Innholdsfortegnelse for 9-Feb-2023 i Horse & Hound

ON the eve of his return to Flat racing, exchampion jockey Oisin Murphy took time out of his schedule to enjoy a day with the Ledbury - and visiting North Cotswold hounds - for an H&H hunt report (p40). Which was jolly good of him. It wasn't the most exciting day, with the weather too warm for hounds to pick up much of the trail. But as Oisin says, he managed to nip off and enjoy jumping a fence or two, appreciating again the wondrous number of obstacles afforded to us by the glorious British countryside. He might have been fashionably late for the meet - “I don't drink anymore, so I like to just get on and go!” - but he wasted no time crossing the country hot on…

IN THE NEWS JERICH PARZIVAL The Olympic medallist, ridden by Adelinde Cornelissen, has died aged 26. The pair won four European golds and London 2012 individual silver and team bronze. They also won two World Cup finals. LARKSONG Showjumper Helen Tredwell's mare has died, aged 18. They had numerous county wins, top placings at Horse of the Year Show, and finished third and second in back-to-back Queen Elizabeth II Cups at Hickstead. VMF GLADIATOR Multiple gold medal-winning dressage rider Edward Gal rode in the public eye for the first time since Tokyo in a masterclass at Jumping Amsterdam, with new ride VMF Gladiator, VMF Stables' 12-year-old Totilas son.…

NAKEDNESS After The Jockey Club removed its dress code, a racegoer heading for Lingfield checked to see what was allowed - and was amused to read that men are asked to “please adhere to the rules about clothing not permitted on site”. Gosh. Chilly at this time of year. NAMES Hats off to World Horse Welfare staff who, having considered names for a mare and foal found in a snow-covered field, the latter with not one but two cans wedged on his foot, came up with…Tintin and Snowy. Brilliant. VALENTINES Well, the big day is approaching, and all the H&H ladies are hoping to be given a ring. Size 30×60m, material sand and rubber, or possibly fibre, complete with dressage markers and a full set of jumps. Contact details on…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. A SENSITIVE ISSUE I WAS disappointed by the letter (12 January) stating that a person of 5ft 7in would be judged overweight by the NHS body mass index (BMI) calculator at just over 11 stone. The NHS BMI calculator for that height gives a range (for women) of 8st 61b to list 5lb; with 14lb in a stone, the upper limit is nearly 11½ stone. I am at the lower end of BMI for my height and also weigh significantly less than 20% of my horse's body weight, which is the British Dressage (BD) advisory limit - the latter would allow me to be morbidly obese before, in theory, being too heavy for my 17hh horse, who…

HORSE&HOUND THE INTERVIEW ANDREW GOULD is proof that good things come to those who wait - and work hard. The 42-year-old rider is a well-known name on the dressage scene, having ridden on five junior and young rider European Championship teams and produced countless horses up the levels in the years since. But it wasn't until 2022, when a super season on the grand prix circuit came to a glittering conclusion at the London International Horse Show (LIHS), that Andrew felt as though he had finally made it. “I've been going to Olympia to watch since I was 12, and it was always one of the shows I wanted to ride at. But it felt like an unrealistic dream and there was always an element of disappointment to keep coming…

“WE bought the dam as a two-year-old from Fayre Oaks and she's a tiny Welsh section B. Our friend Andrea Oakes, who owns the stallion, wanted a quiet, older mare for him for his first time and the outcome was this gorgeous little mahogany colt that you could put on your mantelpiece. “My dad was called David, and we had never named anything Dave so It was a tribute to him as he got me into horses and bought me my first show pony. Dave has a full sister, Derw Sweet-Memories, whom we call Elsie after my grandmother; she also qualified for HOYS in the same class as Dave and finished ninth in the final. “Dave won at Royal Welsh as a two-year-old, shown by my daughter Hannah, and was…

KELSTERS FARM Hugus, Truro, Cornwall For you: a four-bedroom Grade II-listed farmhouse with adjacent barn that has planning permission for conversion into an annexe. There is a heated swimming pool outside, hot tub room and 2.13 acres of gardens and orchard. For the horses: four large indoor stables with Monarch gates, and an attic tack room above. There are three further stables in a timber block, with another tack room. There is also a floodlit sand school and lunge ring. There are five fields in a total of nearly 15 acres of grazing. £1.45m Lillicrap Chilcott, 01872 273473, lillicrapchilcott.com BEECH PARK Dulverton, Somerset For you: a four-bedroom home set within Exmoor National Park. Features include a garden room, croquet lawn, summerhouse and ha-ha. For the horses: a stable block comprising…

THE healing power of horses has been well researched and studied in clinical trials. There are documented benefits to children and adults with ADHD and autism - in both cases horses have a calming influence, improve focus and cognitive ability. Libby Scott, a 14-year-old rider with autism, is one who found peace when being with horses. At the age of 10 she wrote her first piece about what life was like with autism, and has since written four books, all touching on the positive effects of interaction with horses. Libby's education is split, some days in a formal classroom setting, and others at the stables but also having lessons. Showjumper Alex Atherton says she has learnt emotional regulation from horses. “They really calm me and because horses read off humans…

DAVID REDVERS, Ledbury jointmaster and racing manager for Qatar Racing, said: “Oisin is the consummate horseman, and he demonstrates that by getting every horse he rides to shine, whether it is on the racetrack or in the hunting field. “In recent years, we have had Flat jockeys such as Jim Crowley, Eddie Ahern, Jamie Spencer and Tom Queally hunting with us, and I'd say Jim and Oisin are the best I've seen over a fence. Oisin jumps huge things completely in cold blood, and is irritatingly stylish and together when doing so! “Oisin's had a long time away from race-riding [he received a 14-month ban for breaching Covid protocols and failing two breath tests] and hunting has kept his mind straight and his body fit. I think he's fit and…

DRESSAGE HIGHLIGHTS 23-29 January poliy.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 Vale View Equestrian Area Festival, Leics LILY CARSON scored a double win with Red Valentino SCS, heading both the prelim silver and novice bronze. “There's a lot to learn and improve but for where he is at the moment, and where we are as a partnership, I'm really pleased,” said Lily, who is riding the sixyear-old gelding for Sue Carson (no relation). “He's young and green but easy to train and happy to give anything a go. The eventual plan is for Sue to take him over,” added Lily, who trains with Sue and also Paul Fielder. “I was also second in the novice with SCS Lifeguard CDS, a seven-year-old gelding by Bodyguard Moorland. He's not an easy ride, more like a bull in…

RACING HIGHLIGHTS 3-5 February jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @ jen_donald Dublin Racing Festival, Leopardstown A LOT of sports, not just racing, are not just about the result but are also about opinions, and there was no better example of that than Galopin Des Champs, the Willie Mullins-trained sevenyear-old who is unbeaten for two years apart from his infamous fall at the last when clear in the Turners last March. That defeat, at the 2021 Dublin Racing Festival, was his last run over two miles and he has been dominant over two-and-a-half miles ever since, over both hurdles and fences kicking all opposition out of the way. At Leopardstown on Saturday, stepped up to three miles over fences for the first time, he duly beat his stable companion Stattler by eight lengths in the…

South East Hunt Club, Charing, Kent ZAC BAKER kicked off the first of his double with a win in the maiden aboard Penniless for owner/trainer Nigel Padfield, this the five-year-old filly's first run. “She was exceptional and looked a million dollars,” said Jack of the Imperial Monarch daughter. “She took a keen hold and I held up as best as I could, but we were two out and cantering all over everyone. We ended up in front for a very long time, but she won easily and is a very smart type.” The second part of Zacs double came with Jetaway Joey in the men's open for trainer Tom Ellis and owner Barbara Hester. “He's a funny one as he doesn't like to hit the front too soon, so a…

CANADA has had two equine sport heroes whose names and achievements are recognised around the world, yet they could not be more different. Hickstead stood less than 16hh, while Big Ben (pictured), ridden by Ian Millar, measured up to his name at 17.3hh, but both horses are in the Jump Canada Hall of Fame. Like his rider, Eric Lamaze, Hickstead had a backstory as a bit of a rogue, but they overcame this to take individual gold and team silver in their first Olympics in 2008. Ian participated in a world record 10 Olympics, starting in 1972. He won the 2008 team silver in Hong Kong (Beijing). Ian was known as Captain Canada during his time on the team. Eric, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour, retired from riding…

HORSE&HOUND GOODNIGHT WHEN visitors come out hunting, you naturally want them to have a great time. If someone has taken the trouble to travel and hire horses and - let's face it - pay for a day out with your hunt, it is good to be hospitable. There's a show-olf element too: local pride in the hounds, the country, the people. You want them to come away thinking, “That's a decent place to go hunting. I would love to go there again.” I don't remember our hunt being particularly welcoming to visitors when I was growing up. In the 1980s, the concept of PR wasn't fully developed where hunting was concerned and most packs had their fair share of “scary pants” who were there to hunt the fox, not to…

Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @ jones_eleanor_ SHOULD cross-country fences be automatically removed after horse falls - and should riders face more sanctions? Those were two of the big questions debated at the FEI eventing risk management forum in Jardy (20-23 January). The forum was asked “not to get defensive” or look at the past with rose-tinted glasses, but to look at how to influence the sport's future “so Versailles is not the last Olympics” for eventing. Laurent Bousquet, a member of the FEI eventing risk management steering group and a trainer, put forward several ideas. He asked the forum to consider whether a fence should be automatically removed after two horse falls, and whether after any horse fall, riders should have a discussion with…

The 10-time Olympian Ian Millar is the new technical advisor for the Canadian jumping team. He said he was honoured to “give back” to the sport after nearly 50 years of riding for his country. Australian carriage-driver Boyd Exell won a record 10th World Cup title in Bordeaux on 5 February, as the only competitor to drive three clear rounds. Boyd praised his “fantastic” horses. World champion showjumper Henrik von Eckermann tops the world rankings for a seventh consecutive month. Martin Fuchs is second and Ben Maher the top Brit in sixth. Two-time Grand National winner Davy Russell won his first Grade One since his comeback, on Mighty Potter for Gordon Elliott. He retired in December but returned to racing last month. Former Pony Club chair Judy Edwards has been…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 RECENTLY, I attended a Zoom meeting of the International Dressage Riders Club, where the outstanding equine veterinarian Rachel Murray provided us with some enlightening facts on the subject of horse welfare. Rachel's experience as a sport horse clinician is jaw dropping. As well as a stellar career in practice, she has led many studies investigating sport horse training, injury and performance on behalf of sport governing bodies, and provided expertise to British Equestrian over many years, too. I've enjoyed Rachel's expertise with my own horses in the past, and she has also trained and competed to grand prix. Safe to say, hers is a voice worth listening to. “Our main focus should he ensuring horse welfare at all levels, not just putting the spotlight on elite horses ”…

DUBARRY RATHDOWN GILET An ideal mid-layer made from recycled materials with two zipped outer pockets and a zipped inner security pocket. £149 dubarry.com HOLLAND COOPER DIAMOND QUILT CLASSIC GILET Water-resistant layer with soft moleskin bindings and shoulder trim, and two front pockets. £145 hollandcooper.com TOMMY HILFIGER EQUESTRIAN MID-WEIGHT RE-DOWN GILET Water-repellent gilet with recycled down and feather filling. £169 tommy-equestrian.com HY EQUESTRIAN SYNERGY SYNC GILET Vest with warm quilting to the front and back, plus breathable jersey material on the side panels. £59.99 hy-equestrian.com WEATHERBEETA GIA PUFFER VEST Two-way front zip gilet with zipped pockets and rear vents. Showerproof and windproof for protection against the elements. £74.99 weatherbeeta.com NATTILY DRESSED GILET Made in the UK using 100% recycled fabric made from plastic bottles. It has a high neck and low…

IT was inevitable, I suppose. While we enjoyed a restart following the first freeze-up and an unencumbered spell of hunting over Christmas, the east coast of America had turned itself into an igloo. As the persistent winds from the south-west shifted due west, with them came a few blissful scenting days before gusts from New York enveloped this island and we all had to start unfreezing pipes again. The Covid “season” excepted, hunting has had little or no enforced breaks for what feels like well over a decade. It is difficult, therefore, not to feel a touch gloomy about so many days lost, being so unused to the prolonged pause. The odd one is useful to catch up on a few things, but whole weeks left fallow are an outrage.…

“HE was one of the quirky ones,” said Heidi Hutchinson of her inter I silver winner Ellison, whom she found at a dealer's yard. “He was hot and quite tricky but cheap, so I took him on as a project. He's a sweet horse, it just took time to get his confidence.” Since that uncertain beginning as a five-year-old, “Rodders”, now 14, has risen through the ranks with Heidi. “I've never ridden past this level, but the plan is to do an inter II,” said Heidi, who trains with Paul Hayler. “It's all new for us both, so to learn together is a challenge, but we're already playing with the one-time changes. The work seems to be getting easier, rather than harder, for him.”…

JÉRÔME CARON, who was Hickstead's groom through the 2008 Olympics, said the horse was well aware of Eric's role in his life. “When the horse saw Eric coming, he knew that meant business,” he recalls. “Hickstead was quite sensitive but not super-cuddly, though the stallion would nicker when I called his name. “He wasn't difficult when he was in work,' Jerome says, but he could get a bit “rowdy” if he wasn't in training. When Hickstead won gold, Jérôme said his phone started ringing. He was getting calls from “everyone in the world, people you haven't spoken to for years. It was exciting; it made you realise how big it was. “It was the biggest achievement,” he says. “When you're a groom, what else are you going to do? It…

IN THE NEWS LEAMINGTON CLIQUOT Lucinda Stockley's show hunter pony has died, aged 33. The pair stood supreme at the Ponies (UK) winter and summer and British Show Pony Society summer championships, and won at HOYS and RIHS. LADY BOWTHORPE Emma Banks' Nassau Stakes heroine has given birth to a colt by Dubawi. She gave jockey Kieran Shoemark his first Group One win, and ended trainer William Jarvis' 27-year wait for another at Goodwood in 2021. DRUMACLAN FLIGHT The 138cm jumping pony, who won titles across Britain and more than £10,000, has been put down aged 22. She was partnered by Jennifer McLeish, and former riders include Shaunie Greig and Tia and Eloise Squibb.…

THE HORSE & HOUND PODCAST The Horse & Hound Podcast H&H discusses the latest news on The Horse & Hound Podcast: horseandhound.co.uk/podcast JAMES “JIMMY” WOFFORD THE former Olympic eventer, renowned trainer and author died on 2 February aged 78, from pancreatic cancer. Born in Kansas, Mr Wofford came from an equestrian family. His father Col John Wofford rode in the US showjumping team at the 1932 Olympics, his brother Jeb won a bronze medal in eventing at the 1952 Games and his brother Warren was reserve for the jumping and eventing teams at the 1956 Olympics. Mr Wofford attended Culver Military Academy, then studied at the University of Colorado. In 1966 he married his childhood sweetheart Gail, and the couple later moved to their farm Fox Covert, in Virginia. He…

THE Vietnamese jungle is a far cry from Pony Club camp in Warwickshire. But Anne Grindal is as adept in both. The coach, who team-chases, jumps and has evented to intermediate, is also a farmer's wife and mother of two, and runs a rug repair business. She found time to train for SAS Who Dares Wins: Jungle Hell, shown on Channel 4 at 9pm Monday. Anne is one of 20 civilians who were taken to the jungle, where former special forces “put recruits through the ultimate test of their physical and psychological resilience”. “It was 100% humidity, so you were sweating from the moment you woke up,” Anne said. “It was rough and ready but with horses and farming, you're used to long days and you get on with it.…

SHOWING ONLY IN HORSE & HOUND Edited by Alex Robinson alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ AS the 2023 season begins, we have seen some significant changes to the calendar. One current hot topic is the new London International Horse Show (LIHS) showing series. The British Show Horse Association (BSHA) classes, which are restricted to amateur exhibitors, and the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) cradle and nursery stakes classes, which are open classes, will all follow their current formats, with which most exhibitors are familiar. However, the new BSPS performance classes, also open to amateurs and professionals alike, will run to a new format. So, what exactly is a performance pony? Or what do we envisage it should be? The format for the class in the new BSPS rule book says that 60 marks will…

HORSE&HOUND IN THE SPOTLIGHT Need to know DERW DREAM BOY Stable name: Dave Sex: gelding Height: 122cm Breeding: by Westgrove Dark Secret out of Heniarth Hushabye Breeder: Julia Owen Class: lead-rein show pony Owner: James and Jade Knipe Leader: James Rider: Millie Knipe, five Age: six Best results: 2019, first two-/three-year-old colt riding pony breeding Royal Welsh; 2021, restricted mini champion and supreme mini champion British Show Pony Society (BSPS) summer championships, first and champion Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) qualifier BSPS Area 2a, fourth RIHS open leadrein show pony, first and champion mini BSPS Area lb summer show, reserve supreme Westmorland County, supreme Cartmel Agricultural show; 2022, first and champion mini show pony Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), first and champion HOYS qualifier Cheshire County, mini supreme and…

DID you know that there are currently multiple commonly used grading scales used to evaluate lameness, with grading from 0-5,1-5,1-4 and 1-10? A recent editorial in Equine Veterinary Journal discussed the ongoing quest for a validated, universally accepted visual lameness grading scale. But what makes an ideal classification system? Ideally, such a scale must turn the subjective perceptions of the human eye into an objective, easy to define, repeatable and reproducible output, that exactly classifies the lameness which is being observed. However, as we know, that's not so simple. Horses don't just have one fixed gait and they are ridden and assessed at several different gaits. A horse can have lameness in one limb, more than one limb, or have a single limb lameness confounded by compensatory movements that mimic…

NURODIVERSITY covers a host of “hidden” disabilities, including attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia. All are classed as disabilities by the Equalities Act, meaning organisations are legally compelled to make reasonable adjustments. A disability is defined as an impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out day-to-day activities“. Symptoms of neurodiverse conditions vary but almost all affect “executive function”. The processes a neurotypical (NT) person takes for granted, such as time management, planning, and problem-solving become challenging, meaning that seemingly simple tasks take huge mental effort. Others are difficulty focusing, as well as poor coordination, working memory or spatial awareness, and anxiety. Individuals may struggle to understand instructions, be unable to communicate effectively, miss social cues or become overwhelmed by seemingly…

NATIONS CUP GLORY FOR GREAT BRITAIN GREAT BRITAIN was triumphant in the CSI04* Sharjah Nations Cup in the UAE. The squad of William Funnell (Equine America Billy Picador), Tim Gredley (Imperial HBF) and brothers Donald Whitaker riding Millfield Colette and Joe Whitaker with Hulahupe JR won with an eightpoint margin over Ireland, with the host nation UAE in third. There were only two double clears in the competition, both of which were produced by British riders, William Funnell and Donald Whitaker. TEENAGE HORSES LEAD THE WAY IRISH rider Conor Swail and top horse Count Me In returned from a break to resume their winning ways in the Mars Equestrian CSI4* grand prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival, Florida. “I'm lucky to have ‘Crosby'” said Conor of the 16-year-old Count Grannus…

AFTER an accident on another horse that left her with partial paralysis of her right side, Nicola Young realised she needed to get back on her own horse, Texas Girl, or sell her. AGAINST THE ODDS “It was Caroline Paterson of BD Scotland who encouraged me to ride again and introduced me to the world of dressage,“ explained Nicola, who affiliated her Irish Sport Horse/American Paint mare, known as “Delight”, just 18 months ago. “I use a looped rein and a sling, but Delight has been so good at adjusting and adapting to how I ride. “We now train with Scott McLellan and hope to progress up the levels,“ added Nicola, who claimed the prelim bronze at Netherton. “We're still new to the white boards and flowerpots, but Delight has…

HIGHLIGHTS 4-5 February Melton Hunt Club, Garthorpe, Leics TRAINER Tom Ellis had a weekend to remember when sending out 10 winners from 13 runners across the weekend. “It was a bit of a whirlwind and logistically an absolute nightmare, but we're very fortunate that we've got a great team and a lot of supportive owners,” said Tom, who enjoyed a treble at Garthorpe. gemma.redrup@futurenet.com @gemmaredrup The incredibly consistent Precious Bounty added a seventh win from nine starts under Ellie Callwood for the Ice 'N' Slice Racing Club in the ladies' open. “He's a great little horse that we bought from Sam Curling before last season and he has shot up the grades with Ellie,” explained Tom. “It's been great to watch her polish up as a rider on him and…

HICKSTEAD was not approved as a KWPN stallion as a youngster. He didn't earn the designation until after he had won his Olympic medals. He is also approved for the Irish, Zangersheide, NRPS and Selle Francais studbooks. He was supposed to retire and stand at stud after the show in Verona, Italy, where he died in 2011. Although Hickstead's untimely passing meant that plan was never realised, there is still semen that was previously collected which has produced offspring who are distinguishing themselves. Marcus Ehning of Germany has competed Flower Girl, beginning last November, mostly at 1.40m and 1.45m. Zoe Conter, the daughter of Stephan Conter, has been showing Lazy, out of a Cruising mare. Ashlee Bond of the Israeli equestrian team rode Lazy previously. “For sure not as good…