Innholdsfortegnelse for 29-Dec-2022 i Horse & Hound

THE Horse & Hound team was saddened to hear of the death of former editor Michael Clayton the week before Christmas (obituary, p12). Michael was only the third editor in the magazine’s long history, and led it during more glorious days for hunting. And in truth very different times for magazine publishing, too - a hunter on expenses, those would have been the days. He was described by those who worked here before me as a change maker and one not afraid to voice his opinions - as you would expect from a news journalist. He wrote me letters when I took on this role, at first setting out some ground rules - there were to be no pictures of children kissing hounds, and horses must always be “put down”,…

BRITISH DRESSAGE (BD) has introduced guidelines on rider weight for equine welfare reasons. It is recommended that, from January, the maximum carried should not exceed 20% of the animal’s weight “based on a horse with a ‘good’ condition score”. “BD is committed to upholding the highest standards of welfare, health and wellbeing for both horse and rider,” the members’ handbook states. “To achieve this, the rider should be the correct size for their horse and suitably mounted. The partnership must be in balance… The rider should be proportionate to their horse, with the core stability, suppleness and fitness necessary to achieve a harmonious way of going.” It adds that rider height and size should be taken into account, as well as the age, type, fitness and condition of the horse.…

OBITUARIES THE respected judge and trainer died on 15 November, aged 69. Born on 26 June 1953 in Lancashire, Ms Walsh was the second daughter of Margaret Agnes and David Walsh. Ms Walsh was always a kind and generous person who loved all animals, especially horses, from an early age. She did well at school, and on leaving, having achieved her A levels, she chose to join her elder sister Christine in the running of their family riding school. Here she spent many hours teaching children to ride and care for their ponies. Her talents were not confined to the riding school. In her spare time as a rider, she competed at county shows with her favourite horses in showjumping, and ridden and in-hand hunter classes, winning many rosettes and…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. BEING AWARE RECENTLY, my son was exercising his 11.3hh Welsh pony and we were contemplating jumping a 30cm cross-pole, setting ourselves up for his showjumping competition. The pony is incredibly safe, but isn’t always the most forward going which, most of the time, plays into our hands. On this occasion, however, we needed a tiny bit more impulsion, so I asked him to give the pony a little tap with the whip behind his leg. But as I uttered these words, it was as if the spotlights focused on me and the lights dipped all round. Suddenly, it felt like every house that was overlooking the field laid judgement upon me uttering those words. And what if…

“MAGDY thinks he’s a Falabella, although he’s 16.2hh. If you leave the stable door open, he’ll mooch around the yard by himself. His greatest quirk is that he’ll only eat Pink Lady apples. “He came from a big stud and his character - both the cheeky side and the kind nature has come out since he’s been in a smaller environment. “My mare is very dominant, but Magdy just doesn’t care. He’ll wind her up, she’ll swear at him and tell him to go away and he’ll just stand there. I think that’s why he’s good at endurance. He's so laid-back, doesn't care about things like travel and enjoys being out and about at new places. If horses are upset by atmosphere, their recoveries at vetgates are affected, but he’s…

JUPITER FARMS Florida, US For you: this Key West-style home features 4,000sq ft of living space with five bedrooms and four bathrooms, including a Cabana bath that leads you on to the pool deck. French doors surround the lower level, and there is a beautiful pool and custom-built hot tub. An outdoor, screened porch overlooks the pool and pastures. Fruit trees include avocado, mango, lime, lemon, guava and banana. For the horses: six fully matted looseboxes and a two-stall concrete wash bay. There are three turnout pastures and a 60ft-round pen. Set in 10.08 acres. $2.65m (£2.14m) Waterfront Properties, +1 (561) 746 7272, waterfront-properties.com 21251 MOORE ROAD Brooksville, Florida, US For you: an open-plan, 4,090sq ft house built in 1991 with four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a pool and beautiful views.…

READER ISSUE 2022 'All my dreams come true' Love for her ponies helps youngster deal with the toughest challenge of her life MY love for horses began before I could walk or talk! At the age of two, my best friend was a Shetland called Mini Bob, a grumpy old grey that belonged to my grandparents. I loved Mini Bob so much and would spend hours grooming him, leading him round the fields and occasionally going for a bareback ride with Granny’s help. I started to ride ponies at a riding school when I was five, which fuelled my passion. The best present ever was at age six when my grandparents bought me my first pony, Sebastien. He is a little Welsh dark bay lead-rein pony whom I adore. We’d…

Aintree International EC, Merseyside “THIS was the first PSG he has managed to finish without mistakes,” said Jess Dunn, who felt “ecstatic” to score a plus-70% win at the level with Hokita, otherwise known as Dreamy. “He tends to get to the first pirouette and then say, ‘No, I can’t do this.’ Before this one, I did nothing but changes in the warmup – I didn’t practise anything else. And I was thrilled he coped. It was green but he didn’t make any mistakes – I could have cried. So I’ve either cracked the test regardless of warm-up or I’ve cracked the warm-up.” The 10-year-old Dream Boy stallion is owned by Jennifer Whittaker of White Hill Stud, as is Lord Lenny, the six-year-old who also gave Jess a satisfying win,…

Edited by Eleanor Jones Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @ jones_eleanor_ INSPIRING people to “never stop learning” is vital for the future of horse sport. That was a key take-home message from World Horse Welfare webinar “Horse welfare and the pressures of competition”, with Rolex Grand Slam winner Pippa Funnell and advanced event rider Ailsa Wates. “To compete at the top level in my view, at any level - you’ve got to have a happy horse onside that is very much your companion. It’s about partnership,” said Pippa, a patron of World Horse Welfare, who has been competing at the top level for more than 30 years. “The key thing is we’ve absolutely got to keep promoting and promoting good horsemanship, good management, and that…

IMPERIAL AURA The Cheltenham Festival winner, trained by Kim Bailey for the Imperial Racing Partnership 2016, has retired aged nine after bursting a blood vessel. The Kalanisi son had won seven of his 17 racing starts. DUTCHMAN Irish dressage rider Alex Baker’s 2022 World Championship ride has been sold to join German Emma Lienert. Alex and the 14-yearold achieved an international freestyle personal best of 70.43% in October. ROTHERWOOD VICTOR Nicola Woods’ show horse has died aged 31. He was a HOYS intermediate winner, RIHS intermediate and partbred champion. He joined Steph Collins at six and was with her and daughter Lauren until he died.…

▲ PRESENTS Top Christmas present of the year was a coffee mug and a wine glass, ordered and engraved by a rider for her trainer. The former read “Before lessons”, the latter “After lessons”. Superb. Only adjustment could have been a slightly larger glass? ▲ MOVES To a rural area, where the Household Cavalry horses have been enjoying a holiday, and throwing some impressive shapes in the field. “Nothing like a kick, buck and fart!” said one fan. When another agreed, she added: “I tried it myself, but nearly put my back out.” ▲ DEMOS To a riding club, which held a lecture-demo with eventing legend William Fox-Pitt. “Great evening,” commented one fan. “I’d have loved to see more of William.” Gosh (or similar), a pal chimed in. “It wasn’t…

ONE of the newest recruits to the police in Ocala, Florida, has 13 years of experience in law, and disaster response, and a string of awards and accolades. Officer Magic is 15, and 6.3hh. She comes from Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses and is the first miniature horse to be sworn in as an honorary officer for the city. Gentle Carousel told H&H Magic has comforted survivors of natural and man-made disasters, and visited thousands of patients in hospital. Ocala Police Department chief Mike Balken said Magic will help “spread goodwill and build relationships” between the force and its community. “With her friendly personality and adorable appearance, Magic is sure to be a hit with everyone she meets,” he said. EJ…

Edited by Polly Bryan polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 OPINION TRYING to get ready for Christmas with four children has proved quite challenging. I had hoped to be able to discuss the dressage at the London International Horse Show at ExCeL, but I struggled to find time to watch it, or anything else for that matter. In fact, my horses are lucky if I know who I am sitting on and don’t ask the five-year-olds for piaffe and passage, while making the grand prix horses think their holiday has come early when I am pleased with one nice simple change. I have lost the phone in the fridge and spent 15 minutes looking for something I was holding in my left hand. To say that I am chasing my tail would be an…

I grew up being expected to ride, but this wasn’t for me and I retired aged 10 having been told off at a Pony Club event. “You on the skewbald, will you tighten your reins!” After I’d successfully identified an oak leaf, a beech leaf (learning which plants were and weren’t toxic to horses), and opened and closed a gate, this terrifying lady ensured that I gave it all up! My brother Geordie, sister Carolyn and I were surrounded by racing growing up and the conversation was always about one of the horses belonging to my father [The 7th Earl of Carnarvon and The Queen’s racing manager] or The Queen. The mood in the house would vary according to how they had run. The racing bug gripped me at the…

MEYNELL AND SOUTH STAFFS 8 December catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123…

HIGHLIGHTS 12-18 December Edited by Polly Bryan polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 Wellington Riding, Hants IMPRESSIVE VDC recorded the highest score of his grand prix career so far, posting 77.17% with Sarah Millis. The nine-year-old (Charmeur x Krack C) stepped up to the level this year, completing his first international at Le Mans in October, and Sarah reports that his confidence is growing with every outing. “He is feeling more confirmed at the level now. He feels as though he knows what it’s all about now,” said Sarah, who is now aiming Impressive for the Vale View High Profile show in January. “His body is getting stronger as well, and it’s nice to get to the end of the test and feel he is not getting tired.” Sarah also scored a 74.71% inter…

“WHEN Ginny won Burghley in 1986 on him, it was probably the first time that I noticed Murphy,” says Karen Dixon (pictured), who rode on a team with the gelding at the 1990 Stockholm WEG, as well as the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. “He didn’t look like the athlete that he was - he seemed quite ordinary and plain, but my God that horse had an engine, athleticism and courage. It was second to none. “And I think the reason he was so amazing with Scotty [Ian Stark] was that he just let him be himself and had the confidence to do that. They had that special bond and Scotty totally trusted him, which meant he could let him run and do those amazing jumps. “Out of all my years of eventing,…

WHEN the white stuff began falling from the sky, I thought, as I always do, of a stalwart of the hunt called Fred, who sadly died a few years ago. To him, snow was “the s**te” and I couldn’t agree more. It has been beautiful, this last dose, but this is far outweighed by the hassle it brings. Sculptural formations in the trees and every surface iced like a Hollywood musical do not make up for animals under pressure in the fields, frozen pipes and Cresta Run roads adorned with broken-down and crashed vehicles. When you add it all up, “the s**te” is rather a polite description for snow. Tentatively heading out down the road, I met our neighbour, Colin, who was pondering how to bring 60 cattle in for…

DELAUNAY Sweden’s Patrik Kittel has retired his dressage ride, who he owns with the Oatleys. Patrik rode the 16-year-old gelding to top-10 finishes at the 2019 World Cup final and 2017 Europeans, also winning team bronze. CUMINA The mare who helped launch showjumper James Smith’s career has died, aged 21. Leona Smith’s Selle Francais was James’s first horse after ponies and they won more than 100 classes together, before her retirement in 2017. KINGSHAUGH HAILSTORM Zoe and Grace Clarke's Dartmoor has died aged six after colic. He was supreme at the 2020 BSPS Heritage championships with his producer, Charley Baxter, and novice champion. In 2022, he was a HOYS finalist.…

European champion Nicola Wilson has joined the Wesko Equestrian Foundation, set up in memory of eventing owner Christina Knudsen, as it expands to support more young riders. Belgian dressage rider Marc Peter Spahn fractured his leg in a fall, days after finishing 13th in the London World Cup qualifier with Friesian stallion Elias. He is expected to undergo surgery. Para medallist Sophie Wells has gained British Equestrian level four coaching certification, for “high-performing”, experienced coaches. Nicola McLeish and Mia Palles-Clark also hold level four. Showjumper Faye Sutton, 20, received the 2023 Ella Popely mentorship award. Set up by Lea Popely in memory of her daughter, this year’s award offers mentorship with Michael Whitaker. British Horseracing Authority chair Joe Saumarez Smith is to remain in the role as his term has been extended to 31 May…

▼ JOKES Spotted in the field, some ginger horses and ponies moving smoothly past a traditional cross-country jump. What is this, you ask? That’ll be chestnuts coasting by an open tyre. (You’ve peaked. Ed) ▼ BUYING A rather frustrated potential buyer shared the specifics of the horses he is looking for; four years old, sound, good jumpers, etc. “Please don’t offer me camels,” he sighed. "I haven't got enough sand to bed them down.” Oops. Someone’s got the hump… ▼ DRESSAGE To a major website that shares its name with a large river (Thames? Nile? Ed), which is selling a mug bearing the legend “DRESSAGE”, with a picture of a horse and rider. Great, except said horse and rider are soaring over a fence. At C, jump a large oxer?…

Edited by Jennifer Donald jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald OPINION FOR the first time in a long while, I wasn’t at the London International Horse Show for the FEI World Cup qualifier but watched it on the BBC instead. I’d love to know what the viewing figures were - and whether the corporation rated the broadcast as a success because I thought that it was top class. Very few sports get peak air time on the BBC now, and equestrianism in particular. Older viewers often remind me of how popular televised showjumping used to be, so I hope the powers that be were as impressed as I was by this latest coverage. “There’s been an explosion of young rider talent recently, and they're winning at the highest level" Having a presenter like Clare…

RIDER JAMES DICKINSON “WE bought Magdy as an unbroken fiveyear-old from the A1 Waha Arabian Stud. I’m tall and he’s tall for an Arab, nearly l6.2hh, and he just seemed to be strong and have a nice character so we decided we’d give him a chance. “My girlfriend Katie and I broke him in and he was the easiest to break of all of them. We were long-reining him, leaning over him and one day we decided just to get on and he didn’t bat an eyelid. “He started endurance quite late and I think Arabs mature later. As he is big, it gave him an opportunity to grow. We try to ride over varied terrain and do lots of things with our horses, as well as the longer training…

'My lemonade buddy' Redundancy yields an unexpected sweet side WHEN life gives you lemons, make lemonade. This proverbial phrase highlights the need for a can-do attitude when faced with adversity, and to find a way to stop worrying and to start living. The year 2022 has been a challenging one for me. In January, I learnt that my manager was leaving the company I had worked in for two years. In March, I was informed that my role would be relocated to the Netherlands in June. Some 18 months before that redundancy - in October 2020 - I had purchased a nine-year-old Dutch warmblood mare, Annie. This pretty chestnut horse became my saviour while I worked from home throughout Covid. That said, due to the fact that I was an…

OPINION HUNTING has long been a political issue. For reasons lost in the mists of time, and which have little if anything to do with animal welfare or wildlife management, it has become a lightning rod for any number of political debates about class, countryside and modernity. The Countryside Alliance (CA) is engaged with further restrictive legislation in Scotland, amendments to ban trail-hunting in Westminster’s Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill and the inevitable return of legislation to ban hunting in Northern Ireland. These are existential battles for the future of hunting and are part of a campaign fought by the British Field Sports Society and now the CA, which can be traced back to the first bill to ban hunting in 1949. There is no reason hunting should continue to…

Lake Farm, Isle of Wight, Hants ISLE OF WIGHT-based eventer Sarah Holmes enjoyed a fruitful day, with five wins from four horses. She claimed a novice double with 10-year-old Lilly Marlenie, with both scores over 72%, as well as an elementary win each for PJV Inky and Doonaveragh Deluxe and a medium victory riding Gold Flame Guy. “Lilly is owned by Alan and Anita Stay and has only just come back from a holiday at theirs,” said Sarah. “She really pulled it out of the bag and performed. None of the horses got much warm-up as it was still icy, so it was a bit chaotic, but they all went really well. “It was a bit chaotic” SARAH HOLMES “I’m trying to do a little more dressage with all the eventers…