Innholdsfortegnelse for 08-Mar-2018 i Horse & Hound

THIRD rule of journalism — never write about the weather. The Beast from the East is my new moniker for Skippy, who was hellbent on running up the vet bills as she galloped across the field last week bemoaning — at the highest pitch — the distinct absence of grass in her field. As she went, she ejected at some considerable speed the snow packed in her hooves, like very chilly shot-puts, narrowly missing my head as I stood at the gate. While sport was cancelled all around us, H&H staff had a mix of hairy drives and refreshing walks to ensure our prides and joy were tucked up warm. And as we left muttered a note to the goddess of spring for all equestrian souls suffering cabin fever. New…

THE long-awaited Central Equine Database (CED) is fully operational, Defra minister Lord Gardiner is expected to reveal today (8 March). The news is set to be revealed at the National Equine Forum, which takes place at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. For the first time, passport records for all UK equines will be accessible from a single, central system. It is also hoped this will make it easier for local authorities to trace accurate information on — and the owners of — abandoned horses or ponies, as well as welfare cases. The database is being provided by Bramble Hub, which has subcontracted the work to Equine Register. Equine Register director Stewart Everett spoke at last year’s forum of some of the features the new database will have — including provision…

BRITISH para dressage star Sophie Christiansen has welcomed changes to the classification code for UK athletes. Classification establishes who can and cannot compete in Paralympic sport. It groups athletes into different grades, dependent on how much impact their impairments have on functional activities in each specific sport or discipline. Sophie, who has won eight Paralympic golds and 22 other senior championship medals, had previously said she believed the classification system needed updating (news, 22 June 2017). The British Paralympic Association (BPA) published the new code on 28 February, which provides greater clarity over the rights and responsibilities of those involved in classification. It sets out the step-by-step way the classification system works, and who is responsible for what at each stage. It also supports the International Paralympic Committee’s code, which…

VISIBILITY There was outrage in Australia when a race was run in such thick fog and heavy rain, no one could see a thing. Although, funnily enough, the trainer of the rank outsider who won was not among those complaining; we can’t think why not… HAIRDRESSING US showjumper Danielle Goldstein was seen sporting an interesting look in competition recently; her hair was basically a big bunch of feathers. Apparently it took 10 hours to attach them. Worse than plaiting. EXCUSES An endurance rider who whipped his tired horse with a spare pair of reins has been found guilty of abuse by the FEI Tribunal. Good decision. But the rider, who admitted his actions and apologised, tried to say he had hit the horse “because it was lonely” and needed, presumably,…

Sir — Hunting and the countryside is a wonderful way of life to many, but I believe we need to stand up and be counted again. I have been a MFH for over 20 years and have seen lots of changes over that time. Hunting has adapted well to these and will continue to do so, but we need to become proactive rather than always being on the backfoot. While social media is a wonderful tool for many, it seems that our opponents are better at getting their version of the story across all forms of social media and the press. We must protect our hounds and hunt staff, and be prepared to contest our detractor’s “fake news” in order to reverse the sway of public opinion and safeguard the…

OF the scandals that can afflict a hunt — hounds running into the first drive of the trickiest shoot; the whipper-in’s unhelpfully public affair with the newly married daughter of the biggest vale farmer; the supporters’ club treasurer running off to the Maldives with the proceeds from the hunt ball (and the lady master) — few cause more furrowed brows and raised eyebrows than the awarding of hunt buttons. As the end of the season draws nearer, masters should be looking round their subscribers to see who might join next season’s cohort. Masters are well advised to keep a list to ensure that no one is missed or awarded them twice. In recent times, petitioning of a master, either by the potential candidate or a persuasive connection, is not unheard-of.…

Pachesham, Surrey | Step Aside, West Sussex Botero, a Biasini x Rosenkavalier nine-year old, now owned by Jane Manley of Four Elms Farm, Kent, began his competition career with Hayley Pile in November. “He has had some lameness problems so we’ve brought him back into work very slowly,” explained Hayley. “He can be quite a tight little horse so we did a lot of stretching to get him to relax through his body. I can now ride him forward and out to a contact, but there will be a lot more marks when his engagement in the transitions improves.” Lauren Ruffle and Freeman H triumphed in the medium 69 qualifier with 69.84%, though the horse has only competed lightly. Lauren said of the leggy 18hh Vivaldi x Cocktail eight-year-old: “Although…

CSIO4* Winter Equestrian Festival week eight, Palm Beach Equestrian Center, Florida, USA A DAZZLING performance by the British team in Florida resulted in a resounding victory in Saturday’s $150,000 (£109,000) Nations Cup. Great Britain led from the front over the two rounds with both Ben Maher (Tic Tac) and debutant Emily Mason (Explosion W) producing double clears. Emily Moffitt (Hilfiger Van De Olmenhoeve) provided the drop score in round one but returned with a tremendous clear, while Amanda Derbyshire (Luibanta BH) jumped clear in round one but collected eight faults in round two. This high-class finish on a team total of zero was enough to hold off a powerful challenge from the Irish squad on five faults, with Mexico third with a total of 10 in a nine-nation thriller. “We…

83 BSPA Festival of Showing and Winter Championships, Keysoe EC, Beds THE British Skewbald and Piebald Association (BSPA) evening gala saw two three-year-old colts go head-to-head for the supreme in-hand title. Harry Bennett-Hibbert coaxed an extra spark of athleticism from Sonidors Edith’s Pride to clinch it over Kevin Cousins and Caroline Ward’s sports pony, Popenhoe Picture Perfect. Harry bred Sonidors Edith’s Pride, aka Mr H, out of his former jumping mare, High Offley Last Business. The skewbald’s sire is Rebecca Walker’s Stormhill Mink. Harry plans to bring him out under saddle next year and will eventually stand him at Sonidors Stud, which he runs with his husband, Paul. “Mr H got top marks in the youngstock evaluation championship earlier in the day, so I’m really proud of him,” he said.…

RIDERS who are too heavy for their mounts can cause temporary lameness, which could become a permanent issue in the long term. The latest results of a study led by the Animal Health Trust (AHT) last September show that a high ratio of horse-to-rider weight has a “substantial” negative effect. The study involved six horses, each ridden by four riders of different weights. And although all six finished it moving at least as well as at the start, all the tests involving the two heaviest riders had to be abandoned, mainly owing to the temporary lameness. The results were to be announced by Dr Sue Dyson, AHT head of clinical orthopaedics, who led the study, at the National Equine Forum today (8 March). “I had expected this, based on previous…

GLOCK’S TANGO Hans Peter Minderhoud has paid tribute to the top dressage stallion. The combination took the Dutch national champion title in 2011. Glock’s Tango was put down aged 18 due to ongoing health problems. MIGHTY NICE The individual eventing bronze medallist at the Rio Olympics will not compete at the World Equestrian Games this September. His rider, the US’ Phillip Dutton, told H&H the 14-year-old is recovering from an injury he sustained earlier this year. CRUACHAN III The much-loved army mascot, who served with the Royal Regiment of Scotland across the world, has died aged 30. The Shetland pony was put down on 27 February due to arthritis, following a five-year retirement. FAME ACADEMY Paul Brightwell’s hack broodmare has died aged 19. Novice champion with Katie Jerram-Hunnable at the…

THINK your horse is bombproof? You may need to think again. New Zealander Karen Teague, owner of Brookby Heights International, was asked by a potential buyer if her mare Kevin was unflappable — so she decided to find out. The resulting video shows the nine-year-old being ridden on the beach, and jumped, by someone in a dinosaur costume. Eagle-eyed viewers will recognise the suit as one worn in a video Karen made previously to prove her horse Pumba was similarly unbothered. “Kevin came afraid to be ridden,” Karen told H&H.“I rebacked her and we developed a remarkable bond. “I’d become a bit too attached but when I was asked if she was unflappable, I thought, ‘Let’s see…’,”. We think they found out.…

THE WAY TO WEAN Sir — “What’s new in the veterinary world?” (22 February), which looked at ways of weaning, has prompted me to write. Thirty years ago, I learnt the best way to wean calves was to put the calf in an adjacent pen to its mother with a gate between them — they could still communicate and there were no signs of stress. Encouraged by this, I decided to do the same with my mare and the result was the same. Within a matter of weeks, her seven-month-old foal was happy to explore the yard and introduce himself to the other horses. I have successfully repeated this process, varying it a little depending on the number of foals. They don’t call to their mother, and they tend to…

‘There are so many stories based around my role that I have said I will write a book, the title of which will be “Which way is fence one?”’ I have a full-time job as an inspector of taxes and have never competed, just hacked and hunted. I got into volunteering at British Eventing (BE) events when I went along with a friend who was fence judging at Northampton Horse Trials in May 1986. I obviously didn’t do a bad job as I then got asked to do more and became a frequent steward on the steeplechase at Burghley. In 1990, I went to fence judge at Milton Keynes Horse Trials and the cross-country starter didn’t turn up, so they put me in charge instead. It has sort of become…

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Swallowfield EC, Warks Kirsty, who works for Elevator Bridles, has owned the 11-year-old Hanoverian by Baroncelli for two years, but it has taken a year to bond with him properly. “He’s a tricky horse and can be spooky, and is very different to the horses I’m used to riding,” said Kirsty. “He thought he knew better than me and I had to persuade him that I did know what I was doing. It’s so much better now we have a bond — he trusts me a lot more and I can get some lovely work out of him.” Kirsty is aiming to do under-25 grands prix with him. “He’s just started his piaffe and passage work at home, in which he’s really talented,” she added. “I train with Henry Boswell…

I HAVE worked with horses all my adult life. I worked at the National Equestrian Centre at Stoneleigh for many years and one of the things that impressed me was how many international trainers there were giving clinics. It was a case of “watch and learn” for me. What I see today is the younger generation not taking every available opportunity. They must have hungry eyes for self-development — not picking up their mobile phone the moment they’ve finished training, while still on the horse. We have such a different system in the UK to that of the Continent. We need to encourage the pony riders to get onto a horse earlier — the whole youth system needs to be more joined up. What I have learnt in the Scandinavian…

A HOT ringside topic and something I have seen for quite a few years now, is the uprising of the young “producer”. I’m all for championing and encouraging young talent, especially in the ride judging sections, but it is sometimes questionable when it comes to their knowledge and experience. I’m not alone in the quest to find good trainees and staff. Perhaps it is a generational skip, whereby people instantly want to work for themselves and feel they can avoid working their apprenticeship. There should be no cutting corners with horses. It’s not all down to being a capable rider, it’s acquired general-horsemanship skills that are learned only through watching others and gaining invaluable practical experience. It is also essential to be financially buoyant to afford the necessary insurances, of…

COMPETITIONS were cancelled across the country as Britain was hit by the full force of the “Beast from the East” last week. As the weather system combined with storm Emma brought plunging temperatures, freezing rain and blizzards, all competition on what should have been the first weekend of the 2018 British Eventing season was cancelled, along with racing, point-to-pointing, showjumping and dressage throughout the UK. British Eventing (BE) sport manager Debbie Pritchard, BE sport manager said it was a “hugely disappointing, although not totally unexpected” start to the season. “The forecasts for this week predict heavy rain so we are closely monitoring scheduled events and hope the weather is on our side so that we can make a start to the 2018 season,” she added. The Point-to-Point Authority said it…

Olympic gold medallist Stuart Tinney is the new chef d’equipe of the Equestrian Australian (EA) eventing team. “He brings a huge breadth of skills,” said EA’s high performance director Chris Webb. Bramham Horse Trials event director Nicholas Pritchard and his wife Beth, a vet at Westwood Veterinary Practice, welcomed their son Jasper on 21 February, joining the couple’s first son Rufus. Ann Duffield has become the first female president of the National Trainers Federation (NTF). She succeeds Seamus Mullins, who had reached the end of his two-year term with the NTF. Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Ryan Hatch has retired. Doctors said the 24-year-old, who fractured his neck and back in a fall in 2016, risks paralysis if he has another bad fall. Keith Ottesen has been appointed clerk of the course…

RACING OWNERS’ LEVY ON THE RISE BRITISH racehorse owners’ contribution to the welfare of retired racers has increased for the first time since 2009. In consultation with the British Horseracing Authority, the board of the Racehorse Owners’ Association (ROA) agreed that the levy charged every time a horse is entered in a race should increase from £1 to £1.25 from 1 March. The money goes to Retraining of Racehorses, the industry’s official charity for retired racers’ welfare. Last year owners contributed £202,856 to the charity through the levy. ROA chief executive Charlie Liverton said the rise reflects inflation since the levy was introduced in 2009. TOP TRAINERS TAKE FIRST AWARDS THE first winners of the Lycetts Team Champion awards are Nick Alexander and Warren Greatrex. The trainers won the titles,…

LIVING DANGEROUSLY Eventer Harry Meade laughed in the face of the Beast from the East as he defied “severe warnings from the Met Office and my wife” to drive the lorry to Yorkshire. It’s a brave man who ignores such a warning, and we’re not talking about the Met Office’s one… STEREOTYPES Oh dear. Talking of the snow, one reporter bemoaned the fact she made it to crown court but that one of the judges “couldn’t even make it to his stables”. Possibly not much sympathy to come on that one… PISTOLS AT DAWN One was intrigued to read about a showjumping competition, in which a rider was described as “duel champion”. Did she take 10 paces, turn and beat her opponent to the draw? Or did she perhaps win…

IS it wrong that the thing you love most about someone is that they do your studs for you at events, Hannah asks herself? She remembers being single and bursting into tears at Aldon, when 17hh-worth of excited five-year-old broke the stud tap AGAIN when she couldn’t support his entire bodyweight leaning on her while she tried to screw his studs in. Hours spent, with nervous, fumbling fingers, trying to get the studs in without breaking the thread. Then James arrived on the scene — 6ft 2in of previously non-horsey rugby player who, miracle of miracles, rather likes coming to events with her. Good thing he does, as with three horses on DIY livery and a full-time job in an office, she’d barely see him from March to October otherwise.…

IN KENNELS Chairman: Michael Cunningham Joint-masters: Jeremy Reed (huntsman), Davina Featherstonehaugh, Paul Smith Hon secretaries: Pooch Spiller, Rachel Hughes; e: secretary@ fl intanddenbighhunt.wales Whipper-in: Sean Beston Flint and Denbigh, Gwaenynog Hall, Denbighshire AN early mention of Flopsy Bunny in this report of a day with the Flint and Denbigh is not to suggest it is chasing a new quarry. The link is in its annual meet at Gwaenynog Hall in Denbighshire, now the home of Tom and Janey Smith, but at one time owned by Beatrix Potter’s aunt and uncle, and a place the author visited on occasions around the beginning of the last century. Its garden of archways and flower beds inspired The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies. There are still rabbits in the garden at Gwaenynog — which…

Morris EC Winter Regional Championships, Ayrshire BRIDGET TATE accounted for three regional titles — including achieving the weekend’s highest score of 75.83% — with Hawtins Werona. She claimed a hard-fought advanced medium freestyle, the advanced medium and prix st georges (PSG) with Werona, a nine-year-old chestnut mare by Wolkentanz II out of a Sherlock Holmes mare. “I felt her advanced medium music test was just awesome. I’ve just got new music set to Mary Poppins and think it really suits her,” said Bridget. Werona was purchased 18 months ago from the Hawtins Stud to give Bridget experience of riding at this level. “She can be super sweet, although a little quirky,” Bridget added. “I felt she was a little tense in the advanced medium, although this gives her presence. We…

Hunters EC, Glos | Mount Ballan Manor, Monmouthshire “She has been very tricky, but she has come a long way,” said Lotte, recalling the early years with her Sir Donnerhall mare, who is now 11. “I bought her as a four-year-old but didn’t compete her until she was seven. She was the only horse I’d ever seen who could canter and buck while going backwards. “We’re now going forwards a lot better,” said Lotte, who credits her trainer Rhett Bird with improvements in Safira’s attitude and performance. “We’ve been working on suppleness in half-pass, starting in trot or canter and finishing the movement in walk. This has really helped to maintain the bend while moving in the right direction. “I think this is the best she has ever worked for…

Fountain Dressage, Aberdeen Debbie Humble was a double winner at prelim silver with Silver Hill Clover (Fin). The 19-year-old grey has proved an ideal schoolmaster for Debbie. Fin was originally ridden by Debbie’s sister Emma, who competed him in Pony Club activities, inter-branch dressage and eventing before the the gelding was sold. When Debbie started riding, the new owner offered him back to the family and so Fin returned home three years ago. “He’s done a great job of looking after me. I’m not very confident but he helps me out,” said Debbie. “I’ve set myself an aim of jumping a small course by the end of the year. Fin loves jumping so I know I can trust him; he’s a forward, willing ride. “I’ve been training with Jean Stephen…

I HAVE always maintained February is the most unpleasant month of the year. And it definitely didn’t fail to disappoint me in 2018. So what with the weather, and that damnable Brexit not doing anything to help the despondency gripping Britain, when it was suggested we do one of the spring tours, I didn’t need much convincing. There are masses of British riders now competing in southern Europe. We chose to come to Vilamoura in Portugal, from where I write. With Spain’s Mijas tour cancelled, the start lists are massive. There’s a rankings class each day of the four-day shows, but with up to 100 horses in each, they are very competitive. With well-built, flowing courses, good distances and times allowed that if riders aren’t riding up to pace, time-faults…

ALL is not well this week on Cold Comfort Farm. We are in the grip of the “Beast from the East” and I can only hope that by the time you read this it has cleared off back to Siberia or wherever it came from. It is not looking pretty up here with intermittent blizzards, no sign of a snowplough and however many pregnant ewes and cattle roughing it out in the elements. The snow just keeps on falling so the horses and ponies are sulking in their stables, which keep filling up with snow, there is a mean wind whistling around the chimney pots and we have spent the day toiling around the buildings like participants in the BBC’s Victorian Farm series. I always marvel at the levity of…