Innholdsfortegnelse for 3-Oct-2024 i Horse & Hound

THERE are a large percentage of top riders who are most ably supported by their partners – to the point that many might admit they wouldn’t be where they are without them. One such couple, the Robertson-Carriers, recently wed and went on to win the national dressage championships in the same week. Reading Lewis and Olivia’s interview with dressage editor Oscar Williams (p18), it is clear what a team they are. Lewis emulated his heroes Gareth Hughes and Carl Hester by becoming national champion this month – pipping Gareth to the post. Olivia describes how in doing so, he inspires a new generation of future stars. Lewis, a former working pupil for Michael Eilberg, and not from a super-wealthy or equestrian background, was winning at elementary a decade ago and…

BINDAREE The 2002 Grand National winner, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies and ridden to the win by Jim Culloty, has died aged 30. He won the 2003 Welsh National with Carl Llewelleyn. TREGILDER The Hazeldines’ horse, with whom Oliver Townend had top-10 CCI5* results at Pau, Bicton and Luhmühlen, has retired to be a schoolmaster for Emily Hazeldine. DON CARA M Sophie Wells’s Tokyo Paralympic team gold medal winner has retired aged 15. Rowland Kinch’s gelding won individual silver in Tokyo, plus world silver and bronze in 2022.…

CALLS have been made for pre-purchase examination (PPE) guidelines to include more dental checks – as many owners are “largely in the dark” about the “minimal” procedure. The topic was addressed by Rob Pascoe of Equine Dentistry Referrals at the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress (11–14 September). Current PPE guidelines include an examination of the horse’s incisors. They add that examination with a gag “may be included as an additional procedure; however, some dental abnormalities may only be detected by a more detailed exam using sedation and a dental mirror or orascope”. “Vets need to be clear” ROB PASCOE Mr Pascoe believes the PPE process “has tended to overlook dentistry” – and said there are conditions of the oral cavity that can prejudice a horse’s suitability for intended use.…

▲ SERENITY A pub landlord was helped to overcome his fear of horses when punters brought a pony into his bar. The landlord said it did help, adding: “He’s a dressage pony so he’s taught to remain calm…” ▲ GETTING OUTSIDE Apparently 29 September was “get outside day”. What a good thing it was or we’d all have stayed on the sofa and left our horses to it for the day… ▲ ORGANISERS Top marks to Munstead who, when a rider arrived with pony but minus tack, invited her into the tack room to choose alternatives so she could compete. At least they didn’t remember the tack but forget the horse. ▼ EVOLUTION Overheard at the yard: “What if God gave us two kidneys so we could sell one to…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. @ horseandhound instagram.com/horseandhound facebook.com/horseandhound NEVER TOO OLD… FURTHER to your online feature about “top riders still smashing it in their 60s” (17 September), I was born in 1953 and despite a near-fatal heart episode last year, I am still actively riding and competing. I have been fortunate enough to have competed at three Olympics, three World Championships and four World Cup Finals. I am also the only female rider in the world who has competed in two equestrian disciplines at the Olympics – eventing in Los Angeles 1984, showjumping in Seoul 1988 and Atlanta 1996, all on different horses. Vicki Roycroft Sydney, Australia “Horses can be trained to respond to a light leg aid” CAROLINE CLARK NO…

IT’S been a whirlwind week for Lewis Robertson-Carrier and his now wife Olivia. A week ago they were tying the knot and now he’s reflecting on being crowned national champion at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships on his ride of more than a decade, Diego V. “It’s surreal,” Lewis says, still processing the magnitude of his achievement after the prize-giving. “It’s something you dream of doing, especially having watched people I look up to like Gareth Hughes and Carl Hester do it in the past. “In dressage, like in every sport, there are ups and downs,” he says. “So to end the week – and this week in particular -on a high was a massive relief.” “You have to take highs like this, keep hold of them for as long…

● The 2024 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) runs 9–13 October 2024. ● Horse & Hound will be creating extensive online coverage of HOYS in addition to what will be in the magazine report. Our coverage will include all the major showing and showjumping championships and international classes, plus breaking news from the ringside as it unfolds. ● To keep reading after five articles, readers will need to buy a subscription either to the website or to the magazine. To buy a Horse & Hound website unlimited subscription, visit horseandhound.co.uk/join. Or, for great value, visit magazinesdirect.com/XHH-brandsite for a magazine subscription that includes unlimited website access plus the digital version of the magazine. If you are already a magazine subscriber, find out how to activate your website access at horseandhound.co.uk/subscription-benefits…

pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle CHILDERIC SADDLES LITTLE DOWNHAM (3) 28–29 September Childeric Saddles Little Downham (3), Ely Eventing Centre, Cambs THE crème de la crème of the eventing fraternity took advantage of Little Downham’s CCI4*-S and advanced tracks, which are firmly established as perfect prep runs for the final long-format four- and five-star events of the season. The peaty East Anglian soil ably withstood the phenomenal amount of rain that descended on the area over the previous couple of weeks and the going was nigh on perfect. Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan’s prolific five-star winner Ballaghmor Class lived up to his name and reputation, winning CCI4*-S section K under Oliver Townend on a score of 32.8. This was only the 16-yearold’s third competition in a season that has been dogged…

oscar.williams@futurenet.com @oscarw_dr HIGHLIGHTS 16–22 September Crofton Manor EC, Hants BALTHAZAR III – known as Buzz – notched up more than 80% in the novice 5 and scored a convincing double at the level with Dylan Deutrom. “I’ve only been riding him for five months but I’m excited by how much he has come on in that time,” said Dylan, who co-owns the five-year-old with his breeder Bea Burnham. “He’s a bit green but there’s a lot of power there and he has a great attitude. He’s super-intelligent and brave – a joy to ride.” While Smooth Beginning may not have lived up to his name, the coloured gelding is finally “coming into his own” according to his owner, Gemma Phipps, who rode him to an elementary 5 overall win and…

FELL stallion Grahamsley Cracker Jack took two prelims at Manor Grange Stud, West Yorkshire, in a continuing turnaround in form. “He was a stud stallion and only broken to ride at 10,” said Laura Hall, who rides 15-year-old “Jack” for Claire and David Wigley. “The Wigleys do a lot of showing, but Jack didn’t like the showing scene. He needed a job and has really taken to dressage. “He’s had issues,” added Laura, explaining that Jack is “allergic to life” and is prone to itch if anything changes in his lifestyle. “We have no facilities, so we hack and lunge each week and have a lesson with Gill Liggins. There are a lot of things we’re working on but he’s compact, well put together and quite rideable.”…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald HIGHLIGHTS 21–22 September National Amateur Second Rounds, Dorset Showground THE “amazing” mare Billy Salute has taken 20 wins since the start of July for Emily Proud and she gained an amateur championships pass on her first attempt when she delivered the quickest of six double clears in the 1.10m second round. “This year she’s won more money than she cost me to buy!” said Emily, who purchased the Billy Congo daughter as a three-year-old from the first Billy Stud online auction. “She is like a little rocket,” she added. “She lands, goes, and I just have to keep up” EMILY PROUD ON BILLY SALUTE The pair led the class from first to go with an untouchable round – Bizzy Loffet, who finished second and third, was only able…

PIPPA WELD-BLUNDELL, a full-time partner solicitor, completed construction on her home arena this summer. She events an ex-racehorse and her four-year-old daughter is just coming off the lead-rein. Pippa opted to have one company, Ridesafe Arenas, complete the work start to finish (pictured, left). “I was able to see their arenas in the local area first and if there was ever a problem in the future, I’d only have to call one person,” she says. Pippa’s schedule meant she didn’t have the opportunity to research and coordinate the project, so a DIY solution wasn’t for her. Ridesafe made numerous visits to Pippa’s property and advised on every aspect of construction. The biggest challenge was the Yorkshire Dales weather. Construction began in June and was meant to take two weeks, but…

Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @ jones_eleanor_ CORPORATISATION has changed the equine veterinary and wider industries – but the question remains as to whether this is for the better or not. This is the opinion of one vet who has worked for corporate and independent practices, who was on a panel discussing the issue at the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress (11–14 September). Before the debate, vets in the audience were asked if they thought corporatisation had been had been good for equine vets and the industry as a whole; opinions were equal on the first question but fewer than 20% thought it had been a good thing for the horse world. Panellist Tom Hughes is a former partner at Liphook Equine Hospital, which…

C FATAL ATTRACTION Charlotte Hogg’s 17-year-old gelding, who competed at small tour and won 12 gold and silver para dressage medals with Sophie Wells, has retired from competition. DRIVETIME Emily Baldwin’s retired five-star campaigner has died, aged 28. The pair completed Badminton, Pau and Luhmühlen, and won at four-star including the Grantham Cup. NOT SO SLEEPY Lord and Lady Blythe’s dual-purpose homebred, trained by Hughie Morrison, won his 69th and final start at Newbury (21 September) before retiring, aged 12.…

English farrier George Rogerson was crowned world champion at the 2024 Blacksmith World Championship at Spruce Meadows, Canada. Grand Nationalwinning jockey Rachael Blackmore is facing weeks out of the saddle after she sustained a neck injury in a fall on 20 September. Former Bransby Horses rehoming manager Rosanna Hart has joined the National Equine Welfare Council’s board of directors. Five-star event rider Louise Harwood suffered breaks to her femur, ribs, arm, shoulder and pelvis in her cross-country fall at Blenheim, she has confirmed. RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood is leaving at the end of the year to join the NSPCC. Recruitment for his replacement will begin this autumn.…

pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle AS we proceed through the autumn three-day events, at home and abroad, there are a couple of British horse trials that I think deserve recognition. Cornbury is a great event site and works very well for the three young horse championships it holds -for five-, six- and seven-year-olds. It has much more of an international feel about it than many events at that level, with a spectacular main arena and a lot of atmosphere. With so many classes at Cornbury, the timetable can’t be easy to put together, and having the open intermediate and the CCI3*-S on the Thursday meant that several of the Blenheim-bound horses, including Tim Price’s CCI4*-L winner, were able to run. I did prefer the crosscountry warm-up in its original site, on the far…

A NUMBER of environmental modifications can help to optimise air quality for horses with asthma. An ideal set-up is as follows: • the horse is kept at pasture, with pelleted feed if required • a pelleted feed is ideal as they are usually dust extracted. Wet cubes could be used, but ideally avoid chaff • if limited pasture is available ensure pelleted feed has sufficient dietary fibre (feeds marketed as “forage replacement” feeds for horses with poor dentition are a good option) If stabling is necessary, these modifications should have a positive effect: • ideally, manage the whole barn as a low-dust environment • maximise turnout • ensure the horse is housed in the best ventilated stable, away from storage areas for hay/bedding and the muck heap • ensure horses…

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Bicton Arena, Devon DESPITE battling a bad cold, Dawn Bear claimed a satisfying 72.67% elementary 4 outright win with First Taylor Made – and also took the elementary 5, despite a few “pilot errors”. Dawn, an accountant in the motor trade, bought the Cornwall-bred For Romance son as a just-backed four-yearold and has produced him with help from Calum Whitworth and Hannah Biggs. “He’s a prima donna but very trainable and easy in a lot of ways,” she said of Taylor, now seven. “He’s never spooky and always gets on with the job. Calum has started some changes on him and we’ll work towards medium after the Summer Area Festival Championships where we’ll compete at elementary.”…

● BRITISH rider Annabel Shields scored a hat-trick on the CSI2* small tour at Valkenswaard, the Netherlands, winning one class with Carte D’Or SDW Z and a double on BE Flygold. ● The world’s top studbooks went headto-head for the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) Jumping Global Champions Trophy at Valkenswaard where the Selle Français team dominated, taking the title in the six-year-old, eight-year-old and nineyear-old stallion divisions. The Dutch Warmblood squad topped the fiveyear-olds while Oldenburg International were sevenyear-old champions. Ireland’s Mikey Pender continued his form from the FEI WBFSH World Breeding Championships, winning the eight-year-old final with the Cornet Obolensky stallion HHS Cyprus.…

BEFORE I got into the arena for a lesson, I had misguidedly considered myself to be riding fit. It was one of those heaven-sent autumn days, blue skies, blazing sunshine, but after just two circuits in walk I had begun to sweat. Two more and I was blowing audibly and begging Karen, the teacher, for a break. It seems that plodding around the hills all summer does not a rider, far less a fit rider, make. I had forsaken Jim (my usual ride) for Joe the ginger giraffe with the idea of getting a feel for him over some poles. This plan now seemed wildly ambitious as he peeped and poked his way past the uprights and mirrors placed at intervals around the school, patently terrified of anything that wasn’t…

TOWELS don’t fit through donkey bowels, as vets treating a miniature filly found out. Specialists at the VirginiaMaryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, US, had to operate on threemonth-old Harper, who had eaten a whole towel. A spokesperson for the hospital said Lexi Tarpy, manager of Stone Ridge Stables, brought Harper in after she developed a fever and showed signs of colic. “Our vet said it was an emergency,” Lexi said. “Come to find out, she ate a towel – an entire towel.” Vets performed a surgical procedure to enter the abdomen, and removed two pieces of towel from the colon. Harper’s condition improved quickly but then her dam Daisy went downhill. “Daisy arrived the day after surgery to allow Harper to nurse and put them back together,”…

alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_ journo_ AS a team, we’re gearing up for the biggest occasion of the year, the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS). Our season has shifted a bit towards the end given my wife Sarah’s recent fall at the Sports Horse Breeding of Great Britain championships, meaning she’s been out of action. However, we’re grateful to have good people around us who have been mucking in when and where they can to keep the show on the road. We had a good run at our last show, the British Show Horse Association championships, and our main focus now is keeping our HOYS contenders sound, happy and healthy. There is to be a new judging format this year, whereby the judges of each final won’t be announced until the morning…

Need to know QUINDIVA Age: 14 Breeding: by Quintender 2 out of Ruby Roller (by High Roller) Breeder: David Gray Rider: Alex Bragg Owners: the Roe family Greatest achievements: 2019, fourth Jardy CCI4*-S, eighth Lignières CCI4*-S; 2022, first Barbury Castle CCI3*-S, first Wellington CCI3*-S, 10th Blenheim CCI4*-L; 2023, 10th Burnham Market CCI4*-S, sixth Kronenberg CCI4*-L, first Bolesworth eventing grand prix, sixth Jardy Nations Cup CCI4*-S, 15th Burghley CCI5*, 14th Horse of the Year Show senior Foxhunter championship; 2024, third Badminton CCI5*, first Hickstead Eventers’ Challenge, eighth Burghley CCI5*. RIDER ALEX BRAGG “I FOUND Quindiva at the Goresbridge sales in Ireland. When I first saw her I thought she looked like a beautiful horse, but clearly quite sensitive. I couldn’t understand why such a lovely looking horse hadn’t been produced already…

WHILE out eventing one day, “Hugo” suddenly did not want to gallop anymore, and was immediately pulled up. The on-course vet listened to his heart and suspected atrial fibrillation. After referral to a specialist hospital this was confirmed on an ECG and an echo (ultrasound) of his heart showed that he had no structural problems. Transvenous electrocardioversion was performed under general anaesthetic and Hugo’s heart was “shocked” back into its normal rhythm. After a period of rest he was brought back into work and is now once again charging around the jumps and loving life.…