Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-Nov-2021 i Horse & Hound

IF your area is anything like mine, you’ll have seen Christmas decorations popping up right, left and centre already, while others mutter “far too early”. Post the pandemic-curtailed Christmas of 2020, many are clearly champing at the bit to make up for lost celebrations. With inboxes everywhere inundated with Black Friday deals, meaning Christmas shopping has kicked off in earnest as well, it’s no wonder some are starting to think it feels a lot like Christmas. (And on that, head to horseandhound.co.uk where we have found the best equestrian Black Friday offers for you, to save you one job searching through them). In keeping with this early festive feeling, we bring you for the fourth year running our hugely popular Advent Calendar front cover. In a slight departure from tradition,…

PIVOTAL The sprinter and multiple champion sire has died, aged 28. He had been at Cheveley Park Stud since 1997. Trained by Sir Mark Prescott, he was champion sprinter aged three and leading Britishbased sire eight times. KILMISTON SKYHAWK Caitlin Galbraith’s prolific 15hh show hunter pony has died, aged 22. The gelding was a multi-RIHS and HOYS finalist, finishing second at HOYS in 2011. He competed at top level until he retired from the show ring, aged 20. FIDERTANZ The Fidermark son is the Hanoverian stallion of the year. The Schults’ 19-year-old reached grand prix with Antonio Teixeira do Vale and is the world’s seventh-ranked dressage sire, with 1,000 offspring in competition. TEMPLE OGUE Kay Campbell’s prolific lightweight hunter has been sold to the Leeman family. The nine-year-old gelding, ridden…

HURRAH FOR THE GOLDEN OLDIES WITH regard to your “veteran special” issue (11 November), my 14hh pony, Budweiser, is now 27 and I’ve had him for 16 years. He has given me confidence and unconditional love, and I even rode him at Firle Park Hunter Trials a few years ago where he jumped brilliantly until the 12th, when he went one way and I went the opposite! Unfortunately, he suffers from Cushing’s and arthritis and although I am not able to canter off around the fields and downs in Sussex as I used to, I can still ride him gently. His ears prick up when I take him out and he still acts like a youngster. I have previously owned for many years an Appaloosa who passed away, aged 25,…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 WINTER is a time for education as well as celebration. Webinars have become commonplace throughout this season, providing thought-provoking entertainment on cold evenings. Many are devoted to sports psychology and are both helpful and relatable. There is plenty of angst on social media as people are encouraged to share their feelings more than they used to be. Thankfully, there are excellent resources to go to, such as the Riders Minds charity, which offers a 24-hour telephone helpline to those suffering over and above the normal stress of a competitive lifestyle. It’s no wonder really that dressage riders experience challenges with mindset – straight 10s resulting in 100% have been awarded in gymnastics but never yet in dressage. “The fear of failure appears to hold far more riders back…

Which famous person would you invite to dinner? Audrey Hepburn. I’m a bit of a film buff, so I would ask her about her movie-making and, of course, about her boyfriends. If you weren’t a rider, what would you be? An interior designer, and I’ll never say never. Maybe when I hang up my riding boots I’ll give it a go. I love that side of life; I enjoy revamping my house and designing the interior of the horsebox, too. How do you handle show nerves? I’m lucky – I don’t get nervous. I tend to run off adrenaline and I’m always itching with excitement to get into the ring. It can be hard to relate to those riders who do suffer from nerves when teaching, as I’ve done it…

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RICHARD is sitting in his tack room, drinking coffee and filling out competition plans for his horses for the next few months. He sighs. Two years ago between Christmas and New Year he was packing for Florida and the World Equestrian Festival – three months of sunshine and prize money. Now it looks like a load of Wednesdays at Freezing Farm EC and the odd chilly, dark evening at Cold Comfort EC; the only difference is in how bad the instant coffee they sell is. “But that’s horses,” he mutters. The good horse – the one that got him to international shows – had to be sold, and the other could-be-good horse did a leg and needs a year off. It’s back to babies and the national circuit for Richard.…

WHEN do riders ever get a chance to watch an entire movie except for Christmas Day? With the nights at their longest, the horses cosily tucked up in their stables chomping hay, there’s a little bit more time to hunker down and enjoy our favourite films. The Grinch, Elf and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang may be required viewing in some households, but some of us just like to watch horses even when we spend most of the day with them, and every waking hour thinking about them. Here’s to a bit of escapism… Black Beauty THERE have been several film versions of the 1877 novel by Anna Sewell, which tells the story of Black Beauty’s early days as a carefree colt, to his hard life pulling hackney cabs in London,…

“The moment I sat on him, I knew I had to buy him. He felt electric” WHEN there’s a big hedge in the way on your first morning’s autumn hunting on a new horse, what else are you going to do but jump it? “I had to get somewhere and he just got on with it,” says Richard Tyacke, former master and huntsman of the Wynnstay. “I felt I could do anything with him.” The signs had not been hopeful – Mr Nipper had been in a field in Wales with no shoes on and not ridden for two years – but Richard remembers, “the moment I sat on him, I knew I had to buy him. He felt electric”. The vet failed him due to cataracts, but Richard bought…

DARTMOOR is my childhood home and holds a special place in my heart. I loved my time whipping-in to the Dartmoor Foxhounds and then hunting the Spooners and West Dartmoor. The Dartmoor country would be where I would choose to have my fantasy day, with the meet at Prince Hall on the side of the West Dart River. It is wild and rugged country and the best days are always wet and windy – if you can avoid the fog. I would want to be hunting hounds on this day and it would be great to take my own hounds from the Lauderdale, as you can’t get better than the pack that you have the privilege of hunting yourself. However, I would choose the Border hounds from the 1990s. I…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 HAVE YOU WON A BD CLASS? DO YOU OR YOUR HORSE HAVE A GREAT STORY? Email dressagehighlights@yahoo.com within 24 hours of your win for a chance to feature on these pages BD Associated Championships, Bury Farm, Bucks ARAB horses, British native ponies, traditional cobs and draught and Iberian breeds took centre stage in this second celebration of sizes and types. Obsession II claimed the Arab horse prelim silver and novice bronze titles, with Adam Montebello. Dressage is a change of direction for Len Morgan’s six-year-old purebred, who was bred to show. “He’s a tense horse and can be hot-headed, but he produces a nice test when he does relax,” said Adam, who trains with Dianne Roberts and aims to qualify “Ollie” for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Haydock Racecourse, Merseyside A PLUS TARD, last season’s Gold Cup runner-up, became the first Irish winner of the Betfair Chase on Saturday. He came home on the bridle and never out of second gear for Rachael Blackmore to beat Royale Pagaille by 22 lengths. Seldom will the jockey have an easier time winning a Grade One chase. Although you could argue that the race fell apart behind him – with Imperial Aura falling at the 13th when going well, while Bristol De Mai, going for a record-equalling fourth win in the race, and Waiting Patiently, who changed stables in the summer, were both pulled up – the overriding impression was that this looked an improved version of last season’s A Plus Tard. The market certainly took the view…

WHEN Jonjo O’Neill schooled Dawn Run solo seven weeks before the Gold Cup in 1986, he thought the mare shouldn’t even be lining up at Cheltenham. But it was a different story when he rode her in another schooling session one week before the Gold Cup. “That time Tony Mullins schooled alongside me on another horse and it made all the difference,” Jonjo recalls. “Tony was a big help to me. It allowed me to go to Cheltenham thinking I had a fighting chance.” Jonjo showed his thanks when hoisting Tony aboard his shoulders after winning at Cheltenham (pictured).…

THERE was a cow in our bedroom last night, an exceptionally noisy one. At least that’s what it sounded like. Adam and Matthew had weaned the calves and their newly separated mothers were in the shed opposite our bedroom. “Three nights is all it will take,” Adam reminded me on night one, pulling the duvet over his ears as the feverish blaring commenced. Actually it was better than usual this year. By day three, quiet was restored; the calves went off to their new home in Norfolk and the cows were resigned to their calf-free status. It’s a similar scenario when the children go back to school. You miss them like crazy for the first few days and then you start to appreciate what you can do when they’re not…

Share your news story Call 01252 555021 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @jones_eleanor_ TEAMS of three will go ahead at the Paris 2024 Games after a vote that split horse sport’s decisionmakers at the FEI general assembly (14-17 November). The exact formats for the equestrian disciplines in the next Games are unconfirmed; this will happen at an International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board meeting in February. But the decision, voted on by national federations, in effect sets in stone a qualification process that culminates in three combinations per team at the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics. A British Equestrian spokesman told H&H it voted against three riders on a team. “British Equestrian remains in favour of four combinations on an Olympic or Paralympic team,” he said. “We spoke on this matter at the European…

Swedish showjumper Peder Fredricson was named best athlete at the annual FEI awards. Peder, who won team gold and individual silver in Tokyo, said he was “really proud and grateful”. Team gold medal-winning eventer Oliver Townend said he was delighted to finish 2021 as world number one, while individual Tokyo gold medallist Tom McEwen moved up to the number two spot. The Dutch federation will not renew jumping chef d’equipe Rob Ehren’s contract after 16 years. Rob, who led the team to two world and European golds, said he was surprised. Trainer Dan Skelton reached a “magic” 1,000th career win at Ascot. Favoir’s victory, ridden by Dan’s brother Harry, was Dan’s 996th British win, with one more in Ireland, three in France. Young rider Emily Moffitt led the London Knights…

▲ CAKE To marks its 60th birthday, the British Equine Veterinary Association asked riders to get their bake on, with hashtag #vetslovecake. We suggest thoroughbread and butter pudding, Hack Forest gateau, apple piebald and... (that’s enough cake. Ed). ▲ INSIGHT A London news website published a piece on the best horse breeds for racing. It states: “Any horse that wants to win a race, needs to be fast.” Also, thoroughbreds are apparently usually 15hh. Every day’s a school day. ▲ CULTURE A group of donkeys in a Turkish city are employed by the council to help clear rubbish from the narrow streets. Apparently after the day’s work, the herd likes nothing better than listening to classical music, especially Beethoven. Perhaps the Ode to Joy, given Turkey’s EU aspirations…? ▼ BUTTOCKS…

1) When Golden Willow won the first Badminton competition, there were 22 starters from which two countries? 2) Which top-flight apprentice Flat jockey won an eventing gold medal? 3) The Injured Jockeys Fund came about in 1964 following the Grand National accidents of which two jockeys? 4) Name the Trooping of the Colour horse foaled in Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan, in 1962. 5) Who was Downlands Cancara? Answers from 18 November 1) SAP Hale Bob OLD, 17 2) Captain Martin Becher, unseated by Conrad in the first official Grand National in 1839 3) Foxhunter, in 1948, 1950, 1953 4) Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 5) Mon Mome, in 2009.…

THE top 10 at Britain’s only five-star this year, Bicton, was littered with the who’s who of eventing, but rounding out that leading group was a rider who is just 23 years old and was achieving her first completion at five-star. Watching Felicity Collins that week, a slight figure on a big bay horse punching out an assured double jumping clear, spectators probably thought this was a natural, easy progression for her. Daughter of Vicky Collins, who was shortlisted for the Atlanta Olympics, Felicity is already a three-time medallist at under-21 level. Success at five-star was the next inevitable step on the ladder, surely? But in reality, Felicity’s Bicton placing was a hard-won result, encompassing hard work as well as talent and a gritty battle to beat the demons in…

• TRAUMA – any wound to the back of the limb from mid-cannon to the foot has the potential to penetrate the sheath and result in a septic synovitis – in this case, an infection of the DFTS. An injury of any size, from a large lacerating wound down to a needle-stick penetration, could lead to infection. The sheath has a poor immune response and is unable to cope with the bacterial contamination, and infection results. If allowed to go unchecked, such an infection will eventually lead to infection within the tendons and overall degradation of the sheath and all its contents, resulting in catastrophic lameness and requiring euthanasia. Treatment is surgical debridement, lavage and extensive antimicrobial treatment. If, however, the injury is treated within 36 hours then prognosis is…

The huntsman AS he counts hounds back into the lorry on Christmas Eve by the lights of a quad bike, Gary sighs in satisfaction. His next day’s hunting will be Boxing Day, which may be the sport’s annual showcase and very important, but not an easy one for a huntsman with all the added attention and pressure. A cracking Christmas Eve puts everyone in a good mood for the rest of the festive season, however. It was a busy enough morning with plenty of lepping for the ladies and gentlemen, most of whom nipped off at second horses to finish shopping/cooking/wrapping and so on. He was left with a dozen of the hardcore Smashington Vale followers and a scent that improved rapidly as the air temperature dropped. “Well done, boys…

WHEN I was little, a Saturday treat was biking to the sweet shop with 50p clutched tightly in a sweaty fist. There are so many things about this simple childhood pleasure that seem anachronistic three decades on: sugar is anathema, likewise cycling without a helmet (and unaccompanied on the road) and, since Covid-19, that less nostalgic habit of spreading your dirty mitts’ germs throughout the penny-sweet boxes as you carefully tot up fizzy cola bottles and foamy mushrooms. And so it is with some caution that I relay my ancient recipe for a pony’s Christmas pudding. Benji, a strawberry roan 12-hander with a habit of stopping at the first fence to poo, wolfed the lot with no ill-effects, but it is stuffed with sugar and undoubtedly the very last thing…

Edited by Jennifer Donald jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Global Champions Prague Playoffs, O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic AGAINST a backdrop of pyrotechnics, dazzling lights and slick theatrics, a new star of the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) was crowned. Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann and his superstar gelding, the barefoot King Edward, who has a character all of his own, have taken their career to the next level this year with a phenomenal clear-round strike rate. The pair have toppled only 11 rails through the whole of 2021, including an Olympic Games, Nations Cup Final and a string of five-star grands prix. Unsurprisingly, they were one of the favourites for Saturday night’s LGCT Super Grand Prix and the world number three described his winning double clear performance as “a very special moment”. “I…

THE equestrian world must be on the front foot to showcase the fact horse sport has “a sound, ethical basis” if it is to survive and thrive. World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers and FEI president Ingmar de Vos highlighted at the FEI general assembly (14-17 November) how public attention is on sporting’s regulators in times of controversy, no matter when or where an incident happened. Both said equestrianism needs to challenge itself constantly “with as much energy as we invest in competition” to ensure it is always doing the best for horses. H&H has reported on the need for horse sport to keep its social licence to operate and at the general assembly, Mr Owers shared a quote by American philosopher Bernard Rollin to explain more clearly: “Society basically…

OFFICIALS at the 2021 Blenheim Horse Trials face possible suspension if FEI allegations against them are found proved. Ground jury president Laure Eslan, members Angela Tucker and Douglas Hibbert, and event technical delegate Patricia Clifton, face allegation “failing to comply with duties and obligations as an FEI eventing official”. A minor sanction of a three-month suspension is proposed for Mrs Clifton and Mme Eslan, and a proposed one-month suspension for Mrs Tucker and Mr Hibbert. Any violations are alleged; nothing is yet proven as fact. Each person can admit the alleged violation and accept a minor sanction, or deny it and either have the case dealt with under the FEI administrative disciplinary procedure or have it submitted to the FEI Tribunal. H&H asked for details of the incident the allegations…

I say I was born on a horse. My mother and father hunted every week and were involved in racehorses. By the age of four, I was riding side-saddle on our donkey, Rosie. I found my grandaunt’s side-saddle in the tack room and I was fascinated by it. From then on I rode everything side-saddle, including our showing Connemaras, and hunted side-saddle aged eight. I organised the world record number of ladies to hunt side-saddle, with the Meath Foxhounds and the Tara Harriers. The first year we had 15, the second year we had 50, and the third year we had 62 from all over the world. I hold another world record. In 2011, I saw a picture of Esther Stace jumping 6ft 6in sidesaddle in Australia in 1915. It…

“KRISTJAN is a lovable rogue – very entertaining but mischievous with quite a dark sense of humour. I’ve known him since 2012, but this was the first year I have looked after him full-time and we have travelled quite a bit together now. We’re quite similar actually: grumpy in the morning and with a dry sense of humour. “If anyone was interviewing for a new groom, they’d do well to give a prospective employee Kristjan to look after for an afternoon as a test. He’s a bit of a monkey – he finds it amusing to pull rugs off when you’re trying to put them on, he always rolls straight after I’ve bathed him and he likes to poo up the wall and then sit in it. Another of his…

HOWARDS FARM Upminster, East London For you: a fabulous five-bedroom home with a mix of leisure and equestrian facilities, including 23,000sqft of outbuildings, set in approximately 21 acres with hilltop vantage views right across to London. There is an indoor pool/leisure complex and AstroTurf tennis court with pavilion. For the horses: the property has operated as a livery yard for many years. There are 28 stables, including 20 in two American barns. There is an indoor school (14.73x30.15m with mirrors and lighting). There is also a small outdoor school. OIEO £3.5m Zoe Napier Group, 01621 840333, properties.inthecountryside. zoenapier.com HILL FARM Knapp, Somerset For you: a 12-acre holding with a five-bedroom farmhouse and two-bedroom wing. The property sits in an elevated position overlooking the Somerset Levels. For the horses: a stable…

IT’S Christmas Day and Neil is box-walking. Round and round the kitchen. Jenny, his wife, has been here before, and has removed their small children, half a ton of new plastic toys and both sets of grandparents to the drawing room out of the way. Neil just about got through lunch and The Queen’s speech, but now his mind can only focus on tomorrow, and the King George. Exterminator, 16.2hh-worth of gleaming bay hopes and dreams, runs in the big race on Boxing Day at Kempton. The yard’s flagship is in the form of his life, he schooled like Big Star two days ago, his legs at evening stables were cold as iron bars, the jockey can be trusted not to pig out on turkey and mince pies, and the…

CHRISTMAS comes but once a year – and the equestrian world certainly savours the season. After last year’s Covid washout, a dizzying round of events embracing the festive theme kicks off at this week’s Sweden International Horse Show (25–28 November) and continues well into the New Year. Here are some of the festive highlights to get you in the Christmas mood. • All tickets subject to availability Geneva Rolex Grand Slam PALEXPO GENEVA, SWITZERLAND 9–12 DECEMBER SINCE its inauguration in 1926, the CHI Geneva has become one of the world’s most famous showjumping events. Each year, an average of 42,000 spectators visit the largest indoor jumping arena in the world to enjoy live top-class sport. Former showjumping world number one Steve Guerdat calls it: “The best indoor show. I started…

catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123 Stockholms Fältrittklubb, Stockholm, Sweden RIDING a bicycle through central Stockholm in full hunting gear is not a typical start to a hunting correspondent’s day, but then again, a lot about the Stockholms Fältrittklubb’s “Hubertusjakt” (Hubertus Hunt) is not what anyone accustomed to hunting in the UK and Ireland would call “normal”. Roughly translated, fältritt means “cross-country” and the Stockholms Fältrittklubb, or SFK for short, is an equestrian club based in Stockholm. It was set up on 1 November 1886 by the Swedish royal princes Carl, Oscar and Eugen. These three royals enjoyed riding and hunting in their royal parks so much that they wanted to share it with their friends and subjects, and so the SFK was born. Saint Hubertus, the patron saint of hunting, is widely celebrated…

NOVEMBER heralds the start of the open hunting season for most and arrives to the eager anticipation of many followers. I have learnt over the past 20 seasons that far from being the flag-drop to lots of harooshing around, it is, more often than not, quite a frustrating period of the season. Here at the South Shropshire we made a good start, beginning in early August on foot for the first fortnight before progressing to horses. We are fortunate to have plenty of grass and hills in the southern end of our country, so not quite as dependent on waiting for the harvest as most mounted packs. As a new master in an unfamiliar area, these early mornings were invaluable as an exercise in learning the country and who owns…

Edited by Alex Robinson alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ SEIB Search For A Star championships, NAEC Stoneleigh, Warks AFTER the success of the 2021 SEIB Search For A Star (SFAS) finals held at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), a new batch of home-produced combinations took to the main ring at Your Horse Live to contend for another five championship accolades. A Welsh section D gelding triumphed in the SFAS mountain and moorland (M&M) class. This was Simone Harrison’s ultra-typy chestnut Wishaw Red Admiral, who qualified in second place at Stoneleigh, but had improved tenfold since this outing. Simone, who works as a talent acquisition lead for fashion brand Missguided, bought Red from Ashley Peers as a two-year-old. “Ashley sent me some pictures and I fell in love,” enthused Simone. “He was a…

THERE are several strands to Dawn Run’s status as a legend of the Turf. She merits that description for the fact that in 1986, she was the best steeplechaser over all distances from two miles to 3¼ miles. It would be warranted, too, for her unique achievement in 1984, when she won the Irish, British and French Champion Hurdles. Yet her greatest claim to fame is that she remains the only horse in history to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup. That prestigious double has eluded all others because of the diverse qualities required to win both races. The Champion Hurdle, with its emphasis on speed and quicksilver jumping, is the polar opposite of the Gold Cup, in which stamina and resilience are at a premium. But…