS mini show pony championship at BSPS Area 13B. Producer Alicia Davidson led Pippa Jackson on Andrea Latto's Chaseford Camelia to the lead-rein ticket and the mini spoils, while Emma Holder led second-placed Chaseford TipTop, ridden by Sofia Franchitti, who Alicia produced last term. “Andrea purchased Camelia in the summer of 2021 from breeder Martin Davies as an unbroken four-year-old,” said Alicia. “We then backed her and she's been slowly produced.” In 2022, the mare was reserve mini supreme at the UK Ponies and Horses Spring Classic, champion at the BSPS Winter Championships and qualified for Hickstead. “It was lovely to win,” Alicia added, “but also to watch TipTop stand reserve to us.” Alicia's 138cm Chaseford Headboy then lifted the…

RIDING CLUB BRC NAF FIVE STAR COMBINED CHAMPIONSHIPS 20-21 May British Riding Clubs (BRC) NAF Five Star Combined Championships, Aston-leWalls, Northants PRACTICE made perfect for Maria Ayiotis and Silver Gal when they won the senior challenge 80 – the largest class at the BRC NAF Five Star Combined Championships, boasting a total of more than 80 competitors. “She's a double-clear machine but we're often guilty of going too fast so we have been practising our pace around a field at home,” said Maria, who stopped the clock just two seconds away from the optimum time. Maria, a BHS coach and Fawkham RC member, has been riding the 18-year-old Connemara for 13 years. “I bought her from a riding school when she was five and we've been together ever since,” she…

HORSE&HOUND FROM THE FIELD THIS is, for many of us and excluding those who disport themselves on Exmoor or in rivers, the precise midpoint between hunting seasons. And for me, at least, the physical reality of a day's hunting couldn't seem further away. A dismal, depressing spring appears finally to have bucked its ideas up. Britain looks beautiful, and my hunter and I are, er, in summer condition, a far cry from our (relatively) lean, fit winter selves. My work life is dominated at present by eventing and racing. I haven't seen a hound or a huntsman for months, and the only times I have really even talked about hunting are when my friend the lady master rings to find out whether I think some mildly scandalous titbit is true…

THERE is “no room for error” in the final race for Paris 2024 qualification. Britain, Sweden and Germany have team tickets in all three Olympic disciplines. Britain and Germany are also among those qualified for the Paralympics. France, as host nation, has team places across the board in horse sports. “This is a really exciting time for all nations and teams preparing their road to Paris,” FEI president Ingmar de Vos told H&H. “With a little over a year to go, and more than half the team slots allocated, there is a lot riding on the next set of qualifying events. “Competition is going to be fierce with only a handful of opportunities left to claim one of 11 team spots remaining in jumping, seven still in dressage and eventing.…

SQUEEZED finances have hit competition as British Dressage (BD) reveals a drop in how often members compete. The finding came in BD's competitor survey. Although the overall picture was good satisfaction scores are up and people are largely happy with the competition structure the survey found cost of living is having an impact on ability to compete. This is less pronounced among full members, the proportion of whom competing at least once a month is only down from 78% in 2019 to 77%, compared to club and para riders. The survey found 50% of club members compete at least once a month, which is a 15% decrease from the 2019 survey, while para numbers have fallen from 61% to 55%. BD CEO Jason Brautigam told H&H that membership “continues to…

TRAVIS LEIGH, 19, has been working for Ros since his A levels. He shared the role grooming the two horses at Badminton with Sarah Charnley. “Walter and Jasmine have completely different characters – Walter being a total extrovert and Jasmine a complete introvert – and therefore need managing differently,” says Travis. “Walter was more than happy to be the centre of attention all week. He loves to lick you and chew things he shouldn't. He's a practical joker and I spent a lot of time over the winter chasing him round the field to catch him – not because he doesn't want to come in, he just likes seeing me run around! “He's a glass half-full kind of guy. He has an ability to wake up every day and think…

THURSTON HOUSE Thurston, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk For you: a Grade II-listed house with exceptional gardens in a parkland setting. The eight-bed home (plus four attic rooms) dates from the 1300s with later additions in the 18th century. Highlights include an impressive conservatory and terrace, plus a two-bed coach-house flat. An area in the garden provides a wonderful entertaining spot, with terrace, pool and pool room. For the horses: fenced paddocks with field shelters set in 34.15 acres. There are nine stables, a tack room, horse walker and allweather manège, plus two barns. £5.75m Knight Frank, 020 3995 0779, knightfrank.com FURZENHALL FARM Biggleswade, Sandy, Beds For you: a Victorian residence with high ceilings and plenty of natural light. It features a large open-plan kitchen/breakfast room, a huge patio and six…

HIGHLIGHTS 15-21 May Senior Inter Regionals and Para Home Nations, Onley Grounds EC, Warks TEAMS from the South & West region enjoyed a fruitful weekend, with the South & West Daisy Ducks topping a competitive inter-regionals leaderboard. The team of Andrea Sparkes (Kazan), Alys Matravers (VH Macchiato), Verity Perry (Bianchi) and Lucie Stokoe (Led Zeppelin) showed consistency across the levels to finish on top as a team. But it was showjumper Ben James and mare Clapton Banks Primadonna who scored the best marks of the show, en route to helping the South & West Darkwing Ducks finish fourth. Ben won both elementaries with 75.44% and 73.76% riding “Diva”, whom he bought to be a broodmare before changing his mind. “She has a trainable brain and loves work” BEN JAMES ON…

SHOWING DEVON COUNTY 18-20 May Edited by Alex Robinson alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ Devon County, Westpoint Showground, Devon EMILY PROUD and her own upstanding grey gelding, HSF Lobo Royale, made their first attempt at a Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) working hunter qualifier a winning one, despite the spongy ground and testing conditions producing no clear rounds. Emily, a full-time physiotherapist from Somerset, was delighted to be called forward as the winner after just tapping the fourth fence of the course. The pair were one of five combinations on four faults to go back in for final judging. Lobo is an Irish-bred sixyearold by HSF Cardento Royale and Emily bought him as a three-year-old. “I backed him myself, but I can't say that he was the easiest,” said Emily, who trains…

TWO mares of the future took home overall championships at BSPS Area 3B. Vicky Smith rode Jane Davies’ five-yearold large riding horse Tremarl Timperni (Kate, pictured), who is by Timolin, to take the riding horse accolade after heading the novices. “This was her first time taking a ride judge,” said Vicky, who also won the large riding horses on Miranda Wallace's Bradway Conquest, who Vicky's groom, Kayleigh Evans, piloted in the championship. Vicky added: “I think Kate is the best horse I've ever had. I rode her in the championship as I needed to hold her hand a bit. It was a long day – we didn't get into the championship until 8.20pm – but she was brilliant.” Abigail Shaw's six-year-old small hunter Lansdown Ruby, a spontaneous Goresbridge sales purchase,…

HIGHLIGHTS 16-21 May Wales and West, David Broome Event Centre, Chepstow LEO LAMB, 22, and the esteemed seven-year-old Gmail banked three Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) tickets in three days, a feat made more extraordinary as the rider was nursing broken ribs. Leo targeted this show as bumper entries in the qualifiers usually mean big and tough courses – which suits a talented jumper like this son of Cornet Obolensky – but his run-up couldn't have gone worse. “I fell from a customer's horse at home and got trampled and rushed to hospital,” Leo said. “We went to Wales thinking Mum [Carron Nicol] was going to have to ride. “I was in pain at times, but he was in very good form and I didn't want to miss my…

FIELD HOUSE EQUESTRIAN CENTRE were in imperious form in the senior combined training, winning the team competition and boasting the overall individual champion in Rachel Valks and MacKenzie (pictured). The County Durham-based riding school joined BRC a few years ago to enable their clients to be involved in teams and have access to more competitions and while they've qualified for championships before, this was the first they had won. “They are a pretty consistent bunch of horses so we thought if we could nail the dressage we may have a chance but you can never count your chickens with horses,” said team member Sarah Heathcote, who rode Lord Archie into third place individually. Sarah, an instructor at Field House, was joined in the team by the riding school's owner Rebekah…