Innholdsfortegnelse for 05-Apr-2018 i Horse & Hound

I BECAME H&H dressage editor in 2005 when “hyperfl exion”, as rollkur was rebranded then, hit the headlines. Even before the rebranding, some riders used hyperflexion and 13 years later it rumbles on. That’s a long time to have rollkur in the dressage zeitgeist. A lot of good has happened in-between. The likes of Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin worked miracles for the sport’s image with the harmonious pictures their horses present in the arena. I remember a top trainer saying at the Global Dressage Forum in 2009 that nobody, not even the international rider who had been talking about the need to address rollkur, trains their horse to grand prix using sugar lumps alone. The FEI’s challenge is where to draw the line. We need governing bodies to be…

‘He will live in our hearts, his voice for ever in our ears’ ANDREW HOY THE equestrian world is mourning the loss of the voice of horse sport, Mike Tucker. The legendary broadcaster and former top event rider died suddenly on 28 March aged 73. Mike commentated at countless competitions, including six Olympics with the BBC. He called Britain’s gold medals at London and Rio, which he said was “a lifelong ambition”. Mike evented internationally for 20 years — including competing at two European Championships — and was also a cross-country course-designer. He rode round Badminton 12 times and was placed second in 1983 on General Bugle, a horse he bred at his farm. Mike retired from BBC television commentary last spring after 40 years with the broadcaster, but…

A FORMER riding trainer who was seriously injured in a car crash is battling for nearly £10m damages in court. Sharon Kelsall hopes to compete in the Paralympics, but said she needs between £25,000 and £100,000 for a horse, as well as a riding arena. Miss Kelsall spent eight months in hospital after the accident on the A2070 near Ashford, Kent, in 2014. Benjamin Clarkson, of London Road, Ditton, was jailed for two years and eight months, at Canterbury Crown Court in December 2015, having admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving. There was some evidence the 29-year-old, whose Clio strayed across the road to collide with Miss Kelsall’s vehicle, had suffered an epileptic fit at the wheel. She said at the time: “I was outgoing and confident, but now…

GRANDAD BILLY One will not reveal the stud whose phone number is similar to that of a hospital, and which once got a call asking after “Billy”. “He’s fine,” the caller was told, of Billy the stallion. “We’ve collected lots of semen from him today.” After a pause, the caller replied: “Um, I’m talking about my grandad?” ANSWERPHONES On the same note, the stud was once waiting for a pair of testicles to arrive, so chased the sender. “But I’ve delivered them,” he said. “I left a voicemail to say ‘the testicles are in the kitchen, let me know what you get from them’.” It is unclear on whose phone the message was left… TECHNOLOGY An H&H-er trying to watch the livestream of a conference on equine technology was thwarted…

PETUNIA is an easygoing mare who is fond of her owner. But if Deidre doesn’t stop poking her, examining bits of her she doesn’t want examining and spending hours staring at her anxiously, she is going to bite her. Petunia is due to give birth soon and Deidre is in a state. It had seemed like such a good idea, breeding from Petunia, who has been such a good all-rounder for Deidre’s family, hoping to produce an event horse for one of her granddaughters. It was fun choosing the stallion, and so exciting when the vet confirmed that Petunia was indeed in foal. Deidre’s husband is bored with hearing about Petunia’s progress but, on advice from Deidre’s horsey best friend, had the most beautiful leather foal slip made for mini-Petunia…

MARE MISCARRIAGE COMPARED with other domesticated, hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep and pigs, horses have poor reproductive performance. Conception rates are lower, whether the mare is subject to artificial insemination (AI) or natural service. Even when pregnancy is confirmed by scanning, the rate of pregnancy loss is relatively high. A live foal cannot be guaranteed after 11 months of pregnancy. Vets in the Czech Republic looked at the correlation between pregnancy loss and the presence of geldings or stallions on the home premises of mares that had been sent to stud. They followed the pregnancies of 75 mares sent to the state stud over a period of several years. Some only came to this stud once, while others returned more often, so, in total, there were 110 pregnancies in…

HAVING made the six-hour drive to Burnham Market, we unloaded our five horses and my head groom Jess Errington handed me my Badminton-bound grey Away Cruising to graze. He looked a picture thanks to Jess’ usual hard work, so when he unexpectedly rolled in the Norfolk mud I was left with a lot of explaining to do! The direction of Burnham Market’s cross-country course had been changed, which gave it a new feel with a significant uphill pull and more flow. The layout had three big loops, each returning to the central spectator mound. Next to this, course-designer and organiser Alec Lochore had put three serious combinations, one of which was jumped in the first third of the course, one in the second and one in the final third. Cleverly,…

BABES BAGS FOUR WINS NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD Scot Graham Babes was in spectacular form at the final show of the CSI3* Atlantic Tour in Vilamoura, Portugal. After young horse wins on Carlingfords On The Rocks Glencoe and Ma Fleur JS, he claimed an 82-strong world-ranking speed class with Boucheron. With son Jack due to play in an important football match in Britain on Sunday, Laura Renwick finished her show in style by taking Saturday’s small grand prix with a fabulous round on Bintang II, then flew home to watch Jack’s team also win. Graham Babes and Boucheron were second, with fellow Scots Douglas Duffin (Quidam BZ) and Jordan Thompson (Unistop) third and fifth. Sunday’s big grand prix went to Sweden’s Irma Karlsson and Chacconu. Ireland’s Harry Marshall (Barcelona) and Mikey Pender (Casanova…

Hunters EC, Glos | Burrows Court Farm, Glos “I knew in my bones that there was a flashy, flamboyant boy in there somewhere,” said Sarah Stewart, who rode the compact 15.3hh gelding to a convincing plus-70% double win. “He is rising seven, but quite green and unconfident. I’m thrilled that he showed what he is capable of at home — he just needed someone to hold his hand and help him realise that he could do it.” Sarah, who runs a training and livery yard near Malmesbury, has spiced up Squirrel’s training routine with jumping, hacking and time in the field. “He is not a horse you can drill,” she said of the Landtanzer son. “I’ve been playing with different nosebands and bits, but he seems to love the new,…

WE all love dressage, are advocates for horse welfare and want future generations to be encouraged to take up this sport, correct? Then why are we cultivating a circle of fear among riders, who dare not even warm up their horses without the worry of pictures and footage being taken of them, so they can face trial by social media, often without facts? A lot has been written on this subject of late, with many posting heartfelt commentary asking their peers to please consider what they post on social media before they have the full picture. Riders fear they will be labelled as abusers at any time. ‘HORSES’ BODIES ARE LIKE HUMAN BODIES’ THE irony is that many of those leading the war against extreme hyperflexion have not competed under…

Hickstead, West Sussex | Parwood, Surrey | Step Aside, West Sussex Anne-Marie Rawlins, 24, is back competing the 17.2hh Tolando x Sao Paulo 10-year-old Donja. They posted 70.92% to head the advanced medium 98 at Hickstead’s first show of the year. “From the moment I got on Donja at the show, I was smiling from ear to ear. I was so happy to be competing her again after eight months. Last summer, when we detected a slight strain, we decided to give her a holiday, then slowly bring her back into work,” said Annie. “She’s very special to me as she’s my first international small tour horse, and I’ve produced her all myself. Every step of the way, it’s been my achievement and my mistakes.” Entrusted with the job by…

WHEN the “Beast from the East” hit the UK, show organisers were slammed on social media whether they went ahead or cancelled. They were damned if they did, and damned if they didn’t. I understand why some organisers carried on. How do you reschedule the venue, judges and stewards when the showing calendar is so full? Competitors must understand that in such circumstances, they cannot expect refunds on entries. The alternative is to hedge your bets and pay higher on-the-day fees. QUALITY TRAINING CHAIRMAN of The Showing Council David Ingle and my fellow H&H columnist Simon Reynolds recently underlined the need to exercise caution when choosing a trainer. I agree; we wouldn’t send our children to a school where teachers weren’t professionally trained, so we need to think the same…

Meydan, Dubai, UAE BRITISH-TRAINED Thunder Snow took the 2018 Dubai World Cup in emphatic style on Saturday (31 March), winning at Meydan Racecourse in a record time. The four-year-old won the race — worth $10m (£7.1m) — decisively under a cool ride from Belgian jockey Christophe Soumillon in front of thousands of race fans. Trained by Saeed bin Suroor in Newmarket, Thunder Snow beat the favourite West Coast by five-and-three-quarter lengths. Thunder Snow, who won the UAE Derby at the 2017 World Cup meeting, was notching up his seventh win in 18 starts. The atmosphere was electric, and there was concern from the horse’s connections as he was drawn widest. But Thunder Snow made a great start, cutting across the track early to hit the front. The son of Helmet…

THE trainer’s yellow and navy colours are a familiar sight at point-to-points and he rarely owns or trains a bad horse. So, it will pay to keep an eye on one of his newest recruits, Platinum Ben, over the next couple of seasons. Nigel bought the gelding as a four-year-old but opted to give him plenty of time to grow into himself. The now six-year-old is beginning to reward Nigel for his patience and showed great tenacity to win his maiden at Charing. With Nigel’s horses known to improve with time, you can be sure that we haven’t seen the best of Platinum Ben yet.…

ROLLINGONTHERIVER broke his maiden on his third start in the open maiden under Rupert Stearn, winning by six lengths. “We bought him a couple of years ago,” said Rupert, whose father owns the eight-year-old by Scorpion. “We trained him at home last year but couldn’t keep him sound, so we sent him to James Owen to train instead and he has been fine ever since. It was James’ idea in the paddock today to try and make the running for the first time today. I thought he was mad, but he clearly knows better than I do, as Rollingontheriver settled brilliantly out in front and he jumped very well.”…

LEADING figures in sport have warned that equestrianism must embrace technology or risk being left behind. The FEI Sports Forum, held in Lausanne on 26 and 27 March, heard how technological advancements are improving safety in motor racing and engaging more people, and how it can make horse sport fairer. Experts from the worlds of Formula One, science, social media and sport discussed how developments are not to be feared, but can bring improvements and more people to equine sport. FEI secretary general Sabrina Ibáñez said collaboration and sharing ideas between sports is “essential” for progress. “It is one big sport family in the end,” she said. “We reach out as much as we can to colleagues in other international federations. “We like to show everybody else what those federations…

A LIFELONG hunt supporter marked his 80th birthday by following hounds. Benjamin Walden celebrated on 22 March with the South and West Wilts, his mare Choccy, short for Chocolate, and the hunt coat he has owned for at least 40 years. “I have been determined to get to 80 and still be riding,” he told H&H. “I want to keep going; hunting is a great life.” Mr Walden said he may be a “little less gung-ho than I once was”, but the former master of the Avon Vale still jumps, and is not one to say no to a celebratory whiskey. “I think I’m the oldest out there hunting [with the South and West Wilts] at the moment,” he said. “Hunting is in my blood. Every day out hunting is…

Sir — In response to Pammy Hutton’s comment (1 March), I have been judging unaffiliated for a while and for several years, British Dressage (BD) has allowed people like me to attend their judge-training sessions. These have proved invaluable, offering the chance to listen to top judges sharing their experiences. They have helped me and in turn help the riders I judge. Yes, the price has gone up to £30 this year, but that is for all day, with an international judge, up to eight different horses and riders, and time to talk to other judges. I do not see this as a “huge price hike”, but a value-for-money day out. Enough BD bashing — to all you aspiring judges out there, go and listen to the experts, so that…

MORE than 600 outbreaks of strangles are diagnosed in the UK each year, according to a recent report from Newmarket’s Animal Health Trust (AHT), making it one of the most frequently identified infectious diseases of horses worldwide. Strangles is not a notifiable disease in Britain, so outbreaks do not have to be reported to the government. Nor is there any legal requirement for quarantine restrictions to be put in place. There can be serious welfare concerns for affected horses, along with considerable financial and time-consuming consequences for any affected yard. Yet this is a disease that only rarely affects people. Looking at the bigger picture, strangles is not considered of sufficient significant national importance for the government to become involved. Essentially, this means that horse owners and the veterinary profession…

IT is widely recognised in top-level sport that tiny margins make medals. Small improvements in many areas add up to a better performance and, ultimately, are the difference between a champion and an also-ran. As a rider, this means addressing all areas, from your dietary intake to your fitness and mental attitude. You don’t have to be a Team GBR member to take a more professional approach. The key to gaining a competitive advantage is to build your own team of experts. 1 Coaching ACCORDING to Alison Short, a British Dressage (BD) UKCC Level 3 accredited coach, the best trainer is someone who is on your side. “Building a good rapport with the right trainer is essential in any rider’s journey,” she says. “If you have too many coaches, especially…

Morris Equestrian Development Classic, Ayrshire ANNABEL SHIELDS dominated a hotly-contested winter B&C qualifier for this year’s Royal International Horse Show with a copybook round on her 11-year-old Capriole II. With an amber weather warning in place for her home in the north-east of England, it was a last minute decision by the current national champion to make the four-hour journey north. “I sat down the day before with my dad and when we looked at the schedule, we thought it had to be worth a gamble to go for at least one day,” she said. Annabel was surprised to take an unassailable lead from an early draw. “I thought this class would be more suited to my other ride Rubin, but Capriole really rose to the occasion. He’s the yard…

COURSE-DESIGNING presents many challenges but none more so than the responsibility of a $1,000,000 (£711,000) grand prix. Add in the expectations of the competitors and trainers, as well as those of the show organiser and sponsor, and all of a sudden the demands become considerable. This was the task that faced me in California recently, and one that led to many sleepless nights in the lead-up to the show. A decision by the management of the show to reduce the height of the class from 1.60m to 1.50m may have surprised those who, over the past couple of years, had flown in a few days before from Wellington to contest the class. However, for many of the local riders who had supported the eight-week circuit here, they now had an…

Richmond EC, North Yorkshire | Manor Grange Stud, West Yorks Laura won a prelim with a new ride, the seven-year-old Hobson, on his first ever outing, a novice on ESI Falsterbo, also seven, who is aimed at a one-star this season, and a medium on Shadow Evergreen, nine, who is aimed at three-star. Jack Thomas Watson, a friend and dealer, spotted Hobson when he went through Cavan sales last year, but Laura was at Ascot races and missed the call. “As soon as I could, he got me on the plane to Ireland. Although Hobson’s a bit older than you’d like to be just starting, he’s everything you’d look for in an event horse.” Martin Schleicher, riding for Houston V for Jack and Debbie Beasant, made his elementary debut at…

Witham Villa, Leics | Swallowfield EC, Warks Jessica and her eight-year-old gelding Sportsfield Adventure enjoyed a plus-70% novice double win before heading to Great Witchingham a few days later, where they pulled off a “lovely dressage test” to help them land fourth place in the one-star. Jessica has owned the gelding by Chacoa since a four-year-old, and will aim him at two-star eventing this season. “I do dressage with him through the winter as it helps when you go eventing — it certainly paid off at his first event of the year,” said Jessica. “I’ve been working on keeping him soft and he was much more rideable at Witham Villa. I train with Jenny Ward and she has been helping me get him forward to the contact.” Lizzie Styler landed…

SOME workers’ competitors were surprised when course-builder Lisa Kelly included a drop, dry ditch and water splash in both days’ RIHS qualifiers. Dubbed “the area of doom” by one steward, it proved anything but and even competitors who ran into trouble were quick to thank builder and judges for the chance to tackle unfamiliar obstacles. “If people qualify for Hickstead, they’ll be meeting ‘different’ fences, so I thought that we should use them,” said Lisa. “I was worried beforehand, but the feedback was fantastic.”…

Lingfield, Surrey INTERNATIONAL honours were even on Good Friday at Lingfield, host to Europe’s richest day’s racing on an all-weather track. The £1million prize money on offer at the specialist discipline’s fifth championships finals meeting drew the largest contingent of raiders to date, and though the Irish were out of luck, the French won three of the six title races, a notable achievement from just four runners. The Marathon went back across La Manche with Funny Kid, the Sprint with City Light and the Mile with Lucky Team. The home side’s defence was led by Newmarket-based William Haggas, who notched a double in the £200,000 Easter Classic with Victory Bond and the Fillies’ And Mares’ contest with Diagnostic, both ridden by James Doyle. Victory Bond, a five-year-old by Medicean, came…

ENTRIES are now open for the second running of Horse & Hound’s Festival of Eventing in association with KBIS — a competition not to be missed this spring. Following the success of last year’s inaugural show, the unaffiliated three-day event will make a popular return to Keysoe, from 26-28 May. Classes will cater for all levels of grassroots eventing, including 70cm, 80cm, 90cm and 100cm sections, with the format following that of a FEI CCI event. So if you’ve never competed in a three-day event before — this is your chance to challenge yourself. The Bedfordshire venue offers an open, galloping cross-country course, plus an all-weather surface for both the dressage and showjumping phases. There will be no roads and tracks, but there will be a trot-up and vet check…

MARCH was a month that most of us have been glad to see the back of. Unless, of course, you are Harriet Tucker, who achieved the pinnacle of our sport by winning the St James’ Place Foxhunter at the Cheltenham Festival on only her second ride under Rules. On one hand, I was disappointed to see the race won by a licensed trainer (Paul Nicholls) with a horse (Pacha Du Polder) that would almost certainly still hold his own in valuable handicaps under Rules. On the other hand it was great to see a young rider getting an opportunity on the big stage. The story created some fantastic PR for point-to-pointing in what has been a hugely challenging season. I believe statistically only 2001 — infamous for the foot-and-mouth epizootic…

THE rider expressed his gratitude to professional jockey Harry Skelton after his first win, on Subtitle, in the PPORA Club members’ conditions race for novice riders. Will, 19, works for Harry’s brother, Dan, at Alcester, and survived mistakes at the final two fences on the Joan Johnston-trained 12-year-old, ahead of a three-length win over Orange Nassau (Tom Britten). The teenager was opening his account between the flags at the 24th attempt, having missed a couple of winners due to a broken wrist late last year. “Harry speaks to me about every ride. He will be pleased that I have managed to have a winner,” said Will.…

CUE CARD The chaser has been retired following a career that has spanned eight years. The 12-year-old enjoyed Betfair Chase and King George VI triumphs under his regular jockey Paddy Brennan, who described him as a “legend”. LET IT BEE Canadian eventer Kathryn Robinson’s Rio Olympic ride died at Burnham Market on 30 March. The 17-year-old gelding, who jumped double clear at Badminton 2016 with Kathryn, collapsed between fences on the advanced cross-country course. Kathryn was unhurt. COOL DAWN The 1998 Gold Cup winner, who was bought for Dido Harding as a ladies’ point-to-pointer has died, aged 30. The Irish gelding, who won under Andrew Thornton, was trained by Robert Alner and had spent a happy retirement with Baroness Harding. FERNHILL PIMMS Carol Gee and Catherine Witt’s 14-year-old gelding is…

Eventer Bettina Hoy is stepping down from the German Olympic squad to focus on training and her aim to ride at grand prix dressage. She has ridden at three Olympics and five World Championships. Riding for the Disabled Association Leatherhead group volunteer Grace Lloyd-Jones has won a Torch Trophy Trust Award for outstanding support for disability. British eventer Tina Cook faces a race against time to be fit for Badminton after she dislocated her shoulder in a fall with Billy The Red in the advanced at Burnham Market on 30 March. Horsescotland founding member Muriel Colquhoun was given the special recognition title at the National Equestrian Awards for her outstanding contribution to the Scottish equestrian sector. Nine-time Irish champion jockey Pat Smullen is “very positive about making a full recovery”…

FEI SUSPENSION IS UPHELD BY COURT THE Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld the FEI’s policy of two-month provisional suspensions after positive dope tests. US dressage riders Adrienne Lyle and Kaitlin Blythe had appealed the suspensions imposed on their horses, Horizon and Don Principe, after both tested positive for a banned substance in April 2017. The riders’ provisional suspensions were lifted by the FEI Tribunal. Applications for the same for the horses were unsuccessful, but the riders obtained an interim CAS decision allowing them to compete pending the hearing of their appeal. The CAS panel has now “confirmed the validity of the FEI’s policy of two-month provisional suspensions in banned substance cases”. VIEWS SOUGHT ON BD REGIONALS BRITISH DRESSAGE (BD) is asking for riders’ views on the 2018…

SNACKS A couple watching War Horse complained as some fellow theatregoers were tucking into prawns and calamari and the smell was “distracting”. More to the point, one feels, is that not an odd choice of theatre snack? Surely popcorn or a bag of sweets are more typical…? Answers on a postcard, please. HEALTH ‘N’ SAFETY Volunteers have been banned from looking after a white horse carved into a hill over health and safety concerns. One wonders whether the powers that be are somewhat confused; chalk horses do not kick or bite, after all… KNICKERS One hears that at least one competitor in the Mitsubishi Motors Cup at Badminton this year will be wearing actual brave pants, with those words emblazoned in bright pink on black knickers. Hurrah, although, in those…

‘I had to hold on to the rope until my fingers were raw, but I wasn’t going to let Milton loose on the runway’ My job is very simple. I get horses and riders into and out of the arena, safely and on time — whether for the competition or the prize-giving. I’ve been working at international five-star events for more than 40 years, starting in 1977 at Spruce Meadows cleaning the stalls. In 1986, the Southern family wanted someone at the in-gate. They’d found that people were either too nice or too strict. You need to earn the riders’ respect and most of the riders knew me already — I’d organised a lot of parties. I love the travelling — visiting different cultures, opening my mind to other nations’…

‘He has to work everything out for himself, which ultimately makes him more agile’ AIM I USE this simple row of four fences on bounce distances with all my horses. It helps to improve their footwork and jumping technique, while allowing the rider to focus on their position. It can add variety to your jump training and is a good exercise where the horse does most of the work, encouraging him to really use himself and work out where to put his feet. It is also a great exercise for creating independence in the horse when he is jumping — he has to work everything out for himself and get himself out of trouble, which ultimately makes him more agile. The fences don’t have to be high, and you can…

Barefoot Estates Burnham Market (1), Norfolk RIDERS who chose to run in the national intermediate and advanced classes at Burnham Market rather than CIC3* and CIC2* were relieved, as they completed in good conditions before a deluge wiped out the international sections prior to the jumping phases. Piggy French and Quarrycrest Echo won the high-quality advanced. The pair represented Great Britain at the European Championships last August, and Piggy said that Jayne McGivern’s 11-year-old has started this season “looking and feeling a million dollars”. “He had to ‘man up’ quickly last year, but has come out better for it,” she said. She has hunted him with the Pytchley this winter, and his match-fitness was proved by the margin of their win — 8.3 penalties — over Padraig McCarthy and Mr…

TEREZA URBANOVA and Jenny Curtis’ distinctive palomino, Rocky VIII, celebrated their first ever win when clinching a BE90 section at Munstead (1). Czech-born Tereza used to compete in her home country, but had to restart her career after a bad accident while working with racehorses. She began grooming for Rocky’s owner five years ago, and teamed up with the gelding shortly after. The pair have racked up a string of placings, but this was their first red rosette. “I bought Rocky from a dealer because I felt sorry for him; he was a little scrap of a thing,” explained Jenny. “He was supposed to be six when I bought him, but we think he was more like three or four. “He has a super head on him, though, and I…

Myerscough Premier League, Lancs FEW Myerscough shows go by without Becky Moody posting at least one win and she claimed a hat-trick here. Two victories were courtesy of the Uphill nine-year-old Eureko — Thursday’s prix st georges (PSG) and Friday evening’s inter I freestyle — and the third came with Carinsio in Saturday’s grand prix. “I used Carinsio’s inter I music for Eureko as it fits him perfectly,” Becky said. “He probably deserves his own but I love the Sherlock/ Last Tango In Halifax music that Tom Farnon put together for me.” The Painted Black gelding Carinsio scored 72.13% in the grand prix for a 1.5% advantage. “He’s been super-chilled while he’s been here working here outside,” said Becky. “He was a bit wired when I brought him inside to…

SNEC, West Lothian Kelly has produced the Coronas x Landadel eight-year-old gelding since buying him as a newly backed four-year-old from Emperor Sport Horses. “I originally went to try another horse, but ended up with him,” explained Kelly, who said she then spent the next 11 months dealing with nappy behaviour. Shortly afterwards, the pair had an accident jumping at home, with the horse fracturing his pelvis and Kelly fracturing her back, meaning five months off. “He can still have a tantrum, but his tests on Saturday were chilled and he did what I asked, and we got our final Area Festival novice points,” added Kelly, who trains with Stuart Walker. Karen Dennison achieved the weekend high and a personal best score of 78.06% in a novice bronze with Frankie…

Hill House, Lincs | Centaur Trust, Warks Caroline has owned the nine-year-old gelding for nearly two years. He evented and showjumped with his previous owners, but Caroline bought him for pure dressage. “We are heading to Hartpury for the Area Festival silver novice finals, so this has been great prep for that,” said Caroline. “He is the most high-maintenance horse I’ve ever owned — everything has to be strapped down in the field and stable otherwise he tears it apart — so it’s a good job he’s great to ride and does well competing to make up for all the time and money I spend on him.” Caroline is also aiming for the summer music festival. “I train with Tammy Ruffles, who makes a lot of this possible, as does…

Ponies (UK) Spring Classic, Keysoe, Beds “I’M ALL right at this fancy lark, aren’t I?” joked Becki Penny, after her first ride on Rebecca Lock’s Brickell Mr Pickwick resulted in a ticket to the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) and the £500 prize for the show’s supreme ridden champion. This was the second show of the season and the second supreme for this charismatic 138cm traditional coloured gelding, who won under his owner at the British Skewbald and Piebald winter championships. “He used to be shown by Vicki Myronidis, who has moved to Dubai,” explained Rebecca. “He really needed someone shorter than me to be seen at his best, so Becki has the ride for this year.” Cheshire-based Becki is better known for mountain and moorland (M&M) ponies. “But I’m…

Little Thurlow Hall, Suffolk A HUNTING correspondent for Horse & Hound meets many inspiring people over the years: people who have raised funds, campaigned tirelessly or found a way to continue hunting despite three new hips — or housing estates. Cantering behind Annie Fenwick, who this year steps down after 31 years as a master of the Thurlow, I realised that I’d met another. “She is living testament to the power of staying positive,” fellow joint-master Vick Vestey (and co-field master) had told me the day before. But it’s not until you see her in action that you realise quite how much. Annie had a fall almost 15 years ago, which resulted in a badly broken back and damaged spinal cord. This left her with limited feeling in her legs,…

ONE of the most exciting times of the year is nearly here — the Grand National meeting at Aintree. It’s always a great occasion, as everyone goes and stays up in Liverpool. There’s a real festival spirit. While it’s the influx of Irish that add to the atmosphere at Cheltenham, it’s the people of Liverpool that make Aintree; they really go all out. We have Perfect Candidate and Chase The Spud entered for the big race. Only if the ground stays soft will Chase The Spud have a run — he’ll like the trip and the track will suit him. Ahead of Aintree we don’t change our routine — some people like to school over the National fences at Lambourn, and some trainers have them at their yards — but…

Puckeridge, Horseheath, Cambs DALE PETERS may have had 376 point-to-point rides in his career, but none had resulted in a winner at this course until this meeting. Six-year-old Welsh’s Castle, owned by Malcolm and David Kemp “jumped like a bunny” to take the conditions under Dale. “This is the first time I’ve ridden Welsh’s Castle and I wanted a bit more of a lead on the way round, but nothing else was going quick enough,” explained Dale. “He has a great cruising speed and he was electric — for a big horse, he’s very clever and finds it all very easy. At just six, he’s only going to get better.” This marked the first of a training double for David Kemp, who was also responsible for men’s open winner, Curraigflemens.…

‘At this point in the day, jacked up on coffee, that woman is a nuclear missile waiting to explode’ IT is our branch of the Pony Club’s Easter show on Saturday, and the act of typing those words is making me feel distinctly uneasy. If your life is pony-free, you probably think it sounds rather nice — sweet children, cuddly Thelwells — but, sadly, that is way off the mark. All too often, these occasions feel like a “trial by pony” and no prizes for guessing who is in the dock. The poor old long-suffering mother, of course. It seems to me that in the tender years post-lead-rein, once the cherub goes into the ring, it is pretty much down to the pony how they fare for the next three…