Innholdsfortegnelse for 30-Mar-2023 i Horse & Hound

WITH Badminton imminent, we were thrilled to be able to visit last year's winner, Laura Collett, as she gears up for this year's event with not just one but two contenders (feature, pl8). Features editor Martha Terry went along for the whirlwind 12 hours, which is a standard day in the life of this superstar rider. Schooling racehorses, as well as galloping, training and hacking her own rides, Laura is on the go from the crack of dawn without even having time to stop and eat. It's a reminder of the physical challenge riders face, and a wonderful insight into Laura's passion for horses and how she builds partnerships with them. In his column this week (opinion, pl6) Joe Trunkfield ponders the question that keeps repeating itself - how can…

ONE FOR ARTHUR The 2017 Grand National winner, trained by Lucinda Russell for the Two Golf Widows, has died aged 14 from colic. He was shown by Aisling Dwan, then joined Ailsa McClung. CHAPLIN Swiss showjumper Martin Fuchs'2022 World Cup final winner, owned by Luigi Baleri, has retired at 16 to breed. He won three Global Champions Tour grands prix. QUEVEGA The six-time Cheltenham Festival winner delivered a colt by Walk In The Park, on 17 March. The arrival, nicknamed Patrick Vega, is full brother to Grade One winner Facile Vega.…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. GOLDEN OLDIES ROCK! READING the recent letters from mature riders has given me great pleasure. According to family folklore, one of my first words was “horse” as I pointed out a rag 'n' bone man's cart from my pram. Mother didn't do baby words like “gee-gee”. I learnt to ride with an exWorld War One cavalry officer, who told me to grip with my knees and trot on. And I recall the first time I sat on Tony the piebald pony. I had found my passion. I was four and had to have my feet in the leathers as they couldn't reach the irons. “It has been and is still a good life thanks to horses” ERICA V…

IT'S 6.30am on a dank grey morning and Laura Collett is already aboard her first horse of the day. There will be 14 more. This one, a smart bay three-year-old, is one of a trio of William Haggas's Flat horses Laura has in for schooling at Penhill Farm near Cheltenham. Already a winner, he has recently been gelded and is learning how to behave. Lie's trotting smartly in circles, on a contact, looking more like a young event horse than a potential star of the Turf. A thick drizzle has set in, but Laura is on a roll. The bay goes on the walker, and Laura hops aboard another Flat racer, a dark bay with a stripe. “I like riding the Flat horses, they're easy to mould as they're so…

IT is not unusual for an abscess to cause a horse to be non-weight bearing on the affected limb, and many a vet has been called to a horse with a “suspected broken leg” that turns out to be an abscess. A sub-solar hoof abscess, also known as pus in the foot, is a common cause of lameness, particularly in wet weather conditions following a long dry period, as well as during an extended spell of frequent and heavy rain. It is thought that tiny cracks appear in the hoof wall and allow moisture, dirt and bacteria to enter. Infection sets in, followed by a build-up of pus that, within the restricting hoof cavity, soon becomes extremely painful. Other cases are associated with puncture wounds to the hoof, while sometimes…

SHOWJUMPING BRITISH SHOWJUMPING SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS 16-19 March jennifer.donald@futurenet.com Arena UK, Grantham, Lincs THE BREEN team were in prominent form at these championships, with yard rider Katie Speller emerging from the wings to claim both the winter national 1.35m and five-year-old finals. Katie piloted relatively new ride Cindy Z to victory in the big class, beating Jess Hewitt and Kann Be Lucky to the £2,000-win by 0.39sec, while Geoff Billington trailed just 0.18sec behind with his stallion Just Special. ”She arrived at the end of last year and I've done a couple of shows with her,” said Katie, who has been working for Shane Breen for the past four years. “She's a nice easy mare who feels like she could jump a house. She makes you feel confident and like you…

Hunters Equestrian, Glos DUTCH HISTORY headed the prix st georges (PSG) with 72.21%, impressing Rhett Bird with his focus and enthusiasm. “He's very straightforward and professional in the ring,” said Rhett, who co-owns the Negro gelding with Richard Davison. “He loves his work and he loves competing. We had one small mistake, which was my fault, but he's fairly established at the level now and ready for inter I.” Hannah Goddard enjoyed a 71.13% novice 38 qualifier win with Mr Brown Van Vonderschotten. Riding in her first dressage test for seven years, mum-of-four and former eventer Hannah was relieved that the showjumping-bred five-year-old gelding behaved for his dressage debut. “Everything he does is accentuated by his size,” she explained of Mr Brown, who had hit 17-2hh when Hannah stopped measuring…

RACING HIGHLIGHTS 24-26 March jennifer.donaid@futurenet.com @jen_donald Musselburgh, E Lothian; Kelso, Roxburghs; Carlisle, Cumbria THE interregnum between jump racing's twin peaks of Cheltenham and Aintree four weeks this year - gives the lesser lights a few opportunities, and the Go North Festival, a series of valuable “finals” run at Musselburgh on Friday, Kelso on Saturday and Carlisle on Sunday last week, fits perfectly in this space. The series, with a number of qualifiers through the winter and each with a valuable final, was designed in 2021 to give mid-tier horses a decent endof-season target and boost racing north of Doncaster. Each discipline is named after a popular northern jumps horse, so they are named after old favourites like Red Rum, Monet's Garden, Jodami, One Man, Lady Buttons, The Grey Bomber and…

POINT-TO-POINT HIGHLIGHTS 25-26 March gemma.redrup@futurenet.com @gemmaredrup Crawley & Horsham and Southdown & Eridge Parham, W Sussex SIXTEEN years after landing his first brace of wins, Andrew Coveney sent out two winners to land another. Phil York instigated the first when riding 10-year-old Definite Dilemma to victory in the INEOS Grenadier mixed open for The Coveney & Carrington Family. “We were given him a couple of years ago having had a touch of a leg, so he was put in the field and given time before we brought him in,” explained Andrew. “He's been hunting and we ran him at Penshurst first time out - he ran a blinder. We'll take it easy with him because he's had an injury and when you've got a good horse like that, you want…

HUNTING UNITED PACK 11 March catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123 United Pack, Newton Farm, Shropshire MASTER and huntsman Nicko Batten worked his horse through the snowy fields at sunrise, and cantered up to me, the snow loosely flicking from the hoof rather than packing and balling. “It's huntable!” he said, so, with that, salvation was granted for the final meet at Newton Farm. Hard goodbyes followed, marking the retirement of three of the United Pack's masters. Well-wishers gathered to bid farewell to an outstanding triumvirate. Nicko remembered: “We were like three little boys, always in the Lowfield [pub] eager to put plans into action.” His voice cracked; he'd warned us it would be hard. “Our farmers here are incredible. “Please realise, these masters' generosity facilitates an incredible party for just a small subscription.”…

VICKI ROBERTS (pictured, right, with Sprinter Sacre) runs a pre-training and rehab yard and has looked after Sprinter for five years. She says she didn't fully appreciate the effect he has on people until someone arrived at her yard and burst into tears at the sight of him. He is kind, too. When a blind man visited, he touched Sprinter all over and not once did this legendary biter object. While his glory days are over, and Vicki hacks (in a snaffle) and occasionally parades with him, he is still very much the boss. He always gets to eat before his field-mates. “But he's also needy,” says Vicki. “If he's at the bottom of the field grazing and the other two walk to the top of the field, that's it,…

Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @ jones_eleanor_ CALLS for change have been made after a rider suffered broken ribs and a lacerated liver when her horse kicked her ahead of a show trot-up. Lisa Marriott was taken to hospital and was in intensive care after the incident at Addington CDI on 16 March. Olympic rider Richard Davison, who has organised as well as taken part in many vet checks, told H&H the system had merit; it was designed to run one way to avoid accidents. ”But it was difficult to implement as it was spread over a large area, with the collecting area not visible from the stables and too far away from the horse inspection,” he said. “The stewards ushered too many horses out…

JANE PATERSON THE long-standing showing judge and supporter of native breeds died on 25 February, aged 69, after a short illness. Born in Finedon, north Northamptonshire, Miss Paterson was the eldest of three children. Her father David was a farmer, and her mother Frances' side of the family had a farm in Cumbria. Miss Paterson went to school in Wellingborough, but she most enjoyed helping her father with the horses and on the farm. She enjoyed riding in gymkhanas, firstly with a 12.2hh pony called Misty, then a 14.2hh named Jason. She turned to showing and bought riding pony youngstock from the Rising Hoe Stud in Bedford, then moved to showing mountain and moorlands. She showed Fells, Dartmoors and Shetlands with her father, which she continued following her mother's death…

The late Queen's stud groom Terry Pendry was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the demise honours list, on 25 March. Irish showjumper Mikey Pender and HHS Calais won the 1.60m Andalucía grand prix on 26 March. It was their second fourstar grand prix victory in a row. Jumper Robert Murphy was selected for the Young Riders Academy for talented young showjumpers. Lily Attwood was picked for the educational programme. Former Cheltenham Gold Cupwinning jockey Bryan Cooper has announced his retirement aged 30. He said it was “time to move on to the next chapter”. Point-to-point trainer Tom Ellis had a successful weekend, with 10 out of 10 wins. He said it was a “tremendous team effort” and thanked his “fantastic” owners.…

THE hunt for Rupert Campbell-Black is at an end with Alex Hassell cast as the “dashing ex-Olympian, Tory MP and incorrigible rake” in the on-screen adaptation of Jilly Cooper's Rivals. The second in Jilly's bestselling Rutshire Chronicles features many of the characters from Riders. “The minute we met Alex, we knew he'd perfectly embody my all-time hero, the iconic, racy, ruthless and devastatingly handsome Rupert Campbell-Black,” said Jilly, an executive producer of the eight-part Disney+ series. “Viewers are in for a treat!” The cast includes Aidan Turner and David Tennant.…

DRESSAGE ONLY IN HORSE & HOUND polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 I HAVE just returned from Addington CDI, which is a venue dressage riders are thrilled to have back on the calendar. Addington has a “grand” feel about it and we all love riding there. There were some fabulous horses in the senior grand prix class. To have an Olympic bronze medallist in Gio and a world silver medallist in Vamos Amigos secured for Britain by the Pidgley family, and now ridden by Annabella Pidgley, is great for our country, as is having the Dutch stallion Indigro, ridden by Britain's Andrew Gould. Individuals have varying views as to whether this influx of investment into the sport is positive or negative. There are many roads to Rome, after all, and Addington also proved it is…

COULD Laura have another world-beater on her yard? Dacapo, a 14-year-old by Diarado, is “as talented as London and could win Badminton if he wanted to”, says Laura. “But he's so opinionated, you have to make him think it's his idea.” “You can't tie him up in the cross-ties like everyone else, he bursts out,” she says. “And you have to get on him while he is moving. He needs a Polo to get on at events or he bolts. I'm a stickler for horses standing still, but once at Burnham Market, I wanted him to stand and ended up on the floor, so I said, ‘Fine, have the Polo.'” Laura hopes she's found the key to unlocking his talent and says it's “now or never” for him to run…

LEO LAMB'S seven-year-old final winner Gmail continued an impressive track record of title wins. The Cornet Obolensky gelding, bought as a two-year-old from Karel Cox, won five six-year-old championships last year and competed at Lanaken. Of the many horses to have been bred or produced by Leo and his mother Carron Nicol, Leo considers him, and his other ride Chrysler Key SR, to be “the best horses we have ever had”. “We love him, he's one in a million and an outand-out winner,” Leo said. “He has been a bit cheeky and is not an easy ride, he likes a play and a buck and you have to be on the ball but he knows when it's a big occasion - the more important it is, the better he goes.…

HIGHLIGHTS 17-19 March pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle Lincolnshire EUROPEAN team gold medallist Vendredi Biats made a winning seasonal debut in the advanced intermediate. “He was fresh and happy to be out, but we'd rather that at this time of year than that the horses are bored already,” said rider Kitty King. “One of his owners, Sally Eyre, died a few weeks ago, so this win was nice for her family.” The grey's other owners are Diana Bown, Samantha Wilson and Sally Lloyd-Baker and he will be aimed at Badminton again, having finished seventh there last year. Vendredi Biats's 28.5 dressage score put him 10th, but he was one of only four horses in the section to record a fault-free showjumping, with time particularly influential. “The organisers had done a great job to…

“THIS last month has been a turning point,” said Sophie Isaacs of the progress made by Donaigo Ace, a bronze section and outright winner in both novices at West Park Equestrian, Durham. “Now we know each other better, the work is really improving.” Sophie was re-starting Hanoverian “Hugo” a year ago for his owner, who'd fallen off him and broken an arm, when she had the opportunity to buy him. A day later, Hugo developed a foot abscess; a month later, Sophie fell off another horse and broke her collarbone. “We didn't properly get going until October,” she said. “What he has done, he's done well. He's a capable horse and should go a long way.”…

PRIMMORE'S PRIDE, the iconic event horse who helped make history, has been put down aged 30. Bred by Joanna and Roger Day out of their Ben Faerie mare Primmore Hill, by Mark Todd's Mayhill, Primmore's Pride won three five-star events with Pippa Funnell, and two Olympic medals. “Out of all the horses I have ever had, he was the one right from the first day I sat on him that I knew would become a champion,” said Pippa. “Kiri” was bought as a foal by Roger and Denise Lincoln at the High Performance Sale in 1993, and he was sent to Pippa as a two-year-old. In 1998 they won the five-year-old Burghley young event horse final, and in 2000 the Le Lion D'Angers seven-year-old World Championship. NPippa and Kiri made…

DON GENIRO Alex Hua Tian's Olympic ride has retired from eventing, aged 16. His, Pip and Sarah Higgins and Pam Dews' gelding came eighth in Rio and 25th at the Tokyo Games. KICKING KING The 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup and dual King George VI winner has died aged 25. The Tom Taaffetrained gelding, owned by Conor Clarkson, retired to the Irish National Stud. FINDONFIRECRACKER The eventer has retired, aged 16. She and amateur Sharon Polding completed Luhmühlen and Pau CCI5*s and 12 four-stars, and represented Britain in jumping and eventing.…

CHALLENGES A farrier whose client had just texted to ask for a new, rather young horse to be added to her list replied: “You do know I've been doing this long enough that I don't need you to keep buying me projects?” Ah. Sorry. LIVERY To the rider asking for “DIY livery for my boyfriend”. Hmm, you might be better off just putting him in full livery. More cost but less hassle. GIRAFFES Spotted, a five-bar gate, another gate on top, posts and wire atop that and a sign: “Please do not feed the giraffes”. So many questions, but a couple of Shetlands would just make the picture please. POLICE To the US, where a small pony led police in a “lowspeed foot pursuit”. It took two hours to catch…

SHOWJUMPING ONLY IN HORSE & HOUND jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald DESPITE the difference in the set task and routine, one common problem all spheres of equestrianism are experiencing is new rules and regulations being made, in order to protect the image of the sport in the general public's eye. Recently, I was invited to the office of my sporting federation (British Showjumping) to gain further knowledge on the why and how of some of the rules under which we, as professional horsemen and women, compete. While I'm one of the first to argue about a lot of the rules that I, and many others, find mindboggling and think make no sense - especially with the difference in rules nationally and internationally - I now look at things differently. “I now look at things…

There's no secret formula to successful breeding, just hard work and attention to detail. I've learnt it all from the Boss Cat, my father Ronnie. All his skill and adaptation to the breeding game has led us here. Everyone thinks their horses are better than everyone else's, but we should also see their weaknesses to know where to develop the next generation. I found ponies brilliant as a kid, but my riding days are long gone. I rode point-topoint for a season, aged 16 – it was awesome fun and if I'd been a bit lighter, I might have done it a bit longer. The excitement of what could be at the start of every foaling season is the reason we all do it. We're standing two stallions this year…

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THE mini Heritage title went to a young pony found via an internet advert last year. Durham-based Jennifer Cowan's athletic five-year-old Welsh section C Newgap My Messiah was beautifully ridden by her niece, Anna Teague, 11, to win ONE TO WATCH the BSPS winter qualifier. “We bought him sight unseen and this is his first season under saddle,” said a delighted Jennifer. “The aim is for Anna to get going on him and do a bit of everything, hopefully with some qualifiers later in the season. We'd love him to get to HOYS eventually.”…

AGAINST THE ODDS EMILY PHILP took Lincolnshire's intermediate section T on Lux Stock & Barrel's BGS Lux Electric. She bought the horse from Ireland as a five-yearold, but he missed his six-year-old year after suffering three fractures in his pelvis. “His owners have been very patient as it was all very depressing for a while,” said Emily, adding about this victory: “It was a total surprise - he wobbled up the centre line and didn't halt very well and we cantered around the cross-country so I never thought we'd get a result at all, let alone win.”…

DRESSAGE HIGHLIGHTS 13-19 March poliy.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 Mount Ballan, Monmouthshire BRYONY GOODWIN and Sparkle II dominated the mediums, scoring 79-71% in the qualifier. On this, his second time out at the level, Sue Chaplin's home-bred nine-year-old Sporcken gelding completed his medium qualification and scored a sprinkling of nines. “He'sproving to be quite capable.” BRYONY GOODWIN Hes a modern type, quite leggy and elegant, so it has taken time to build his strength,” said Bryony. “We have to be tactful with the training, but when he understands something he's very willing. The judges loved the canter work. As long as I can get him in good balance, he's proving to be quite capable at the higher-level movements.” Bryony, who trains with Serena Pincus and Adam Kemp, also took both novices with seven-year-old “pocket…

FAIRYTALE ROMANCE RL headed a prelim freestyle at Arley Moss, Cheshire, just two days before winning both prelims at nearby Foxes Riding School. Robert Gilsenan, who bred “Wilbur” with Lucinda Beilis, said: “He'd just done his first show at Myerscough so it was a bit of a crash course for him.” ONE TO WATCH By grand prix stallion For Romance and out of a Rubin Royal mare, Wilbur was a prolific winner as a youngster and, as a foal, was even highlighted by H&Has a dressage star of the future. “Wilbur has a fantastic, trainable temperament,” added Robert of the five-yearold gelding. “Our intention is to breed top competition horses that are also safe and sensible. We are just so proud of how he has turned out.”…

LICENSED KWPN stallion Kenzo US maintained his impeccable record by notching up a double medium win at Newbold Verdon EC, Leicestershire. Elspeth Day, who rides him for owners Lily and Lisa Sturmey, said: “Everything seems effortless for Kenzo. He's truly the kindest, most talented horse. As soon as his saddle is on, he's asking ‘What do you want?'” Kenzo impressed Elspeth and her dad, trainer Andrew Day, when they viewed him in the Netherlands a year ago. “We'd seen a photo and thought it was too good to be true, but we couldn't find a fault with him,” said Elspeth. “He'll be standing at stud this season as well as competing and we're very excited to see how it goes.”…

SPRINTER SACRE'S stellar reputation went before him. The week before National Hunt champion trainer Nicky Henderson took his superstar to Punchestown for the Grade One, twomile Champion Chase, the course's racing manager, Richie Galway, found a man wandering the car park. “Can I help you?” he asked. He certainly could; the man was making a 280-mile round trip from Cork and because he wasn't familiar with the layout of Ireland's most prestigious course, needed to get his bearings in plenty of time. He “had to see Sprinter Sacre”. He wasn't the only one. Come the big day, 23 April 2013, the president of Ireland joined the record-breaking 18,607 crowd to see this spectacular horse, and everywhere Nicky went, people shook his hand to thank him for bringing the “Black Aeroplane”…

SPRINTER SACRE was bred in France, the most successful offspring of his German sire Network by any important metric (the most wins, the highest rated). He was bought as a two-year-old as part of a job lot from trainer Robert Fougedoire, who was closing his yard in France. He earned £1.1m in prize money and won 18 of his 24 races. At his height, his Timeform steeplechase rating of 192 was third only to the legends of the 1960s, stable-mates Arkle at 212 and Flyingbolt at 210. To compare, the top-rated British chaser at the start of 2023 was Tingle Creek winner Edwardstone at 174.…

HORSE&HOUND GOODNIGHT THE atmosphere was slightly giddy when we rode off from the meet on Tuesday. Something to do with the bumper-sized measures of port at the meet, courtesy of the bike followers, combined with the bittersweet feeling that often accompanies the last day of the season. “I'm not with it at all,” confessed Christine, as we heard hounds speak shortly after entering some gorse. Before the meet, I had got the trailer stuck (don't tell Adam) and was rescued by mother-and-daughter combo Julia and Annabel who got Issy unloaded, and guided me around and out of the mud. The relief at getting unstuck combined with several gulps of port went straight to my head. THE last day comes around faster every year and this time it felt as if…