Innholdsfortegnelse for 09-Jan-2020 i Horse & Hound

IN our new series, “Life lessons” (p23), H&H asks horsesport’s biggest stars to relay the most important things they have learned in training, managing and competing horses; what horses have taught them. “The happiest horses are the ones that want to do it, and that comes through variety,” says Carl Hester, well-known for ensuring his horses hack and enjoy turnout, or live out at night if that is what is best for them. He also reveals his secret to success in the ring, to remind himself it “is only dressage” as opposed to life or death. Which isn’t to say it doesn’t matter, but it’s sage advice to take the pressure off yourself to ironically stand a chance of achieving more. From exemplary horse riding and management to quite the…

RUSSIA is to appeal its ban from Tokyo 2020 and other major championships. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) has lodged an appeal with the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA); the case will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). WADA announced the decision to ban Russia for four years from major games or hosting large international competitions following the major doping scandal (news, 12 December). This meant riders would not be allowed to compete under their nation’s flag in Tokyo. But the appeal means sanctions are paused until a final ruling is made. Rusada shared a formal letter disputing WADA’s allegation. “WADA remains convinced it made the right decision,” said WADA president Sir Craig Reedie. The country has a dressage team spot and two individual eventing places at…

TWO BRITS STILL ON TOP OF THE WORLD TWO Brits have started 2020 on a high as they remain at the top of the world rankings in their disciplines. Oliver Townend held on to the eventing top spot for a fourth month while Sophie Wells has been at the top of the para dressage rankings since July. German rider Isabell Werth sits first and second in the dressage rankings with Bella Rose 2 and Weihegold OLD. Swiss European champion Martin Fuchs overtook Steve Guerdat to lead the showjumping ranking for the first time following victories at Olympia and the CSI5* in Geneva. BURGHLEY REVEALS ITS 2020 CHARITY BURGHLEY HORSE TRIALS has named Alzeimer’s Research UK as its 2020 charity of the year. The organisers chose the charity owing to its…

WHEN Derek Clackett was nearing his 70th birthday, he thought that might be the age to hang up his hunting boots. As his 75th approached, he thought the same. But the joint field-master of the Jersey Drag Hunt, who turns 80 on 17 January, is now considering that 85 may be the right time. Mr Clackett and 23-year-old grade A showjumper Roger go fence-hopping twice a week. “I’ve had good hunters but he has to be among the best,” says Mr Clackett. “Although all the other horses in my yard are Irish, he’s a blessed Dutch warmblood — I’m almost ashamed to say it!” Mr Clackett is undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma, but has not let that stop him. “One of my mantras has always been, ‘If you’re not well, go…

‘I remember sweeping the yard in my ball dress and wellies, straight from the summer ball’ I took my first summer job at the local riding school in Cornwall aged 11. I spent every moment there, living in a yard caravan. I then did a higher national diploma in equine science at Hartpury followed by a two-year top-up to the honours degree. In my third year at uni, I took a job as an event groom, where I learnt loads. I even relished living on-site in an annexe that was so cold in winter my olive oil froze. It was a fantastic spell as an event groom, even though it made the financial struggle longer. I met many of the world’s leading event riders. I remember being part of a…

PIGGY FRENCH is a multi medal-winning British event rider. She won Badminton and finished runner-up at Burghley in 2019 on Trevor Dickens’ mare Vanir Kamira. Last season Piggy set a new world record for the number of international events won in a year — 15. PROBLEM ONE ‘MY HORSE IS TOO BUZZY’ “A FRESH horse will often benefit from being lunged both at home and at the competition venue before you ride, otherwise things get tense and neither horse nor rider are in the right frame of mind,” advises Piggy. “Lungeing, regular exercise and lots of turnout will usually help put a buzzy horse’s mind in the right place.” Piggy encourages riders of excitable horses to keep their ride’s brain engaged so they focus on their rider and not everything…

THIS was my first visit to Liverpool, and I’m pleasantly surprised at what a good show it is. The location is great, the layout makes everything very easy for us and the crowds have been excellent — it’s always nice to jump in front of a full house. We need more of these shows in Britain; the country has some of the best horses and riders, and the shows here used to be great, but the rest of the world has gone ahead and Britain has rather been left behind. I lived in the UK for 20 years — I was based with Fred and Sue Welch for 14 of those — so although I’ve been based in North America for the past two years, I always like coming back…

EVE of Christmas Eve: the tactic of trying not to visit farmers when it’s raining stair-rods has been flawed this season. I spent much of the week negotiating country for tomorrow and after two months of rain, even I have to admit it is a little damp in places now. All but two out of 30 farmers are happy — well, graciously prepared to grant access at least to hounds and hunt staff. Now it’s up to the trail-layer and the field master to craft a top day. Christmas Eve: I received a post-hunting appraisal from field master. “Went much better than I thought it would and think everyone had fun.” I agree, rather relieved — thanks to the farmers. Workable scent; hounds had sharp hunt with drive and the…

Joint-masters: Sarah Davidson, Kirstie Hargreave, Claire Whitfield, Hugh Wood, Craig Anderson Huntsman: Giles Bennett Hon secretary: Angus Collingwood-Cameron, 07703 827955 Amateur whipper-in: Alistair Graham Apprentice: Ruby Wyld Stud groom: Yvonne Anderson Equine hero: Harry, six-year-old Millie Herdman’s 28-year-old, 12hh pony. Gave every hunt jump a foot to spare. Human heroes: the hunt supporters’ club, who “do a tremendous job” according to Craig Anderson, and who put on a sumptuous breakfast before hunting in Netherton village hall.…

Bury Farm, Bucks KATE MOISSON and her 12-year-old Trakehner mare Welthausen’s Onour ended 2019 with a bang when landing their second-ever advanced with 68.24%, following a win in the advanced medium with 71.9%. “I attempted our first advanced last month, but I was too nervous and didn’t ride very well,” said Kate, who has owned the mare since a foal. “I gave myself a big kick and a few weeks later, we won on a much-improved score. Our advanced medium win was our highest score to date and included my first nine, so it was a great end to the year.” Known as the wonder pony, Onour suffered a traumatic injury as a five-year-old when fracturing four spinous processes, with one detaching completely. “She got trapped in the trailer,” explained…

SAM GAWN’s nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse, Big Time Classic, made a winning comeback from four months off receiving ulcer treatment to land both novices at Vale View, Leics. Sam has owned the gelding for two years and knew something wasn’t right. “He was a bit miserable, which isn’t like him, so I had him scoped and he had both squamous and glandular ulcers,” said Sam. “He’s had three types of treatment as they’ve been really hard to treat, but he is much happier now.” A change of diet seems to be helping, too. “We get as much fibre down him as possible,” added Sam. “It was a case of turn him away or keep working him to see how he goes, so for him to perform like that shows he…

THOSE who know me would say I am a bit “bah humbug” when it comes to Christmas. As someone who likes food in equal measure to horse racing, the festive period has always been something of an inconvenience when both loves are available in abundance. Once upon a time — like so many young lads in racing — I harboured aspirations to be a professional jockey. Rather than studying the Radio Times in the lead-up to Christmas Day, I used to research the entries for Boxing Day and would happily skip the turkey in return for rides on 26 December. That lasted a couple of years until the lure of pigs in blankets won out. I realised the battle between body and scales was an unequal one and daily sweating…

CHANGES to qualified teams and the eventing cross-country course are among the latest developments at the dawning of the 2020 Olympic year. Two countries have lost their Tokyo team spots after failing to meet the qualification criteria by the 31 December deadline. Brazil and South Africa both secured provisional dressage team tickets at the Pan Am Games and the Group F region qualification event. But neither had enough riders meeting the minimum eligibility requirements by the end of 2019 to hold on to those places. This means each nation may now send only one individual rider, while the team places have been reallocated in line with world rankings as composite teams, allowing France and Austria to send three competitors each. With further qualification hoops to jump through, there remains a…

BLUE HORS DON SCHUFRO The Danish Blue Hors stud’s flagship sire has died aged 27. The stallion, who won team bronze at the 2008 Olympics with Andreas Helgstrand, has sired top horses including Diamond Hit and Weihegold OLD. RIOGHAN RUA Frank and Margaret Kinsella’s eventer has been crowned Equiratings horse of 2019. He and Cathal Daniels won the under-25 four-star at Bramham, and took individual bronze at the European Championships. BROERE JAZZ The KWPN stallion has died aged 29. He competed at top-level dressage, including the 2002 World Equestrian Games for the Netherlands, and his offspring include Vancouver K, Parzival, Wynton and O’Neill.…

CARNTALL Carol Bardo’s show cob, 32, has been put down following a bout of colic. “Bob the Cob” had a successful career and enjoyed wins at shows including Royal Windsor, the Royal International Horse Show and South of England. ENVOI ALLEN The Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old has claimed his seventh victory in a row and second Grade One win of the season at Naas racecourse. Gordon said the gelding may be aimed for a novice hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. FALSTAFF The 18-year-old 18hh former King’s Troop horse is enjoying retirement at the Horse Trust, where he has been reunited with vet and former King’s Troop captain Nicola Housby Skeggs.…

POO Superstar actor Chris Hemsworth has hit the headlines for flogging bags of horse manure for $2 each at the end of his drive. His “mega mansion” drive, that is, but hey, horses are expensive. UPS AND DOWNS A rider who was thrilled to qualify for the Blue Chip championships was less thrilled to be bucked off by the same horse days later. “If there was anything to show the ups and downs of horses,” she mused, nursing a bruised shoulder. Ups and downs in one, giving the nature of the buck… KIDS A rider was comparing the costs of horses and children. “I can legally sell my horses if it doesn’t work out,” one rider said. “The kids? Not so much.” And, a pal added: “Also horses don’t need…

A LAMENESS work-up is an investigation of the horse’s movement to diagnose injury or damage that is causing pain. The more accurate the diagnosis, the more finely tuned the resulting treatment plan can be. This, in turn, maximises the likelihood of a successful outcome and a return to athletic work in the shortest possible period of time. A work-up may be performed because a reason for lameness is not apparent, or because performance is below par. There are many causes of loss of performance, including gastric ulcers, respiratory issues and temperament problems. By far the most common problem is orthopaedic pain, an abnormality somewhere in the musculoskeletal system. The aim of the work-up is to determine the root of this pain, using a sequential series of steps (see below). A…

BORN and bred on the Channel Island of Sark, my parents were a bit shocked when I told them I was embarking on a career in horses. But despite everything, they supported me wholeheartedly. They always told me, “Do what makes you happy.” Because I came from Sark, I was unaware of the icons of the day, and my trip to the top was very fast. I went to work for “Dr B” (Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer) and was competing in a World Championship the following year in 1990. My first memory of top-class dressage was Nicole Uphoff on Rembrandt because she was there winning gold. It blew my mind, because it was unique how she rode and how elegant her tests were. My other icons have to be Jennie Loriston-Clarke,…

THE first port of call with an excitable horse is often to change to a stronger bit. But Piggy cautions that is not always the correct solution. “Often the horse feels strong because of their mindset, not because they are tanking off,” she says. “A snaffle means you can have a hold of the contact and feel the mouth without the horse pulling against you. The security of a contact helps many horses to settle; it’s like holding their hand. “Thoroughbreds in particular are sensitive in the mouth and strong bits can create more problems.”…

28 December: two-phase 1.40m.— 1, Night Of Glory OL (H Nuttall) GBR; 2, Bellefleur Ps Z (C Bettendorf) LUX; 3, Bugatti B (C Collins) GBR. Ifor Williams Trailers ride & drive.— 1, Silver Lift (H Nuttall) GBR; 2, Brandonview First Edition (S Breen) IRL; 3, Euphoria HST (A Condon) IRL. The Pullman Hotel 1.45m.— 1, Rouge De Ravel (G Williams) GBR; 2, Karibou Horta (L Attwood) GBR; 3, Verdict De Kezeg (M Pender) IRL. Equerry Horse Feeds U25 grand prix.— 1, Caloro Ex Z (J Whitaker) GBR; 2, Highgrove Violet (R Murphy) GBR; 3, Pinheiro Beech (H Wainwright) GBR. 29 December: Jolliffe & Co amateur 1.15m.— 1, Berlin (T Pearson) GBR; 2, Fernhill Splash (C Gee) IRE; 3, Ecarentina (G Wallace) GBR. Black Cat Building Consultancy amateur 1.25m.— 1, Eau…

‘Her mind was on the hounds; when they spoke, she was on it’ A BEAUTIFUL Irish hunter, Pretty Lady lived up to her name. “She was grand over everything,” says Willie Leahy, legendary Galway Blazers field master of more than 30 years. He bought her as a four-year-old from a friend in Connemara: “She was a little bit bold when I got her — we had to get to work on her.” Crucial to Pretty Lady’s early education, as with all Willie’s top-class hirelings, was the time she spent following his summer rides for tourists, Connemara Trails. Willie sets his youngsters loose to follow the herd and work out for themselves how to scramble over rocks, recognise boggy patches and negotiate ditches. “It gives them experience of everything; drains, walls…

NICOLE TURNER’S five-year-old J’Eton Hit won both prelims with 68.8% and 71.89% at Onley, Warks. Nicole has only had the Eton UDH gelding since the beginning of August 2019. “He was backed as a three-year-old and then did nothing,” said Nicole. “He had his knackers off last year and was then turned out in the field, and had been ridden a total of three times before I went to try him. He’s got quite a lot of attitude but he’s awesome and tries really hard.” Nicole, who trains with Sophie Wells, spent a lot of time building the youngster up. “He didn’t have a lot of muscle tone or condition so that’s taken a while to develop, and he has the brain of a three-year-old so he just needs show…

Sandown Park, Surrey SOME very good horses have announced their arrival in Sandown Park’s Grade One Unibet Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle in the past; Grand Canyon, Desert Orchid, Forest Sun, French Holly, Behrajan and Monsignor to name a few. But the only one to be successful at the same year’s Cheltenham Festival in the last decade is Summerville Boy — the Supreme winner in 2018 — and Saturday’s 2020 winner, Fiddlerontheroof, certainly looks destined for a bright future. A big, tall individual by Stowaway, it’s no wonder he did not win either of his four-year-old point-to-points over three miles, but he did end up winning a bumper at Navan, under Harry Swan. When he arrived at the Aintree sale on the eve of the Grand National last April, Colin Tizzard liked…

Showjumper Geoff Billington broke his heel at Liverpool International when he fell from a ramp, where commentators had posed for a picture. He is unsure how long he will be out of action. Flat jockey Tom Queally, who rode the unbeaten Frankel in all 14 of his races, has won his first race over hurdles in Ireland at Tramore with Owenacurra Lass, trained by his brother Declan. Jockey Richard Johnson won his 100th race this season on Tom Lacey-trained Fair Kate on 28 December. The four-time champion said 100 winners is “always the season’s first goal”. Former eventer Claire Lomas will take part in the London Marathon in her wheelchair while wearing motorcycle leathers. Claire, who was paralysed in a fall in 2007, is raising funds for Whizz-Kidz. Irish showjumper…

A NEW show will hold a range of mountain and moorland qualifiers for the 2020 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS). The Native Breeds Ridden Festival, organised by the new West Wales Horse & Pony Enthusiasts group, will take place on 31 May at the United Counties showground, Carmarthenshire. The group, which aims to appeal to a diverse audience, created the show to provide a “focused event” for numerous horse and rider combinations. HOYS event director Emma Williams said: “The mountain and moorland breeds have again experienced a rise in numbers contesting qualifiers, resulting in a demand for additional qualifiers. “Based on feedback, Wales has been identified as an area requiring more HOYS qualifying opportunities. “Carmarthenshire encompasses an area not currently covered by other shows offering HOYS mountain and moorland…

HUSBANDS A rider who needed something to feed hay in the field was delighted to find a secondhand travel cot for sale. Less delighted was her Muggle husband, who saw what the item was before he realised its purpose… oops. (And of course one does not condone using cots as mangers... Ed) COURSE-WALKING Overheard, a rider asking for advice on “helping my eight-year-old learn the course”. Confusion followed until, oh. An eight-year-old human, not equine. Shame, we rather hoped if horses could be taught, it would save us some course errors… LORRIES Overheard at the yard, a rider asking a friend where her lorry had gone. “Off for its MOT, it’s going to cost £1,000,” she said drearily. “How do you know, have you had an estimate?” came the reply.…

I SO enjoyed your “Fireside reads” article (19 December) because the titles of those books transported me back to my childhood when I desperately wanted a pony of my own. When I was nine, I started saving for my pony with Christmas and birthday present money and by doing chores around the house. When I was 12, my dream came true and Misty arrived. With my friend Mandy and her pony Ginger, Misty and I had some wonderful adventures. We’d ride on our own during the school holidays with no mobile phones in those days, so we had to think for ourselves which teaches you so much about life. In the final paragraph of the article, Anna Ross says that she is still “stupidly, pathetically in love with my horses”…

PART 1: HISTORY The horse’s background is explored thoroughly, from specifics of ownership and use to any previous lameness issues or suspicions. Other health conditions are also noted, along with the horse’s shoeing regime, the nature and onset date of the current lameness, details of any treatment and subsequent response. PART 2: STATIC EXAM Each limb is palpated for swellings, heat, bony lumps or signs of traumatic injury, along with response to pressure. The feet are inspected, with attention paid to shoe fitting, the presence of a pulse and any pain upon use of the hoof testers. The back and neck are palpated for areas of sensitivity or exaggerated pain reaction, and baited (carrot) stretch tests performed to assess neck manoeuvrability. PART 3: DYNAMIC EXAM A. Straight-line trot: Unless severe…

IF riders had a penny for every time a non-rider told us “the horse does all the work”, our piggy banks would be overflowing. In fact, our influence is monumental, not in seeing strides or riding piaffes, but simply in the way we sit. Anyone who’s had a lesson with Pippa Funnell’s trainer Ruth McMullen will have had the importance of rider straightness drummed into them. “If the horse isn’t straight, it’s more often the rider’s fault,” says Ruth. “Not many riders are perfectly straight. Yes, horses can be dominant on one side, too, but look at yourself first. Your balance and straightness must be a help not a hindrance, as your weight strongly influences the muscles of the horse’s spine. “So many riders say their horse won’t bend, but…

I AM based in Belgium and ride for Karel and Marit Cox, who have a large yard about 100km east of Brussels. Previously, I was based at my parents’ yard in Suffolk. I’d been wanting to train abroad for a while, but during my young rider years I was lucky enough to have a great mare called Avoca Valkyrie (Twiggy) at home. She won so many major classes, including the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Hickstead and the under-23 championship at Olympia, as well as getting me to two young rider European Championships and three-star Nations Cups. Twiggy is now retired, and this year had a lovely grey colt foal by Cevin Z, which is exciting for the future. These past 18 months riding for Karel have been a very…

TheraPlate UK Liverpool International, M&S Bank Arena, Merseyside BILLY TWOMEY made it three wins in four runnings of the TheraPlate UK grand prix at Liverpool, this time with Kimba Flamenco. Although the popular show has been running for five years, in 2017 it had to be cancelled before the grand prix on New Year’s Eve as a neighbouring car park caught fire. Billy and Kim Barzilay’s home-bred 10-year-old, a son of Je T’Aime Flamenco, whom Billy rode to so many five-star grand prix successes, posted one of just six first-round clears. Alan Wade’s track featured tall, airy verticals and some tight striding, and only 19-year-old Jodie Hall-McAteer (Salt N’Peppa) was faultless in the first half of the card. But Guy Williams and Rouge De Ravel, Italy’s Emanuele Camilli (Jakko), Jack…

AS someone who is often called a “grumpy old woman”, I suppose my New Year’s resolution should be to be less grumpy. I can’t help being old! Trouble is, I get even more grumpy when grumpiness is confused with saying it like it is — and curbing that is something I can’t resolve to do. I know it gets me into trouble but in a year when equine welfare, training and team selection will be topical, someone’s got to do it. As I added my plaque for an unexpected inter II second at Hickstead CDI last year to my others, I realised I’ve competed internationally for 51 years. Must make that 52 years… And I want to perform better, not necessarily with a win, but a higher percentage. My best…

THERE are many of us who just live for the present — or at least that is how we explain it to ourselves. To record an event or enjoyable time in text just seems like an extravagance: a self-important waste of time that would be better spent in actually participating in another memorable experience. There aren’t many of us, however, who on reflection in later years don’t wish they had kept those very records and had saved the wonderful memories in print. Many schoolboys will have their first experience of hunting diaries as a huntsman of a college beagle pack where it will have been a prerequisite of the position to fill in the official diary. College packs change huntsmen every year, but the meets usually follow a similar timetable.…

BURY FARM 30 Dec: prelim 15Q silv (Z Feeney).— 1, Billy Sinatra (R Harrison) 73.2. brnz.— 1, Charlwood Not The Norm (M Filler) 67; 2, Tengri (L Dodd) 66.4; 3, Gaby IV (J Allen) 65.6. prelim 17A Q silv (P Connolly).— 1, Madam Mimm (L Green) 66.55; 2, Burlington Cascaletto (R Harrison) 66.21; 3, Rockwell Domina (D Bassett) 63.45. brnz.— 1, Charlwood Not The Norm 70; 2, Optical Illusion II (K Fowler) 66.55; 3, Tengri 66.38. nov 22 gold (Z Feeney).— 1, Dark Angel (B Skipper) 75; 2, Pendancer Bilbo Baggins (H Dolby) 66.72. silv.— 1, Action Man II (S Buxton) 69.48; 2, Atinas Bela (R Pocock) 65.52; 3, Five Firerings (J Price) 64.48. brnz.— 1, Dot To Dot (L Porter) 61.21. nov 37A Q gold.— 1, Dark Angel 70.19.…

DESPITE breaking his neck as a young horse, Jules Praed’s nine-year-old Enigma, by Quicksilver, is proving his worth between the white boards, winning both mediums with plus-70% scores at Colraine EC, Cornwall, after a four-month training break. “He had impacted vertebrae and two fractures,” said Jules, who has owned him for four years. “His previous owners didn’t want to sell him but couldn’t keep him and give him the care he needed, so I took him on as a summer project for £1 and he never left.” Jules spent a year working with Enigma, but just as he was getting stronger, he had an accident in the trailer. “He exploded and we both got trapped,” said Jules. “We think he must have released some trapped nerves in the process as…

WHEN Palladium (pictured) was trained by Martyn Meade at Manton in Wiltshire, he failed to win on the Flat, but the trainer retained a share in him when he went to Nicky Henderson. Although he showed promise on his first start at Warwick, neither his current trainer nor the joint-owner were getting too carried away after his victory in the Unibet Casino Juvenile Hurdle at Sandown Park on Saturday, 4 January. Indeed he was, to a certain extent, handed the race. One of his rivals fell at the first and then did a pretty good job of trying to take out his two remaining rivals. But he clearly loves jumping and jockey Nico de Boinville said that when the four-year-old gelding saw the pond fence off the bend, he locked…

Conditions (div 1).— 1, P Nicholls, J Bolton & H Cobden’s Chameron (A Cheleda) R Loxton. div 2.— 1, The Shy John Partnership’s Wick Green (P Mason) P Mason. Skinner’s ladies’ open.— 1, C Hitchings & P Nicholls’ Virak (N Parker) R Loxton. open maiden (div 1) 5yo&up.— 1, T Hemmings’ Fedelta (J King) F Nimmo. div 2.— 1, S Rawlins & H Waight’s Fleur Du Pommier (A Edwards) H Waight. men’s open.— 1, D Maxwell’s Shantou Flyer (A Cheleda) R Loxton. restricted.— 1, The Teeton Partnership’s Teeton Surprise (N Phillips) E Brown. novice rider conditions.— 1, J Tufnell’s My Murphy (A Tufnell) S Randell. maiden conditions.— 1, C Barber’s Thechaseison (M McIntyre) C Barber.…

LEARNING to ride, even for the most gung-ho children with the best ponies and the most dedicated parents, is a rocky road. At the beginning of last year, I set myself a challenge — to focus some extra time and attention on Mary and her pony, Rusty. If Mary wasn’t enjoying riding him at the end of the year, we would have to think again. At the time, it wasn’t looking very positive. Mary’s confidence was at a low ebb and Rusty, with that unerring sense that ponies have, smelt weakness and was determined to exploit it as much as he could. We were out for a hack one morning and I was off my horse fiddling with a gate when Mary called out: “Mummy, Rusty’s being silly,” in the…