Innholdsfortegnelse for 16-Sep-2021 i Horse & Hound

IT’S overwhelming enough for a fan to go straight from the excitement of Tokyo Olympics to the European Championships, which continued with dressage in Germany last week. No wonder Carl Hester joked he and En Vogue felt ready to go home, having done six top-level tests in six weeks (report, p32). The same British horses contested Hagen and Tokyo – it was a feat of brilliance by their grooms, riders and support teams that they were able to do two championships on the trot. This time Gareth Hughes had the chance to compete Sintano Van Hof Olympia, having been the alternate in Tokyo. He scored well enough to contest the individual freestyle medals, but was denied the chance to because only three from each nation can go through, which must…

THE trailer towing test has been scrapped in a move that will directly affect the equestrian industry. The new law broadly means drivers who passed their test after 1 January 1997 will not have to take an additional test to drive a trailer, up to 3.5tonnes. The towing test will cease to exist on 20 September, but there is no specific date for the new law to come into force beyond “autumn 2021”. As a result equestrians have been warned not to jump the gun and risk £1,000 fines, driving bans and six points for breaking existing licence restrictions before the law changes. The move is part of Government plans to tackle the HGV driver shortfall; the trailer towing test has been canned as part of plans to create 50,000…

TRUST’S DISEASE WORK PASSED ON ROSSDALES and the University of Cambridge Veterinary School have taken on equine infectious disease surveillance work provided by the Animal Health Trust. The former trust team has continued to provide the service since the trust’s closure in July 2020, under contract to the British Horseracing Authority. They will be employed by Cambridge under an agreement to span at least two years while longer-term options are considered. The Horserace Betting Levy Board, racehorse owners and the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association are continuing to fund the service. Potential contributions from the wider sector are under discussion. RIDING CLUBS DROP SIX-MONTHLY JABS BRITISH RIDING CLUBS (BRC) is removing its six-monthly vaccination requirement. BRC said “in the current climate the risk of a flu outbreak is minimal”. “BRC are therefore…

Para dressage legend Sir Lee Pearson has been nominated for the National Lottery’s Paralympian of the Year award. Lee won three golds in Tokyo, bringing his tally to 14 Paralympic golds. Jockey William Buick won the St Leger on the Charlie Appleby-trained Hurricane Lane on 11 September, William’s third victory in the Classic race. He said it was “fantastic” to win again. Swiss European team gold medallist Steve Guerdat won the Rolex Grand Slam grand prix of the Spruce Meadows Masters on Venard De Cerisy. He “couldn’t be more happy”. Report, p56 Endurance rider Nicola Thorne, 50, has represented Britain for a record sixth time at senior championship level. Nicola and Kamilicia came 25th at the European Championships. Ceulan Stud’s Wynne Davies, 89, received honorary life vice-presidency and a silver…

1) Who was Team GB’s oldest athlete in Tokyo? 2) What was the name of the pony Laura Collett rode to win the Horse of the Year Show supreme, 2003? 3) Which future husband and wife sat next to each other in the line-up at Badminton 1971, having finished sixth and seventh? 4) Which bone do humans have but horses do not? 5) What do the Icelandic, Paso Fino, Marwari and Morgan breeds all have in common? Answers from 9 September 1) Sir Walter Scott 2) Wood-chewing or crib-biting 3) Charlotte Brew 4) The males use their canines for biting when fighting 5) Bradoon.…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald THERE are times when I’ve watched our sport lately and thought surely the standard can’t get any higher. At the Olympics we were treated to some of the best showjumping ever seen; the recent Europeans were in the same vein. The courses designed in Tokyo by Santiago Varela and at Riesenbeck for the Europeans by the ever-reliable Frank Rothenberger were simply phenomenal. The way these two set rider problems without going too gutsy and brutal is an art in itself. Take the first day’s speed course at the Europeans. The penultimate fence was a double of oxers; and although they weren’t too big, it was amazing how many faults were accumulated there. And that was because the previous two jumps were verticals on a short four strides. “Every…

FEI EVENTING EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW THE unique situation set up by having both the Tokyo Olympic Games and this Europeans at Avenches, Switzerland, within nine weeks has led to interesting selection decisions. A few horses will contest both events – notably Dutch riders Merel Blom’s The Quizmaster and Janneke Boonzaaijer’s ACSI Champ De Tailleur – who were both eliminated for errors of course on the Tokyo cross-country. But most countries are using the Europeans to give experience to up-and-coming riders or horses or both. Nations can send squads of six, with four making the team and two riding as individuals, and in most cases will declare that split the week of the event. Britain could have fielded a second team in Tokyo capable of winning gold, and one assumes the…

A DAY out with mum and dad proved just the ticket for four-year-old mare Sweet Dreams FH, known as “Diva”, who headed both prelims on her competition debut at Topthorn Arena, Suffolk. Her sire, Juli Stevens’ Woodlander Summertime Blues, made easy work of the elementary classes to win both outright, before her dam, Dark Magic (pictured), took the gold sections of both mediums. “It was a family affair,” said Ruth Hole, who rode all three. “Diva has been a star in training over the past few months and got her chance to shine. Her dad is sensitive, like his daughter, but once he finds his confidence he is amazing.” Of seven-year-old Dark Magic, who carried two foals – Tricia Baker’s Diva being one of them – before starting her own…

pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle Cornbury House, Oxon LAURA SCHRØTER landed the first international win of her career, heading the massive CCI3*-S section A on Willem Van Wup. This flashy mover led from the dressage, securing victory with a clean sheet on 24.4. The 12-year-old Dutch-bred gelding has been competing at four-star, but was rebuilding after a virus. “He’s an established horse so I was hoping he’d run well, but he had a flat period in August and bad blood tests,” said Laura, 26. “I felt out of practice and wanted a good prep run before Lignières. I felt a bit of pressure not to mess up, but he was pretty perfect. He’s cheeky and knows he’s the top boy, but just loves the job.” Brand-new five-star winner Gemma Tattersall took second on…

LANEY CRIDLAND, 13, and the 14.2hh part-bred Welsh mare Overley Stormbreaker (Ella) celebrated their first win at Sapey in BE90 section J. The pair put in a foot-perfect double clear to finish on their dressage score of 27.5. “Until Ella came to us two years ago she’d spent her time in the field, doing the odd fun ride and hunter trial,” explained Laney’s father, Marcus. “She was very needy to begin with and didn’t like being away from other horses, so the first few competitions were very difficult and Laney lost a bit of confidence. “But after lots of training last winter Ella settled down. She needs regular work to make sure her naughty side is kept at bay and can still lack a bit of concentration in the dressage,…

A SHOWJUMPER flew to the head of her HOYS working hunter class at Dorset Equine Show on only her second crack at a rustic track. Jasmine Punter’s home-produced 10-year-old Corona VDB Z produced one of three clear rounds, just one day after jumping her first working hunter track at Moreton-in-Marsh. “I was looking at Dorset’s showjumping schedule and noticed there was a working hunter class so decided to enter Corona as she really moves and jumps in such lovely, flowing rhythm,” explained equine event photographer Jasmine. “We went to Moreton the day before for some practice and she was a little spooky but it was a great experience; this season was meant to be all about experience.” Jasmine last jumped at HOYS in 2013 in the amateur classics final. She’s…

catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123 LOOKING back over some of the best days and periods of foxhunting that I have enjoyed, I was glad that I had always kept a scrapbook as well as a hunting diary. While delving into some of these earlier books, most of them damp with mildew and photographs loosened with age, it is easy to spot the red-letter days by the “headlines”. In those days, Horse & Hound picked out the star reports sent in by hunts, giving them headings such as: “West Percy raid College Valley Country with 8-mile point”, “South Dorset make up for fog delay with 7-mile point” or, more intriguingly, “Leading ladies floored during South Dorset run!” There was much rivalry between scribes in those days to catch the editor’s eye. It is also…

Share your news story Call 01252 555021 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @jones_eleanor_ BRITAIN secured two more championship medals in this superb summer of sport, with team silver and individual bronze at the dressage Europeans. Carl Hester on En Vogue, Charlotte Dujardin on Gio, Lottie Fry on Everdale and Gareth Hughes on Sintano Van Hof Olympia secured the silver 6.6% behind home team Germany, with Denmark taking bronze. Charlotte and Gio went on to take bronze in the freestyle; their fourth championship medal of the year. The first three grand prix special medals had gone to Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on TSF Dalera BB, Isabell Werth on Weihegold OLD and Cathrine Dufour on Bohemian, with the next three places all British; Charlotte and Gio fourth, Lottie and Everdale fifth and Carl and En Vogue…

BELLA ROSE 2 Isabell Werth’s Tokyo individual silver and team gold medal-winner is recovering from colic surgery. The multiple gold medallist’s plans for a swansong at Aachen (10-19 September) are on hold. ALTIOR The Nicky Henderson-trained jump racing star, owned by Christopher and Pat Pugh, has retired aged 11. He won 10 Grade Ones, including two Champion Chases, and produced a 19-strong unbeaten streak. RAMONEUR 6 South African Tanya Seymour’s Tokyo ride, who was withdrawn days ahead of the dressage competition owing to laminitis, has been put down aged 19. He went to the 2014 World Games and 2016 Olympics.…

TO host this Games during a pandemic was a risk and an almighty challenge. The price of postponing by a year is estimated at $2.8bn (£2.02bn), taking the final bill to $15.4bn (£11.13bn) – although some believe the figure to be larger. Market researchers Ipsos MORI studied global attitudes towards the rescheduled Games in the weeks ahead of the opening ceremony, finding 78% of those surveyed in Japan did not think the event should go ahead. Add to that the fact that Japan declared a state of emergency covering the Tokyo area on 8 July, as a result of rising Covid cases, which meant additional restrictions throughout the Games, no spectators and very few overseas volunteers. Despite all this, Tokyo pulled off a Games of “hope, solidarity and peace”, as…

EVERYONE loves cake – including Bamboo the Shetland, who delivers them on children’s birthdays, at half a century old. The gelding has lived at Back on Track Retirement Livery, Norfolk, for nine years; owner Holly Banns took him in when his elderly owner died, and later found photos that put his age at about 50, with which Uplands Way Vets agree. He has lost a few teeth but is happy and healthy, Holly said, and enjoys his part-time job, delivering cupcakes for children’s birthdays at the family glamping business. “He’s one of the family; I’ve got four children and he’s in with them,” Holly added. “He’s more like a person. “He’s amazing, and I’d be “He’s amazing lost without him.”…

A HUGE thank you to the organisers of the Chedington Bicton five-star, who stepped up to the plate so boldly to deliver Britain’s only event at this level for two years – and also to Lord and Lady Clinton for hosting this fabulous weekend of sport. As the sun shone on the West Country, Bicton took on the mantle of Badminton and Burghley with aplomb. The stunning Chilli Knight proved himself a worthy son of Chilli Morning in the supremely skilled hands of Gemma Tattersall and a brilliant weekend was had by all of those lucky enough to be there. This really was Great British eventing – so maybe we could all look forward to some more five-star-level competition at this great British venue. The writer of letter of the…

FOR those who dedicate their life to the art of breeding the perfect animal, there are few achievements more coveted than winning a golden ticket to the supreme in-hand final at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), with a home-bred, homeproduced pony. A place in the championship can cement a stud’s name, providing a breeder with a solid reputation and a healthy, buoyant market for animals donning their prefix. In 2010, Welsh section B and Connemara specialist Kerry Wainwright’s Skellorn Stud landed their first qualification to the supreme in-hand final – then known as the Cuddy and now supported by The Price Family – with stallion Skellorn Harrison (Harry) handled by Kerry’s good friend Stuart (Stu) Mason. The stunning Connemara, now 20 and still residing with Kerry at her…

TIMETABLE • Wednesday, 22 September: first trot-up • Thursday, 23 September and Friday, 24 September: dressage • Saturday, 25 September: cross-country • Sunday, 26 September: final trot-up and showjumping FORMAT • This is a CCI4*-L three-day event held in Avenches (pictured, below), with a cross-country course designed by Britain’s Mike Etherington-smith. • The team competition follows the traditional format, as opposed to the special Olympic format used in Tokyo. Here, there will be three or four riders in each team and the best three final scores count for the team, with the worst score being dropped. • All the riders are also competing for individual honours. HOW TO WATCH • The BBC will show the cross-country and showjumping live on red button, iPlayer and bbc.co.uk/sport, plus a highlights programme on…

Individual medals Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on TSF Dalera BB Cathrine Dufour on Bohemian Charlotte Dujardin on Gio GERMANY’S Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and the ballerina-like TSF Dalera BB quite literally danced their way to freestyle victory, rounding off yet another exceptional week for the German rider, adding three European gold medals to her pair of Olympic golds. Their test, ridden to the La La Land music that suits this elegant, joyful pair down to the ground and never fails to raise the emotions, was quite breathtaking, with a plethora of highlights. Even Jessica could not choose a highlight, saying “every moment felt very special”. “It was very emotional – I didn’t expect her to be that good again. That was the best feeling I have ever, ever had,” said Jessica of…

Summer Para Championships, Solihull EC, West Midlands “I’M so lucky to have her by my side,” said grade V bronze champion Sarah Oram of her trainer Alison Short. “She has provided support and motivation through some difficult years.” An emergency hip operation for misdiagnosed septic arthritis in 2017 left Sarah with “muscles that don’t work and nerves that don’t fire”. Already on the affiliated ladder with Tamrik Captain Jack Sparrow, she and Alison set about retraining him for para dressage. “Jack is such a team player but he can overthink things,” said Sarah, who also headed the silver qualifier. “He tries so hard to put up with my wonkiness. He did the bronze test in 27°C and surrounded by flies and wasps; it was like wrestling an angry dragon around…

martha.terry@futurenet.com @marthaowenorterry British Riding Clubs (BRC) NAF Five Star National Championships, Lincolnshire Showground, Lincs SELBY and District Riding Club may only be small, but they proved mighty at the BRC National Championships, taking team and individual honours in the open 110 showjumping and the senior prelim dressage. “These results are massive for the club,” said chef d’equipe Kim Richards, a team member herself. “We only have around 35 members so to win these titles is unbelievable; it’s an amazing day.” Ellie McNeil and 15-year-old Scottish Sport Horse Just Blue spearheaded the team’s challenge with individual success. They finished four seconds clear of their nearest rivals to take the individual crown. Kim and Fowlerheights Waterlily, Rebecca Brady with Hawallie VDL and Amie Slinger riding My Luv made up the winning quartet.…

SPECTATORS An unexpected spectator is spotted at the dressage Euros: Michael Jung. Swotting for the eventing Euros, or cementing his place as master of all disciplines…? If so, vaulting next, please Michael. FACTS A survey by some financial experts on people’s spending on pets found that horses were the most expensive to keep. In other news, the Pope’s religion and bears’ arboreal defecating habits have been confirmed, you’ll be glad to hear. FOOTBALL One’s ears may have been deceiving one but was that football we could hear in the background of the Hickstead September tour live-stream commentary, and someone not a million miles away getting rather excited about it? Far better sport in the International Arena, good sir! WALMART To the US, where a loose cow was found at a…

GOING AT A GOOD GALLOP VERY well done to Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show, who put on a splendid two days when many other county shows were not brave enough to do so. I enjoyed Tessa Waugh’s piece (Goodnight, 2 September), especially reading about the working hunters and looking to see which horse she might like to take hunting. I wondered what she might have thought about our home-bred coloured gelding that my husband Pete rode (combined age of 87 years). He didn’t start riding until he was 46 and his first pony was a 14.3hh piebald mare. They went clear in the jumping phaseand ended up third in the local working hunter, much to the amusement of the spectators as Pete – who is a little hard of hearing –…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 AS I write, I have just had to admit defeat and realise that now at seven months pregnant, I am no longer able to be of much use on my horses. I now spend my mornings remote controlling Lara Butler riding, as I feel the horses through my eyes and not my seat. I did, however, get to finish off my season with two wins in Germany on Rose Of Bavaria and a big personal best for her in the special of over 77%, which was wonderful. “As En Vogue gets more ring experience, the Germans could be sweating for their podium places” To further my inspiration and keep me going until I can get back in the saddle properly, I have been enjoying the European Dressage Championships…

One of my earliest memories of riding is of being on the lead-rein with my mother. We were posted to Germany with the Army as a family, a life that made owning horses difficult. My godmother, Elizabeth Peerless, is an incredible equestrian and she is a huge influence in my life. Later, my friends Sarah and Louise gave me lessons on their eventers and mounted me on the hunting field. An accident on the M4 in 2013 changed my life forever. I had been to an Army Reserve training evening when I saw a van crash. I pulled onto the hard shoulder in a “fend-off” position (taught by the emergency services during my medical degree), grabbed hi-vis and left my car lit up with headlights and hazard lights. I ran…

KENTS FARM Nether Wallop, Hants For you: an attractive whitewashed property with five bedrooms, offering family and business/equestrian accommodation. It is set in beautiful Hampshire countryside with excellent local rides and walks. There is plenty of space for al fresco dining, with a covered verandah and a paved terrace. For the horses: an American-style barn with five stables, abundant storage (pictured, below) and paddocks within grounds of about 6.3 acres. There is also a redundant forge with potential to use for accommodation, subject to planning permission. Hunting potential: centrally based for the Tedworth, New Forest, Hursley Hambledon, Wilton and Vine & Craven packs. £1.5m Strutt & Parker, 01962 869999, struttandparker.com WHITEWOOD FARM Overton, Cheshire For you: a four-bedroomed house situated in a stunning, sought-after location. There is plenty of hacking…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 FEI European Dressage Championships, Hagen, Germany WITH all four horses and riders of the British Olympic dressage team having only stepped off the plane from Tokyo one month previously, delivering a European team silver medal with relatively inexperienced horses was a great achievement. For Gareth Hughes, it was a reward for his resilience, travelling all the way to Japan with Sintano Van Hof Olympia as reserve. “Sintano hasn’t really been able to compete, because we had the build-up to Tokyo, and actually, this week he performed only his third international grand prix,” he said. “Going to Tokyo as the alternate was amazing, but there was disappointment there too – not for the team, they did unbelievably well, but I didn’t get to go down the centre line. So…

Individual medals Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on TSF Dalera BB Isabell Werth on Weihegold OLD Cathrine Dufour on Bohemian IF the grand prix special result had formed the team competition, Britain would have walked away with gold, such were the quality and consistency of their individual performances. Charlotte Dujardin and Gio were fourth, Lottie Fry and Everdale were fifth, Carl Hester and En Vogue were sixth and Gareth Hughes and Sintano Van Hof Olympia finished a very creditable 15th. Carl Hester and the sensitive En Vogue, owned by Carl, Charlotte, Sandra Biddlecombe, Lady Anne Evans, put in their best test of the week, scoring an impressive 77.31%, in a class where the marks were slightly lower across the board than some might have expected. Their canter work in particular oozed quality,…

Silver Leys Equestrian, Herts BEATRICE FUSIER and Quantum 007 have picked up this summer where they left off in late 2018, when the gelding’s health issues, followed by Covid-19 and a house move for Beatrice, amounted to a lengthy competition break. The pair scored convincing overall wins at both novice and elementary. “He has always had an extraordinary temperament and he learns very fast,” said Beatrice, a product development manager at Ford Motor Company, who bought “James”, now nine, at Brightwells as a three-year-old. “He has great balance in canter and a big stride, and we’ve been working on his flying changes with Char Lassetter. Where he tended to become shy and a little withdrawn in the arena, he is learning to take confidence from me.”…

Solihull EC, West Midlands INTERNATIONAL riders excelled at the higher levels. Swedish eventer Therese Viklund, who suffered a fall from her one-eyed mare Viscera at the Tokyo Olympics in August, claimed wins in the advanced 105 and PSG qualifier with Hermanus II (Yngye). “He’s dressage-bred but was destined for eventing, until he first broke his stifle and later damaged a tendon,” said Therese of the nine-year-old gelding. “We’ve been concentrating on pure dressage for just under a year. “Yngve is such a character and I’m so happy that we could keep him for some serious dressage,” added Therese. “He did some nice canter pirouettes and flying changes. Dressage is definitely a challenge, but I like a challenge.” Kate Lister and Fiskus added an inter I qualifier victory to a string…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Science Supplements All England September Tour, Hickstead, West Sussex NICOLE LOCKHEAD ANDERSON’S superb summer continued apace at Hickstead as she took the Science Supplements All England grand prix on Tania Wareham’s flying mare Azolette. The pair, who won the two-star Prenetics International vase at the Royal International in July, where Nicole had also won the working hunter championship on MJM Laszlo, saw off the rest of a 52-strong field on the last day of the two-week September tour. A field of 14 combinations survived the testing track to make it to the jump-off, and first in Gemma Ellison and Fernhill Off Chance set the bar high. But Nicole, who is based with Holly Smith, opened up the athletic eight-year-old mare to gallop home in an unbeatable time. It…

alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos A WORKING hunter who was bought by the late Jon Phillips paid tribute to his former owner by clinching his first Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) ticket and heading the overall supreme championship. Jeubantos (Rupert) and Matteo Gallucci made it a show to remember for Jon’s wife Penny Ryder-Phillips, who was overjoyed to watch the pair jump the only clear round from the lightweight and heavyweight sections. “The supreme was probably the greatest surprise of my showing career,” said Penny. “I would have put money on it being one of the flat horses.” Jeubantos, a seven-year-old by Charisma, was found by Andrea Verdina three years ago. “Jon said to me, ‘I want that horse,’ and we went to see him. He had the most amazing…

ANN FOWLER’S home-bred five-year-old Broadgrove National Anthem (Buckle) stole the show in mini show pony ranks at Stoneleigh, winning both lead-rein and first ridden qualifiers and landing the championship with eight-year-old Addy Fowler at the helm. Buckle, a grandson of the prolific 138cm show pony Oldcourt Cantata and by Hightopps Lord Of The Rings, ended a run of seconditus to achieve his first tickets. “He’s a genuine soul and he’s been a real first year first ridden pony even though he’s not done much himself,” explained Addy’s mother Alexandra. “It’s like he’s been here before.” Addy will be one of the youngest pilots in the first ridden final at HOYS next month. “When Addy came out of the class I was sacked at the gate as she wanted to go…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Cazoo St Leger Festival, Doncaster Racecourse, S Yorks HURRICANE LANE became the 245th winner of the Cazoo St Leger on Saturday with a 2¾-length defeat of Mojo Star, further strengthening his position as one of the best colts of the Classic generation. In recent years Charlie Appleby’s Frankel colt would have, in winning the Dante, the Irish Derby, Grand Prix de Paris (by six lengths) and now the StLeger, been a certainty for the top middle-distance colt of his generation. But, as we come to the end of what has been a vintage season for the three-year-olds, he has his stable-companion Adayar, the Derby and King George winner, and Aidan O’Brien’s St Mark’s Basilica, who remains unbeaten in four starts this season, all in Group Ones. Hurricane Lane…

ACROSS the country, hunting plays a massive part in the rural community. A lot of hunt followers’ winter social lives revolve around meeting and catching up with people on hunting days. Having seen the impact that the Covid pandemic has had on this first-hand, I have had a chance to think about the many characters I’ve been lucky to meet. Dick Colson, or RD Colson, or Dick “Keep off the wheat” Colson, as he was often known, was a massive part of the Suffolk Hunt for many years. Dick’s amusing nickname showed the respect he had for his fellow farmers and their land. He was on both hunt and supporters’ committees for years and always greeted people at the door at all “hunt dos”. If you didn’t pay on the…

WHAT have you been doing this summer? Yachting around the Mediterranean? Pub crawling by barge on the Grand Western Canal? Surfing in Cornwall? I wish I could say the same. Instead, I have spent far too much time, in between bouts of pony wrangling, trawling Sports Direct for the myriad trainers needed for the return to school. If you don’t know about Sports Direct, let me fill you in. It is a shop from the “pile ‘em high, sell ‘em low” school of commerce. You want a pair of tracksuit bottoms, a fluorescent football, sports socks at the lowest price imaginable? This is your Mecca. This summer I have visited Sports Direct shops from Salisbury to Edinburgh and many in between. They are all the same. A large red and…