Innholdsfortegnelse for 6-Jul-2023 i Horse & Hound

AACHEN is an event that isn’t on everyone’s radar in the UK, but if you ever get a chance to go I recommend it. The wonderful ground and packed, knowledgeable crowd make it the closest thing to a championship that isn’t a championship. And that is one reason the best want to head there to allow their horses to experience such an atmosphere ahead of the year’s actual championships - with the Europeans taking place this August and September. Find out how the Brits fared in the showjumping and dressage in this week’s pages (report, p40 and p48), with our eventing report to follow next week - spoiler alert, Britain did rather well, but golly, the competition is tough at the top. We caught up with Tom Crisp (interview, p18),…

IN THE NEWS HH AZUR US showjumper McLain Ward’s grand prix, World Cup final and Rio Olympic team silver medal-winning mare, whom he owned with Double H Farm, has been retired aged 17. AUGUSTE RODIN The 2023 Derby victor won the Irish equivalent at the Curragh (2 July), trainer Aidan O’Brien’s 100th European Classic win and jockey Ryan Moore’s first in the race. LONGHALVES RENOIR Jo Filmer’s home-bred Welsh section B stallion has retired aged 10. He was a big winner in-hand before his ridden career, where he scored a HOYS and many dressage wins.…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. OF VITAL IMPORTANCE I APPLAUD World Horse Welfare (news, 22 June) for keeping the important subject of social licence to the fore. The results of their survey and the comments from their panel discussion, while uncomfortable to read, are giving us a stark warning change, and change fast! Because we are steeped in tradition the horse world has been slow, and often reluctant, to change. However, a brief look back at our history shows that we can do so. “Surely we should not he afraid to challenge traditions?” PATRICK PRINT FBHS Surely we should not be afraid to challenge traditions and embrace new ideas of how we ride, train, interact and look after horses? Providing these new…

“FAME is a dream horse to look after - he is amenable, straightforward and easily pleased, and makes my life easy. It’s like looking after a teddy bear. “He does love attention, but he’s quiet about it - he’s not one to bang the door or scrape the floor, although he does love to clap his lips together in the wash bay, so we can always tell when he is in there. When you take the feed round in the evening he’ll be dancing with excitement, but quietly, at the back of his stable out of sight. “It’s amazing how he can be so quiet to handle, but such a machine when Carl gets on him - he really goes up a gear at shows. “Fame is still relatively new…

VISIT HORSE & HOUND’S VIRTUAL SHOPPING VILLAGE horseandhound.co.uk/directory/shopping FULL MESH GLOVES BY FELIX BÜHLER Keep your hands cool and well protected too, whether riding or on the yard. The breathable mesh on the back of the hand and the palm provides great ventilation, while the leather rein reinforcements assist with grip. Available in black and dark brown. EKYFLEX TENDON EVO BY AUDEVARD LABORATORIES This complementary feed is designed to provide nutritional support for tendons and ligaments. The triple-action formula targets collagen, the tendon environment and bone attachment, and can provide support during intense training or during the recovery phase following a diagnosed injury. Available in 900g or 1.8kg tubs. ▶ VK EDITION LONG RIDING BOOTS BY EQUICORK These boots are made from premium cork fabric; a renewable, eco-friendly alternative to…

Northallerton EC, N Yorks TRAINER Andrew Walker collected his first red rosette since 2016 when he piloted borrowed ride Fernando DHI to a win in the Equissage Pulse British novice second round. Andrew rode the 13-year-old former eventer while his owner Amy Kneafsey was on holiday in Greece, jumping the quickest of six treble clears by 1.44sec. “I usually coach Amy and she’d already qualified him for the discovery but had been chasing the British novice and kept having a pole, so I said ‘Drop him off while you’re away and I’ll see what I can do!’” said Andrew, who rarely competes. “She was cheering us on from her deck chair! It was a privilege to ride him.” Andrew nearly didn’t make it to the show, which was two hours…

EVANGELINE GASKELL, 21, scored her first intermediate win when she triumphed at Alnwick Ford on her mother Lynsey’s Halcyon Graf (Scampy). The 10-year-old Grafenstolz gelding was bought from his breeder Claire Lambert and Hayden Hankey while Evangeline was based at Talland. “Pammy Hutton taught me so much and now that I’m back at home Hayden is my coach and is always at the end of the phone,” said Evangeline, who also benefits from support from the Wesko Equestrian Foundation, as does the runnerup in this class, Ben Perry. Evangeline is based in Tideswell, Derbyshire, and enjoys coaching the young riders from the High Peak Hunt and Barlow branches of the Pony Club as well as eventing her own two horses.…

Burrows Court Farm, Glos KATHY SIEVERT and Samba Song enjoyed a 71.47% inter I qualifier win on their second attempt at the level, 8% more than on their debut in May. “I panicked a bit in the first one and overrode it,” said Kathy, who bought her 16-yearold Samarant gelding as a fouryear-old and has progressed together with him from novice. “Our trainer, Justine Sole, gave me the confidence to try again. “’Sammy’ can be stubborn about learning something new, until he gets it,” she added. “He used to be quite a monkey in the warm-up, but he’s an absolute pro as soon as he goes in the ring.”…

THE Epsom Derby winner of 1997, Benny The Dip. Nicknamed Benny The Drip due to his propensity to sweat profusely before races, the dark brown colt beat the future St Leger winner Silver Patriarch in a photo finish. Although he was a top twoyear-old and won the Dante Stakes at three before taking the Derby, Benny The Dip failed to get his nose in front again and was retired to stud. A 14-YEAR-OLD Ben Maher on winning form in the pony selection trials for the Europeans. In one JA class, he was first on Dusty Boy and second on Rushmeres Digny Doo (pictured). Even then, the future Olympic champion was known as “Mr Cool”. Ben and Dusty Boy would go on to win two European pony team gold medals. Your…

Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @jones_eleanor_ LEGENDARY German showjumper Ludger Beerbaum has called time on his illustrious career six weeks before his 60th birthday. In a surprise announcement at CHIO Aachen on Sunday (2 July), shortly after jumping his top mare Mila in the grand prix for four faults, Ludger revealed that he would be bowing out. In front of 40,000 people, on home soil, he bid his final farewell and left the international ring for one final time, marking the end of an incredible era for the sport. Ludger told H&H it had not been an easy decision to retire, but he had been wondering for a while whether he should. “Originally I hadn’t planned to ride in Aachen, as I’d passed Mila on…

World champion eventer Yasmin Ingham, 26, and Banzai Du Loir became the first-ever British winners of the SAP Cup at CHIO Aachen. Report, 13 July. Charlotte Dujardin rode Imhotep to an enormous personal best of 88.41% in the CDI05* grand prix freestyle at Aachen, finishing third. Report p48. Grand Nationalwinning Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore was appointed honorary MBE. Honorary MBEs recognise those from overseas who excel in Britain. Horsescotland has appointed Lucy BarclayCarr as chief executive. Lucy is a rider and has a “proven track record in growing successful businesses”. Top jockey Hollie Doyle rode her first winner at Carlisle on 28 June. This means the 26-yearold has now won at every UK Flat racecourse.…

▲ FIDELITY Spotted, a plea from a rider whose husband saw ginger hairs in his razor. Which was better to “confess” to, she wondered: cheating, or using his razor on her chestnut horse… ▲ CEREMONY Corporal Cruachan IV has a role at The King’s Scottish coronation. Bearing in mind this is the Shetland who ate The late Queen’s flowers and nibbled Prince Harry’s fingers, we’ll be watching with great interest… ▲ DISMOUNTING Legend Frankie Dettori’s house is up for rent, with paddocks, arena and donkey stables. Assuming there’s no dismounting block included though… ▼ MATCHY-MATCHY Archaeologists have found a 2,700-year-old saddle in a tomb in China. Rumours that it was attached to and accompanied by a matching ancient Chinese saddlecloth and ear veil are yet to be confirmed. ▼ TUCKING…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 I HAVE been reading with interest all the opinions being shared on social licence, and the figures and percentages when it comes to different opinions on equestrian sport. As Richard Davison wrote in his recent column (opinion, 15 June), it’s important to generate positive input to influence those who are undecided. The recent surveys shared by World Horse Welfare, which were conducted through YouGov, have value. However, I couldn’t get my head around the fact that the results were drawn from a panel of 4,000 people. Despite the name, YouGov is not ran by the government; rather, people sign up and get points by taking part in surveys on anything from politics to toothpaste brands. I was scratching my head wondering how we can get an even bigger…

I always knew I wanted to work with horses but my love of racing developed later on. My first job was in a private hunt yard. The owners had some thoroughbred broodmares and they needed someone to train their pointers. My then boyfriend, Kevin, took the job. We were engaged and married within a year and worked together for 22 years. It was riding the pointers there that triggered my interest in racing. Going fast is addictive. Our next job together was at a National Hunt yard working for Milton Harris. Milton had some success at Cheltenham with juvenile hurdlers and this is where I developed my passion for seeing youngsters coming through and watching their personalities develop. We then went to North Yorkshire to join Bryan Smart Racing and…

MANY of us who own and ride horses are lucky enough to live in rural areas, where issues of air quality and its impact on horse health are likely to be quite low on our list of concerns. Indeed, the UK as a whole tends to have relatively low levels of air pollution, certainly when compared to some more urban or industrialised countries. But air quality is not just about levels of air pollution. In fact, what we feed our horses, where we house them, and what we bed them on can have a significant effect on the quality of air they breathe. Within the stable environment, levels of organic dust, endotoxin (from bacteria) and ammonia can all contribute to poor air quality, and if ventilation is also poor (as…

• The Magic Millions Festival of British Eventing takes place at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire on 4-6 August. For tickets and more information, visit festivalofbritisheventing.com • You can watch live on Horse & Country TV: horseandcountry.tv/live/290510772 • Horse & Hound will be creating online coverage of the Festival of British Eventing, in addition to the magazine report. To keep reading after five articles and enjoy all our coverage, readers will need to buy a subscription. • Visit magazinesdirect.com/XHH-brandsite to buy a Horse & Hound website unlimited subscription or, for great value, a combined magazine and website subscription. If you are already a magazine subscriber, the cost to upgrade your subscription to include full website access is minimal - call 0330 333 1113 to find out more.…

AGAINST THE ODDS A WELSH pony who was bought “feral” from a field in Liverpool for just £250 has reached the top level for 128cms, coming joint first in a qualifier for the Royal Dublin Horse Show. Ten-year-old Hilin Ravel (Bumblebee), owned by Natalie Calderbank, qualified at Barnadown, Co Wexford, with Katelyn Horgan. The gelding was originally produced by Natalie’s daughter Persia, having been bought as an unbacked five-year-old colt. “I saw an advert on Preloved and we drove to Liverpool to see him,” said Natalie. “He was alone in a field of weeds and I felt sorry for him.” They had the pony gelded and Persia, who is now jumping 148cms, started riding him. “He was a nightmare to break and to do. We thought, ‘What have we done?’”…

Sparsholt Celebration of Dressage, Hants “HE feels incredible - and totally ready for the level,” said Zoe Kiff after an inter I silver section win with Platinum Barbarian. “Every time out he’s stronger and the tests seem easier.” Known as “Clever Trevor”, the 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding also took Friday’s prix st georges (PSG) outright, building on a solid season that has seen the pair compete at Hickstead and Wellington Premier Leagues. “It was always a dream to do the Premier Leagues,” said Zoe, who trains with Jezz Palmer and Matt Frost “Trevor is sensitive and finds life overwhelming at times, but he’s super-trainable and has come on so much in one season. We’re doing some grand prix work at home and he’s on that trajectory.” After realising that not all…

CALCOURT FLORENTINE, who was too careful for eventing and too sharp in the showjumping ring, has found his forte in dressage. He’s now won all six of his classes in the 10 days since his affiliated debut - five of them outright. He took both the prelim 19 and a sizeable novice 23 at Speedgate Events, Kent. “I’ve never had a dressage lesson with him but I’ve watched loads of videos,” said Holly Rogers, who bought the 10-yearold gelding four years ago to produce and sell. “It’s easier with a horse like Flor who wants to learn. He’s not easy to shoe or have his teeth done, but he settles in the ring - he likes his people and his job, and the rest he just puts up with.” ON…

IN THE NEWS NATIVE TRAIL Godolphin’s former champion two-yearold, trained by Charlie Appleby, has retired to stud aged four. He scored six wins from 11 starts, winning + £lm. BEJOWANS HEIDI Abigail Staff and Kate Pitcher’s Welsh section B has died at 32. She went to HOYS as an M&M working hunter pony and won many titles as a 122cm show hunter pony. DELGADO Spanish dressage rider Beatriz Ferrer-Salat’s 2015 European individual bronze medallist has died, aged 22. She rode Deliber SL’s gelding at four senior championships.…

A YOUNG rider with a terminal illness brought a showground to a halt as she won her first showing class. Lexi-May Pearce, 10, rode Beth Naylor’s Highland Lagalgarve Brian at the Kirkby Riding Club show. Beth told H&H that Lexi, who was diagnosed with Wilms’ tumour aged six, had lessons on Brian, then riding school ponies, thanks to huge local fundraising. “The club put on her class and stood all the rings down for her. It was heartbreaking, but amazing,” Beth said. Lexi’s mother Danielle said: “All the lovely people, everyone clapping for her. It was perfect.” EJ…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald THIS year’s Al Shira’aa Derby was a great competition. I think everybody was on the edge of their seats watching David Simpson and William Funnell battle it out - so congratulations to them. It was a great crowd and spectators certainly got their money’s worth! William was hard done by not to make history with a record fifth win after jumping two clear rounds but, like me, David’s dream was always to win the Derby. In 2007, David came over to stay with me for two months’ training and he stayed with us for nearly eight years before he moved over to Granny Sue’s. We’ve always been good mates, so from that point of view, his victory felt very similar to when my brother Trevor won in 2014…

RIDER CARL HESTER “IT was love at first ride for me, as I told Fame’s owner Fiona Bigwood when I tried him. Occasionally in your life, you get a horse who you feel just fits you, and Fame fits my personality and my physique. “His only problem is he is an overachiever - the more he does the hotter he can get. He just never stops trying, and I learned at Hickstead that it can be better to let him switch off during the five minutes before going into the ring. He has days when he sees and hears everything, but he really feels as though he enjoys everything he does. There’s never a day when you wouldn’t want to get up and ride him. His enthusiasm makes him a…

WHILE Tom gave up his own competitive career to support Piggy in hers, he has since taken on his own venture in the equestrian world, in the form of the March breeding operation. “The breeding is very much my thing,” says Tom, who currently has seven broodmares. The stud sadly lost their exciting five-year-old stallion Cupid March to colic earlier this year, just ahead of what would have been his first season of breeding. The Clarksville son won last year’s four-year-old Burghley young event horse championship under Piggy. “I consult Piggy for her opinion on things like stallion choice, but generally I take the lead when it comes to March Stud,” explains Tom. “It works the same way as the eventing side of our business, where she is the one…

HIGHLIGHTS 21-25 June @pipparoomeorkyle Alnwick Ford (1), Northumberland MARK DAVIDSON scored his first international win in the AW Jenkinson Ltd CCI3*-S. The 29-year-old works for Piggy March and has “four or five” of his own horses to compete. He finished on his leading dressage score of 28.4 aboard The Round Table Syndicate’s 13-year-old Fonbherna Lancer, who won two CCI4*-S classes when competed by Izzy Taylor. “I’m normally the king of coming second, so this is fantastic,” said Mark, who beat Oliver Townend and Caunton First Class to the spoils. “He is such a lovely horse a total gentleman. He was on the market and Piggy suggested I found some people to form a syndicate for him,” he added. “This is only our third competition together and our first three-star, so…

A TEENAGER awaiting her para dressage grading scored overall wins at novice and elementary at Foxes Riding School, Cheshire, with her Welsh section D Karibok Queen Of Hearts. Kassia Dudek-McGee’s mother Kimberley explained that the 15-year-old is autistic and has mobility issues. Kassia trains with Janet Horswill and aims to compete in both para and able-bodied dressage. “Kassia was told that ‘Kari’ would never cut it for dressage, but she has schooled her by herself over the past five years from a green young pony,” said Kimberley. “She never gave up on her ‘feisty dragon’, as she calls her, aiming to prove with determination you can achieve anything.”…

HIGHLIGHTS 19-25 June alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ Lincolnshire Show, Lincolnshire Showground SHARON and Sarah Harrison’s home-bred traditional coloured stallion, Sarison Starman, won a 40-strong Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifier en route to the section title. The home-produced seven-year-old, by Boston out of the Harrisons’ former ridden star Chantilly Lace, won his final at Birmingham last term. And this season, he’s now headed three HOYS qualifiers. “He’s matured a lot, both physically and mentally, and this season he’s settled into the job like a duck to water,” said wedding organiser Sarah. “He’s very like his dam, who is my absolute pride and joy, especially in a big ring when the sun is on his back.” Home-producers continued to dominate across the board and top honours in the HOYS cob championship went…

WELSH AND BORDER COUNTIES 29 June catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123 Welsh and Border Counties, Builth Wells, Powys FOXHOUNDS THE Gelligaer Farmers had a clean sweep at this, the blue riband show for Welsh hounds. Having taken the honours in the morning despite some strong opposition from both the Pembrokeshire and the Llanwnnen Farmers, their stallion hound Merlin 21, by Llanwrthwl Gallant 15, was awarded the overall championship ahead of their home-bred entered bitch, Gracious 22. This was a tremendous tribute to Martyn Arnold, who is celebrating his 25th season as huntsman of the Gelligaer Farmers this year, while it’s the hunt’s 125th anniversary. Ken Markham, an exhuntsman of the Plas Machynlleth, and Jon Meyrick, huntsman of the Vine and Craven, were the expert judges. “The Gelligaer hounds were outstanding and even though…