Innholdsfortegnelse for 18-Jul-2024 i Horse & Hound

THERE'S one week to go until the world's greatest sporting event kicks off in Paris. Teams have been chosen, our experts have had their say on medal predictions (p34) and those select few are putting the finishing touches on their preparations. Graham Fletcher (p16) puts into words quite how much it means to all riders to make this particular team. He considers what might have been had his wife Tina made the final few in London, given the phenomenal form she had at that time. This year, once again, great combinations are staying at home, such is the strength of equestrian talent in Britain. Squad members Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin talk to Oscar Williams (p18) about their final preparations, how they are approaching these Games and handling the pressure…

SANDRO BOY German showjumping legend Marcus Ehning's 2006 World Cup Final-winning ride has died aged 31. His progeny include 2012 Olympia grand prix winner Sabrina 327. HOVIS H&H's Clydesdale diarist, who has worked tirelessly to raise funds for Bransby Horses, has been called up as British Eventing official supporter mascot for the Paris Olympics. POTIFAR Australian dressage rider Lyndal Oatley's horse, with whom she contested WEG 2010, has died aged 27. He also competed at the 2007 Europeans with Anett Kristin Olsen.…

▲ TWO MINUTES Hats off to the US yard that runs a two-minute rule. Individuals have that time to be cross with people, acts of God or world hunger, to swear or hurl themselves to the floor, after which they reappear, composed. ▲ BRAINS Oops to the rider who left the hose running in the trough on a hot day – a clever foal pulled it out and lay underneath, in glorious wet coolness. That horse will go far. ▲ ERROR MESSAGES No one likes an internet error message but hats off to BD, whose message read: “Just a few halfhalts required while we transition!” Bit more leg needed, BD?…

Edited by Jennifer Donald jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald OPINION WE have a strong British team heading to Paris – and we're now in the countdown period when everything is on a knife-edge. All was going well in Aachen, with third place in the Nations’ Cup, until later in the week Harry Charles had a crashing fall resulting in a hairline fracture to his arm. Fortunately, Harry will be back riding again in under a fortnight and is definitely on the Olympic team with Scott Brash, Ben Maher and alternate Joe Stockdale. The selectors had a particularly tough task this time. Tim Gredley and Rob Whitaker, who both narrowly missed out, are easily good enough to have made the team had so many good candidates not been forward. They've hardly put a foot…

SUNSALVE was given to the Olympic Committee by his owner, Mr Anderson, for Pat Smythe to ride. She was one of the best female riders ever, and she won the first Olympic trial with him, in Cardiff. Afterwards my father said to me, “She might have won today, but that horse will never go for her again”. He had a great feel for horses; it was such a strange thing to say and I never forgot it. He'd seen the horse get away with something in the paddock and realised the horse knew he had the better of her. We went on to trials in Wiesbaden and Lucerne, and Sunsalve never completed another course for Pat. So the Olympic Committee sent him back, and a fortnight later, through a customer…

DIFFERENT types of CT scanner are now being used in horses. The two main types are fan-beam helical scanners and cone-beam scanners. Fan-beam CT scanners are doughnut-shaped and have a curved detector surface that rotates around the subject multiple times. In most cases, the horse moves into and out of the doughnut on a moving platform as the scan is performed. However, some machines are now available that move the scanner rather than the horse, which has advantages when performing scans in standing patients because the horse can stand still on the floor. Scanners are also available that can move vertically, allowing the entire scanner to be positioned to image the legs (up to and including the knee or hock) in a standing patient. Depending on the bore size of…

THERE'S no doubt the British trio start as favourites, with the pressure piling on after team gold at the Tokyo Olympics and numerous star combinations left at home following a fierce selection battle. Team GB perhaps field the only squad with four riders who all have individual medal chances, and the Brits will still merit the favourite rank should Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir get a precompetition call-up from the alternate spot. Once the action starts, we must hope Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo), Laura Collett (London 52) and Tom McEwen (JL Dublin) all stay fit and in the race, as a team that has to carry penalties for a substitution is unlikely to take the gold. Therein lies the danger – there is so much jeopardy in the three-to-a-team,…

THE draw of the Hickstead Derby started for me when I watched Eddie Macken win with Boomerang for the fourth time. I first jumped in the class when I was 17 – riding a six-year-old who belonged to Cyril Light – and we completed the course. It took me a very long time to win it; my five wins have all come since 2006. I had been second and third so many times, and then Buddy Bunn won with John Whitaker after I'd prepared him for the class. I got injured and had to miss it. I had never won the Derby at that point, so I really thought that that had been my chance and I'd lost it. “The Derby is unique – nothing beats the atmosphere when you…

“DUBLON is the only horse we have bred,” says his Spanish breeder Alvaro Alfonso Gomez. “We bred his mother Kindelan Buzalen with a well-known stallion in Spain, Centauer Z. Dublon grew up in the north of Spain, and when he was four he came to Madrid to be backed. “He was very big so we waited until he was five to start jumping him, but at the end of his sixth year he was injured and lost almost a whole year, and when he was eight he had colic surgery, so he lost that year too. “We got him back to fitness and were third at the Spanish national championships, then he started doing CSI3* grands prix. I didn't have other horses at that level and couldn't travel every month…

DON'T forget to follow Horse & Hound's extensive online coverage of the 2024 Longines Royal International (23–28 July), including breaking news, reports on all the action from the rings and detailed preview content, in addition to what will be included in the magazine report in the 1 August issue. ● To keep reading after five articles, readers will need to buy a subscription either to the website or to the magazine. To buy a Horse & Hound website unlimited subscription, visit horseandhound.co.uk/join. Or, for great value, visit magazinesdirect.com/XHH-brandsite for a magazine subscription that includes unlimited website access plus the digital version of the magazine. If you are already a magazine subscriber, find out how to activate your website access at horseandhound.co.uk/subscription-benefits ● For more information on the 2024 RIHS, including…

PONY-MAD Alice Hartenfeld's dedication to her sport shone through once again as she secured the mini native spoils on her mother Katherine's dreamboat Thistledown Special VIP (pictured). Alice, seven, and the Welsh section A are already HOYS-bound as in the first riddens after qualifying at North of England, but the opportunity to ride at the Yorkshire is on the bucket list for many riders, irrespective of age. “We just came for a nice day out,” said Katherine, who led her daughter to the same tricolour here in 2021 with Shetland Sharptor Keepsake. Alice is also through to HOYS with her novice Shetland Nevanscott Call The Shots, who qualified at NCPS Staffordshire earlier this month. ON FORM “Alice does all the riding herself and she's up before school every day to…

HIGHLIGHTS 1–7 July Edited by Alex Robinson alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ Warwickshire Summer Fair, Dallas Burston Polo Club POTENTIAL disaster turned to triumph for worker specialist Rachel Turner – thanks to a fellow competitor. Rachel, also a renowned coach, had already been to Northern Counties Pony Association (NCPA) Staffordshire that morning with the Bailey family's homebred Connemara native worker, Joint Venture, who was second in the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) 133cm mountain and moorland (M&M) qualifier. Then, a lightning dash to Dallas Burston with exciting Goodyear eight-year-old Noble Venture (Ellie) – co-owned by the Bailey family and Rachel's sister Rebecca Brierley – saw the pair arrive just 15 minutes before the start of the HOYS lightweight workers. Only then did they discover they had forgotten the horse's bridle. “Thankfully, Jasean…

HIGHLIGHTS 4–7 July Edited by Jennifer Donald jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald DO YOU WANT TO BE ON THIS PAGE? HAVE YOU WON A CLASS? Email jennifer.donald@futurenet.com within 24 hours of your event and please include a contact telephone number Bicton Tour week 1 – second rounds, Devon SIMON BUCKLEY'S “exciting” Millfield Hickson coasted to victory in the Redpost Equestrian Foxhunter second round, jumping the quickest of two treble clears in testing conditions, despite his inexperience on grass. The eight-year-old gelding by Hickstead son Hickstead White, who Simon has owned since a weanling, finished more than two seconds out in front of closest rivals Fermoyle Prince I and Alicia Page. “He's as good a horse as I've had for a while,” said Simon, who won the Foxhunter final in 2013 on Wordsworth II.…

ANNABEL RIDGWAY and Akim De L'Arquerie scored a fitting win in the pony final trial at Aston-le-Walls (2). The 14-year-old gelding is owned by Project Pony, main sponsors of the fixture. “I knew my pony was totally capable, but it's down to luck on the day,” said 15-year-old Annabel. “He's never showjumped after the cross-country at a one-day event, so I wasn't sure what he'd think. I put pressure on myself, but he really dug deep for me.” ONE TO WATCH The pair have shown excellent form over the past year, finishing last season with a win in the pony CCI2*-S at Osberton and heading a novice at Farley Hall last time out.…

Parwood EC, Surrey “IF you imagine your dream dressage horse, that's her,” said Leah Beckett of J-Lo STH, the Johnson mare she rides for Jen Goodman. “I just try to ride her as beautifully as I can and let her do her thing. It takes no effort – in the test, it's as if she says, ‘You steer, I'll do the rest’.” An outright winner in a competitive medium 5, J-Lo was previously with Darren Hicks and joined forces with Leah last year. “She's barely scraping 16hh, so Darren was a bit too tall for her,” said Leah. “She's not been competed too much as we're keeping her for further up the levels. Ultimately, she'll be Jen's ride, but I've been lucky enough to have her since medium and it's…

Edited by Eleanor Jones Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @jones_eleanor_ AN experienced ride judge who was not supported by a show at which he was seriously injured says he is concerned about the implications for the sport. Former Showing Council chair David Ingle faces huge bills as a result of the fall, from a hunter at Balmoral Show, Northern Ireland, on 16 May. Neck and shoulder fractures were diagnosed privately weeks after the event. David had just mounted the horse and did not have his stirrups when it reared then bronced, throwing him off. “I didn't have a lot of choice; it happened pretty fast,” David told H&H. “I knew it was fairly serious, but probably not quite as serious as it turned out.” David…

NICK MACDERMOTT A STALWART of the Kildare Hunt Club and Punchestown, Nick has died, aged 93, but will be remembered for his service, enthusiasm and dedication. Educated at Ampleforth College, Nick graduated from Cambridge with a degree in agriculture. Nobody is sure how much work he did but he whipped-in to the Trinity Foot Beagles and the university draghounds, joining the mastership. Nick always acknowledged the great training he had in England. When he returned home, he joined Major Michael and Dodo Beaumont, joint-masters of the Kildare Hounds, as deputy master. Nick always said marrying Anne (née Williams) was the best decision he ever made. For almost 70 years Anne was Nick's rock. In 1957 Nick bought Thornton near Dunlavin. They had to work very hard so at times hunting…

French eventer Thibault Vallette, who was on the team that won gold at Rio 2016, carried the Olympic torch into Paris on Bastille Day. Native pony specialist Terry Clynes forfeited his qualified pony's third place at the Great Yorkshire so the HOYS ticket could go to the next combination. Report, p64 Selectors are confident that showjumper Harry Charles will be fit for Paris after he sustained a “very small, quick-healing” arm fracture in a fall at Aachen. Dressage rider and Love Island contestant Gemma Owen has rehomed rescued Shetland yearling Bert from World Horse Welfare, of which she is a patron. Former eventing world champion and European bronze medallist Sandra Auffarth won the 1.60m showjumping grand prix of Falsterbo with Quirici H.…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. @horseandhound instagram.com/horseandhound facebook.com/horseandhound COME ON, TEAM GB! IT just seems like five minutes since the 2012 Olympics took place in London, where Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro became not just household names, but also heroes. It was a monumental occasion for all Brits, winning gold in the individual dressage, team dressage and team showjumping. I've been fortunate enough to purchase tickets for the team dressage finals in Paris, and the excitement of being successful is what one can only describe as being like a child waiting for Father Christmas. “Why are UK equestrians not included in the honours list?” FIONA STEVENS It's such an important occasion for us as a nation and I'll be there, proudly cheering on…

CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN could become Britain's most decorated female Olympic athlete of all time if she wins a medal of any colour in Paris – but as I learn it's not the records and statistics that drive her. “I don't really think about that,” she confesses. “My job is to go out there and do my best, which is what I try to do each time I compete. “It's such an honour and a privilege to be able to ride for your country but at the end of the day, that centre line is no different to any other centre line I'm going to ride down and I won't change my approach just because it's an Olympics. “I try not to put too much pressure on myself. I'll just go in…

AFTER Rome, I won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. We had a hay and straw business, and I didn't like wasting days, so I'd drive the lorry to Essex, collect the straw, and stay with my aunt in west London on the way home. On the day of the awards, I had a bath and changed at my aunt's, and drove my lorry into a car park opposite the BBC in Shepherd's Bush. When I was announced as winner, my father brought Sunsalve onto the stage with me; he knew I'd won in advance and hadn't told me. Sunsalve stood looking around, taking it all in, and behaving impeccably. I came out after the reception, changed back into my dirty clothes, and drove home at 4am. Not many…

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GREAT BRITAIN comes into the Paris Olympics as marginal favourites to win team gold for the first time since London 2012. But it's going to be so close. Three of the British team who won team gold at the European Championships last summer will represent Team GB – Charlotte Dujardin (Imhotep), Lottie Fry (Glamourdale) and Carl Hester (Fame). British riders finished less than three points ahead of the Germans on that occasion and both the Germans and the Danes have strengthened their teams since then. Isabell Werth – the most successful dressage Olympian of all time – will now partner the 10-year-old Wendy who replaces her older stablemate DSP Quantaz. Meanwhile, Denmark have added heavyweights Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle. If the data and most recent results are to be believed…

AMID epic celebrations at last year's Royal International, Robert Whitaker was crowned the first British winner of the prestigious King George V Gold Cup for a decade. Robert's partner that day, Vermento, had been bred by his father John, himself a three-time winner of the class. “If you asked 10 people at Hickstead that day if I would win the King George, I don't think one would have said I would,” reflected Robert of that momentous day. For Robert and Caroline Blatchford's “Blackie”, the win was life-changing with the pair going on to be shortlisted for the Paris Olympics. We trawl through the class's rich history to pick out several other moments when it's been great to be British. EARLY BRITISH SUCCESS IN 1921, a decade after the inaugural running…

FREELANCE riding and swimming teacher Pip King headed the intermediate workers at Warwickshire Summer Fair to qualify her nine-year old Plato VD Donkhoeve (Pablo) for HOYS – but cited an unusual reason for the success of her fledgling business. “I was at university studying sports science and physiology when Covid struck, so I had to finish my degree at home,” she explained. “This sort of propelled me into seeing if I could make it work being self-employed – and so far so good; I've also trained with Milla Lanni since I was 10 and she's helped me a lot. The flexibility is great for the horses and the swimming is a nice change of scenery!”…

CLAIRE FERGUSON enjoyed a bronze section prelim win at Moreton EC, Dorset, with Studland Bay Eric, the Irish Draught gelding she bought 11 years ago for her teenage daughter Lucy. “Lucy and I went over and found this little horse in southern Ireland,” said Claire. “He came with no name and he wasn't really what we were looking for, but Lucy has done hunting, eventing and Pony Club with him and he's been brilliant.” When Lucy headed to university, Claire's trainer Steph Buchanan said that she should do more with him. “Eric is quite smart,” added Claire. “He doesn't have the floaty medium paces, but he does try. Once he's between those white boards he seems to put on a bit of a show.”…

RIDERS MINDS DAY TO UNITE US EQUESTRIANS all over the world are encouraged to unite on the first Riders Minds Day on 9 August, to “break down barriers and show each other support”. Mental health charity Riders Minds would like as many people as possible to wear something purple and ACT (ask, care, talk), to promote positivity throughout the equestrian community. Victoria Wright, founder and chair of Riders Minds, said: “It's time to unite, it's time to stop talking about one another and start talking to each other. Always be humble, always be understanding and always be kind. The brightest smiles can hide a thousand wounds and people can be fighting inner battles you know absolutely nothing about.” The charity is also looking for fundraisers throughout August. ●Visit: ridersminds.org RACECOURSE…

▼ OVERHEATING Two runners are planning a 167-mile cycle challenge on a tandem, in a pantomime horse outfit. One can only hope for their sake that the summer stays as rubbish as it has been so far… ▼ SCAMMERS This week's award to the seller of a 14hh pony who weighs 800kg. She's “temperament: 1”, so it's good to know she has one. Just a shame there was no picture on the ad or we'd have bought her on the spot. ▼ DINNER The what3words code for the Pony Club champs is: served.overheat.sprouts. Not sure how much the Pony Clubbers will appreciate it if that's a reflection of the dining on offer……

Edited by Oscar Williams oscar.williams@futurenet.com @oscarw_dr OPINION PREMIER League shows are an unfamiliar playground for me these days. So, knowing that my mare Ebony and I would be very green at this level, our recent competitive outings have been quite an adventure. These shows are indeed premier, well organised and so well set out. Vale View gets my biggest gold star for a great family-run venue with a lovely atmosphere. Riding in front of an international judge or two, plus judges from outside one's area, is a bonus. Maybe some prix st georges (PSG) and intermediate classes are not as full as a decade ago, but grand prix entries are almost double. These shows are also rightly well stewarded. At Wellington Premier League, I was thoroughly “told off”. Ebony, who…

On a raceday, I'm at the course at 6am to walk the track and check the going. Any changes need to be logged on the British Horseracing Authority admin site. After that, I head to the stables to check that everything is all right with the stables manager, before meeting up with the grounds team to give them their jobs for the day. These might involve putting out running rails at crossings, setting up furniture and spare hurdles if it's a jump day. About two-and-a-half hours before the first race, I meet up with the chairman of the stewards’ panel and walk the track again. This is a chance to update the stewards on the going and discuss any activities happening alongside the racing. Then I do a radio check…

GREAT BRITAIN holds the enviable record of having won a showjumping gold medal at each of the past three Olympics, so expectations will be high in Paris. Celebrations started in London when the showjumpers clinched the team crown, rolling on to Rio where Nick Skelton and Big Star shone, before Ben Maher and Explosion W grasped the mantle in Tokyo. Will Paris make it four golds in a row? Britain is fielding a mighty team where even the youngest athletes boast solid championship form, and will have a good chance for team and individual honours. Ireland may not have enjoyed the best fortunes in Tokyo, but they are currently enjoying a wealth of success. Chef d'equipe Michael Blake had a rich assortment of riders at his disposal for Paris selection,…

“IT wasn't a nice feeling when Dublon had that one down in the first round, and then in the jump-off knowing they were all good horses,” says his groom Zoe Herbert (pictured). “I was so stressed because I just wanted it so much for Will. I was with Dublon and when we realised they had won there was a big scream and the whole team came running out the back. After the prize-giving there were all the pictures and Dublon just stood there, he was such a pro and took it all in. “He deserved the win as much as Will. He's probably the most simple horse we have. He's big like Diamo and Billy Buckingham, so I've been very lucky to have three big chestnuts to look after. He's…

MIA DONALDSON was just 17 when she became one of the few riders to win a supreme title on Hickstead turf more than once. In 2022, her mare Wilderness Early Bird (pictured) lifted the pony supreme for the second year on the bounce after reclaiming the part-bred tricolour. Mia, now 19, debuted at the RIHS final aged nine, later than many of her current contemporaries who will have first ridden there on the lead-rein. But Mia was not deterred, and she won the part-bred pony final riding 128cm show pony Whiteleaze Aurora. “I was so new to it all as I'd only done local-level showing before,” recalls Mia, who notes that Aurora still resides at home and has bred the family two foals. “I was so obsessed with showing that…

SHOWING FIRST HOYS TICKETS HIGHLIGHTS 1–7 July ● Thirteen-year-old Aimee Baldwin, who is in her first season competing at open level, won the HOYS junior large breed class at NCPA Staffordshire on her Team Jinks-produced Fell pony, Waverfoot Solitaire, and then stood junior champion. “Aimee's only ever done local riding club shows before and won at the STARS [Show Teams and Rising Stars] championships with him in-hand last November,” said mother Sarah. ● Imogen Philp, 15, gained a first HOYS worker ticket at Dallas Burston for her 153cm Lammermuir Bailey, who will now join his stable-mate, 143cm Oh For Olive, who earned her first HOYS pass at Derbyshire Festival. Both ponies are home-produced. “Imogen has brought these ponies on herself so it's lovely to get results like these,” said mother Petrina,…

KENT County, once a popular summer fixture but now without qualifiers, saw poor numbers forward in many classes, prompting comment from producers Val Sheehan and Lynn Russell. “It's such a shame to see numbers dwindling at county shows,” said Val, who was cob champion on heavyweight Red Dove. “For me it's about the excitement and entertainment; plus, where else do you get the chance to ride in a manicured ring with experienced panel judges? “If you're lucky enough to go champion, there is usually a prestigious cup – it's not all about going to Birmingham. Societies should be badgering us to go – use it or lose it.” Lynn, who took five horses and stood hunter champion with small winner Crampscastle Night Light, and cob reserve with lightweight victor Canis…

HIGHLIGHTS 6–7 July Edited by Pippa Roome pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle Tweseldown (3), Hants LYDIA STUART was the surprised winner of BE100 section T with her own “spirited” 10-year-old, Saunderscourt Furistos. “Let's just say that it has taken a while to work through his quirks,” explained Lydia, who took on the gelding three years ago. “Before he came to me, the longest he'd been in the same yard was six months. He used to nap really badly coming out of the start box and there was a time when I thought, ‘Is he ever going to get it?’” Time and quiet persistence, plus help from Louisa Lockwood, from whom Lydia bought “Frosty”, have paid off. “We've quietly kept at it and now he really trusts me,” said Lydia. “Louisa did a great…

GRADE IV para rider Laura Scott made a plus-70% winning debut with her new ride CEI Summer Days, heading the novice 4 at Kings Sedgemoor EC, Somerset. Found for Laura by Antonia Brown and bought from eventer Will Crawley, the seven-year-old Hanoverian gelding has just a handful of British Dressage results on his record. “His showjumping wasn't good enough to event, so Will had to sell him,” said Laura, who teamed up with “Sunny” six weeks ago and was impressed with the way he coped with the high winds in the competition arena. I OWE IT TO… “He's quite green but he has the best temperament. You sit on him and you just feel comfortable and safe. I'll stay with able-bodied and then hopefully train him up for the para…