Innholdsfortegnelse for 04-May-2017 i Horse & Hound

THE international dressage at Royal Windsor Horse Show (10-14 May) will feature top Olympians Carl Hester and Richard Davison in the newly upgraded CDI4* grand prix class. Carl will partner the 11-year-old Breitling W gelding Barolo, who to date has been competed only by Charlotte Dujardin. Barolo has not competed since the British Dressage national championships at Stoneleigh in September 2016, at which he stood reserve champion to Carl who was riding another chestnut gelding, Wanadoo. Richard brings his home-bred 11-year-old Bubblingh (by Lingh) while fellow long-listed Rio 2016 riders Lara Butler (née Griffith) and Hayley Watson-Greaves will be riding Rubin Al Asad and Rubins Nite respectively, who are both sons of the prolific stallion Rubin Royal. Gareth Hughes (Don Carissimo) and Daniel Watson (Amadeus) round out the British entrants…

NICKY HENDERSON claimed the season’s champion jump trainer title after a tightly fought battle with defending 10-time champion Paul Nicholls. Altior’s success in the bet365 Celebration Chase at Sandown Park on the closing day of the National Hunt season (29 April; report, p74) sealed victory for the Lambourn handler — leaving him with total prize money of £2.85m and a tally of 154 winners for the 2016/2017 season. It was his fourth champion trainer title, 31 years after winning his first. For a second successive year, Richard Johnson was crowned Stobart champion jump jockey after an impressive season in which he rode 186 winners. “It’s fantastic to have won back-to-back titles — I’ve had one of my best ever seasons and a massive thanks to all the owners and trainers…

ONE FOR THE GIRLS IN POINT-TO-POINTS A £3,000 bonus is being offered to point-to-point mares in several end-of-season bumpers. The 3-2-1 Bonus, set up by the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (TBA), operates on a sliding scale. The highest-placed mare will receive a £1,000 bonus, a further £1,000 if she is British-bred and £1,000 more if she is owned by a TBA member. The bonus will be offered at Aintree on 19 May and Stratford on 9 June. “The TBA’s innovative contribution to the mares’ bonus scheme is a significant and much appreciated addition to the series of the point-to-point bumpers run under Rules,” said Clare Hazell, chief executive of the Point-to-Point Authority. CHARLOTTE AND CARL TO SHINE GUESTS to Bolesworth (14-18 June) will have the chance to see Charlotte Dujardin training…

MARKETING Brightling’s unaffiliated horse trials showed a novel approach to recruitment. Rather than ask for volunteers, organisers invited applications from anyone interested in getting more “involved in eventing” and “going behind the scenes”. Nicely done. TEAMWORK Talking of eventing, one competitor questioned why so many riders have to “brand themselves”, such as setting up Facebook pages for “X event team” or “X eventing”. “I personally feel it’s a bit too much,” she stated, adding as a PS: “I wasn’t brave enough to ask this on the dressage pages…!” LISTENING Spotted on Facebook: “If at first you don’t succeed, try doing what your coach told you to do the first time.” Don’t think there will be many riders (or coaches) who will disagree with that one.…

TERRIFIED of cross-country? Can’t face fillers? Dreading that dressage competition? Then perhaps these inspirational briefs could help. Poynstown Equestrian’s “Brave Pants” have been flying off the online retailer’s site, giving riders up and down the country a welcome confidence boost. “Having not been the bravest of riders, I have always been told to put my brave pants on by my instructors,” said Poynstown Equestrian owner Megan Rudge. “I was confident that other riders have been told this too, well now we can! “Our Brave Pants are great as a funny gift or just to give yourself a boost of confidence, proving very popular, as we completely sold out in the first week.” The pants are available for £9.99 including postage and packaging, in sizes 10-20. They come in white with…

ZARA TINDALL was at her brilliant best at Kentucky last weekend (report, p38). She may have been out of the spotlight for a couple of years, but a talent like hers doesn’t disappear. Does her third with High Kingdom put them in line for selection for the European Championships? I have to admit I don’t know. If the selectors were interested, surely they would have requested her acceptance at Badminton this week, which they can do for any British pair? Instead she languished on the wait-list because she hasn’t had many results during the past two years (the period over which FEI points count towards the ballot). But at least she had the chance to lay to rest her ghosts at Kentucky, after High Kingdom’s freak injury two years ago.…

BREEDING a foal or buying a youngster is always an exciting prospect, but it can prove challenging to get all the aspects of feeding, training and management exactly right. Friends and observers along the way will no doubt give their opinions on how nice the horse is, what height they think he will make and whether or not he will be any good at his job. While it may be fun to speculate, the reality is that final mature height is influenced by many factors — from the moment of conception through to full wither height at somewhere between five and seven years. Each horse has a certain genetic potential for growth that is inherited from his sire and dam. Heritability of wither height is thought to contribute only 26%…

‘There will always be some connection with horses, but you move on’ “THERE’s a big void when all that stops,” says the famously driven three-time champion jockey Richard Dunwoody, who retired from the saddle in 1999. “There are other things out there, but you’ve got to take your time and adjust to it.” This was the Belfast-born 53-year-old’s advice to his friend AP McCoy, who retired in 2015. In the 18 years since Richard closed the weighing room door behind him for the final time, the dual Grand National winner has forged an intrepid career as an adventurer — raising thousands of pounds for charity — as a photographer, and he recently became a first-time father with girlfriend Olivia. There was even a brief appearance on Strictly Come Dancing. He…

THE American Olympic medallist’s viewpoint has changed since his stepdaughter suffered a serious head injury. Phillip was the top US rider at Rolex Kentucky, finishing fourth on Mr Medicott, but his thoughts were never far from his stepdaughter, Lee Lee Jones, who was hospitalised and now is in rehabilitation after a riding accident in December left her with a traumatic brain injury. He limited his travel over the winter, when he usually trains his horses in the warm climate of the US south. Instead, he stayed home in Pennsylvania with his wife, Evie, to be near Lee Lee, who had been studying for a master’s degree in social work. The entire eventing community has rallied around. Team Lee Lee baseball caps are seen everywhere, and Phillip’s horses competed at Rolex…

A first win is special — but a first win less than a year after a life-changing diagnosis is even more poignant. Kate Hayward was diagnosed with breast cancer last July, aged 31. Since then she has undergone a mastectomy, IVF treatment, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She started riding Nobelle Clover (Rosa) in February, competed in her first event since diagnosis at Norton Disney (1) in April and went on to top a BE90 section at Kelsall Hill (1). “My desire to enjoy my horses again kept me sane,” said Kate, who works for Saracen Horse Feeds and credits the “amazing support from the staff at Royal Derby Hospital, my partner, Ben, and my colleagues for helping me though the months of suffering”. “My goal is the Mitsubishi Motors Cup,” she…

The wins were all the more spectacular considering the Leicester High School pupil had taken possession of 14.2hh German riding pony Dumbledore D (Albi) only six days earlier. “Albi is owned by Molly Smockum Owen who was on the British Dressage [BD] pony progress squad alongside Olivia in the 2015/16 season,” explained Olivia’s mother, Nikki. “Olivia’s own pony went lame, and Molly kindly offered her the ride on Albi.” Despite barely knowing each other, the pair hit it off instantly, scoring the pony’s personal bests of 70.24% and 70.88%. “We went with no expectations, just to get a feel for him ahead of the Premier Leagues, and he kept a sensible head,” added Nikki. “The plans are to compete in pony FEI classes and continue to broaden Albi’s experience at…

IRELAND’S three Britain-based young guns produced notable team performances in the first of this season’s Western European division one Nations Cups. Without points at stake in this leg of the series, new Irish team manager Rodrigo Pessoa took the opportunity to give Richard Howley (Chinook), Paul Kennedy (Cartown Danger Mouse) and Michael Duffy (Belcanto Z) their first try at the level and his confidence proved justified when they finished in sixth place, just three fences away from the German winners. Unfortunately, Dermott Lennon, who opened for Ireland on Loughview Lou-Lou, was battling injury and the feisty mare didn’t give him an easy time. They finished their first round on 12 faults and had two down second time around, which put the pressure on his team-mates. Despite all three being under…

THIS show was the first to introduce a new boot rule that affects newcomers and Foxhunter second rounds and age classes. The rule, which applies to hind boots only, brings British Showjumping (BS) regulations in line with the FEI, permitting only basic fetlock boots attached with Velcro. All elastic, buckles, studs and returns are banned by the rule — which is designed to prevent the use of over-tightened or “flick” boots — although BS regulations do allow bandages as an alternative. BS stipendiary steward John Taylor said the introduction had “gone well”. “There was the odd one with elastic straps or studs, but I’d say between 50% and 75% were aware of the change,” he said.…

I RECOLLECT making a trip to the Alwalton showground some years ago, after being summoned to a meeting for professional producers by the British Show Pony Society. Chairman Joan Gibson discussed complaints received by the office relating to the conduct of some professionals at shows — one being that a well-known producer was often seen leading ponies into the ring beyond the entrance. We came away feeling like we had returned to our school desks and were back in detention. A tad offended, informal chats took place about forming a professionals association so that we would be in a stronger position to have a voice in showing. The idea, however, fizzled out like a damp firework for one important reason: no obvious leader with the right credentials came forward —…

AS we let out a collective sigh at the impending general election, let’s look at it this way. It should be an opportunity we embrace, one last time, to help us find a resolution to the unworkable Hunting Act, and it can bring much-needed change to our community. It really can. At least the prime minister has been good enough to make it a five-furlong sprint and not a three-mile chase. There are many problems facing our country, and hunting, for most, will be very low down on the list. However, it is important to us and we have been relentless in our support of the Conservatives for decades now, helping the grassroots of the party by leafleting, canvassing and telephoning. Alien and uncomfortable for most of us, but we…

IT feels like the 2016/2017 jump season has flown by. It was one that provided me with many highlights in the saddle, including picking up the champion conditional jockey title, which was presented to me at Sandown on Saturday (29 April). When Sam Twiston-Davies was sidelined with injury in October some extra opportunities came my way and helped boost my tally for the season to 63 wins. I’m very grateful for those opportunities, especially in just my second season as a professional jockey — I rode horses I never thought I ever would. I was delighted to ride my first Grade One winner on Irving, trained by my boss Paul Nicholls, in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle in November — it was great to get a big Saturday winner under my…

PLENTY of owners and trainers disagreed with the clerk of the course’s official going of “good”, and many charges were left on the lorry. What looked on paper to be a showcase of young horse maidens saw only four go to post, with David Brace’s home-bred Dunraven Blue getting the better of a sprint finish with the odds-on favourite Smoke Man (Tommie O’Brien). “She is out of a sister to the talented Wahiba Sands,” said David. “We have taken her quietly and she’s now for sale.” Balkinstown (Zac Baker) topped the restricted wearing a visor for the first time. “It has made a man out of him and the quicker ground suited him,” said Zac of the seven-year-old gelding by Westerner, who is trained by Johnny Bryan for Julia Oakey.…

TROTWORK THE early medium trot is now on a straight rather than curving line. This will help the horses’ balance and riders can be braver. The transition from medium to collected trot is crucial. Riders must encapsulate the energy in the best gear for the trot for the next five movements — too fast will kill elasticity, too short and flat will spoil the quality of all the lateral work. Riders have to optimise the stride length, engagement, impulsion and tempo for this horse and its level of training. The quarter line will come up quickly and there aren’t many steps to provide a good shoulder-in. There’s no time to recover from a wobbly start. The half-pass is over an increased distance, but there is less angle. The reaction to…

National Hunt trainer Sandra Hughes is to retire. She took over the licence after her father Dessie Hughes’ death in 2014, and her most famous victory was the 2015 Irish Grand National. Badminton has announced that The Duchess of Cornwall will present the prizes. She will be escorted by the Duchess of Beaufort and Lance Bradley, of Mitsubishi Motors in the UK. Queen Mother Champion Chase-winning jockey Brian Harding has ended his riding career. The 44-year-old said he was “still loving it” but decided to go out before “nobody wants me any more”. The senior winner of the racing-themed 2017 Martin Wills Writing Awards was Molly Hunter , who submitted a portrait of a family horse, Your Humble Servant . Eventer Kitty King has withdrawn her Rio ride Ceylor…

CYCLING Jockey Trevor Whelan missed out on a chance of Grade One glory at Punchestown as he was injured in a fall. But not from a horse, as one might expect; Trevor dislocated his shoulder when he came off his bike. And people say horses are dangerous… IMPERSONATION Talking of jockeys, or not as the case may be, an interloper dressed in silks was escorted from the Newbury parade ring when The Queen was present. The fake jockey, thought to be on a stag do, was “politely asked to leave”. One wonders how long he would have kept up the pretence… TRAVELLING Spotted: an amateur eventer asking for advice on how to travel her two young children to events in her lorry safely. She described her seatbelt arrangement and added:…

BEHIND THE SCENES Sir — As my daughter is expecting her second baby this summer, she will miss this season of eventing. So we decided that we should give a bit back to British eventing and volunteer to fence judge, which we did at our nearest event at Horseheath near Cambridge. I appreciate that it is expensive to take a horse eventing, especially as most people are true amateurs and do not have sponsors. But when you see what goes into organising an event, from hiring marquees, loos and catering to providing paramedics, doctors and vets, it is obvious where your money goes. To see the paramedics and doctors swing into action after a rider fall makes you realise how safe British Eventing is trying to make the sport. The…

‘A quirky horse often has a stronger brain, so they dig a little bit deeper because there’s an argumentative side about them’ CAROLINE POWELL “UNUSUAL in an attractive and interesting way,” is the Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of “quirky”. So far, so good. But anyone who has spent their time browsing horses for sale adverts, and travelling to far-flung corners of the country to try promising mounts, knows that this six-letter word can be used to gloss over some distinctly unattractive qualities. So how should we interpret this ambiguous adjective, and how can you get the most out of such a horse? “It doesn’t need to be a bad thing,” says dressage European team silver medallist Maria Eilberg. “If you can get quirkiness under control, it can give you…

I always planned to be at Kentucky to see Derek di Grazia’s cross-country course. If you are going to keep up in sport, you need to know what is happening around the world and Derek is our next Olympic designer in 2020. That my daughter Zara Tindall was riding was a real bonus. Many riders had told Zara the course was easier than in previous years, but we couldn’t see that. This year’s track was one of the most intelligently thought through I’ve ever seen. The flow was good, it required extreme accuracy and the placing of the questions was very clever. Lucinda Green kindly praised Zara’s seat-of-the-pants, attacking style, but much thought had gone into the approaches and landing placements for her to execute the plan. The point and…

HELEN SELF bought her Dalkeith (1) BE90 winner, Double Shot (Charlie), by Double Trigger, from the Doncaster sales as a four-year-old five years ago. “He was a failed racehorse in every sense of the word,” she said. “He was so untrainable he never even made it to the racetrack.” Helen tried several products to placate her “neurotic” gelding, but nothing made a jot of difference. “The turning point came last October when I bought a four-year-old mare [Roo], via the Billy Stud online auction,” she explained. “Roo would never hurt a fly and I put her and Charlie in a field together thinking they’d get on well. “Charlie instantly became more chilled — a girlfriend made more difference than anything else,” she said.…

A FEW minor tweaks to her floorplan paid off for Vicki Thompson-Winfield, who dominated Saturday night’s grand prix freestyle to music with 75.38%. She was also third in Friday night’s 21-starter straight class. Riding Sam Francis’ stunning 11-year-old PRE stallion Mango Jacaro, Vicki wowed judges with her flying changes on a circle, clean transitions straight from two-time changes into ones, and half-passes into a double pirouette on the centre line. “We’ve been working on the floorplan because at a previous show we had a problem with the disk sticking so I never got to finish the test to the music,” explained Vicky. “I like to make the floorplan as difficult as I can because he is usually such a good boy, but he did catch me out here as he…

Back in February, Storm Doris cost Jane her place at the winter regionals, but with two medium wins at Field House she’s now on track for the summer equivalent. Jane tore her knee ligaments while leading Lothario (Rio) the day before their test: “I didn’t want to leave him in but leading him in the high winds was a mistake.” “Rio has the ability to do everything,” said Jane. “I just need the ability to do it with him!” Julie Yardley who, like Jane, trains with Richard Davison, had two wins at advanced medium with the Diamond Hit gelding THD Unique, whom she is hoping to debut at PSG this year. Anita Jones also claimed two mediums, at Tushingham with Dimagic. The Dimaggio x White Magic gelding was bought as…

Millfield School pupil Caitlin Clancy, 14, presented two excellent tests from her home-produced seven-year-old Browbank Jacob Black to win twice. She also claimed a second place with Elwell Master Craftsmans. The Clancy family from Burnham-on-Sea bought both ponies unbacked from Annie Edwards at Browbank Stud. “We went to buy one and came back with two as we couldn’t leave the other one behind,” said Caitlin’s mother, Stephanie. Caitlin keeps Elwell Master Craftsmans at school and rides him during her lunch hour, while Browbank Jacob Black, by Foryd Dafydd Ddu, is kept at home and ridden after school. Trained by Elizabeth Allen and Karen Whiston, Caitlin combines her dressage with eventing and showing and hopes to be selected for the British Young Riders Dressage Scheme (BYRDS) Home International. Truro-based Lauren Andrews,…

JO BARRY was thrilled with her young horse Hidalgo II (Humphrey), who scored 75% in the novice gold freestyle on their debut outing. The 17.2hh Rousseau five-year-old chestnut gelding is co-owned with Lady Mary Hope, and is a half-brother to Jo’s prix st georges (PSG) ride Vivaldi V. “I’d kept in touch with the stud that bred Vivaldi and when they mentioned his mum Donnabel (Donnerhall x Bolero) was for sale in-foal we jumped at the chance! She’s had three foals with us: Humphrey, a four-year-old full brother to Vivaldi, and a two-year-old filly who is a half-sister by San Amour,” explained Jo. “Humphrey was backed last year by Alex Barr and given time to cope with his size. He has only been to one HorseScotland training day before going…

THE panic about the proposed harmonising of entry fees for international shows seems to have spread across Europe like wildfire. Knowing the North American system well, I personally feel it will kill most smaller shows on the Continent. When you look at the FEI calendar, there are more shows then ever in Europe from two-star to five-star, so it is clear that shows are not suffering as they are run currently. Why change what’s working? The American system is very different. For starters, there aren’t the same number of FEI shows and the cost of running events is far higher. For instance, there are no volunteers like there are in Europe for jump crew etc. Paying staff, for any organisation, is one of the biggest expenses. However, even though it…

KIRSTY AIRD enjoyed a red-letter weekend, standing supreme working hunter pony (WHP) champion and novice ridden champion with two Fell ponies, plus also collecting a ridden Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) ticket for good measure. Gwen Rae’s Greenholme Emblem went through the card on the first day, lifting the supreme working hunter pony title and going one better than last year when they were reserve supreme. They came to the supreme with the intermediate and open titles already to their name. “This was only his second open class,” said Kirsty of the Greenholme Look At Me seven-year-old stallion, purchased as a yearling from the Fell pony sales. “As a five-year-old he won the NPS Dargavel four-, five- and six-year-old champion at Malvern. He’s a working stallion and has been covering…

FASHION stylist Helen Cowley and her heavyweight cob winner Aero collected their first RIHS ticket before standing reserve to Jayne Ross and Cob In Hood. Bishop’s Stortford-based Helen bought Aero a year ago and qualified him for last year’s HOYS Search for a Star final. “I already had another horse through, so Aero stayed at home,” explained Helen, who fits her work around her horses and three children. “He’s a perfect all-rounder,” she said. “He jumps up to 90cm and my seven-year-old daughter rides him. “ He’s also the best friend of some children with cerebral palsy who visit our stables. He lets them ride him and seems to absolutely love them.”…

‘Witness the excitement unfold in the international arena’ HORSE & HOUND has teamed up with Bolesworth International to offer six lucky winners — plus a friend or partner — the chance to receive star treatment at this equestrian extravaganza on Friday, 16 June. Enjoy a delicious lunch in the beautiful Bolesworth Bistro, where gastro-pub style food will be served both inside the marquee as well as on the terrace. Catch top-level showjumping and dressage across the five days of the show, plus great shopping, a host of thrilling water sports on the lake and fun family entertainment. From a demonstration by dressage maestro Carl Hester to grand prix showjumping, plus the glamour of Ladies’ Day and plenty of family entertainment, this show offers something for everyone, all set in stunning…

THERE was a rare — possibly unprecedented — occurrence in the hunt race, which was won by Ned The Post (above right), when Tickle Me (Elizabeth Croft, above left) recorded third place despite failing to clear the final fence. Tickle Me couldn’t negotiate it due to a steward standing in front of the obstacle following the fall of another rider and so, after consulting the rulebook, stewards allowed Elizabeth to weigh in. The jockey had shed two-and-a-half stone since Christmas to make the weight.…

NICK ALEXANDER and his nephew Kit both recorded wins at their home track. There was a cheer for winning Fife riders when Nick led the men’s open with Allthekingshorses (below, red and blue), who was unheaded throughout. Kit rode Rossini’s Dancer to score by two lengths in the club members’ race. “He would have done another circuit today and will aim for the Bruce Farms open hunter chase £2,000 bonus at Perth on 17 May,” said Nick, who was recording win 28 for Team Kinneston.…

AMBERLEIGH HOUSE The 2004 Grand National winner has died aged 25. The gelding, who was trained to his victory by the late Ginger McCain, suffered complications after colic surgery. His last public appearance was the 2017 Grand National parade. DON PRIMAIRE Laetitia Van Der Wyck’s dressage stallion has died aged 25. The Netherlands’ popular sire, known as “Donny”, was a Dutch warmblood by Donnerhall out of La Fayette. SPRINTER SACRE The National Hunt hero has moved from trainer Nicky Henderson’s yard to a new base to enjoy retirement. The dual Champion Chase winner is with eventer and TV presenter Spencer Sturmey, who plans to “find out what he’ll take to”. BALLYNOE CASTLE RM The US’s highest scoring event horse of all time, Bruce Davidson Jr’s former ride, has been retired…

A RARE breed centre that was facing imminent closure will be able to stay open having hit its £20,000 fundraising target. The Exmoor Pony Centre helps preserve the breed by protecting and rehoming moor-bred ponies who would otherwise face slaughter. It is operated by the Moorland Mousie Trust and trustees warned that unless it could raise £20,000, it would have to close by autumn. A crowdfunding page was set up last week and the money was raised in eight days. Centre manager Linzi Green told H&H staff are “absolutely astonished” and “can’t thank the supporters enough”. “It’s fantastic to see so many people rallying to our cause,” she added. “This ensures we can stay open until the end of the year and we hope to continue fundraising to find the…

JOHNNY ROE THE nine-time Irish Flat champion jockey died on 23 April aged 79. He started his career as an apprentice with Seamus McGrath in the 1950s and went on to be stable jockey to Vincent O’Brien and John Oxx senior. His many major wins included the 1975 1,000 Guineas on Nocturnal Spree, the 1967 Irish Oaks on Pampalina and multiple Royal Ascot victories. After retiring from race riding, he spent time as a trainer in Macau and then became a bloodstock agent. PAT BISHOP A LONG-SERVING volunteer with the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), Mrs Bishop died on 20 March aged 72. She had been chairman of Mount RDA group for 25 years and also served as Leicestershire’s county RDA chairman. A RDA spokesman said: “She was always…

A NEW British endurance initiative has been trialled for the first time, with positive feedback. In February, Endurance GB and the British Equestrian Federation started work on a new protocol for all international rides in Great Britain. With the help of riders and organisers, a working party developed a scheme aimed to “reward good horsemanship, devise a transparent method for appointing FEI officials, suggest ways to increase participation and recommend improvements to publicise clean sport”. The developments included an award, which was tested in the 80km competitive endurance ride class at King’s Forest, near Bury St Edmunds, on 16 April. At each vetgate and at the finish, competitors were given scores of 20 points minus their presentation time. A bonus was given for each cardiac recovery index result where the…

Sir — The happy hacker seems to be a dying breed. My council has provided underpasses under a major road and safe crossing points on the railway, and built nature reserves with bridlepaths. But few riders use these facilities, preferring the safety of an enclosed school. I purchased my horses as youngsters and spent time on groundwork and traffic training. I led them in-hand to follow large vehicles and long-reined them along farm tracks and then roads. Even when backed, instead of drilling them in a school, we spent time hacking, learning to canter on large stubble fields and in straight lines on potato fields. This traffic training paid off recently when I witnessed a high-speed police car chase while I was out hacking on a single-track lane. We heard…

1 Rule out any physical problems. Eventer Bettina Hoy advises making a list and ticking it off — “You need to go through the list and first make sure everything is physically OK with the horse.” 2 “Treat the horse as an individual,” says eventer Caroline Powell. “That’s where you either excel in working out a quirk or you fail.” 3 “Keep their minds occupied and learn to expect the quirks,” says dressage rider Maria Eilberg. 4 “You have to learn not to react,” says Jayne Ross. “If a horse spooks because it’s sharp, there is no point in giving it a kick and saying, ‘don’t do that’. Sometimes you have to sit and suffer.” 5 There is a range of professional riders out there who can help and support…

Rolex Kentucky, USA THE last time Zara Tindall was at the USA’s only four-star event, Kentucky, she was a non-starter. Her mount, Trevor Hemmings’ High Kingdom, hurt himself in the stables and Zara withdrew after making it only as far as the warm-up arena in 2015. This year, the former world and European champion was determined to complete the event, which she did, adding nothing to her dressage score of 46.6 penalties, as she rose from 16th place in the first phase to third after cross-country. She stayed in that spot for the awards ceremony, after being one of only four riders able to produce a clear in the time over a Richard Jeffery-designed showjumping course. “I’m very lucky to come back and thankful to my owner and to Land…

“HE’S such a lovely horse — he always tries and never lets you down,” said Vittoria Panizzon after winning advanced section H on Amy and Patricia Lambert’s Chequers Play The Game. The pair led the dressage on 25.9, but eight faults round a tough showjumping track left them playing catch-up across country. They were well up to the task, however, and sped round Withington’s contours to record the fastest time of the two advanced sections with just two time-faults. “He makes me ride well across country because I can actually see strides on him!” said the Gloucestershire-based Italian. “Before he came to me he had something of a historic problem with corners, and for him to fly through the double of corners here on a loose rein with a smile…

• HORSEHEATH (1) BE100open. — 1, Hyde Park III (J Chipperfield) 29,0,0=29; 2, Willy Limerick (J Pratt) 28.3,0,1.6=29.9; 3, Jorian Van Het Mangelhof (R Hull) 27.5,0,2.4=29.9. BE100 sec A. — 1, Churchside Reflection (J Pratt) 17.3,4,0=21.3; 2, Jubilee Gem (S Miller) 21.5,0,0=21.5; 3, Toces Bright Lass (C Smith) 23.8,0,0=23.8. sec B. — 1, Recession (C Roberts) 23.8,4,0=27.8; 2, Treworder (J Duncan) 25.5,4,0=29.5; 3, Sannanvalley Classic (A Martin) 27.5,4,1.6=33.1. sec C. — 1, Enniscrone Morgan Gold (T Iveson) 21.5,0,0=21.5; 2, Weston Lara (A Pegley) 22,0,0=22; 3, JJ Malone (A Parker) 18,4,0=22. BE90open. — 1, Knave Of Golden Hearts (L Howlett) 25.5,0,0=25.5; 2, Watchover Jackanory (C Pettitt) 20.5,0,8=28.5; 3, Brother Barnaby (C Smith) 30,0,0=30. BE90 sec E. — 1, Fenomeen L (C Smith) 26.3,0,0.4=26.7; 2, Ysgwynfawr Fergus (A Bettle) 26.8,0,1.2=28; 3, Classicals…

MARTIN WRIGHT spends more time on an aeroplane than he does in the saddle, but this didn’t stop him from topping a BE90 section at Horseheath (1) with Kondennetty Clover. The Kent-based rider works full-time for an Italian chemical company, Polynt, and spends several days a week either in Europe or commuting to the company’s Lincolnshire factory. “The rest of the time I tend to work from home, so that makes fitting in riding easier,” explained Martin, whose wife, Janine Lamy, keeps his horses in shape when he’s away. “Kondennetty Clover is three-quarters Irish draught and unbelievably spooky, but she has a classic, tidy, Irish jumping style,” said Martin, who is also a trustee of the Pony Club and its Area 11 representative.…

What a difference a year makes — or at least it did when Nicola Cooper tried the leggy mare at the Hawtins Stud. “Bryony [Goodwin, the stud’s rider] had made her look gorgeous,” recalls Nicola of the first time she set eyes on “Bam”, as a just-backed four-year-old. “But when I got on, her back went up. I immediately said, ‘No thanks’. “I was still looking for a horse a year later and they showed her to me again. I thought she was fantastic, but they didn’t let on that she was the horse I’d already tried until I’d bought her.” “It’s nice when the judge is grinning as much as you are when you look up from your final salute,” said Nicola, after her 77.5% win with the seven-year-old…

FIONA BIGWOOD, who recently sold her 2016 Olympics partner Atterupgaards Orthillia due to a lack of time to compete internationally, has found her next top prospect in Florina 146. Fiona had had the seven-year-old mare at home for just 12 days before winning the medium qualifier at Pachesham with 76.06%. “Florina has an amazing temperament,” said the Rio team silver medallist. “You never know how they’ll be, or how you should ride them at the first show. She was powerful yet totally calm in the head and I went home with a smile on my face.” Fiona bought Florina from Andreas Helgstrand in Denmark. The Fürst Romancier x Donnerhall daughter was placed in the 2015 world young horse championships in Verden and was fourth in the Bundeschampionate in the same…

I ENJOYED the winter champs (report, 20 April) and riding the dressage divas demo with the Altogether Equestrian team dressed in full bling. Many horses blow up at Hartpury doing a straight test at lower levels in silence, so taking four in together with a light show, blaring music and dry ice to do grand prix work is a big ask. Passing down wisdom to the younger generation is the duty of the senior riders. So I did encourage my fellow divas to wear their stocks firmly pinned as a few years ago, following a similar display at Hartpury but wearing a more flimsy costume, I was sent “fan mail” by one of the only straight men there, informing me that he had very much enjoyed my demo as he…

BILLY TWOMEY put up the best performance of the three Irish riders here when he and Terry Payne’s Diaghilev were third in Friday’s world ranking class, just over a second behind Italian winner Emanuele Gaudiano on Carlotta 232. Billy was also in the money with another British-bred and -produced horse, Kimba Flamenco, in Thursday’s 1.45m accumulator. Cameron Hanley was placed in Friday’s 1.45m speed class on Joe Clayton’s former ride Aiyetoro. Fellow Germany-based Irishman Denis Lynch, still celebrating the birth of son Nick at the end of March, finished 11th in Sunday’s grand prix qualifier with a single time-fault on the flamboyant stallion All Star 5.…

HANNAH HALL was thrilled to collect her first RIHS qualifier when Hey Bob produced a smooth, rhythmical round to win the 143cm M&M WHP. The 10-year-old Connemara was purchased from Hannah’s best friend Sarah Field as a newly broken five-year-old after she found him in Ireland as a yearling. “I’ve been doing ridden classes but thought we’d try some jumping classes for a change,” said Hannah, a trainee accountant. “He’s very honest and never says no. He’s home-produced, we keep him at DIY livery and my mum [Elaine Hall] hacks him out while I’m at work.” Barbara McGrath, the conformation judge, said: “It had a lovely balanced way of going and I gave it the best manners mark of the day.”…

THE Bank Holiday weekend was a busy one in hunting, as lorries and vans whizzed all over the country moving hunt staff from one kennels to another in time for the start of the new season on 1 May. And within the individual hunting countries, men and women have shouldered the masters’ mantle with excitement — and trepidation. CENTRAL, SOUTH AND EAST ANGLIA HUNTSMAN Will Hudson has moved from the HH after 16 years — four as whipper-in; 12 carrying the horn — to the Wilton , replacing Freddie Morby, who has gone to the West Norfolk as kennel-huntsman, where Andrew Kendall becomes a master. Sophie Clotworth joins the Wilton mastership, while Bill Bishop, formerly kennel-huntsman of the West Norfolk, will hunt the hounds. The Vine and Craven have two…

NICKY HENDERSON overtook the reigning champion Paul Nicholls for the lead in the British trainers’ title when Might Bite led home Whisper in the RSA Chase at Cheltenham. Despite Nicholls’ win in the Scottish National with Vicente, Henderson had maintained a healthy advantage — keeping Nicholls in the hunt until the last day at Sandown on Saturday. After Henderson won the first with Call Me Lord, it was stable flag-bearer Altior who sealed the deal for Henderson’s fourth title — 31 years after his first — when the unbeaten novice chaser beat the champion chaser Special Tiara eight lengths in the bet365 Celebration Chase. At Cheltenham, Altior had looked a shade below his best — despite winning the Arkle — but he was back on top form at Sandown sitting…

IT has been a great year and we’re feeling a bit of relief that the season has now finished. The horses have been consistent throughout the season, despite a downturn in January due to flu vaccinations, however at least we knew what that was. We finished the campaign on 118 winners — more than last year — so I was very pleased. We had set our sights on 100 winners, so to surpass that was really great. Once we had got to that tally, we didn’t want to put any more pressure on the horses, so eased back a bit to keep them fresh for the summer. There was a great sense of achievement when we reached 100 and my brother Harry also rode his 100th winner. We just hope…

Darren Edwards on why many are praying for rain FOR those to whom weather does not matter, a long dry spell in spring is considered a blessing, an entrée to a summer of heatwaves and barbeques. For those involved in point-to-pointing, it can be less than helpful. As of 28 April the UK had seen just 41% of the average April rainfall measured over the period 1981-2010. I wrote my last column (H&H, 6 April) when “soft” was a regular feature in going descriptions; now “firm” is the order of play. Some courses have been forced to abandon racing, others have watered to produce artificially “good” ground. With the latter approach, there is a fine line between success (evenly watered ground meaning hooves make a consistent print) and failure (unevenly…

‘Pat was an amazing pioneer — all the other team members were army officers’ Anneli Drummond-Hay THE 79-year-old won the first ever Burghley Horse Trials in 1961 and Badminton in 1962. She switched to showjumping and won numerous grands prix, representing Great Britain for 14 years on the Olympic and Nations Cup teams. She is the only rider to have been shortlisted in dressage, showjumping and eventing for the same Olympic Games (1964). IN 1956 Pat Smythe became the first woman to ride in the Olympic showjumping and the first to win a medal — bronze. Until then, Olympic rules barred women from competing in that discipline. During the war years, my mother took Pat under her wing. She lived with us and learnt to ride on the polo ponies…

1. HUGH THOMAS, event director 2. A RIDER WALKING BAREFOOT through a water jump 3. ERIC WINTER , cross-country course-designer 4. THE LAKE (fence 8abc), scene of many a rider’s early bath 5. JULIAN SEAMAN, media director 6. THE H&H TRADESTAND (122, Worcester Way), where you can get 50% off a subscription or 30% with a welcome gift 7. THE MITSUBISHI MOTORS TROPHY, awarded to Badminton’s winner 8. THE OUTLANDER BANK (fence 13ab) — the bank here was used in the course at the first Badminton in 1949 9. KELVIN BYWATER, showjumping course-designer 10. A HORSE MISBEHAVING in the dressage 11. A HORSE WHO COMPETED AT RIO — choose from Paulank Brockagh, Piaf De B’Neville (above), Qing Du Briot ENE HN, La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, Horseware Hale…