Innholdsfortegnelse for 3-Feb-2022 i Horse & Hound

IN this issue and last week’s, Laura Collett and her Tokyo gold medalwinning teammate Tom McEwen have written about their experiences out hunting for Horse hunting for Horse & Hound. Tom extols the virtues of the sport for freshening horses up and getting them to think for themselves – not to mention all that he learnt from being in the field as a Pony Clubber. I will ever more refer to Laura and Tom as Olympic gold medallists, perhaps even when I could say Badminton winners, though you could certainly argue the latter is the greater eventing competition. Why does the Olympics bring such kudos? I guess it’s due to the wider appeal – it is the only time when non-equestrians across the globe are looking at our sports. If you…

SCUDERIA 1918 HUMPHREYS The eventing stallion, produced by Kevin McNab, has been bought by Jayne McGivern. The nine-year-old Osberton 2021 CCI3*-L winner, now named Halo, will be ridden by Piggy March. BRACKLINN JACKPOT The Smith family’s homebred Fell stallion has been put down aged 15 owing to a field injury. He had a prolific in-hand and ridden career, including qualifying for the Cuddy in-hand and ridden Fell pony finals at HOYS. MASTER TOMMYTUCKER The Paul Nicholls-trained Grade Two-winning chaser sustained a fatal leg injury in a fall in the Fleur De Lys Chase at Lingfield on 23 January. The 11-year-old was owned by his breeders, Tony Fear and Louise Cabble. JONIKA WHISTLES THE WIND The lead-rein hunter pony has died aged 18. Produced by the Emmerson Show Team and ridden…

World number one eventer Oliver Townend has signed with Caunton Stud as its official rider. Oliver and the stud have a “mutual desire to promote and improve British breeding and eventing”. Legendary owner JP McManus celebrated his 4,000th win, with the Nicky Henderson-trained Chantry House in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on 29 January. International showjumping course-designer Rafael Suarez has passed his FEI level three course-designing qualification. Ireland-based Rafael builds at top centres around the UK. Jockey Josh Moore has returned to the saddle after recovering from spinal surgery for a serious injury in a fall in October. Josh made his comeback at Doncaster on 28 January. British eventer Caroline Harris is now based at Captain Mark Phillips’ yard in Gloucestershire. The 32-year-old has competed up to four-star level and…

1) For how many European Eventing Championships did Britain keep up an unbroken run of team golds after taking the top spot in 1995? 2) What was the combined age of the British showjumping team at the Rio Olympics? 3) Which horse is said to be the only one to compete in showjumping and eventing Nations Cups, with Kitty King and William Fletcher? 4) What is meant by “thermoneutral zone” and how does a horse’s differ from a human’s? 5) What is a zebroid? Answers from 27 January 1) 2026 2) In the year of their 12th birthday 3) Vesuvius 4) Our Nobby 5) Kauto Star.…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald PAISLEY PARK lit up Cheltenham when winning the prestigious Cleeve Hurdle last weekend, but it was not so much the winning that took the mood, but the way in which he did it. The 10-year-old didn’t seem to fancy being at the races when almost refusing to start, leaving the starting gate several lengths behind his illustrious opponents. And it wasn’t until turning into the home straight, when those in front started to tire, you could see the Emma Lavelle-trained gelding thinking, “I could beat this lot.” And so he did, with a great ride from Aidan Coleman. It really was the stuff of legends and, in years to come, Emma Lavelle will replay Saturday’s race until the tape runs out. Saturday’s meeting at Cheltenham was billed as…

TRAINER SAM THOMAS “I WILL DO IT was bred near my parents’ home by Stan Brown and his late father Reg, and I said we’d love to train him when he was older because he was a nice stamp of a horse, very correct with a lovely presence. He’s always been a work in progress because he was quite weak in his younger years and we could only do as much as he allowed us to, physically. But he’s really developed in the past couple of years. “We always saw him as a staying type – he’s never been the quickest – but he’s the most genuine horse you could ever wish to train. In his earlier years he wasn’t the best eater, he was a bit of a worrier.…

AMONG many old wives’ tales and much misinformation, the following facts about an equine’s height have been established. • Final height is genetically predetermined. A foal’s leg length at birth is already 90% of its adult length, this being achieved by two years of age. Further height is then provided by growth of the torso, with less than 0.5% occurring in years five, six and seven. • Research has shown that nutrition has very little effect on growth and final height; one cannot make one’s horse taller (or shorter) by feeding it more (or less) during development. • Researchers at Liverpool University have shown that body condition score (BCS) has no effect on height, with the same measurement being recorded irrespective of whether the animal is over-or underweight. This validates…

BROOM High Hurstwood, E Sussex For you: a magnificent eightbedroom country home with excellent facilities and stunning views. There is also a two-bedroom annexe plus a cottage, tennis court and swimming pool. The property was built in 1923 but in the style of a Tudor manor house, with high ceilings, stone fireplaces, timber-panelled doors and floors in limestone, slate and polished oak. For the horses: an American-style barn with seven Hancox stables and two wash bays. There is a 20x60m waxed-sand arena, plus a smaller arena for lungeing or turnout. The level fields are fenced and divided into several turnout paddocks interspersed with mature trees. There are further stables in surrounding outbuildings and also a horsewalker. Set in 18.34 acres. £3.5m Knight Frank, 020 7861 1093, knightfrank.co.uk BARKWAY EQUESTRIAN CENTRE…

HOWEVER beautiful the sward, it is vitally important that the paddock is completely secure. “For horses, post and rail is preferable with the rail on the inside of the posts so they can’t push the rails off,” says land maintenance specialist Mike Lewis. “Wire fencing is often used when other stock graze the land, but ensure it is horse wire so the holes don’t allow a horse hoof to get through. Electric fencing must be well maintained with at least some permanent posts needed, or all permanent posts with the large electric rope attached.” Susi Anderson of organic livery yard Stone Circle uses hedgerows as far as possible, which are protected with electric fencing for the first three years. “We have natural hedgerows that form boundaries to give shelter both…

gemma.redrup@futurenet.com @gemmaredrup Cambridgeshire with Enfield Chase, Horseheath, Cambs A RISE in trip is paying off for 10-year-old Champion Chase, who landed his second-ever win from 35 career runs when claiming the restricted under James King for Francesca Poste. The former chaser broke his duck at Sheriff Hutton a fortnight ago when winning his maiden. “Before that, he was a 33-race maiden, so he’s won his last two races on his 34th and 35th runs,” said James. “His first start was a three-mile point-to-point and he was a close second, so he’s had the ability, but was campaigned over two miles. I think the step up to three has brought out the improvement in him.” Tullys Touch made Will Biddick’s first-ever ride at Horseheath a winning one, taking the men’s open…

Share your news story Call 01252 555021 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @jones_eleanor_ A HOTLY anticipated tool to improve cross-country safety is now available for riders to use. EquiRatings’ Horse Form Index (HFI), developed with the FEI, has been launched publicly. EquiRatings founder Sam Watson told the FEI eventing risk management forum (22 January) the aim is to give riders another way to help them gauge their performance when planning their next event. “It is about getting people to look at their performance objectively,” said Sam. It works by calculating horses’ most recent performances, giving a A++ (maximum of A at CCI5*-L and A+ at CCI4*-L, as the sample size is too small at these levels) to E assessment grade for each level at three-star and above. This grade is accompanied by a…

CLAIRE TOMLINSON THE highest-rated female polo player in the world died peacefully at home on 12 January, aged 77, from a long illness with dementia. Born in 1944, Mrs Tomlinson was the daughter of Ethel and Arthur Lucas, who founded Woolmers Park Polo Club in Hertfordshire after World War II. In 1963 she went to Oxford University where she studied agricultural economics at Somerville College. She earned a squash blue and was shortlisted for the 1964 Olympic fencing team. That year she joined the Oxford University Polo Club (OUPC), and in a time when women had not been allowed to compete, Mrs Tomlinson became the first-ever female to play in a varsity match. She went on to become the first female captain of the OUPC in 1966, and when the…

DRY JANUARY We’re not ones for all this outlandish “don’t drink for a month” (What? Ed). But when there’s been as little rain as recently and one can navigate one’s gateways in trainers – that’s the sort of dry January we’re all for. In fact, we’ll drink to that. FASHION Chanel opened its Paris fashion show with a princess cantering her horse along the runway, as apparently horses and riding were part of the founder’s vision for the brand. Who doesn’t don Chanel to muck out? JEWELLERY Apparently, Tory Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg was given a £5,000 bracelet made from the tail hair of the horse the Duke of Wellington rode at Waterloo. If you’re interested, Mr R-M, we’ve got no shortage of tail hair, or Wellingtons, and will offer…

CONTINUING the thoughts about top riders competing at the lower dressage levels (letters, 27 January), I think they should be allowed to. Both my daughters, who have ridden to international grand prix level, train and compete novice horses for owners – and these owners wouldn’t send them their horses if they weren’t allowed to compete at this level. Most are happy to ride at the Petplan Equine Area Festivals, which give amateurs the chance to experience a championship event. The Premier Leagues, which run at medium level and above, should be for the elite riders to showcase their up-and-coming young horses. I think riders should have to achieve a minimum score at each particular level to be able to ride at a Premier League. I advise riders to watch a…

“HE’S quite a character! He doesn’t like waiting around – you try standing him still for even a second and he starts pawing. He’s quite buzzy and doesn’t like going too steady when you ride him – if you try to take too much of a hold, he’ll actually fight with you so it’s easier just to throw the reins at him and let him go that stride too quick. “This is my third year at Sam’s but it’s only been this past season that I’ve done more with ‘Doogie’ and he’s become one of my favourites. Some people don’t get on with him, he’s just one of those horses. He’s pretty easy-going though – you can have him at the front of the string or the back, but he…

“THE objective of the JMB is to provide a measuring service for competitions, and we are currently looking at ways in which we can improve that service. Some things are visible, such as the new website, which we think is easier to use; other changes are not so. Although we continue to use the traditional measuring stick, we are also looking at modern electronic methods. “We want to provide the best accuracy that we can for measuring the height and that requires a lot of research and validation. Even with the stick we spend a lot of effort in validating the stick and the pad and making sure that the equipment is inspected and calibrated.” Robert N W Ellis PhD, BVSc, MRCVS, chairman of the Joint Measurement Board…

“IT is a breakdown in communication between rider and horse,” says international showjumper Paul Kennedy, as he explains the main cause of a horse rushing into a fence. That makes it sound so simple. But Paul’s partner and fellow international showjumper Chloe Winchester agrees, as she chips in: “It is all too easy to overcomplicate the situation. Often it is a matter of going back to basics. Your horse needs to be relaxed and listening to you, bending easily both ways – if you ask him to trot, he should trot. If the basics are not in place, you have to go back to square one to tackle the issue.” “Often it is a matter of going back to basics – if they are not in place, go back to…

TURNING your horse out not only provides him with fresh air and exercise to boost his mental and physical wellbeing, but it can also offer nutritional benefits. Jenna Scott of grass seed specialist Boston Seeds says a maintenance plan for your paddocks, for the condition of both your horse and the grassland, is key. “This will ensure minimal disruption to grazing, and reduce poaching and waterlogged areas,” she says. “Things to watch out for are overgrazing, undergrazing and weeds.” It’s a year-round job – so what should be done and when? DRAINAGE “ONE of the biggest problems with paddocks is when they get waterlogged and poached due to poor drainage,” says Mike Lewis of Mike Lewis Contracting, who specialises in land and field maintenance. “Horses compact the ground which makes…

JOHN HOLLIDAY is sitting in his kitchen at the Belvoir kennels, where many of the legends of the sport have lived before him. “Just through there is where Frank Gillard spilled sherry down the front of the Empress of Austria,” says John with a wry smile as he points through to the next door room. “Walking in the footsteps of greatness” is how John explains the feeling of being huntsman to the Duke of Rutland’s hounds. “We have a painting of Thomas Goosey, the first Belvoir huntsman, opening the kennel gates as he walks out the hounds,” says John. “I think of the history every time I open the same gates and take the hounds out.” John is retiring from hunt service in May after 12 seasons as huntsman at…

BEAU WILLIAMS scored six wins in a week, riding young mares for Classic Dressage. Described by Beau as “cool, confident and elegant”, Max Thomas’s Flashpoint five-year-old Alvescot Filmstar notched up 75% and more than 80% to take the prelims at Solihull EC, West Midlands. At Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire, Beau competed Gillian Ferguson’s Raminanda (Rammie) for the first time to head both prelims – before riding Susie Fortune’s six-year-old Jewel Sky JS to a novice double. “Rammie is an angel; ability-wise, she’s perfect,” said Beau. “While Jewel is only 15.3hh, she is powerful and intelligent.”…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Festival Trials Day, Cheltenham Racecourse, Glos IF you ever wondered why people are more drawn to National Hunt racing than the Flat, you could add, after Saturday, Paisley Park to the weight of evidence. The comeback of a popular old warrior always goes down well and, on Cheltenham Trials Day, it knocked JP McManus’s 4,000th winner – Chantry House’s hard-fought victory over Santini in the Cotswold Chase – and Pied Piper’s facile Triumph Hurdle Trial stroll off the headlines. Since Paisley Park’s win in the 2019 Stayers’ Hurdle, we’ve got to know the horse pretty well. He races well, the pace quickens, Aidan Coleman is all hands to the pump, Paisley looks all at sea then flies at the finish – occasionally, in the last furlong, extracting victory…

WE all know the recipe: a lone hound speaks, a deep “loaaap” sound somewhere in the distance. Seconds later, there is a reply and then another and another until all the individual cries meld into a spine-tingling crescendo. Add the doubling of the horn, the thrill of excitement that shoots through you and your horse as hounds roar over the horizon. People hunt for many reasons, but that moment at the beginning of a hunt is something that unites us. There are exceptions who choose the moment to strike up a conversation or head for home, but we’ll gloss over that. Sometimes it doesn’t happen all day – scent, or lack of it, has been a problem this season. But we keep going out, hoping that it will improve, enjoying…

UNDERSTANDING when horses are expressing positive behaviour is just as important as recognising the negatives when assessing quality of life, researchers have highlighted. Students from Hartpury University, University Centre Askham Bryan and University Centre Sparsholt took part in an Advancing Equine Scientific Excellence (AESE) project to understand how equine quality of life was perceived, and how it can be measured. AESE is a collaborative initiative between industry, research institutes, colleges and universities which aims to promote excellence in equine research. The work, supported by World Horse Welfare and the Horse Trust, included reviewing literature, existing tools and frameworks, and carrying out surveys with industry stakeholders. Key findings included that quality of life should be considered throughout horses’ lives, not just when making end-of-life decisions, and there is a need to…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. @horseandhound instagram.com/horseandhound facebook.com/horseandhound ANOTHER GREAT “RED” WITH reference to your “cob special” (20 January), in which you feature Red Butler and Red Rock III, I’d like to introduce you to Red Bandit. He was broken and home-produced by me and also came from Camilla Neame and Val Sheehan on the same load as the other “Reds” from Ireland. He has just done his first British Dressage elementary and is soon to go to the regional championships. We are currently having fun competing in novice freestyle music and aim to start elementary freestyle music soon. Samantha Rose Cowden, Kent A PERFECT SEAT YOUR feature “A balancing act” (training, 20 January) is timely, since during the pandemic, many riders…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 A RECENT headline in a German publication read that the International Dressage Riders Club (IDRC) is going into the future at a strong gallop. This is not surprising as Isabell Werth, known for her bold extensions in the arena, is leading as president of the IDRC. All of us on the committee have international championships under our belts, except for Klaus Roeser, who still brings years of experience in the horseworld – not least as chef d’equipe for the German dressage team – to his position of secretary general. Klaus plays a vital role much like Eleonora Ottaviani at the International Jumping Riders Club. The riders clubs are in for the long haul to increase the voice of riders in the governance of the FEI. How can it…

1 PAUL finds horses respond well to learning to maintain a steady rhythm when jumping fences while cantering on a 20m circle (see diagram): “You want a comfortable approach to the fence, gradually slow down after the fence and go back onto a 20m circle. Do that a few times left and right.” 2 CHLOE incorporates polework into training on a regular basis to help avoid any issues developing: “Place a pole one stride – about three metres for the average horse stride – in front of the fence and one three strides after landing. This helps to regulate the take-off and landing points.” 3 IF neither of those exercises have any impact, then Paul suggests building a fence jumping towards a corner or end of the arena: “If you…

SOIL provides the energy, protein and key nutrients for healthy grass. There are a variety of companies who will send out a home soil-testing kit, where you collect a sample of your soil and send it to their laboratory for testing. They can then suggest a bespoke fertiliser to address any nutrient deficiencies. A soil sample will also test the soil’s pH. “The ideal pH level for horse pastures is pH 6–6.5,” says land maintenance specialist Mike Lewis. “If soil becomes too acidic, adding lime can help restore the ideal pH for grass growth.” Besides poo-picking daily, organic livery yard owner Susi Anderson spreads well-rotted manure back on the land. “We include sweepings from the stables, with uneaten hay and grass seeds, spread on bare earth as this feeds the…

“TOM was really interested in the hound work and asked lots of questions. It was great to have someone who is, through the nature of his career, so horse-focused taking such an interest in the hounds. It was a privilege to have him and his girlfriend Harriet visit the Oakley country and to enjoy a good day’s hunting. “It is nice to have the support of people like Tom – whose spare time is fairly limited – enjoying hunting as a leisure activity, as well as using it to produce the young competition horses in the way that it historically has been. Perhaps in the future when he has more time, he will get involved more – I hope so.”…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 Vale View Area Festival, Leics SOPHIA MARSTON made easy work of the mediums to take the silver title with Solitaire II and the bronze with E-Mail. Sophia’s partnership with Solitaire began when the San Amour mare was a yearling and Sophia was just six. “We bought her with money left by my great-grandmother; she was actually for my mum, but I stole the ride,” said Sophia, 16, who trains with Michael Eilberg. “We’ve grown up together and progressed all the way from prelim. “My main concern in the test was the simple changes,” she added. “We’ve been working on her flying changes and I thought she might get confused, but she nailed them. She felt super.” Sophie teamed up with Imogen Murray’s Jazz gelding E-Mail two months ago.…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald 148cm Pony Premier, Aintree International EC, Merseyside AFTER securing a string of championship titles in 2021, Izabella Rogers and Neil 55 took a step up at their first premier show of the new year to claim a Charles Britton winter JA classic win. Last year, Izabella and the now 10-year-old Neil won the Hickstead winter JC final, the national 148cm final and Foxhunter masters at Stoneleigh, and the Foxhunter final at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS). Now out of JC, the combination claimed their first JA victory on Aintree’s second day when they delivered the fastest of three treble clears to finish a decisive 3.74sec ahead of Henry Squibb and Lislan Picola. “Izabella had so much fun with Neil last year I think she would have liked…