Innholdsfortegnelse for 12-Dec-2019 i Horse & Hound

I MAY have been slightly tired the day after the Horse & Hound Awards. That would be why I nearly cried telling my husband the story of Smurf — pony of the year (report, p37). “And now he’s blind…” I sniffed. “But he still goes and hangs out with people who just benefit from having him around, like in care homes.” Smurf is the poster boy for why we all need horses, why horses should be subsidised, on prescription, even. Not everyone can relate to a rider’s euphoria at winning Badminton, but surely everyone can feel something when they hear what Smurf does? Similarly, the club of the year, Royal Artillery EC Thorney Island, uses horses and riding to help veterans, including those suffering PTSD. And they really, really make…

SHILSTONE ROCKS NORTH WESTERLY Lynda Calcutt’s 12-year-old Dartmoor stallion will bow out from ridden showing at Olympia. He won at HOYS in 2016, 2018 and 2019, and has been best of breed at Olympia. RATHMOYLE KING The eventer has been put down aged 21. Carolyne Ryan-Bell, who owned him with Jinks Morris Adams and Carolyn Taylor, rode him to a top-10 Badminton finish in 2010, and they were long-listed for the 2012 Olympics. CADLANVALLEY BUZBY The Welsh section B stallion, ridden by Libby Grota, is to make his final appearance under saddle at Olympia. The 10-year-old won the open M&M championship at HOYS in 2016 and was reserve at Olympia last year.…

BAGUETTES An equestrian talking to a Muggle friend was singing the praises of her daughter’s bargain horse. “He’s French-bred,” she said. There was a confused pause. Maybe his name should be Du Pain? INGENUITY Top marks to he who took the opportunity at the H&H Awards to try to sell a horse. As all tweets with the #HHAwards19NAF hashtag were beamed on to a giant screen at the awards bash, the seller posted brief details about said horse, with the hashtag, for instant exposure to a horsey crowd. Nice work. SPENDING Spotted on social media, a non-horsey mum of an eight-year-old asking for advice on how to get into the equestrian game. Lots of good advice and also the warning: “Start with a big bank balance and watch it shrink”.…

THREE hundred and twenty of the equestrian world’s great and good gathered at Cheltenham Racecourse on 4 December for a celebration of this year’s sport. Piggy French’s team swept a handful of awards, including professional rider, horse and groom of the year. Trevor Dickens’ brilliant mare Vanir Kamira secured the top equine prize in what presenter Lizzie Greenwood-Hughes touted as “the strongest-ever field”, featuring Explosion W and Tiger Roll. Besides the Badminton and Burghley-winning guests and those who have starred on podiums throughout their careers, this was a moment to celebrate the work of those toiling behind the scenes to make our sport so brilliant. The unsung heroes also enjoyed their moment in the spotlight, from the Royal Artillery Equestrian Centre Thorney Island’s inspirational work with veteran soldiers, to Smurf,…

‘Badminton was the highlight of my life, not just the year’PIGGY FRENCH ON HER BADMINTON WIN Piggy French PIGGY FRENCH scooped the Ceris Burns Equestrian Professional Rider of the Year title. The 2019 Badminton winner was away on a honeymoon in the Maldives, having married Tom March in June, so her award was collected by British Eventing CEO Jude Matthews. “It’s very exciting even to have been nominated for an award, and to win is simply the icing on the cake,” said Piggy (pictured on Quarrycrest Echo at the Europeans). “As an H&H reader, you always show an interest in the awards because it’s the riders you look up to. A lot of people have shown support for me, so I’m really grateful and very lucky. Badminton was the highlight…

‘I hope this will inspire others to keep persevering’ Pippa Funnell’s Burghley win PIPPA FUNNELL’S Burghley win on MGH Grafton Street (Squirrel), 16 years after her only previous triumph at the event, was voted the Horserail Moment of the Year. “Burghley was definitely my moment of the year,” said Pippa. “I could never have predicted it. It was Squirrel’s first time at the level and we had to work hard all the way through. “It’s been so long since my first victory and it was special to have the chance to win another big one. I was absolutely astonished and touched by the massive amount of support and messages. “Hopefully it meant something to people because of my age and the gap between wins. The road is not always straightforward…

ON 2 August 1100, King William II, named Rufus due to his red hair, was out hunting with his noblemen in the New Forest when he was killed by a stray arrow. Whether this was an accident or not will never be known, but if you visit the Forest today, you can see the iron-clad Rufus Stone marking the spot where the king died. For many years, the New Forest hounds would meet at the stone, continuing a tradition that spanned the centuries. It was Rufus’ father, William the Conqueror, who identified the New Forest as a royal hunting ground and until relatively recently the area sustained two packs of hounds — the foxhounds and the buckhounds — although the latter disbanded in 1999. HOW IT IS TODAY JUST over…

30 Nov: prelim 17 silv (C Senior).— 1, Poppy IX (R Hutchinson) 68.97; 2, Wred Willow (N Cranham) 68.97; 3, Brave And Blazing Boy I (V Hopkinson) 68.62. brnz.— 1, Kiali V/D Waterhoeve (P McMullan) 68.1. prelim 19 silv.— 1, Hallowberry Hi Fi (S Hopkinson) 67.5; 2, Wred Willow 65.21. brnz.— 1, Kiali V/D Waterhoeve 65.83. nov 23 gold.— 1, MSJ Formula One (J Martell) 81.88; 2, Wred Willow 67.71. silv.— 1, Ruby Minotais (H Sinden) 70.21; 2, Jazz Concerto (H Sinden) 67.29; 3, Maico (M Mulder) 63.75. nov 39 gold (S Cooper).— 1, Dark Diamond II (J Minion) 70.32; 2, MSJ Formula One 70.32; 3, Burlea Battleship (T Buckingham) 65. silv.— 1, Jazz Concerto (H Sinden) 66.13; 2, Der Diamant (J Dooley) 65.32; 3, Regency George (P Smith) 60.32.…

A BUSY career in nuclear medicine kept Jo Weekes away from competition for much of last year. She and Rossetti’s Destiny have since built a solid string of good scores — most recently at Field House EC, Staffs, where they added an elementary victory to their tally and made a winning debut at medium. “I’m so proud of him,” said Jo of her “gentlemanly” six-year-old Desperados gelding. “He has amazing paces and the power is coming, but he never uses it against you. My amazing back-up team, Susan Bourne-Hallett and Penny Potter, make it possible.”…

CLASSIC JILLZ GEUZENHOF — known at home as JZ — kept himself out of mischief to take both elementaries at Hill House EC, Lincs. “He’s usually in trouble for something, whether it’s taking his boots or rugs off,” laughed Sophie Wells, who bought JZ last year with Charlotte Hogg, with the 2024 Paralympics in mind. “He is naturally brave, so he goes to investigate things and then scares himself.” Sophie describes the five-year-old KWPN gelding as “big, gangly and talented”. “His canter is uphill and powerful and he finds lateral work easy,” she said. “It’s now about waiting for his body to catch up.”…

DANIELLE FARNSWORTH claimed Hickstead qualification in the winter B&C with Shelagh and Richard Morley’s Jemilla (pictured) — a Mill Law 13-year-old former eventer who has switched to showjumping. “I broke her in 10 years ago and jumped at her first few shows before Mark Kyle took her eventing all the way up to the Rio Olympics for the Irish team,” said Danielle. “I’m excited for the future and she’s taken to showjumping — she seems to be good at it.” A steadier pace of life is on the cards. “She’s 14 next year and as Mark’s riding accident finished his eventing career we opted to switch disciplines — and she’s enjoying a new lease of life,” said Shelagh.…

I’VE often thought it would be interesting to find out how many of today’s top sports stars put their success down to the involvement of one or both parents. And that wouldn’t just apply to our sport, but across all sports. The likes of Lewis Hamilton, Andy Murray and David Beckham have all attributed their winning ways to parental backing. Sometimes the older generation is involved in a star’s formative years, then cut adrift when it’s thought they’re no longer needed. Others remain in the thick of things. Andy Murray has famously had different coaches, but his mother Judy has hardly missed a match throughout his career. There are many instances of parents nurturing showjumping riders’ careers. David Broome’s father, Fred, would be a classic example, as would John and…

British National Foal of the Year Show, Solihull EC, W Mids A PRODUCER from Bedfordshire landed both pony and horse supreme accolades, as well as the overall title at this year’s annual foal fixture. Philip Ward-Burton’s frontrunner was the coloured colt Frontier (Edward), who was making his breeder Stephanie Fitt’s dreams come true, and for whom this was a first national foal show supreme. Frontier is by the young stallion For Emotion and is the third foal out of Stephanie’s successful ridden campaigner, Fairfax C, who was supreme coloured at the Royal International (RIHS) in 2014. “We’re all delighted with the result, especially as he’s only been in production for six weeks,” smiled Stephanie. “We only brought him for an outing and he goes and takes the whole lot,” said…

CORNWALL HUNT CLUB, WADEBRIDGE SUNDAY, 8 DECEMBER Veteran and novice rider conditions.— 1, H-A Drowne’s Peterbrown (H-A Drowne) H Drowne. open maiden (div 1).— 1, N Thomas’ Voie Dans Voie (W Thirlby) L Thomas. div 2.— 1, J Jeavons’ Phoenix Park (J Jeavons) J Priest. ladies’ open.— 1, The Thomas Campbell Racing Club’s Thomas Campbell (C Emsley) E Walker. men’s open.— 1, Mr & Mrs J Heard, H Heard, J Trevarthen, Mr & Mrs P Care & M r& Mrs D Hooper’s Navanman (D Edwards) J Heard. Exeter Racecourse intermediate.— 1, T Parker’s Goldbury (N Parker) T Parker. restricted.— 1, J Dennis’ Neetside (M Wonnacott) J Dennis. CARMARTHENSHIRE, FFOS LAS SUNDAY, 8 DECEMBER Hunt members.— 1, G Fortt & D Gibbs’ Frelia (B Gibbs) D Gibbs. Jockey Club open maiden…

THE worthy winners of the fourth Horse & Hound Awards have been announced. In the awards’ biggest year to date, the results of the public vote were revealed at Cheltenham Racecourse on 4 December. The winners included course-designer Bob Ellis and 2019 Badminton and Burghley horse trials winners Piggy French and Pippa Funnell respectively, as well as a blind Shetland called Smurf. H&H editor-in-chief Sarah Jenkins said: “As well as a record number of nominations, more that 23,000 people voted for their heroes in one week. “It’s wonderful to see how much public support there is for these individuals, groups and horses who put so much into our sports.” Share your news story Call 01252 555021 Email eleanor.jones@ti-media.com @ eleanor_jones_…

RUSSIAN riders will not be allowed to compete under their nation’s flag at Tokyo 2020 as a result of a ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Russia has been banned for four years from competing in Olympics, Paralympics, Youth Olympics, World Championships and “any other event organised by a major event organisation”. The unanimous decision by WADA’s executive committee was announced on Monday (9 December) and concerns the Russian doping scandal. Russia can choose to dispute the decision within 21 days, so it will be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, or it can accept it and the sanctions that go with it. An FEI spokesman said it is “not in a position to speculate” on the impact on international equestrian competitions. Russia has a dressage team…

TEAM CHAMPS AWARD IS OPEN ENTRIES are open for the 2020 Lycetts Team Champion Award, which celebrates the best British racing yards with the highest standards of employee management. There is a £4,000 prize for the best yard with more than 40 horses, and for that with fewer than 40. The respective 2019 winners were Tom Dascombe and Jed O’Keeffe. Yards are judged on criteria including staff management and safe working practices. Entries close on 3 April. • Visit: racehorsetrainers. org/industry/teamchampion.asp VENUE CONFIRMED FOR SUMMER FINAL LINCOLNSHIRE venue Arena UK will host the first British Dressage (BD) Summer Area Festival Championships. The two-season series was announced this autumn, and now the summer venue and dates, 10-13 September, have been confirmed. BD sport operations manager Lou Jones said: “We were delighted…

British eventer Oliver Townend remains number one in the world rankings, claiming the top spot for the third time in October. Oliver sits 12 points ahead of New Zealander Tim Price. The British Horseracing Authority’s Sue Ringrose won coach educator of the year at the UK coaching awards. Sue, who is also British Eventing-accredited, said she was “overwhelmed”. Jockey Hollie Doyle broke the record for most victories by a female jockey in a calendar year in Britain, with her 107th win, at Southwell, on the David Barron-trained Class Clown. Devon-based Judy Holloway was crowned Endurance GB supreme champion for the second time in three years. Judy scored the most points in all types of rides with mare Nuraletta. Hamilton racing manager Sulekha Varma has been announced as the first female…

RIDERS are being invited to push themselves in 2020 as part of a new initiative in aid of Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony charity. Following the success of the Wobbleberry challenge, in which riders committed to competing in a BE80(T) event, the charity started by eventer Hannah Francis has extended the scheme to cater for all levels of all disciplines. Those who sign up to “seven goals for 2020” will set out seven riding-related sponsored goals for next year, all realistic but challenging, and each getting progressively more difficult. The goals don’t have to be competitive. A spokesman for the Wobbleberry challenge said hundreds of riders have raised more than £300,000 so far. “This initiative came about because people who have completed the challenge still want to be involved,” he said.…

TRAINERS Oops of the week moment goes to the trainer who turned up at a racecourse with a horse, only to find out when it was scanned by officials that it was not the one entered in that day’s race. We’re thinking the 280-mile journey home felt a lot, lot longer than that... HORSES On a political theme, spotted in the US, a bay horse decked out in a stars-and-stripes-patterned rug emblazoned with the words “Trump 2020: Make America Great Again”. Isn’t that what Mr Trump promised to do last time? WORK And lastly on politics, and back across the pond to the UK, there are horses raising concerns over this idea of a four-day working week. Dobbin has written to check he will still get fed on Fridays, yes?…

A Coventry team-mate got me into racing and I was involved in a few syndicates, then a friend and I got our own colours — white body, black stars, blue sleeves and black hat — and two horses. Our best was Mister Miyagi; we bought him as we’d been fans of The Karate Kid. He took us to two Cheltenham Festivals; he won seven races in total and came sixth in the Supreme Novice Hurdle in 2016, won by Altior. He’s now retired; I keep him at a nearby yard and tend him three times a day. When I played for Reading, we won the championship in 2012 and got promoted to the Premier League. Having a season playing against some of the best players in the world makes you…

Make sure you always look ahead and not into the base of the jump — this encourages your horse to follow the rider’s eye, especially on the turn approaching the grid. If a young horse is struggling to stay straight towards the fence, put foam placing poles either side of the first and last fence, creating a corridor to help guide the horse straight. Never allow the horse to anticipate the turn and cut the corner after the fence; hold a straight line to help discipline the horse. The rider should remain still in the saddle with their upper body remaining tall, and soft hands to allow the horse to lengthen their neck over the jump.…

HORSE & HOUND LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Bob Ellis CERIS BURNS EQUESTRIAN PROFESSIONAL RIDER OF THE YEAR Piggy French HORSEWARE HORSE OF THE YEAR Vanir Kamira BALANCED HORSE FEEDS PONY OF THE YEAR Smurf HORSERAIL MOMENT OF THE YEAR Pippa Funnell’s Burghley win ABSORBINE INSPIRATION OF THE YEAR Joe Stockdale NAF FIVE STAR GROOM OF THE YEAR Amy Phillips PIKEUR AMATEUR RIDER OF THE YEAR Adam Harvey SARACEN YOUNG RIDER OF THE YEAR Finn Healy PRIME STABLES VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR Olivia Robertson HORSE DIALOG CLUB OF THE YEAR Royal Artillery EC Thorney Island…

‘Everything has fallen into place; to win gold was so unexpected’FINN HEALY ON HIS PONY EUROPEANS WIN Finn Healy FINN HEALY capped a superb debut in pony trials with the Saracen Young Rider of the Year title. He secured double gold at the pony European Eventing Championships in Strzegom, riding Midnight Dancer II (Casper). “I owe everything to my pony,” said Finn, 15. “My sister Ellie produced him and took him to the Euros last year. I took on the ride a year ago and did my first novice in March. At first, Casper was nervous of me because he’s so sensitive, but that also works in our favour because he listens. Across country he’s as bold as a lion. “Everything has fallen into place. The Euros were amazing, but…

WHAT unites the world-beaters? The stars of equestrian sport have ability in abundance, of course, but are there things they do on a daily basis that keep them ahead of the field? To find out what it takes to reach the top, we asked coaches and mentors to reveal the habits of the highly successful riders they train. It turns out that the achievers… 1 NAIL THE BASICS “TRAINING means repetition, which takes self-discipline,” says British eventing team performance manager Dickie Waygood, pointing out that a 20-metre circle should be precisely that — not 19 metres or egg-shaped. “In any elite sport you must get the basics right, so you can revert to them in times of crisis.” Achievers apply this attention to detail to where it matters most, explains…

South Dorset, Church Farm COUNTING hounds through a gate by the light of a telephone torch is an absolute first for me. We have all hacked home in the dark after finishing in fading light, but pitch-black, bump-in-the-dark blindness is another thing altogether. At 4.20pm, as the November light started to give up, South Dorset master and amateur huntsman Toby Coles decided to draw a last bit of covert. There was just him, his equally hunting-obsessed wife Callie, me and kennel-huntsman Ryan Walpole-Johnsen. The pressure was off and we were having a quiet wander back through Ian Sargent’s Hay Wood. The hope was about to die as the lorry was less than 100 yards away. Then, a rather deep-voiced hound opened. I mistook her voice for one of the old…

“HOW are you fixed on Tuesday?” asked the broad Irish voice at the other end of the phone. Anticipating what was to follow, I said: “I can make myself available!” It was the right answer. The voice belonged to Quorn huntsman Ollie Finnegan, who explained his first whipper-in had had a nasty fall on the Friday and was temporarily off games, and he was therefore looking for somebody to stand in for the day. And so it was that at 11am on a Tuesday morning in November I sat, as I had done many times before, beside the Quorn hounds and many friendly and familiar faces. Familiar that is, because I spent seven very happy seasons as first whipper-in to the Quorn before coming to the Pytchley as huntsman, with…

5 Dec: med 75 (J Howard) gold.— 1, MSJ Furstin Rosa (E Woolley) 68.11; 2, Peaceful Jackadandy (M Schleicher) 59.86. adv med 96 (J McGarel Groves, C Ballantyne, A Darken).— 1, Escade (A Staines) 71.05; 2, Borella (Z Sopp) 70; 3, Falcon II (R Edge) 68.29. PSG (C Thornton, K Ratcliffe, A Nicel).— 1, Habouche (B Bainbridge); 2, Dalvangs Lorenzo (H Colgate-Hardaway) 68.99; 3, San Marco (D Deutrom) 69.21. inter I (C Ballantyne, A Darken, J McGarel Groves).— 1, Fantasia I (R Edwards) 68.95; 2, Rudy (L Amy) 68.86; 3, San Marco 68.42. inter A (P Faith, M Robins, A Smith).— 1, State Secret (S Bell) 63.8; 2, Cleoatra II (D Coakley) 63.29. inter II.— 1, Extra Time (L Amy) 68.46; 2, Distinto (A Wilson) 67.37; 3, San Diego V…

26-27 Nov: prelim 15 silv (L Pearce).— 1, Wind Chimes (L Howard) 66.2. brnz.— 1, Black Butch (E Ward) 64.6; 2, Castle Ellis Rodger (C Godfrey) 64; 3, Expecting To Fly (A Cleaver) 62.6. prelim 17 silv (R Baldwin).— 1, Wind Chimes 71.38. brnz.— 1, Black Butch 69.83; 2, Castle Ellis Rodger 62.59. nov 23 gold (L Pearce).— 1, Ivoor (H Gilbert) 66.25; 2eq, Dan Ivanhoe (N Barker) & Jesmond Rainbow (A Brown) 65.63. silv.— 1, Dun-Lin (A Fenn) 67.71. nov 37 gold (R Baldwin).— 1, SJL Jules (N Brook) 75.56, Dan Ivanhoe 74.07; 3, Filipe (A Smyth) 70.56. brnz.— 1, Dun-Lin 71.85; 2, Holme Park Kashmir (E Stopford) 68.33; 3, Grangewood Motif (R Wayte) 57.59. elem 43 gold (L Pearce).— 1, Dan Icarus (N Barker) 70.86; 2, Intergalactic Aimbry…

‘I LOVE TALKING ABOUT OUR SPORT’ GRAND PRIX rider Bobby Hayler left the horses at home for a spell in sunny Thailand, where she is playing a behind-the-scenes role in the first-ever FEI Asian Championships. “I was there commentating with John Kyle, for the Impact Media team, on the small tour and eventing dressage,” said Bobby, who has competed at pony, junior and young rider Europeans. “I love being able to talk about our sport and help people learn about dressage. It was a real highlight to see the first medallists here and witness the utter excitement and honour they felt.” With seven medals up for grabs, the championships have attracted riders from 15 countries and around 100 horses. “It sounded like hard work,” said Paul Hayler of his daughter’s…

BETWEEN casting our vote today and awaiting results, it will be a drawn-out 24 hours. Many hope this election will bring to an end the lack of integrity and falsehoods we’ve been subjected to by politicians. Others believe “getting Brexit done” will also reinstate the status quo. But I fear there will be disappointment on both counts. The devil is in the detail and, having read the 2019 EU UK Withdrawal Agreement, there is much detail yet to be thrashed out and debated. Battle scars will be deep and perpetuate years of division. What’s needed is respectful and balanced cross-party collaboration. But I fear not even Santa’s little helpers could grant us that wish. A change of government is not the answer; we need a change of system and standards.…

Addington Elite Winter Collection 2019, Bucks IT was a relatively quiet night at the December edition of the Brightwells Elite Sales. Of the 46 horses offered for sale, a good mixture of young dressage horses, jumpers and potential eventers, 27 found new homes, for an average of £12,915, with the four top prices all going for mares with jumping lines. The auction’s highest bid, of £32,000, was to secure the four-year-old mare Kogola, by El Clarimo out of a Last Man Standing x Vainqueur dam, whose sale inaugurated a collaboration between owner Sara Lucas and eventer Vicky Tuffs. The mare, sourced in the Netherlands, has already competed on the Continent at 1m level. “When I jumped her, she felt amazing — I’ve never felt a four-year-old jump like that,” enthused…

Connolly’s Red Mills newcomers— 1, Isabeau SSB (R Connor); 2, ABC Sky Plus (J Butler); 3, Fairmont (J Andrew). 1.10m.— 1, Ballyfree Luxalier (R Connor); 3, Call Girl I (R Reay); 3, Caloundra Van De Keokeok (A Routledge). Equitop Myoplast Foxhunter.— 1, Artisan I (L Lock); 2, Pequena Beech (D Farnsworth); 3, Helli Mi Amor (I Bradley). 1.20m.— 1, Zidane VIII (A Botham); 2, Berisja (R Whittington); 3, St Annes Ranger (E Churchill). winter grade C.— 1, Dream Roller (P Sims); 2, Lukas Van De Kievitsdriesen (J Botham); 3, Artisan I. 1.30m.— 1, Evita (J Botham); 2, Talullah V (J Crippen); 3, Strictly Fernhill (A Thompson). winter 1.35m.— 1 & 3, Billy Rembrandt & Saphir III (A Barton); 2, Darona (P Miller). Connolly’s Red Mills newcomers.— 1, Isabeau SSB; 2,…

WHEN Buckinghamshire-based producer Vicky Connor suffered a serious knee injury after a fall from a young horse she was breaking in, she thought her riding days were over. ‘I lost my yard and all my sponsors’VICKY CONNOR ON RECOVERING FROM A SERIOUS KNEE INJURY Vicky had severed the anterior cruciate ligament that connects the top of the leg to the bottom half, and life without horses could well have been her future. “It was a complete disaster. I was the only rider for our showjumping production and sales company and we had to put the business on ice,” she explained. At the beginning of 2019, a year after her accident, Vicky was offered an operation to repair her knee. “It meant a long time out of the saddle on crutches,…

IN general, I like it here — although it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. I like people, too, but on Saturday I was struggling. On both counts. This wasn’t ideal as it was the day of our meet; a day that attracts a gathering of around 30 on horseback and plenty more on foot. As our hounds were still off, our neighbours from the West Percy brought theirs up for the day, accompanied by 20 or so with horses and a good show of “footies”, swelling the ranks on both sides by some number. Unfortunate, then, that my mood was less hostess with the mostess, more Mrs Scrooge in hunting kit. I think I’ve got a bit of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), or that’s my excuse anyway. It was…

THE FEI is considering the results of a survey after 98% of endurance vets said they had been confronted in competition after eliminating a horse for lameness. Endurance vet Monica Mira conducted the research to assess whether colleagues would benefit from gait analysis technology to protect them from pressure from competitors and their associates. It is also thought the technology could help overcome the difficulty of evaluating lameness in competitions. Of the 157 experienced vets surveyed, 71.3% said they would welcome the move. More than half (57.3%) said they found lameness a challenge to diagnose at events, with 94.3% saying handlers’ failure to trot horses up properly was part of the problem. “The findings suggest technology to objectively detect and quantify gait abnormalities during endurance competitions would be beneficial to…

WINX The Australian racing superstar is expecting her first foal next year. The eight-year-old, formerly trained by Chris Waller, retired in April after winning 37 of her 43 starts and is in foal to top sire I Am Invincible. HOUBLON DES OBEAUX The veteran chaser died on Saturday, 7 December aged 12 after suffering a heart attack racing at Sandown. Trained by Venetia Williams and owned by Julian Blackwell and Angus Maclay, he won 11 of 65 starts. MURTHWAITE WINDRUSH Jenny Crane’s Fell stallion has died aged 18. “Windy”, who was ridden for most of his career by Steph Peto, was the first grey of his breed to qualify for HOYS. He won his open ridden final there and was reserve champion.…

TOP performing riders and successful individuals have been recognised at the annual British Dressage (BD) national convention (23-24 November). The medal of honour was presented to former sports operations director Tamsyn Cowie for her “outstanding contribution”. Phyllis Beattie and Anne Ratciffe were given the president’s commendation. Para riders Gabriella Blake, Georgia Wilson, Erin Orford, Laura Gulliver and Charlotte Cundall, received headcollars for their wins at the summer gold para championships. Trophies were awarded to riders for top performances in 2019; Annabella Pidgley, Steffi Tomlinson, Jessica McConkey and Jasmine Harding Heitzmann. The Pablo Picasso trophy was given to Rebecca Bell, the Richmond trophy to Charlotte McDowall, and the Tyrell trophy to mare Headmore Bella Ruby, owned by Sarah Oppenheimer and ridden by Alice Oppenheimer. Joseph Bright received the young professional programme…

A RIDER in her 73rd season with the Chiddingfold, Leconfield & Cowdray Hunt has no plans to hang up her boots. Former master Shirley Reed and her Connemara, Biscuit, have a combined age of 103, and although they no longer tackle the biggest hedges, “when hounds are running, he goes”. Mrs Reed, 83, previously trained point-to-pointers. Biscuit, who is “supposedly 14.2hh but is probably 15hh”, evented up to novice then, aged 15, was given to Mrs Reed. “He doesn’t want to retire much! He’s absolutely wonderful,” she told H&H. “I’ve been very lucky; I’ve had some very good horses, and Biscuit is perfect. I hope he’ll keep going as long as I do, probably longer. He’s like a Rolls-Royce to ride, and I just try to keep up!”…

‘I’m definitely a fighter; I could have quit a long time ago and just been a bored mum but I know I can do this’ “I WANT this so much, and just need someone to believe in me,” says Yazmin Pinchen, 26. “I’m definitely a fighter; I could have quit a long time ago and just been a bored mum but I know I can do this — and I deserve it.” Things are looking up for Yazmin. Some 18 months ago, when her parents separated, things became tough. Having always been supported by her father, who owned all her rides, she suddenly had to “start from scratch”. “I do it all myself now, and it’s the hardest thing in the world,” she says. “I nearly did give up but…

BELLA INNES KER BELLA is an international event rider based with William Fox-Pitt. She has represented Great Britain three times at junior and young rider European Championships. Last year she became the youngest-ever winner of Blenheim CCI4*-L, riding her experienced campaigner, Carolyn. TRAINING THE STARS MY 15-year-old mare Carolyn used to struggle with straightness over a fence and tended to drift left, which proved to be a weakness across country between related combinations. However, using the exercise below, I was able to encourage her to stay straight, which has really helped improve her performance.…

‘I spotted her as a three-year-old and knew she’d be a world-beater’VANIR KAMIRA’S OWNER TREVOR DICKENS Vanir Kamira OWNER Trevor Dickens collected the Horseware Horse of the Year title for his mare Vanir Kamira (Tilly). The Camiro De Haar Z 14-year-old won Badminton 2019 and finished runner-up at Burghley for the second time, cementing her place at the very top of the sport. “She’s beaten the strongest field ever assembled in this category,” said presenter Lizzie Greenwood-Hughes, referring to Flat megastar Enable, dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll, as well as European showjumping silver medallist Explosion W and Allister Hood’s showing champion Our Cashel Blue. “Tilly is special, and she knows it,” said Trevor. “I spotted her as a three-year-old and bought her out of a sales in Ireland. I…

‘I’m surprised but so happy’ADAM HARVEY Adam Harvey EVENT rider Adam Harvey, who was on the silver medal-winning three-star European Championships team this year, and finished fourth individually, on Picasso V, was voted Pikeur Amateur Rider of the Year. The chartered surveyor, who also came second in the CCI3*-S at Belton and Barbury on Picasso this season, said: “I didn’t really believe I could win; it’s surreal. “I’m surprised but so happy, and very grateful to everyone who voted for me.” Adam said it is hard managing his horses around his work, especially at this time of year with the lack of daylight, as he has to be in the office at 7.30am and does not get home until 5.30pm, but paid tribute to his horses’ super quality and adaptability,…

‘To have Smurf alongside all these famous horses is amazing’LISA WALKER Smurf LISA and her son Alex Walker were cheered on to the stage to collect their therapy pony Smurf ’s Balanced Horse Feeds Pony of the Year award. The 30-year-old Shetland fought off an eventing gold medallist, an Olympia-bound show pony and a multi-garlanded driving pony to take the prize. “To think that my little Smurf, whom no one wanted, is alongside all these famous horses is absolutely amazing,” said Lisa. Lisa’s father found Smurf abandoned on the A1 as a young stallion. Lisa, 17 at the time, was desperate to keep him. “My father said: ‘What use is a 7hh, naughty Shetland?’” and when I came home from college he had gone,” Lisa remembers. “But on my 18th…

“SINGLE-MINDED” is how Pammy Hutton sums up US eventer Liz Halliday-Sharp and her highly focused, meticulous campaign for Tokyo 2020 selection. Liz first trained with Pammy nearly 20 years ago and has returned with her British-based string for some fine-tuning. “You never stop learning and picking up ideas,” says Liz, who also trains with James Burtwell and Robert Dover. “Pammy can figure out a horse in five seconds. She’s a master at flying changes, which has really helped with my top horse Deniro Z.” Liz, who gave up a second career as a professional racing driver to focus on her riding, has been putting in the groundwork in all phases — on the UK show circuit and in Wellington, Florida. “I don’t love going to a jumping show and waiting…

Joint-masters: Toby Coles (huntsman), Felicity Green, Louly Thornycroft Hon secretary: Sarah Wilkinson, info@ southdorsethunt.co.uk Equine hero: without a doubt Callie Coles’ Warrior, aka The Llama. This handsome, quality grey has an insane amount of scope and bravery and is one of the most covetable horses I have come across. Human hero: long-standing chairman James Boughey. His farm is a “go-to place for hunting” and he is very involved in the hunt ball, hedge-laying, and other activities, and incredibly accommodating at all times.…

‘His forte was jumping any funny contraption, such as gates, wire and park railings’ OVER the solid hedges of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale country, a good heart will get you anywhere. “Nettles was a redoubtable trier,” says senior master Mike Felton. “He never stopped and he would always get to the other side.” Nettles, who did a good eight or nine seasons field mastering, didn’t have the biggest jump. “He was perfectly good at jumping hedges,” explains Mike, “but he wasn’t the scopiest. If it was wet, he’d be right at the edge of the envelope.” Where he excelled was in the less straightforward obstacles. “He was an awesome jumper of a gate. His forte was jumping funny places, such as park railings, gates, wire — in fact, any…

Keysoe High Profile Show, Beds HAVING been close to withdrawing just two days before his class, Dan Sherriff justified his decision to compete when winning with FX Bayford Hall Fergus at prix st georges (PSG). Dan suffered a dramatic fall from Fergus the previous week, when the nine-year-old Uphill gelding took fright out hacking. “Fergus was feeling fresh and started offering some piaffe steps, which I thought was good, but then he saw a sign that had been recently put up and leapt into the air, nearly going over backwards,” explained Dan. “He shot off into the trees and got even more frightened. I was hanging off the side and made the decision to bail out. I hit the deck, but Fergus only went on about 20 metres before walking…

Arena UK Winter Classic, Lincs LOUISE SAYWELL’S sizzling opener on Michael Elvin’s PLS Halo Diamond secured victory in the winter grand prix from the front to bag the £1,000 first prize. “He’s sensitive and a bit of a worrier, keeping him confident is a big thing, but he felt good in there,” said Louise. Course-designer Mark McGowan tested the 23 competitors with technical distances, and a perfect six returned to contest the jump-off, with an on-form Louise double-handed. “The course was tough enough, but it should be for a grand prix and Mark got the right amount of clears,” assessed Louise, who turned the short straw of opening draw into a positive with a competitive time on the Irish-bred 11-year-old Halo Diamond. “This is his first show for three weeks…

Northallerton EC, N Yorks SARA BOWE restarted her showjumping career at Northallerton Equestrian Centre after a two-year hiatus, and scored a double of wins. “I’m really an eventer, but I decided to get my horses out jumping over the winter,” explained the Bedale-based rider. “I’ve got 10 horses in at the moment and I’m currently jumping five. I have some youngsters to join them at shows soon, so I’m going to be busy.” Sara’s winning ride at Northallerton was Kilcoltrim Mermist, who headed the newcomers and Foxhunter classes on his third affiliated outing. Sara is aiming the Irish-bred nine-year-old at five-star qualification next season. “He belongs to Caron Chapman, who is the best owner. Five years ago, she told me to go out and find myself a quality four-year-old to…

Betfair Tingle Creek Festival, Sandown Park Racecourse, Surrey THE Philip Hobbs-trained chaser Defi Du Seuil may not be winning by flashy distances or on the bridle, but he keeps getting it done. He took another major step towards the top of the two-mile chasing ranks when he beat Un De Sceaux by a neck, in a thrilling finish to the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown Park on Saturday, 7 December. There was no shortage of drama at the Esher course that day, with seven jockeys banned for 10 days over Christmas for failing to heed a yellow “void-race” flag in the last race (see box, right), and Tom O’Brien’s foot slipping out of its stirrup causing him to fall off when challenging up the run-in during the Pertemps Hurdle.…