Innholdsfortegnelse for 15-Jul-2021 i Horse & Hound

REGISTRATION issues have ruled combinations out of Tokyo, in what have been described by the FEI as “unfortunate” but “avoidable” cases. Riders from the Netherlands, Israel and Italy have been caught out by the deadline, 15 January 2021, by which horses had to be registered as property of owners of the same nationality as the rider to compete at the Olympics. In April, Israeli showjumper Daniel Bluman discovered that his mare Gemma W was registered under the incorrect nationality – and therefore not eligible to compete for Israel at the Games. The FEI refused Daniel’s requests for the mare’s nationality to be changed, and he appealed to the FEI Tribunal. The Tribunal acknowledged that proper registration on the FEI database is paramount to the FEI because the federation is not…

THE prosecution of an owner for failing to seek appropriate treatment for her horse’s sarcoids, using a cream she had mixed herself, highlights why calling the vet has to be the only option. Tracey Atchison’s New Forest pony Sonny had to be put down as a result of his severe, malignant sarcoids, which were “ulcerated and oozing”, having not been appropriately treated for years. The 57-year-old, of East Howe Lane, Bournemouth, was found guilty of one count of causing unnecessary suffering, and sentenced at Poole Magistrates’ Court on 24 June. RSPCA inspector Tina Ward said: “Sonny had large areas of skin covered with sarcoids. Some had thick rough scabs with deep cracks that appeared to be oozing, others were bulbous with angry red areas, which were also oozing.” “How would…

HORSE owners have been reminded of the danger laminitis poses to all equines after the disease claimed the life of a fit and healthy five-star eventer. On The Brash, who had competed at Badminton and Burghley horse trials three times with leading New Zealand rider Caroline Powell, was put down in the spring owing to a severe bout of the disease. Caroline told H&H the diagnosis and loss was a shock. “The last time he went out before he was ill, we went showjump training and he jumped the best that he ever had and was looking the best he ever had,” she said, adding that the laminitis came on very suddenly, and there had been no change to his routine or feed. “He had been going out in the…

1 week to go KEEP UP WITH ALL THE ACTION WITH H&H WE’RE IN TOKYO • H&H is sending journalists Pippa Roome and Polly Bryan and photographer Peter Nixon to the Olympics so we can bring you all the news directly from the Games. • We also have staff at home supporting our coverage so we can bring you the fullest coverage of every aspect of the sport in Tokyo. WEBSITE • Find all our Tokyo news at horseandhound.co.uk/tokyo-2021-olympic-games, including… • Numerous reports throughout and after every session of action from the Games – the joy or disappointment from riders after their performances, views on the courses, riders’ Olympic experiences and more. • “Tales from Tokyo” – fascinating stories about riders from all over the world. • Our horse and…

IT takes scope and bravery in a horse to take the leap of faith over a 7ft wall – and there is clearly something in the genes of Derek Morton and Jack Ryan’s puissance rides KBS High Quality (pictured) and KBS Major Player, as they are full brothers born a year apart. Both are by the Quick Star stallion OBOS Quality – who was also the sire of Holly Smith’s 2016 HOYS and Olympia puissance winner Quality Old Joker – and out of High Roller mare Tattygar Lasts Rolo. OBOS Quality, who is based at the Kennedy family’s Coolballyshan Stud, has also sired several top-level eventers, including 2019 Burghley winner MGH Grafton Street. IN THE GENES…

FLOSSY POLLAND followed her friend’s advice to “go hard or go home” to head the Owl Homes CSIAm-A 1.25m grand prix with her “perfect amateur’s horse” Gerswin. “There were some really fast combinations and I was trying not to watch!” said Flossy, who beat the USA’s Melissa Margolis (Cuzco QR) to the win by 0.87sec. “I usually go to shows with my friend Nicky Wilson and I have been texting her all weekend – she told me not to look at other people and to do my own thing. “I’ve learnt a lot from her about how to ride speed classes, as I used to be very slow. She’s helped me learn to trust riding off my eye and today all the strides came up that I wanted.” Flossy has…

ROBERT MURPHY and Emily Gulliver (pictured) proved an unbeatable pairing in the mini-major, retaining a 0.4sec lead over nearest rivals Christopher Smith and Zachary Bradshaw. Emily set the duo up for victory with a blistering round on her whizzy grey mare Izzy. “Izzy was very, very excited – she went very fast,” Emily said. “She’s nice to ride but she can be strong! My plan was just to go as fast as I could and gallop.” TALKING POINT…

NIKOLAS KRÖNCKE’S inter I double win on Flanell (pictured) were his first rides at Hartpury since he won individual and team gold for Germany, aged 15, at the pony European Championships there in 1997. Riding the pony Konrad, he won each of the tests at those Europeans and, in the years that followed, Nikolas won several other junior and young rider medals. “I went over to the USA to university [at Stanford], and I rode there a little bit – there was a club – but it was very different, and at some point I said to myself, ‘OK, you want to focus on studying and it doesn’t really make sense to do this half-heartedly in the USA, a million miles away from everything.’ So I gave [dressage] up in…

BECKY MOODY enjoyed success in the seven-year-old semi-final with Dutch warmblood Jack Diamond (pictured), who earned a whopping 88% to beat Sara-Jane Lanning (Hawtins Lirica) and Charlotte Dujardin (Odette) into second and third respectively. “I really struggled with his strength as he’s a big mover and needed time and patience,” said Becky. “Six months ago, I wasn’t sure whether I was ever going to get what I wanted from him, and I gave him to my sister Hannah to ride. She was more patient with him and I owe a lot of his current success to her. He used to hold himself and I struggled to get him to let go through his body. I feel like we’ve clicked now and I’m excited for his future.” Becky also won Sunday’s…

Myerscough College, Lancs ALEX INGOE-TOPHAM and her team enjoyed a winning weekend, scoring five wins with four horses. Alex rode former driving horse Hudson I to a 73.45% prelim win. Philippa Hamilton’s Dutch-bred nine-year-old only started working under saddle in January. “He wasn’t quite settled enough to the carriage for FEI driving competitions, so we were asked to back him to help his education,” said Alex. “He took to it so well. He has a massive overt-rack at walk, a mega trot and an uphill canter – even though that was his weak point at the start. “Philippa will ride him, but I will be involved in his journey,” added Alex. “I’m excited to see what he goes on to do.” She then headed the novice 23 with Just Wilhelm…

CAITLIN EVANS-SIMPSON, eight, gained her first HOYS ticket in the M&M lead-rein qualifier riding her mother Claire’s home-produced Welsh section A Heniarth Brando. Caitlin was ecstatic to book her place to Birmingham. “We’d started to get a bit disillusioned with the qualifiers, so I’d told Caitlin I wasn’t doing many more,” said Claire, who bought the six-year-old roan gelding from Nick and Annwyl True after being put in touch with them from his breeder, Richard Miller. “Brando was entered in the High Flyer sale at Fayre Oaks but I persuaded them to pull him out when I saw a picture of him,” added Claire. “I was so excited for the transporter to arrive and couldn’t believe my luck when he was even nicer in the flesh. He’s the project pony…

A FOUR-YEAR-OLD lifted the overall show pony title on her first appearance at county level. Fiona Dymond’s 148cm Diptford Graceful (April), ridden by Tori Dymond, kept a level head through the class and championship despite her lack of mileage. April was bought last summer directly from breeder Susan Freeth. “We’d been looking for a pony for a while and when April’s advert came up I went the very next day to see her,” said Fiona of the pretty mare by Barkway Overture out of Diptford Dahlia. “Sometimes you see something and just have to go for it.” April was backed at home by Tori and, like all of the Dymond’s ponies, is home-produced from their yard in Cornwall. “She’s a fabulous pony,” added Fiona. “It was all completely new for…

“HE has the body of a carthorse but the engine of a thoroughbred,” uttered the straight talking Harvey Smith after watching the mighty Ryan’s Son. John Whitaker’s distinctive partner of 14 years took him to the Olympics, Hickstead Derby glory and won a host of championship medals. But the Yorkshireman’s first impressions of this 16hh bay gelding with a broad blaze and two long white stockings certainly didn’t match his world-conquering aspirations. Little did he know that Ryan’s Son would help shape showjumping history. Without him, John says, he’d still be a milkman. “He had massive feet, a ewe neck, feathers on his heels and a long back,” remembers John, who was 17 when he first set eyes on a four-year-old Ryan’s Son at an unaffiliated show at Shay Lane…

SHOWJUMPERS Emily Llewellyn and Max Routledge enjoyed a “beautiful day” as they tied the knot on 5 July. The couple got married in front of family and friends, with riders Sarah Hollett, Sophie Dove, Gemma Tattersall and Laura Collett as bridesmaids. Emily said she feels “incredibly lucky” and is very excited for what the future holds for herself and Max. “If it’s as much fun as the last 12 years have been, then we will be winning,” she said.…

A HORSE has 10 muscles to control ear position and movement, enabling more manoeuvrability than in any other domesticated animal. Each ear is independently mobile and so they can be moved in different directions at the same time. These adaptations, combined with highly sensitive hearing, allow what was originally a prey animal to be extremely responsive to approaches by other animals that signal threat – and to locate these threats very precisely. The external ear, termed the pinna, comprises a funnel-shaped vertical tube (the vertical canal), made of cartilage with overlying skin. This is joined at the base via a right-angled bend to a short, horizontal tube, which in turn connects to the eardrum. A thin coating of wax is produced by glands that line the canal. This wax not…

1949 The inaugural competition, only open to women, takes place, with the Princess Elizabeth Cup presented in perpetuity to the Royal International (RIHS) by the Queen-in-waiting. The class was renamed after her coronation four years later. The first winner was Iris Kellet (pictured, left) of Ireland with Rusty, who won £30. The pair went on to win again in 1951. 1968 US rider Mary Chapot (pictured, right) becomes the first foreign rider to win, riding White Lightning. Three other Americans have won – Candice King (2001), Laura Kraut (2005) and Molly Ashe (2004 and 2006). It was also in this year that the show was moved to its temporary home of Wembley Stadium. 1971 Marion Mould lands her second win in the class on Stroller – six years after the…

EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD Glain Watkins Jones took a first international win on her CSI* debut, heading the Kubota 1.35m jump-off class with the fastest of just two double clears. Riding her established partner Waldemar, who was born the same year as his rider, Glain kept a ground-covering rhythm to take the class by 0.73sec over Georgia Taylor-Jones and Quote Z. “I was first to go in the jump-off so had to go as quickly as I could to try to win,” said Glain, who was the 2019 pony Foxhunter champion. “We’ve been training a lot recently and I think the key with him is to think forward, get a good canter and into a good rhythm and then he just does the best he can to help me.” Lara Whiteway had taken…

JOSS WILLIAMS and the former event mare Fourfields Darc Maxim headed a high-class line-up to take the Al Shira’aa CSI young horse seven-year-old final. Having recently collected her Foxhunter ticket at Hickstead, this VDL Douglas mare, who was home-bred by her owner Rachael Heald, continued her brilliant run of form, setting a bar from second draw that was able to deflect some impressive challenges. The two biggest of these came late in the field, with Ben Maher making a rare appearance in young horse classes to showcase the exciting scope of Point Break, who shares the same owners as his Olympic ride Explosion W – Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright. The Action-Breaker x Balou Du Rouet stallion, a young horse winner at Valkenswaard this year, looked every inch a future…

THE highest score across the para classes came courtesy of Irish rider Michael Murphy, who collected a trio of wins in the grade I classes aboard Cleverboy, Bronte Watson’s former grand prix ride. Their freestyle score of 82.22% was the highest of the show. “I knew I had a special horse and we’ve been in good form but to get these results is really mind blowing,” said Michael, who is seeking an Irish individual slot at the Tokyo Paralympics. “To go from doing grand prix to a walk test takes a special kind of horse. He’s been a dream to work with; the walk test is difficult to keep focus in, and normally a horse that has gone up to top level is always waiting for the next movement, but…

Merrist Wood College, Surrey EUROPEAN CHILDREN, JUNIOR AND YOUNG RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIPS 5-11 July FURST RUPRECHT produced an assured advanced medium 91, heading the class with 71.92%. The nine-year-old Fürst Nymphenburg son returned to competition last month after being sidelined with a hoof injury. “He suffered a quarter crack, which took five months to grow out,” explained Richard Black, who bought “Rupi” as a foal at auction in Germany. “I finished riding him one day and he was covered in blood, as his hoof had cracked from top to bottom.” Richard, who is based with Charlie Simonian at Cranbrook Stud in West Sussex, has been busy with the arrival of 30 foals so far this season – with a further 10 due in August. “Rupi has grown up with us and…

European Children, Junior and Young Riders Championships, Oliva Nova, Spain A FIRST-EVER British junior European individual medal was quickly followed by a second, as Annabella Pidgley and Sultan Des Paluds FRH claimed a momentous double silver under the Spanish sun. While the junior team event produced the predicted run-in between the victorious Germans, the Netherlands in the silver medal position and Denmark in bronze, Annabella’s unprecedented 75.45% team test win propelled Britain to a respectable sixth among 16 nations – helped by strong midfield finishes from team-mates Holly Kerslake and Gemma Owen. But it was her performances in the individual and freestyle, each time hot on the heels of German individual gold medallist Lucie Anouk Baumgürtel and Zinq Hugo FH, that earned Annabella her place in the history books. “A…

The National Saddle Centre Offchurch Bury, Warwickshire EMMA LAWTON’S decision to step Mantra down in class paid dividends when the pair swept to victory in the CCI*-S. The duo were third after the first phase on 28.7, but climbed into pole position by virtue of two faultless jumping performances. “He’s competed at three-star level, but hardly did anything last year due to Covid and then had some events cancelled this spring, so I thought it’d be good to give him a run in a proper class and he completely smashed it,” said Emma, who also finished fifth with Dinarthall Sea King and 14th with Coco Reef. “He completely smashed it”EMMA LAWTON ON MANTRA Emma, who is a freelance rider based at a DIY yard in Cheshire, has produced the now…

WORKER specialist Emmie Collier’s niece Izzy Hartswood-Collier picked up her very first HOYS ticket in the 133cm working hunter section on board her 22-year-old pony Pebbly Hornblower. The prolific little grey has been one of the most consistent 133cms on circuit for more than a decade. “This means more than anything in the world to Izzy,” said Emmie. The family have owned “Bob” for two years. “As soon as we heard that he could be up for sale, we rang his owners and bought him over the phone,” Emmie added. “We’ve known him since he was a four-year-old when Jane Beswick, my former riding teacher, first brought him over from Ireland, so I’ve loved him for some 18 years. He’ll never leave us and this will be his last appearance…

“I LIKED everything about ‘Ryan’. He was an easy horse to look after,” says Clare Whitaker (née Barr), who worked as a groom for John before they married in 1979’ “Ryan used to kick the door a lot, especially if he didn’t get put in the lorry. He didn’t like being left at home. “We had him at home a lot at my dad’s and I used to hack him out, but he hated the pigs at the next farm and wouldn’t go past them. He was sharp to ride but he was pretty chilled at home. I remember him as cobby but he got more blood as he got fitter. He set us up, everything we have now is because we had him to start with. One of my…

GALILEO, 23, one of the most influential thoroughbred sires of all time, was put down on 10 July after a chronic, non-responsive injury to his left fore hoof. Tributes have poured in for the stallion, who sired Frankel and Australia, and whose progeny have won 92 Group One races. “It is a very sad day, but we all feel incredibly fortunate to have had Galileo here,” said Coolmore Stud owner John Magnier, thanking the “dedicated people who looked after him so well”. “He was always a very special horse to us. I would also like to thank Aidan [O’Brien] and his team for the brilliant job they did with him. The effect he is having through his sons and daughters will be a lasting legacy.” He won the 2001 Derby,…

A MAJOR step has been made towards ensuring arena surfaces are safe and not harmful to the wider environment. The Environment Agency (EA) is steadily cracking down on materials used in equestrian surfaces, and this new move comes with strict criteria. Legislation that sets a legal, industry standard – a “regulatory position statement” – for how waste carpet can be used in arena surfaces has come into force. “This only applies to waste carpet that has been shredded or is in fibre form before it is used,” states the EA. This covers discarded carpet fibre and offcuts from new carpets made in the UK and the EU that are classed as waste, and treated post-consumer waste carpet with all physical contaminants including, but not limited to, metal, carpet grippers and…

MELISSA GRACE HATTON A TRUST is to be set up to support underprivileged children, in memory of a young rider who died suddenly on 3 July. Melissa Grace Hatton, 24, had not been ill but died in her sleep. She started competing at age three at her local riding club, winning her first rosette in a most appealing pony class. Aged seven, she progressed to national level showing, rising through the ranks of the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) classes and competing at both the Horse of the Year Show and the Royal International. The talented rider’s ponies past and present included Dandy, Bramble Jenny Wren, Woodnook Orinoco, Romany River Olivia, Musley Rue De Royale, her wonderful Chaseford Aspen, Wydham Little Rascal, Rhos Escapade, Déjà Vu, Little Darcy, Laybalands Viscount…

ALL artists go into their projects with a vision, and for course-designer Kevin Millman, the grassy, undulating turf of ring five at Hickstead, home of the Prenetics Royal International (RIHS), provides the perfect canvas. “It’s a true hunting course over true hunting obstacles,” explains RIHS senior working hunter course-designer Kevin, who has been designing the track for some 20 years. “It’s a championship class so naturally we’re not expecting lots of clears, though this does depend on the judges; some will request a really tough course which will produce only one or two clears, while others will ask for more clean rounds so the show and conformation section has more weight. “We walk the course together and the decision on the final course is ultimately down to them, at my…

GUY WILLIAMS’ ride Mr Blue Sky UK marked himself as one of the most remarkable puissance horses of his generation, when he jumped a clean fifth round to tick off big-wall victories at a full complement of major UK shows. Caroline Phillips’ incredibly careful 12-year-old gelding – named after the air he gives his fences – took the spoils at Olympia in 2018, Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) and Liverpool in 2019, and added a win last week at Royal Windsor when public sport resumed. “He’s really good at it – he’s better in the last round when you can let him run off a bit, because if you let him run off too early he gets too strong. The last round is almost the easiest for him,” said…

TWO RIDERS HIT IDENTICAL TIMES THURSDAY’S Voltaire Design CSI* 1.25m two-phase concluded with a rare tie, when Levi Critchlow (Valarico, pictured above) and Olivia Sponer (Adonis, below) both stopped the clock in exactly 26.81sec. Valarico, a home-bred 11-year-old, started jumping grands prix last year. “I just brought one horse for myself and one for my partner. We’ve just moved to a new yard in Formby, so it’s a little vacation for us,” said Levi. Fourteen-year-old Olivia was at Bolesworth to focus mostly on the pony classes, but also brought two horses. “I’ve been riding Adonis for two years and we worked our way up to viewing trials last year, although I was selected for the Nations Cup on my other horse,” said Olivia, who is based in London but keeps…

HENRY SQUIBB was the epitome of consistency as he rode to a superb one-two in the Pony of the Year Show (POYS) CSI-P 1.30m grand prix, delivering rounds just 0.01sec apart. Not only did he produce the fastest clears by a mighty 8.7sec but also claimed victory with Kilcurry Dawn – “the one I wanted to win” – in order to complete a straight run of grands prix victories. “It’s quite a special thing for him to do – every pony grand prix that has happened this year in Britain he has won,” Henry said. The pony grand prix took place straight after the CSI3* grand prix, involving several of the same lines, and produced seven clears from 19 starters of which just three retained clean sheets in the second…

AMID preparations for the Tokyo Olympics, ultimate professional Charlotte Dujardin remained focused to land the grand prix riding the stunning 11-year-old Vivaldi mare Florentina VI. In a mistake-free test, highlights included flowing half-passes, tiny canter pirouettes and balanced canter zig-zags to score 76.48%. The mare only completed her first grand prix at Wellington a few weeks previously where she was second to Charlotte’s Tokyo ride Gio. Here, she showed maturity and confidence. “It’s taken me two years to get her strong enough to come out and be able to do it,” said Charlotte. “She’s taught me a lot, mostly to be patient and wait for her to be ready. She could piaffe and passage, but putting the combinations together was the tricky part and she found it difficult. There are…

Kirriemuir, Angus “HE can be a little contrary,” said Lara Bayley Kerr of her BE100 winner, Far N Away. But the 11-year-old gelding by Wish Upon A Star was on his best behaviour in only his third run of the season to finish on his dressage score of 27.5. “He’s a tremendously fun little horse, but we’ve not been doing a lot of eventing recently, so it took the first two runs to remember what we were both meant to be doing,” admitted Lara. The marketing consultant is a member of the Scottish Eventing Group – a group of owners, riders, coaches and event organisers committed to reinvigorating the eventing calendar in Scotland. Lara was also instrumental in setting up a league called Gin It 2 Win It in 2019,…

THE new combination of Roseberry Final Edition and Ellie Harrington pulled off a double win in the 148cm show pony section and the part-bred Arab class. The eight-year-old gelding, known as big Ed at home, was bought by Ellie’s mother Kirsty Andrews in May and has been produced by Gill Thompson ever since. “They qualified for RIHS on their second attempt,” said Kirsty, who bought Ed from Janet and Chloe Crabtree. “Ellie is only 12, so it’s a big step to ride a 148cm, but she’s tall and needs to be on bigger ponies.”…

Devon County, Westpoint Exeter IT was third time lucky for Kieran Baslington and Don Barton’s impressive bay gelding Ballycreen His Lordship (Lordie) who jumped to the head of the working hunter class, making it three clear rounds from three starts in Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifiers. The 11-year-old commenced his showing career in flat classes with none other than Katie Jerram-Hunnable and was a regular face at both HOYS and Hickstead. He was purchased by Don 18 months ago. “He’s a super-easy ride and Katie’s done a fabulous job with him,” enthused Kieran, who also scored the coloured section title with Don’s plaited horse Langaller Tarak (Carrot). Despite his consistent formbook, this is Lordie’s first season as an open working hunter and he’s heading to the Royal International…

I HAVE been lucky enough to have been asked to judge the foxhounds at Peterborough seven times, but Martin Scott, breeder of the VWH hounds and the most experienced of our senior judges, has officiated here no less than eight times. The first time, as junior judge, was with Captain Ronnie Wallace in 1973. He still remembers several bits of advice over and above the actual placing of the hounds. The first was never to point at a hound, which tends to give away what one is thinking. The next was never to put your hands in your pockets and, finally, having put up a hound as champion which was not from one of the larger kennels – in this case West Kent Payment 72 – and the crowd let…