Innholdsfortegnelse for 26-Oct-2023 i Horse & Hound

“AS we all know, it’s a drug and it’s a good one,” said William Fox-Pitt, when asked whether he’s considering giving up eventing at Maryland five-star (report, p50) last week. Retirement has been hot news recently, with Frankie Dettori signing off his British career at Champions Day (report, p72) – but will that really be it? Earlier in the month, the jockey made a U-turn on complete retirement, with the news he will move to the USA and ride there, and he can’t rule out racing in Europe in the future. As William said, horses and competing are a drug – and it’s particularly hard to give it up when you are still successful. Frankie had two winners on Champions Day, while William was second at Maryland, just a whisker…

IN THE NEWS MOUNT ST JOHN FREESTYLE The 14-year-old mare, who won 2018 world team and individual bronze with Charlotte Dujardin, has joined Danish rider Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour. GLOCK'S UNDERCOVER Edward Gal’s London 2012 Olympic team bronze medal-winning ride died on 26 September, aged 22. He was the first horse bought for Edward by Gatson Glock. SNOW LEOPARDESS The Fox-Pitts’ home-bred National Hunt mare has retired from racing, aged 11, and will go to stud in the spring. Trained by Charlie Longsdon, she won almost £250,000.…

▲ LAST WORDS Overheard at the yard, a rider planning to jump on Sunday. “But it’s the hunt ball on Saturday night,” her pal said. “Oh, I’ll be fine,” came the reply. Ooh. Not sure you will… ▲ DARKNESS Spotted online, in the specs of a dressage whip, helpful details like length, weight and so on, and the important detail “Night vision: no”. Come on, Amazon, what good is a whip without night vision? ▲ SHOPPING To the US, where a man and his horse were spotted in a feed shop. The man said he liked to let the horse choose his own buckets, and the staff were happy. Nothing to see here… ▼ CLIPPING A rider whose clippers had conked out mid-clip competed her horse the next day regardless.…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. @ horseandhound instagram.com/horseandhound facebook.com/horseandhound HE'S A CONSTANT INSPIRATION FURTHER to Pammy Hutton’s “Carl Hester needs a knighthood” comment (opinion, 12 October), I once shook Carl’s hand. This is because I knew his middle name (Rupert) and won a goody bag at a horse show quite a few years ago. My daughter called me a stalker. He has been a constant inspiration since I started riding again after a long gap of 27 years, and my husband has endured years of frustration for having Carl in the background! But Carl is amazing for the sport and 100% deserves to be recognised. Nina Prosser Ilkley, W Yorks A LESSON TO US ALL I MOST certainly endorse Pammy Hutton’s argument…

VISIT HORSE & HOUND’S VIRTUAL SHOPPING VILLAGE horseandhound.co.uk/directory/shopping BRITISH HORSE FEEDS COOKED LINSEED With an oil content of 39%, it provides condition without fizz. £33.89 for 20kg britishhorsefeeds.com DODSON & HORRELL BUILD UP CONDITIONING MIX Supports weight gain in horses that are prone to weight loss. £21.05 for 20kg dodsonandhorrell.com FORAGEPLUS TOPLINE PLUS Conditioning supplement with potato and pea protein to help maintain or gain weight. £24.95 for 2.5kg forageplus.co.uk BAILEYS EASE & EXCEL CUBES Supplies elevated levels of slowrelease energy from a low-starch, high-fibre formula. £17.50 for 20kg baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk ALLEN & PAGE CARE & GAIN High-calorie feed for poor-doers who need to gain weight but keep starch and sugar levels low. £18 for 20kg allenandpage.com SARACEN CONDITIONIMPROVER CUBES For a manageable temperament without the loss of performance. £19.50 for…

HIGHLIGHTS 14–15 October Oasby (2), Lincs IT was a jovial truck that wended its way back down the A1 from Lincolnshire to Kent as its occupants, husband and wife duo Jesse and Georgie Campbell, had each scored a win at this popular end-ofseason event. Georgie steered Fiona and Jessica Acheson’s 10-year-old Global Candy Boy to open intermediate (OI) victory, adding a handful of timepenalties to their dressage score of 30.5. “He’s a really cool little horse and a fab jumper,” said Georgie, who took over the reins on “Kygo” from Jesse in 2021 who, in turn, had taken over from his owner, Jessica, when she moved to Australia. DO YOU WANT TO BE ON THIS PAGE? HAVE YOU WON A SECTION? Email eventinghighlights@gmail.com within 24 hours of your event and…

Stourport Riding Centre, Worcs ANNABEL HUNTER BLAIR landed two elementaries, with one test scoring over 70%, completing seven-year-old Champignon Sauvage’s ticket to the winter regionals in only two outings. “I ride him for two lovely owners, Sharon Wilson and Jenny Vaux,” explained Annabel. “I started him for them so have known him all his career. “He was bought for Sharon’s daughter, but school has taken over, so I’ve kept hold of the ride. The plan is to campaign him to medium and FEI pony level and then sell him next year. “Hopefully he’ll go on to be a lovely child’s pony to do top-level dressage. I pinch myself that I am lucky enough to ride him.”…

Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @ jones_eleanor_ THE Government is banning the use of waste carpet in equestrian surfaces, “likely before 1 January”. In a briefing to Carpet Recycling UK (CRUK), the Environment Agency (EA) said: “Following a review of the available evidence on chemicals in carpets, the EA has decided to withdraw RPS248 on the use of shredded waste carpet in equestrian surfacing”. H&H reported in 2021 that the EA was cracking down on materials in surfaces such as arenas and gallops, and that the regulatory position statement (RPS) had come into force. The RPS applied to waste carpet that had been shredded or in fibre form, discarded carpet fibres and offcuts from new carpets made in the UK and EU classed as waste,…

IN THE NEWS SEABOURNE SILENT VALLEY Francoise Babington’s 15-year-old retired after finishing second in the ladies’ side-saddle final at HOYS. He had won at HOYS twice and at RIHS. BLUE HORS ZACK The 19-year-old dressage stallion has retired. He and Nanna Skodborg Merrald were on the Danish team that won 2022 world gold, and he has sired top offspring. LITTLE MISS DARCEY The Trice Family’s 143cm show hunter pony retired after HOYS, where she finished fourth with Eva Herring. The 11-year-old won at RIHS and HOYS in 2019 with Lydia Trice.…

Eventer Izzy Taylor rode Barrington Alice to win the six-year-old young horse World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers (19–22 October). Report 2 November. Irish showjumper Richard Howley and Consulent De Prelet Z won their second World Cup leg in a row, at Helsinki, Finland, on 22 October. Jockey William Buick, 35, was crowned British champion Flat jockey for a second year, with 135 wins, on British Champions Day at Ascot on 21 October. Interview p18. Jockey Frankie Dettori bowed out of raceriding in the UK with two wins at Ascot on British Champions Day, riding Trawlerman and King Of Steel. Report p72 Coach Liz Eaton has become a British Horse Society Fellow; Liz demonstrated “a tremendous depth of knowledge” in her assessment.…

oscar.williams@futurenet.com @oscarw_dr I HAVE to start by congratulating the fabulous gold medal-winning European Championship team who rode some inspirational tests in Riesenbeck last month. Since then, we’ve also seen Carl Hester crowned national champion for the umpteenth time – he’s such an inspiration. From our camp, Lara Butler rode our 18-year-old home-bred Kristjan down the centre line for the last time for a successful and emotional last competition together. The pair have been a combination since 2011 and have had some fantastic international wins. It’s always an honour to have a horse for so long, and to retire him still enthusiastic and fit is a blessing and would have made my father proud. I opted out of the Nationals this year as my grand prix horses and I needed to…

The Horse & Hound Podcast Hear more winter feeding advice on this week’s podcast: horseandhound.co.uk/podcast Feeding fusspots FOR the past two years, Katie Reeve, equine nutritionist at Baileys, has been working with the owner of Phoenix, a 14.3hh 15-year-old polo pony. She is fussy eater who regularly goes off her feed, so it has taken a while to develop a regime that reduces Phoenix’s stress levels and keeps the condition on over winter. “She is turned out at night almost all year round, with ad lib hay spread across multiple piles to make sure she gets her fair share,” explains Katie. “In summer, she’s fed a balancer to supply nutrients without the calories, and over winter she has Baileys No. 24 Ease & Excel Cubes, which are high in calories…

FOR those for whom hunting is part of their family’s DNA, their question is, “Why wouldn’t children go hunting?” The benefits to body, mind and soul are so obvious that they remain largely unspoken amid the drama and achievement of a day’s hunting. Even after two decades hunting hounds, some of my most treasured memories are from hunting as a child, taking on a big vale on my 14.2hh “Pegasus”, right behind hounds, with the obligatory falls and even quicker remounts. I recall the excitement of being sent off on point on my own for the first time. The 21st-century child is afforded a galaxy of opportunities, but these are generally highly structured and offer little genuine freedom or risk. By contrast, the hunting field gives an independence defined by…

MARYLAND 19–22 October pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle Maryland, USA “THE end result of a lifetime’s work,” was how Irishman Austin O’Connor described claiming his first five-star title at Maryland. Before Badminton this year, the 48-year-old’s best top-level result was rising 63 places to finish fourth in a wet year at the British spring classic on Simply Rhett. In tricky conditions again this spring, he and The Salty Syndicate’s Colorado Blue moved up from 34th to finish third with the fastest cross-country time. “I did say when I looked up at the podium at Badminton, tongue-in-cheek, that it wouldn’t be long before there was an Irish winner and I hope you’re looking at him,” said Austin. The rider remembered that in 1999, the Badminton winner was Maryland cross-country course-designer Ian Stark, on Jaybee.…

BSPS HERITAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS 14–15 October alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ British Show Pony Society (BSPS) Heritage Championships, Arena UK, Lincs LIBBY GROTA landed a major double whammy at this ever-popular championship show, scoring with Steph and Janet Mansfield’s exciting five-year-old novice Welsh section B stallion, Cadlanvalley Masterclass (Max). Not only did the foot-perfect combination take the first day’s overall Heritage novice title, but they then secured a first London International ticket on day two, ahead of a superstrong breed semi-final that featured many of the season’s top performers. The first to elevate Max to a top spot was novice supreme judge Nigel Hollings. “This was one of the most pleasurable judging experiences I’ve had in more than 40 years – the standard was so high,” he declared. “All the animals forward were a…

AINTREE HIGH PROFILE 18–22 October oscar.williams@futurenet.com @oscarw_dr Aintree International EC High Profile, Merseyside DAN GREENWOOD made his first trip to Aintree a winning one, as Juliet Leighton’s “one-eyed wonder horse” Chevalier-O won Sunday’s grand prix. “What a fantastic show it has been,” Dan said. “I’ll definitely be coming again, it’s brilliant, and the horses want for nothing. “We drove up on Friday through Storm Babet thinking what on earth are we doing this for, but thank goodness we did.” Chevalier-O suffered from uveitis, as a result of which he had to have his nearside eye removed two years ago. Despite that, he has also racked up grand prix wins at Vale View and Addington Equestrian this year. “He’s never been the bravest horse in the world, and it takes a…

WINTER CLASSIC 11–15 October Winter Classic, Aintree International Arena, Merseyside LAURA STEPHENSON’S 21-year-old Catherston Connor opened the winter classic season on fighting form, topping the leaderboard to take the AW Jenkinson Natural Flake grand prix. Ten combinations had made it through to the second round, where the tone was set early – the horses who jumped second, third and fourth finished in second, third and fourth place. Laura shook up the line-up from seventh-to-jump, with her gelding giving the fences plenty of air to cruise home 1.37sec ahead of rider Chris Smith and owner Tom Dunning’s Harthill Mexico. Joe Davison and Iggy Pop IV took third, making it a one-two-three of greys at the top of the field. “We haven’t had the best of runs this year, we just haven’t…

QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS DAY 21 October jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Qipco British Champions Day, Ascot Racecourse, Berks IN unprecedented scenes on a spine-tingling afternoon of racing, the sport’s greatest showman Frankie Dettori signed off an incredible era with a fly-past in front of 30,000 appreciative fans. The effervescent 52-year-old Italian wrote the perfect script, conjuring up two of his greatest rides of the past 37 years to conclude the British chapter of his career. He produced a tactical masterclass to win the curtain-raiser Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup on Trawlerman, then bookended the day with a driving victory on King Of Steel in the feature race, the Group One Qipco Champion Stakes. Dettori indicated that he’d most miss the British public after announcing a U-turn on his planned retirement at the…

A NEW initiative in British point-to-pointing offers a bonus of £100,000. The scheme was instigated by racing stalwarts Peter Forster and Peter Brookshaw. Horses must be bought at a sale organised by Goffs UK or Tattersalls between 1 March 2024 and 28 February 2025, trained by a pointing yard in England, Scotland or Wales and run in point-to-points during the 2024/25 season. They must then qualify for and win one of four races at the Cheltenham Festival in 2026 –the Festival Hunter Chase, Novices’ Chase, Supreme Novices’ Hurdle or Champion Bumper. “We hope this is going to help thousands of people in point-to-pointing in England, Wales and Scotland,” said Peter Brookshaw. “We’re trying desperately to improve point-to-pointing in Britain – so many British owners send their horses into training in…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald THERE’S been much debate on the circuit and social media about the senior championships at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), namely the eligibility rules and qualification system for the newcomers, Foxhunter, talent seekers and grade C finals. Each jump-off was exciting in all four finals, but I don’t think the current qualification and class rules are working. One ongoing debate is that six- and seven-year-olds are competing against “more experienced” horses. It’s not always fair, but it stems from a poor ruling that allows any horse who is within the correct points eligibility to compete in each class -irrespective of age or level -so of course competitors are going to target the most prestigious finals. Therefore, we can’t complain when a nine-year-old beats a seven-year-old, but we…

catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123 OF all the countries of Europe, none offers a more varied landscape than mainland Britain. From the High Peak or Holcombe Harriers, you can look to the distant “Satanic Mills” of the industrial Midlands and, nearer by, the unique managed heathland habitat of moorland grouse. Sussex has its Downs, Exmoor its majestic stags and Leicestershire its gently graded open fields of corn, pasture and laid coverts. For those who have hunted all their lives in such places, the rewards and respect for community, land and idiosyncratic rituals, are immeasurable. And in the way that no two hunting countries are the same, nor are their people who carry with them the folklore and memories of sportsmen past. Who are, then, these longterm hunting residents who’ve taken their landscape to…

“THEY DESERVE EVERY CREDIT” A PLETHORA of passes to “see Santa” – 30 in all – drew competitors from all corners of the country to Arena UK, where managers, staff and officials pitched in to allow the show to run safely, following more than 24 hours of torrential rain that left large parts of the showground – including the rings – underwater. “The team at Arena UK did the most amazing job in order to make the rings safe to compete in,” said Nigel Hollings. “They deserve every credit.” A major change to the schedule proved popular. This year, the London breed qualifiers were held on day one, allowing any “near-misses” to compete – free of charge – in the semis the next day. “This effectively gave ponies two bites…

IT was a double victory for Charlotte Dicker and PRE stallion Amaranto D Centurion, who won both the GBPRE medium with 71.55% and the GBPRE advanced medium with 70.81% at the Bury Farm Associated Championships, Buckinghamshire. The eight-yearold is graded with the Anglo European Studbook and the Royal Purebred Spanish Horse Breeders’ Association and is owned by Charlotte Nash of Cross Keys International Dressage Horses. He stands at Catherston Stud. “He is her pride and joy, but she doesn’t have the bug for competing, so I get that pleasure,” said Charlotte Dicker. “It was only his fourth advanced medium so he is still quite green at that level. “Charlotte rides him three days a week and I ride him three, and he’s brilliant as he can switch off the power…

JIM and I finally got out hunting on Saturday and it was completely without incident. Which, after my feverish worries of the previous week – retiring early with horse’s leg falling off and so on – was a great relief. At one point we were cantering along a track and I thought, “If this won’t show up a dicky tendon, I don’t know what will.” The leg did not balloon after a couple of hours in the stable, nor was Jim lame on it afterwards. We live to tell another tale. It was wet on Saturday. Small drops, more like a heavy Scotch mist, culminating in some strong showers by the end of the morning. We packed up early, feeling very damp after a good scamper around the low country…