Innholdsfortegnelse for 02-Sep-2021 i Horse & Hound

ALL herald Team GB’s Paralympic riders, who have made it a seventh team gold medal in a row – what an achievement! This time it was done against the odds, with three experienced riders on inexperienced horses with no concept of a championship atmosphere. Newcomer Georgia Wilson covered herself in glory, too, with individual medals on her just seven-year-old ride. So while we are well used to Britain’s Paralympians coming up with the performances they need when it counts, you might well have bet against them this time. There you have it, never bet against this team. Huge congratulations to all, not least Sir Lee Pearson who, with a horse he has known since he was born, scored a historic 14th Paralympic gold medal. While dishing out congratulations, hats off…

Former Egyptian showjumper Sameh El Dahan will now ride under the British flag. Sameh, who represented Egypt at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, is based in Ireland. Tokyo Olympic dressage rider Lottie Fry, 25, rode the van Olst stallion Kjento to victory in the six-year-old young horse world championships on 28 August. The pair scored 96%. Para dressage rider Suz Hext was fourth in the Tokyo Paralympic 200m and 100m freestyle swimming. Suz was ruled out of the remainder of the Games after three serious asthma attacks. US dressage rider Laura Graves and her husband Curt Maes are expecting their first child a baby girl, this December. Laura said the couple “can’t wait to start the next chapter”. Amateur Rachel Rennie won the Newmarket Town Plate with Friends Don’t Ask…

▲ PERKS One hears that Charlotte Dujardin is to be given the freedom of the Forest of Dean. In the past, this bestowed the right to march one’s army through a city, with “banners flying and bayonets fixed”, not to mention the ability to drive one’s sheep up the high street, so if you’re ever at a loose end, Charlotte... ▲ TEETH US vets investigating a swelling on a colt’s lower jaw found 288 extra teeth and tooth roots inside. That’s an expensive night for the tooth fairy, but we hope the vets’ work was commemorated on a plaque... ▲ COMPENSATION An owner wincing at the cost of her horse’s joint supplement was mollified by the inclusion of chocolate in the parcel. “Posh truffles might have been better than a…

1) Name five former Olympic equestrian events that no longer take place. 2) What is the name of the arrangement of muscles and the parts that connect muscles and bones together, which enable a horse to sleep while standing? 3) What is an Armada Dish? 4) Which former Olympic-winning track cyclist made her debut as a jockey in 2015? 5) What is another name for a figure-of-eight noseband? 26 August answers: 1) Charles Pahud de Mortanges in 1928 and 1932 on Marcroix 2) Horse armour 3) Racing, to stop reins going over neck 4) Hugo Meynell 5) Rhinoceros and tapirs.…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 WHAT an amazing team result we had in Tokyo – gold was far beyond the expectations for our team on three horses all at their first championship. My prediction before the Games was that the USA would get the gold, the Netherlands would take the silver and Britain would be arguing for bronze. I can’t say how happy I am to have been wrong. You’ve got to hand it to Lee Pearson – getting three gold medals is absolutely top-class. He rode out of his skin and did exactly what he had to do, when he had to do it. After being unable to finish his test at his last selection trial when Breezer became upset at Hartpury, what Lee did in Tokyo was mentally very impressive too.…

“NONE of the vets could say why the laminitis occurred, but we suspected the hay,” adds Tanya, who had been unable to take her Haygain steamer to the Games but had soaked Ramoneur’s (pictured, in Tokyo) forage at the venue to reduce sugar levels. “We were advised to ice his feet and within two to three days, the condition was under control. There was no rotation of the pedal bone, his digital pulse was down and he was walking well. “Once he was stable, he flew home to Germany wearing special boots with a thick gel pad for support. The flight was shorter than the journey out there, luckily, but the travelling hit him hard, as expected. He was taken straight to our vet clinic for ongoing treatment. “In an…

TOKYO proved to be lucky number seven for Belgian flag bearer Michele George and the 11-year-old Bonifatius mare Best Of 8. They topped the grade V on a new individual personal best of 76.53%, with this being just their seventh international show together. Their punchy canter work was a highlight, scoring nines on the double-marked simple changes. Michele’s “partner in crime” was sourced from trainer Isabell Werth in 2019. “I tried her and after a few seconds I said, ‘Isabell, I’ll take her’. It was falling in love, just like that,” she said. The pair bagged a pair of bronze medals at the Europeans months later, but pandemic’s grip means they are relatively light on competition experience. Michele holds the respective individual and freestyle titles from London 2012 and Rio…

84.75% Sophie Christiansen’s freestyle score at London 2012 – a Paralympic record that stood until Roxanne Tunnell’s Tokyo test ON the finale to a Games where Britain had already achieved more than they ever believed, the unexpected success was the fuel to imagination’s fire of how the side could round off their phenomenal week. The team had always said that the plan for Tokyo was to build for Paris, giving their green horses the experience they needed to deliver in three years’ time. But sport laughs in the face of plans – one of its beauties and its frustrations – so what could be expected from this quartet was, in a way, as unknown on the final day as it was the first. So it was that Sir Lee Pearson…

NOT many horses train to grand prix after kissing spine surgery but Carolyn Smith’s Gerardo (pictured) has beaten the odds and placed fourth and fifth in his first grand prix tests. He made his debut with Samantha Thurman-Pickett, Samantha’s first grand prix competition since the retirement of her international horse, Spring Pascal, four years ago. “Storm” was diagnosed with severe kissing spine as a five-year-old after showing signs of being cold-backed. He underwent interspinous ligament desmotomy and a prolonged period of rehab before Samantha built up his training regime. “He took a long time to learn his changes but today he got good marks for them,” added Samantha, who follows a rigorous stretching regime to keep the 10-year-old supple. AGAINST THE ODDS…

Aspen Cooling Ltd Solihull (2), West Midlands KIRSTIE WRIGHT piloted the seven-year-old chestnut Mill House Prima Donna, a second-generation home-bred, into top spot in BE90 section O, the mare’s first British Eventing (BE) victory. “She’s small, ginger and feisty and getting all three disciplines to come together on the same day has previously proved impossible, but she let me ride her in the dressage, wasn’t silly in the showjumping and then cruised around the cross-country,” said Kirstie. Staffordshire-based Kirstie combines eventing with her job as an optician and breeding New Forest ponies and sport horses. “She’s opinionated and sassy, but I adore her”KIRSTIE WRIGHT “I’m over the moon as she was the only one of my home-breds who hadn’t won a BE event before. She’s opinionated and sassy and wouldn’t…

pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle JCB Pony Club Championships, Offchurch Bury, Warks ONE of the smallest equine competitors in the open event took individual showjumping honours underneath 15-year-old Isabella Armstrong for the York and Ainsty North branch. Riding Rhencullen Tommy Tucker, who stands at 14.2hh and is known as Captain at home, Isabella was the sole rider to jump a treble clear from 52 starters. “I didn’t really expect too much of him because I thought he would struggle on the horse strides with there being a triple combination on one stride, and he’s always a bit cautious jumping on grass, too,” Isabelle said afterwards. “But he was amazing.” Captain’s story is remarkable, as Isabella sourced him out of a Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) centre. “We exchanged him with the RDA…

TWO CLEARED OF HUNTING CHARGES TWO men have been cleared of Hunting Act charges. Quorn huntsman Oliver Finnegan and former whipper-in Rhys Matcham had pleaded not guilty to charges in relation to trailhunting on 4 February 2020. The trial, at Leicester Magistrates’ Court, ended on 25 August, when magistrates declared not-guilty verdicts. “The Crown’s case relied on evidence provided by League Against Cruel Sports employees who were covertly filming the hunt,” a Countryside Alliance spokesman said. “It resulted in a huge amount of valuable police resources and court time wasted. “We need to consider the impact on the defendants, who have maintained their innocence and have had this hanging over them for over 18 months.” ADDINGTON HAS BEEN WOUND UP A WINDING-UP order has been issued in relation to Addington…

THE British team has been named for the European Eventing Championships in Avenches, Switzerland (22-26 September). The squad is: Sarah Bullimore with the Kew Jumping Syndicate, her husband Brett’s and her own Corouet; Ros Canter with Caroline Moore’s and her own Allstar B, and as direct reserve Michele Saul’s Lordships Graffalo; Kitty King with Diana Bown, Sally Eyre, Samantha Wilson and Sally Lloyd-Baker’s Vendredi Biats; Piggy March with John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn’s Brookfield Inocent; Izzy Taylor with Mark Sartori’s and her own Monkeying Around; and Nicola Wilson with Deirdre Johnston and James and Jo Lambert’s JL Dublin. British eventing performance manager Dickie Waygood said: “I’m very excited about this selection for the Europeans. It invests in the here and now and in the future by providing development…

CONGRATULATIONS to the Eventing Riders Association of GB and the rider working group for bringing together the novice masters series. I was lucky enough to take part in the very first leg at Barbury International on Katy Wise’s 148cm pony stallion Prometheus II, who finished in the top 10. With five novice wins to his name, and the obvious limitations due to his size, this has provided us with an exciting new goal. Thanks to sponsors, the prizes on offer were a brilliant incentive to take part. And the atmosphere and tension made it feel much more like a championship class than a normal national class, which was perfect for experienced novice horses and riders who are qualified and looking for that next challenge. We also took part in the…

alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ IT’S been a very tiring year and I’m sure, after last season, a shock to the system for many. But it’s been wonderful to be back out, performing in front of crowds. After the Royal International, we’ve had one of the most full-on periods and this is when we must rely on our experience as horse people not to overdo the shows. I oversee each of the horses on a regular basis and check in to see how they’re looking and feeling. A show animal is on the lorry for a long time and while they all have different constitutions and different goals for the season, some need longer breaks than others. All my horses have a “summer holiday” and part of the art of producing is working…

GREENAWELL Moretonhampstead, Newton Abbot For you: a restored period home with ancillary accommodation and leisure facilities. The property was originally a working farm and part of the neighbouring Bovey Castle estate. The five-bedroom farmhouse has accommodation set across three levels and boasts many period features. There is also a swimming pool complex, gym, tennis court and four traditional cottages. For the horses: a range of outbuildings including five stables, a tack room, a feed store and a barn with WC. There is 76 acres of land, which includes well-fenced paddocks. There is separate road access to the fields, and the field troughs have water supply from a well. The area also benefits from stunning hacking. Distance from Bicton: 32 miles OIE £3.75m Strutt and Parker, 01392 215631, struttandparker.com BOWDEN FARM…

SIX weeks after Britain’s triumphant Olympic bronze medal, the same British squad who travelled to Tokyo will head to Hagen for another crack at a podium finish. Each partners the same horse, all of whom will have benefited from their Olympic experience, and it bodes well for this, the second championship in an undeniably odd year. The last time this quartet represented Britain at a European Championship, in 2019, their medal hopes were left in tatters after Charlotte Dujardin’s shock elimination after the grand prix demoted them from silver to fourth. But Charlotte is not the sort to be haunted by memories of what went before. You can expect her and the 10-year-old Apache gelding Gio, who came of age in Tokyo to take individual bronze, to seriously shake things…

Paralympic Games, Tokyo, Japan IT seems astonishing to think Britain were the underdogs coming into Tokyo. How could the undefeated Paralympic champions be going into a Games as anything less than a favourite? But gold was never supposed to be on the cards. The side came into Tokyo with their eyes on Paris, on a fresh line-up of horsepower none of which had previous senior championship experience and two of whom had never even travelled abroad. Add to that the loss of two of Britain’s most experienced players – one equine, one human – versus the unbeaten Dutch side from the 2018 worlds and 2019 Europeans. On paper, it just didn’t add up that Britain could challenge. Sophie Christiansen’s withdrawal, owing to Innuendo III sustaining a minor veterinary issue, meant…

Final team medals The ups Ireland’s Michael Murphy produced a fantastic team test on Cleverboy to exceed his score in the individual – where he suffered a rein malfunction – by almost 14%. He scored a chunky 75.18% to lead the Irish trio to a 12th-place finish. The downs When Sanne Voets left the arena with 78.2%, she thought it was enough to win gold for the Netherlands. However, an upwards revision of Sophie Wells’ score while Sanne was in the ring left her fractionally, and agonisingly, short. WINNING team gold was not part of the plan for the undefeated British team, who scooped their seventh consecutive Paralympic title on three inexperienced horses. “We were hoping to come and maybe challenge for a bronze,” said an astonished Natasha Baker. The…

THE first time Louise Etzner Jakobson got back in the saddle after breaking her leg was in quarantine. The Swedish rider fractured her left leg falling off a bike two months before she was due to ride in Tokyo. “If I decide something, I do it,’ said Louise, who not only rode at the Games, but won grade IV freestyle silver with the 10-year-old Dreamcatcher gelding Goldstrike BJ. “My intention was to do the best I could, given the circumstances. I knew that all the other riders are very good and my horse is new, so I never expected this. But it’s wonderful to see what my mind can do.”…

pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle Land Rover Blair Castle, Perthshire ROSIE FRY and True Blue Too II scored their first win together at CCI4*-L when a clear round across country boosted the combination to the top of the leaderboard ahead of the final showjumping. “Showjumping can be our weakest phase,” admitted Rosie, who was feeling added pressure as she reflected back to 2012 when she was overnight leader in the same class here on Bankon Louie, only for it to “fall apart” in the showjumping. But she didn’t have to worry, as her aunt Di White-Hamilton’s home-bred 10-year-old gelding by Jigilo kept the rails in place for a clear inside the time. The pair were in ninth after the dressage on 33.2 when a mistake in their flying changes cost them. But Rosie’s…

HOLLY ROGERS and Calcourt Florentine (pictured) found themselves back in the winner’s enclosure at Borde Hill, triumphing in BE90 section A to back up their win at the same venue in May. “He loves it there. A lot of people struggle with the showjumping, which is on the side of a hill, but has a really balanced canter so he pops around,” said Holly. “He’s a lot of work as he’s sharp and naughty but he’s my baby and I’m hoping he will be a top horse. I think he has the scope and brain to go far.” Kate Oppenheimer and the 10-year-old New Forest/ warmblood mare SOS Sealpoint maintained their imperious form, taking the spoils in a BE90 section at Borde Hill for their fourth win of the season.…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald LGCT Hamburg, Germany THE Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) grand prix of Hamburg winner was crowned in unusual circumstances, with Harrie Smolders and Une De L’Othain victorious with the only clear round of the competition. The absence of a jump-off did little to dilute the excitement as persistent rain combined with course-designer Frank Rothenberger’s typically challenging track raised the stakes in the 11th leg of the Tour. Dutchman Harrie Smolders was drawn 19th of the 29 starters and showed real delight when crossing the finish line with the first clear of the afternoon. However as the remaining 10 riders, who included some of the Tour’s heavyweights such as Ben Maher (Ginger-Blue) and Olivier Robert (Vangog Du Mas Garnier), all amassed faults, it dawned on Harrie that a second…

WELSH producer Sophie Curry had a stellar run at Pembrokeshire, her “local” show, capping her run with the intermediate championship piloting Alaine Francis’ homebred novice mare Toncynffig Liberal Legacy (Spice). Contending only her third show, the Liberace seven-year-old suffered the same fate as everyone last year and wasn’t able to get out showing. “Consequently, it’s been hard to find shows which aren’t HOYS qualifiers [in 2021],” said Sophie, whose yard is based at Alaine’s property. “We want to get her out to see as much of the world as possible. She will be super, and she’s a special one for Alaine as she bred her.” Ceri Simpson qualified her two Team Curry-produced hunters, lightweight Abraham’s Quest (Zaac) and middleweight Happenchance Grey Diamond, for the Royal International (RIHS) 2022 final, with…

catherine.austen@futurenet.com @fausten123 WE live in an evolving world, but for most hunts the one constant has been the location of their kennels. Many of these are hundreds of years old and were built by the great hunting families. Some are lucky enough to be still nestled on estates, others in beautiful, remote locations, but the majority are based in or around villages and towns that have grown over time and now surround the kennels. On the whole, the hunt’s relationship with the local community is excellent, with most relishing the sight and sound of the hounds in the morning and the social engagement that the hunt brings to the area. For us at Chipping Norton, the practical side of going about the daily task of exercising the Heythrop horses and…

“SHOW day,” announced Adam in his hammiest West Country accent as we set out for the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show – a must in the North Dorset summer calendar. This annual extravaganza takes place next door to the South and West Wilts hunt kennels, the scene of many happy memories, and we peered in as we drove past, taking in the familiar red-brick cottages. The last time we went to the show I was pushing Alec – now a teenager – in his buggy from our miniscule cottage on the edge of the village. “We had some great mornings autumn hunting up these hedgerows,” Adam informed the children as we parked in the field opposite the showground, but Jack was distracted. “Who are they?” he asked, pointing towards a group…

CLOONEY 51 The European champion sustained a fractured humerus in a field accident days after he and Swiss rider Martin Fuchs were jumping at the Tokyo Olympics. It is hoped the 15-year-old will be able to retire to the field. PARTY TRICK Nick Gauntlett’s nine-year-old eventing stallion, who had competed to four-star, was one of four horses who died when Nick’s broken-down lorry was hit by an HGV en route to Blair Horse Trials. Report, p58 FLEXIBLE The 2012 jumping World Cup champion has died from natural causes, aged 25. He was eighth individually at the London Olympics with US rider Rich Fellers, and competed in eight World Cup finals during this career…

pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle BLAIR is my favourite event – I love it. It’s a long drive for many, but when you wake the first morning, surrounded by rugged hills with the mist rising it’s breathtaking. This year, we had incredible weather, with the mist giving way to beautiful burning sunshine, which made a change as Blair can be notoriously wet. The ground was faster than I’ve ever known it, but still good. The whole team from top to bottom are welcoming, charming and friendly. It makes you love Scotland. Horses haven’t seen crowds like that for a couple of years, so they will have grown up from the experience. It really felt like we were at a big event again. I followed Ian Stark in the CCI2*-L and we had great…

SINCE his medal-laden plane full of British athletes touched down from Tokyo, Ben Maher’s feet have barely hit the ground. He eschewed a welcome-home party – “that’s not really my thing” – but was celebrated along with his heroic partner Explosion W in a parade in London. He’s replied to each of the hundreds of congratulatory messages he received – and politely turned down an offer to appear on Mastermind. Then there was his beautiful wedding to long-term partner Sophie Gracida at their Hertfordshire home. Has he even had a chance to revel in the glory that being crowned Olympic champion rightfully deserves? “It didn’t feel real at the time but I woke up at 4am the next day and it hit me,” says Ben, who was doubling up on…

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● THIS championship will take the same format as at the 2019 European Championships, and not that of the Tokyo Olympic Games. ● There will be one drop score per team of four, with three scores to count, or all three scores to count if teams are only made up of only three riders. ● The action kicks off on Tuesday, 7 September with the first session of the grand prix competition, which counts towards team medals. The second and final session of the grand prix takes place on Wednesday, 8 September, when the team medals will be decided. ● The top 30 riders from the team test then go forward to compete in the grand prix special on Thursday, 9 September, which has a higher degree of difficulty than…

Golden girl Grade I winner Roxanne Trunnell became just the second woman to win individual dressage gold for the USA across both the Olympics and the Paralympics. Vicki Sweigart was the first, winning double gold at the Atlanta Paralympics in 1996. SIR LEE PEARSON showed why he is a legend of the game with a compassionate display of horsemanship to win his eighth individual and 12th Paralympic gold. Reverse that number and it is 21 years since his first at Sydney 2000. But those medals are rather a gilded lid beneath which lies a story richer than metal. The story behind Lee’s success at these Games makes the achievement even more remarkable. Lee’s partnership with Breezer traces back to before the foal’s birth – he owned his sire Bacardi, rode…

THE change in format for Tokyo meant the team medals, decided on one test, had all three scores to count. “I didn’t know if I’d complete. It went from, ‘I need to get a good score,’ to ‘I need to get a score for the team to finish,’ which is horrible,” said Sophie Wells. Sophie also questioned whether the new format creates an unlevel playing field for the freestyle, with some competitors having two competitive appearances in the main arena, while others just one, ahead of the final day. Lee added: “We want as many riders in the white boards as possible. And if you’re not a team member, and you don’t make it through to the freestyle, you’ve flown yourself and your horse around the world for one test,…

EVENT director Alec Lochore was pleased with the event, which returned this year after being cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. He explained: “In May we didn’t know we were running. Normally you would spend a year planning and while there’s always things that you do last-minute, you don’t normally do everything last-minute. The team have worked really hard and this has been the result – a lot of horses, people and trade stands.” Alec also reflected on the event’s “difficult start” – Nick Gauntlett’s stallion Party Trick and three horses belonging to Sophie Hulme died when Nick’s broken-down horsebox was hit by a lorry just 30 minutes from Blair. “The accident brought us all into sharp reflection,” said Alec, adding there was also sadness for Katie Barber…

MICHELLE PRITCHARD and A Touch of Frost IV posted the best dressage mark in BE80(T) section D at Solihull and were never headed, despite collecting six cross-country time-penalties. Michelle rode the 14-year-old Irish gelding for a year in 2011 before selling him but bought him back last year. “It’s gone full circle,” said Michelle, who works for Weatherbys. “I started him off as a four-year-old and did his first BE event with him. He’s a larger-than-life character and is so kind, it’s like having an old friend back.” Michelle also celebrated success as an owner after her 10-year-old Irish mare Fathers Compromise won a novice section at Somerford Park under Finn Healy. “It’s much more stressful being an owner and watching than it is being a rider!” added Michelle. FIRST…

alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ Pembrokeshire County, County Showground ARGUABLY one of the most poignant supreme wins of the 2021 term happened here at this popular county show, when the Bigley family’s Welsh section D mare Llanarth Elin trotted off with the Welsh in-hand supreme and Price Family qualification, handled by Simon Bigley. While several Llanarth prefixed ponies have graced HOYS before, this will be Elin’s first appearance. The 11-year-old by Trevallion Hooch is out of the prestigious show mare Llanarth Nellie, also the dam of the multi-garlanded Llanarth Prince Of Wales. “She was out briefly as a two-year-old, but she looked so well in the spring we thought she’d be worth showing,” said Ann Bigley of the broodmare, whose first outing of the year was the UK Nationals where she stood breed…

Dr: open team. – 1, Area 7 Mixed (R Parsonage, S Marston, G Hadaway, D Beards); 2, Soham and District (I Woods, R Everitt, T Murphy, T Murphy); 2, Polden Hills (C Piper, C Piper, A Jay, F Human). open sec H. – 1, Wacton Billy (R Parsonage, Ludlow Hunt) 71.25; 2, Nico (H Clarke, Meynell Hunt) 70.86; 3, King Of The Glen (N Bailey, Beaufort Hunt) 67.73. sec I. – 1, Solitaire (S Marston, North Warwickshire) 75.47; 2, Frankie’s Fortune (R Everitt, Soham and District) 72.19; 3, Tir Na Nog Shadow (M Toulson-Clarke, Wylye Valley) 70.94. sec J. – 1, Camarnaint Rambler (A Scott, West Kent (Sevenoaks)) 74.92; 3, Vsplesk (S Straker, Bedale and West of Yore Hunt) 73.05; 3, Billy Eurostar (S Muir, Woodland Hunt) 72.73. sec K.…