Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-Jun-2020 i Horse & Hound

NOT a month goes by when I do not hear from a reader lamenting the lack of horse sport on mainstream TV, and harking back to the good old days when showjumping was “on the telly every Sunday”. This week, Adam Cromarty, a man au fait with what it takes to get horse sport filmed and on to any platform for viewing, explains times have changed, and there are “huge obstacles” to getting horsesport back on mainstream TV (comment, p17). Other sports, such as cricket, have adapted to make them more palatable for viewers – much to the anguish of traditionalists – and similar questions are asked of equestrianism. Adam suggests the puissance and six-bar would go down much better than dozens of pairs jumping a grand prix over two…

WELFARE LAW PAST LAST STAGE TOUGHER penalties for animal cruelty and legislation protecting service animals have been introduced in Scotland, after passing the final stage in parliament. The Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections, and Powers) (Scotland) Bill will increase the maximum penalties for the most serious welfare and wildlife offences to five years’ imprisonment. The bill also implements Finn’s Law, which gives extra protection to police horses and dogs by removing the legal defence of self-defence for attacks on service animals in the course of their duties, as well as granting welfare agencies powers allowing animals in their care to be rehomed without the need for a court order. FEI AWARDED TOP CLASSIFICATION THE FEI has earned top classification in an Association for Summer Olympic International Federations review. The FEI…

DEANO’S BEENO The Grade One winner trained by Martin Pipe has died aged 28 after a long retirement at Greatwood, where he was the charity’s mascot. His biggest win was with AP McCoy in the 2002 Long Walk Hurdle. DARWEN The 21-year-old gelding, one of Lancaster Constabulary’s longest-serving recruits, has retired to The Horse Trust after 13 years. He taught many officers to ride, and served at the 2012 Olympics and football matches. MUSICAL WEDGE Larry Brown and Lizelle Terblanche Brown’s stalwart has died aged 16. He raced for eight years, and went on to success in hunt races and helped Wishful Thinkers to the national team chasing title in 2018.…

MARES A rider who has taken in some sheep was delighted, not just because they would improve the grazing but also as she hoped it would overcome her mare’s slight fear of sheep. Which it did, while she’s in the field with them. Seen over the fence, however, they’re still terrifying. But of course. SENSE A table produced by a sports media company ranked sports in terms of their difficulty. Apparently, boxing is the hardest, whereas “equestrian” is near the other end, easier than cheerleading and badminton. Ever been on a horse? Thought not… MUZZLES A rider was tickled to find a leather item labelled “vintage horse riding helmet” in an antique shop. Given that, as a grazing muzzle, it had more hole than not, one wonders just how much…

EVERY time there is a major showjumping event on British soil, social media erupts with condemnation of the lack of television coverage. Posts vary from outrage to blame; some even state their intent to contact channels in an attempt to educate them. There can be little doubt that our sport has a committed audience. I would love to see our sport back on mainstream television, but there are huge obstacles. Many may disagree, but I’m not sure showjumping is designed for modern prime time television. Worldwide, we have a marketing and educational crisis – my non-equestrian television colleagues have no idea what to cover because there are so many international series and championships. In the UK, we have events suitable for television, but historically the focus has always been on…

KATE DWYER may be one of the few dressage riders in the world who can say that 2020 has yielded great things. At one of the last international shows to take place before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, the Al Shaqab CHI5* in Doha, Qatar, Kate and her remarkable partner, the 14-year-old Snowdon Faberge, scored their first ever international win. They also made history for Ireland by becoming the first Irish combination ever to win a CDI5* grand prix special. It wasn’t Kate’s first history-making moment, either. In 2019, she and “Fabio” were part of the Irish quartet dubbed “the girls in green”, who memorably secured their country’s first ever dressage team place at the Olympics. It’s not bad going, especially for a horse that Kate has recently learned is…

RIDER ELLEN WHITAKER “AFTER trying Winston as a four-year-old, I couldn’t buy him fast enough. We saw him jumping at Arena UK with Laura Mantel – he was pretty expensive and I said to Norman Oley, ‘It’s up to you’, obviously with everything crossed for a yes, and a few hours later he found me and said, ‘Let’s go for it.’ “He was explosive, a beautiful type, very blood and extremely balanced for his age. It’s a calculated gamble buying horses that young, but it was clear he was good and he’s matured and now has a couple of years of top-level experience under his belt. He’s actually very easy to ride for a 17.2hh stallion, but I have struggled – there were periods when I felt over-horsed. He’s powerful…

THERE’S something striking in the white flashes of a coloured horse, and some certainly prove to be more than just pretty markings. In fact, if coloured horses can teach us anything, it’s never to judge a book by its colour, as Pippa Funnell found out early in her career. “I was working for Ruth McMullen when I first saw skewbald gelding Bits And Pieces,” explains Pippa. “He was a 15.3hh by successful Irish National Hunt stallion Lord Gale out of a coloured foster mare, and although he had quality, my first impression was that he’d make a nice Pony Club pony.” While at Ruth’s, “Henry” was competed lightly before being bought by Pippa’s longstanding owners Sarah and Richard Jewson. “I’d just moved down to William’s when Sarah rang me and…

Stable name: Bart Breeder: unknown Owner: Vicky Smith Best results: 2016, fourth RIHS plaited horse final; 2017, first and champion HOYS qualifier North of England summer show, fifth HOYS non-native horse final; 2018, second RIHS, second Windsor, first and champion HOYS qualifier TSR, first HOYS final, supreme of show Coloured Horse and Pony Society (CHAPS) championships; 2019, first and reserve supreme coloured RIHS, first and reserve champion HOYS final, champion working show…

“I GO out to Florida some Januaries to see Wesley and he starts hassling me about which two-year-olds I’ll ride at Ascot. I’m glad, this will give him an incentive to come back next year.” • Frankie Dettori on US trainer Wesley Ward after Campanelle won the Queen Mary (pictured) “It means a huge amount. You walk into Royal Ascot every year with high hopes, imagining what it must be like to ride a winner here.” • Hollie Doyle after winning the Duke Of Edinburgh on Scarlet Dragon “We were a bit deflated after Newmarket, we were expecting a bit more from Nando Parrado. But he came home, worked well and, when it rained, I rang his owner and said we need to be in there at Royal Ascot. He’s…

I never thought I would miss coronation chicken. But, having recently judged my first virtual puppy show for the Crawley and Horsham, there was no drinking and no delicious lunch, sadly. Although, on the plus side there were no speeches; I am running very short of material. “We dare to dream our sport will start on time” It was a completely surreal experience to judge a young entry on one’s phone, and when it was over I went back to the gardening. But well done to huntsman Bill Bishop and his team for staging it. Those who tuned in will, I am sure, have loved seeing Bill and his team along with some very happy puppies, especially Naughty the champion bitch. With restrictions being very slowly lifted, we dare to…

EQUESTRIAN centre owners have questioned the consistency of Government advice as nonessential shops have reopened – but indoor arenas still may not be used. H&H reported on 4 June that, as confirmed by the Government Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and adhering to guidelines stating that only outdoor exercise was allowed, indoor arenas cannot be used. “This makes it very hard”KATHRYN WAUGH As part of more recent easing of lockdown measures, shops including those selling toys, clothes, books and electronics were allowed to open in England from 15 June, but indoor schools were not. Kathryn Waugh, manager of Firtree Farm Riding School in Newcastle, is among those who only have an indoor surface. “Our indoor school is about 26x42m and it’s very, very airy,” she told H&H.…

EQUESTRIAN governing bodies are among those that have backed a pledge to do more to combat inequality in sport. The Sport and Recreation Alliance stated: “It is time to confront racism and inequality that exists across sport, from grassroots participation to the boardroom.” The pledge is signed by sporting bodies including British Dressage, British Eventing, British Showjumping, the British Horse Society and the Association of British Riding Schools. “The appalling death of George Floyd, the global protests that have followed and the powerful message of the Black Lives Matter movement has made every section of society take notice and confront an ugly truth,” it reads. “Sport and recreation has an influential role to bring about meaningful change.” The pledge states that work has started to address issues such as the…

Jockey Frankie Dettori was Royal Ascot’s leading rider for a second year in a row following six wins, including the Coronation Stakes – the only Royal Ascot Group One he had not won before. Report, p44. Showjumper Jessica Mendoza enjoyed success in the sport’s international return following the coronavirus lockdown. Jessica won a CSI2* grand prix in Kentucky, with Dublin on 21 June. Eventer and World Horse Welfare patron Pippa Funnell helped launch the charity’s new “Welfare Wednesday” webinar series. The series runs fortnightly with different speakers. Jockey Kevin Stott claimed his first Group One victory with Hello Youmzain in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, which he followed immediately with a winning ride on board Hey Jonesy. Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, US, owner Mark Bellissimo married British…

MY thanks go out to those unsung heroes of lockdown, the staff and owners of livery yards who organise a routine that lets owners exercise their horses while adhering to strict social distancing. At the yard where my granddaughters keep their horses, the yard owner kept her staff safe by locking down from 7–10am and 4–7pm for yard duties. Then from 10am–4pm, owners could exercise their horses, as long as tack and personal equipment were kept in cars and lorries. This arrangement became a lifeline to the riders on the yard, who would otherwise have been at home worrying about their horses. Although this made additional work for staff, they were prepared to do that bit extra for the horses’ and riders’ wellbeing. Thank you. Sally Myers Aldeburgh, Suffolk The…

AS we enter the 15th week of lockdown restrictions, I don’t think that anybody ever imagined that it would last this long. At times, it can feel like we are living in a parallel universe where everything is constantly changing. The implications of this virus will linger for some time yet and we will all have to think and act very differently. In some ways, embracing change is inevitable in order to move with the times, but my fear is that in a world where health and safety has already gone mad, these added restrictions may just add fuel to that already burning fire. I wish people would just take more responsibility for their own actions and accept the consequences should any arise. I know when I started out, the…

What’s the last book you read? Ruby Walsh’s autobiography last summer, which was really interesting, but I read the Racing Post every day. What are your favourite tunes for a road-trip? Jake Bugg is a new favourite at the moment and I also enjoy anything by Tom Grennan. Which famous person would you invite to dinner? I think it would be winning-most female jockey Hayley Turner – I admire what she’s done for the sport. If you weren’t a rider, you would be… I would like to think I would be a Formula One driver, but probably, more realistically, I would be something like a farrier or PE teacher – it would have to be something outside as I definitely wouldn’t suit an office job. Do you speak any other…

ARENA UK WINSTON Age: 11 Breeding: Irish Sport Horse, Waldo Van Dungen x Hamilton Tropics Owner: Norman Oley Rider: Ellen Whitaker Breeder: Brenda Morelli of New Priory Stud Greatest achievements: several team appearances, including double clear to help Britain finish second in the CSIO5* Nations Cup of Gijon, Spain (September 2019); won CSI2* grand prix in Opglabbeek, Belgium (June 2017); third in the CSI4* grand prix of Bolesworth (June 2019); successful in young horse classes and won the CSI3* small grand prix on the Sunshine Tour (February 2020).…

THE owner of coloured sport horse stud Longacres, Mandy Sanderson, became passionate about breeding British-bred coloured performance horses after years training and competing Hanoverians. “I realised there was a lack of quality coloured sport horses in the UK, so we set about finding a stallion and mares,” says Mandy, whose stud is based in the Pennines. Finding Emir, a two-year old by Ed King Hill, put them well on their way. During that time, Mandy also introduced some exciting new broodmares to the team. In 2008, Emir was sold to Australia, and that was when they found Samara Fly. By Sambertino, Samara Fly stood as the stud’s stallion for 10 years, siring 150 top quality foals, while also competing in dressage until his untimely passing from a routine veterinary procedure.…

A SPLASH of colour is nothing new in the show ring, where skewbalds and piebalds regularly grace the line-up. Neither does a coloured coat come as a surprise at the lower dressage levels, as traditional gypsy cobs continue to make their mark. But patches of white on a performance horse can really turn heads. With implications of heavy breeding, a coloured coat pattern tends to be more closely associated with pulling a cart than achieving a podium place. Are these elite equine athletes really on a par with their plain-coated counterparts? According to Dr Samantha Brooks, associate professor of equine physiology at the University of Florida, most white “spotting” patterns in the horse – the patches on our skewbalds and piebalds – are caused by just one change in a…

A DECISION to void results from some international shows at which Olympic and Longines ranking points were on offer will stand, as the “integrity of the sport has been compromised”. An investigation was launched by the FEI after integrity concerns were raised over 12 classes at six showjumping shows held in Villeneuve-Loubet, France, in December 2019 and January 2020. The investigation centred on rules relating to when the classes were added to the schedule, which was after the definite entries deadline. As a result, the FEI removed the additional classes retrospectively and riders who took part lost their points. The loss of the 2019 classes meant that Sri Lankan rider Mathilda Karlsson dropped from second to seventh in the Group G Olympic rankings and the nation lost its individual spot…

STRADIVARIUS Frankie Dettori partnered the John Gosden-trained star to a third consecutive Gold Cup win at Royal Ascot. The six-year-old, bred by Bjorn Nielsen, secured victory by an impressive 10 lengths on 18 June. Report, p44. VEDET PB Dutch para rider Sanne Voets’ multiple European and World medal-winning ride has died aged 18. Sanne found the Dutch warmblood as a three-year-old and the pair were also four-time Dutch national champions. HAMPTON COURT GEORGE The first Shire foal to be born in London “in living memory” arrived safely at Hampton Court Palace on 10 June. The grey colt is named after King George V and is by Hillmore Double Trouble of Landcliffe Stud in Yorkshire.…

BRITISH EVENTING (BE) has been given the green light to restart from Sport England and the Government. The first events in England are to run on 10 to 12 July and include Barbury (Wilts), Aske (North Yorks) and Tweseldown (Hants). “British Eventing has created an operational plan that has now been approved to allow for competition activity to return, within Government requirements and social distancing measures currently in place,” said chief executive Jude Matthews. All three fixtures have reported that the ground is looking good and has benefited from recent rain, with further work planned. Announcements regarding entry opening dates and confirmation of which dressage tests are to be used were expected as H&H went to press on Monday (22 June). Buckminster (Lincs) was scheduled for 4 to 5 July,…

COLOURS Ask a three-year-old girl what her favourite colour is and you might expect the answer pink, purple, or blue. Not so one budding young rider, who answered confidently: “Buckskin.” Good girl. ACCIDENTAL DRESSAGE The rider of a showjumping horse who, it’s fair to say, has never been a fan of dressage, was impressed by the mare’s lateral work on her first outing since lockdown. Did you know a horse can move approximately 30m sideways in two bounds? You do now, as does the rider concerned… LESSONS Which of us, when talking to a Muggle about taking a horse for a lesson, hasn’t heard the phrase, “But don’t you already know how to ride?” in return? Sigh.…

FOUR former racehorses in South Africa are proving their versatility – by helping thwart poachers and protect rhinos. Anna Mussi, of Rhino Revolution, told H&H the charity’s aim is to protect rhinos and pangolins, whose numbers have plummeted owing to poaching, by rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing. The horses came to the reserve with their trainer when she retired, and the charity came up with the idea of riding them on patrol to deter poachers and monitor the five rhinos, whose mothers were killed by poachers. “The horses have become completely desensitised to them, so we can get quite close. That means we can monitor behaviour and condition without stressing them, the way it might if you were in a vehicle or on foot,” Anna said. “This is hard work and…

AS the country prepares to reboot and lockdown eases, at home we are starting to look ahead to impending competitions. In training, I am focusing more on test sequences again and the entry and halt have become a regular exercise incorporated into my daily work. It’s amazing how important that first impression can be. We are all getting excited about gearing up again; finally things might be returning to “normal” but what will the new normal be? Polo has started up again with many players in face masks, though luckily the dressage warm-up arenas don’t require “ride-offs” so we shouldn’t have to worry about competing in masks. Saying that, some of the warm-ups I witnessed back in the day between Anky van Grunsven and Isabell Werth felt pretty close! If…

I ENJOYED my best-ever Royal Ascot last week, finishing second on the leading jockeys’ board to Frankie Dettori – we both notched up six wins but he beat me on second places. There was top-class racing on every day and Frankie winning the Gold Cup on Stradivarius by 10 lengths was so impressive. I finished fifth on Mekong and it was great to be a part of the race. Frankie is a big character and he is brilliant for the sport – popular with racing fans for his flying dismounts. The opening Tuesday (16 June) was a dream for me with a treble on the day and it was the first time I have achieved that at the royal meeting. My week kicked off with a win in the first…

“A horse can have a walk you didn’t even know about” DANIELLE is a leading show horse producer, judge and trainer based in Cheshire. She has won numerous titles at county shows, Royal Windsor and at the Royal International. She has won at Horse of the Year Show four times and has stood champion there on two separate occasions. THE walk is the first and last thing the judge sees, but it’s the pace that often gets overlooked by riders. It dictates your first and last pull in the ring so when training, I work the horses a lot in walk. I got Oathill Take The Biscuit (Hovis) when he was a four-year-old and he didn’t have the best walk. I would ride him long and low so he loosened…

Royal Ascot, Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire IN normal times, the top-class action on the track at Royal Ascot would have been a five out of five, but given the circumstances “behind closed doors” it deserved a six out of five. Two weeks and a day in from the resumption of racing, everyone involved – from the racecourse and the British Horseracing Authority’s (BHA) Resumption of Racing Group, to the trainers, the jockeys, the lads and ITV Racing – played a blinder and, above all, the horses were the stars of the show. If this was racing’s shop window, this was one occasion when racing was the winner. The action on the course had a bit of everything and off it everyone adhered to the rules. For the absent press, there was…

WAY back in the summer of 2016 we were asked to walk our first Heythrop hound puppies. Having walked beagles and bassets before, we thought, “How hard can it be?” We were swiftly delivered three absolutely gorgeous bundles of mischief named Romper, Romulus and Rosebud. They enriched and ruined our lives in equal measure. The two boys were dopey but kind, and Rosebud? Well, she was a menace at walk; always busy but also very loving. She was a compact puppy and to this day is still dwarfed by her kennel mates. The adorable stripe down her face and her love of cocking her head to one side meant that she got away with murder here at White House Farm. “I don’t know if you’ve ever walked a heavily pregnant…

“I WAS selected for the Montreal Olympics in 1976 and then told I couldn’t go because I was a professional. I missed my chance because at that time Boomerang was probably the best horse in the world and although I had nice horses when I did make it in 1992 and 1996, they weren’t superstars. “I do think equestrian sports still have a place in the Olympics and although many people don’t like the change to three-man teams, it had to be done and was probably the right thing. “It’s easy to think of the good old days and I’m a traditionalist who loves the big grass arenas at Hickstead, Dublin and Aachen, but sport has to move with the times and at least ventures such as the Global Champions…

ONLY in Ireland would major roads in the capital be closed for a horse show and most of the country settle down to watch the Nations Cup on prime time TV. “When I made my final appearance in Dublin in 2008 [pictured], I can’t remember whether I had been on the Irish team there 27 or 28 times, but the feeling of pride never went away. Every time you get the chance to try to win the Aga Khan Trophy for your nation, it’s like a dream come true. It’s the highlight of every Irish rider’s career and always should be.”…

IT made a nice change to be trundling down the road at the weekend with Mary and Alec in the pick-up beside me and a trailer containing two ponies. Going out en masse is such a rarity these days that there was a celebratory feel in the car despite the rain bashing at the windscreen and the wind whistling in the trees. Lockdown seems to have that effect – it turns the most ordinary things into an event. The ponies, however, weren’t feeling the love as we unloaded them at the other end. Sally was bracing herself against the swirling winds and Rusty was taking in the outdoor school with a jaundiced eye. He hates riding lessons. Karen was there to teach them, all smiles under a woolly hat, and…