Innholdsfortegnelse for 28-Nov-2024 i Horse & Hound

IN his column this week, William Funnell asks why any rider should have to justify their way of life (p14). I'm sure this is a sentiment many will agree with. Why should anyone taking an ethical approach to their life's work have to apologise for it? William points out the majority of riders got into this game because they love horses. The best are those who are good with horses, who find they work well with horses and that horses work well with them. It would be an affront to anyone who has only done right by their animals that there are people who think horses shouldn't compete. It is unfathomable to those who have ridden all their lives why anyone else would think that they should not. But this…

QUEL HOMME DE HUS Belgian showjumper Jérôme Guery's medallist has retired, aged 18. They won individual world silver, European team gold and Tokyo Olympic team bronze. COOLYS LUXURY Clare and Dave Corney's five-star horse has died, aged 22. He and Tom Crisp jumped eight five-star cross-country clears and recorded five top-20 finishes at the level. AL DANCER Dai Walters’ chaser has retired, aged 11. He won 10 of his 31 starts, including the Betfair Hurdle, Grand Sefton Chase and his final run in this month's Badger Beer Handicap.…

A FORMER event rider who walked this summer, 22 years after she was paralysed in a riding fall, flew from New Zealand to join Cycle4Caroline, which ends on 30 November. Catriona Williams is among those en route from Scotland to London, covering 684 miles in memory of former event rider Caroline March, who died this spring two years after she was paralysed in a fall. Caroline's brother Tom and sister-in-law Piggy March organised and are taking part in the ride, along with others including Ian Stark and Alastair Wilson, in aid of the British Eventing Support Trust (BEST) and Spinal Research. “We can do this,” Catriona told H&H. “Spinal cord injuries shouldn't mean a lifetime in a chair. We can do more.” Catriona, who was aiming for the Olympics before…

“I FOUND Diana as a three-year-old in Denmark and I loved everything about her – she had fantastic off-the-floor paces. But she had a trickier personality than I'd anticipated. The first night that she was with us, she managed to get her foot stuck in the bars between the stables and then six months later I fell off her. I'm too old to fall off now so I decided to sell her but it was during lockdown and nobody quite seemed to want her. “I'd always wanted Sophie to have a horse for the Lady Joseph Trust because she's the best para rider in the world so I eventually persuaded her to come and see her. I remember Sophie saying, ‘Well you don't want to fall off but neither do…

TIVERTON FOXHOUNDS 30 October Edited by Catherine Austen catherine.austen@futurenet.com @ cfausten123…

HIGHLIGHTS 18–24 November Edited by Jennifer Donald jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @ jen_donald Haydock Park, Merseyside WITH a gritty display of tenacity, Royale Pagaille joined the greats of the sport as a back-to-back winner of the Betfair Chase. As the heavens opened on the eve of the first Grade One contest of the season, the money piled in for the Venetia Williams runner and punters were rewarded. But victory under Charlie Deutsch didn't come without a fight, as the equally gallant Grey Dawning – a Festival winner for the Skeltons in March, who was stepping out of novice company for the first time – had surged to the front in the home straight, setting up an epic battle for the line. However, a scrappier jump at the last meant the pendulum of momentum…

Edited by Eleanor Jones Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @ jones_eleanor_ MANY domestic horses’ needs for space, forage and socialisation are not being met, a survey has shown – but this provides opportunity to improve equine wellbeing. The National Equine Welfare Council's (NEWC) two-part study “delivers a comprehensive review of factors influencing the wellbeing of domestic horses”. For the study, published in the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare journal Animal Welfare, Carol Hall and Rachel Kay conducted a review of research, looking mainly at species-specific needs and horse-human interactions. The first paper references the need to show that the horse world is actively working to improve equine quality of life or risk losing public acceptance of riding, and states that we must be able to…

EMBRACING the concept of “progressive traditionalists” and challenging ourselves to “be better and do better” can help ensure horses have both good lives and good welfare. World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers spoke about how equestrians must look at the full picture of horses’ lives and the science to enable equines’ lives, and the sport, to thrive. “Our understanding of equine welfare over the past decade has been turbo-charged by mounting scientific evidence,” said Mr Owers, at the FEI general assembly in Abu Dhabi this month, where he commended the federation on its equine welfare action plan. WELFARE JOURNEY “HISTORICALLY, our welfare journey has perhaps been too dominated through the health lens, concerned primarily with the horse's physical welfare. “This has some value, but an animal can have good health,…

Top eventer-turned-trainer Jessica Harrington was honoured for her contributions with the award of merit at the Cartier Racing Awards. Olympic gold medallist Ben Maher and Point Break jumped four clears towards team second in the Global Champions League Super Cup final. Report, p56 Four-time champion Flat jockey Oisin Murphy has been training for his Markel Jockeys Jumping Class debut at the London International in December. Actor Martin Clunes has been officially installed as Hartpury University's first chancellor, during the university's annual graduation ceremony. Rapper Professor Green announced that he has got over his childhood fear of horses, since he has been riding at Hyde Park Stables in London.…

VETS A rider who needed vet wrap found the tack shop closed and bumped into her non-horsey mother on her return. “What are you going to wrap the poor vet in now?” the latter demanded. Good point. TEA To Devon, where The Donkey Sanctuary residents enjoyed hot tea on chilly days. We weren't aware equids like tea – or coffee, although we have seen some star bucks, and they do Costa lot… PROTECTION Arnold Schwarzenegger has been back in the news with his donkey and pony, who live with him. No doubt with sturdy fences to keep them safe from any Predators……

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. @ horseandhound instagram.com/horseandhound facebook.com/horseandhound HERE WE COME, LONDON! FROM the rugged mountains of Wales, this pony has no posh lines running through his blood or elaborate pedigree names. It's just Cooper, or Cooper II for dressage. Bought as a two-year-old of unknown heritage, he started life as a scrappy, coloured furball, going on to win a respectable novice silver in his dressage career and rarely coming away without ribbons. “Quality items that fit a horse prove their worth” HELEN JONES In conjunction with dressage, he started competing as a working hunter pony, then when the British Show Pony Society brought out the junior performance pony class, we thought Cooper ticked the boxes. But after a few years…

OFTEN called “feather mites” because of their propensity to multiply and cause irritation in the legs (pictured, right) of heavily feathered horses, leg mites are microscopic Chorioptes mites. Surveys have shown the prevalence of infection is high (40% of UK military horses in one survey) but disease occurs only when the mite numbers reach a particular level, usually in horses with feathered legs. The signs are: • chewing of the legs • rubbing the legs against fixed objects • repeated foot stamping There may be secondary infection (“grease”) due to skin damage, and longstanding cases often show thickening and corrugation of the skin of the lower legs. Treatment is usually by topical application to the legs of anti-parasitic washes or concentrated “pourons”, or the medication doramectin is given offlicence by…

ABI LYLE “Abu is still a ‘stallion’, so if he takes a shine to another dog, he'll let them know – but he's never going to get anywhere because he's so small!” KIM BAILEY “Bert and Dougie both love eating horse s**t!” LOUISE BELL “My pack do musical farts – then look round in surprise, like it's someone else!” JOE STOCKDALE “Walt loves eating bits of hoof when our farrier is here.” CARL HESTER “Noel does like to catch things when we're hacking, like squirrels and rabbits – even a chicken once.” WILLIAM FOX-PITT (While on the phone being interviewed for this very piece) “My lurcher loves to run off, he's actually just run off into the woods right now… I'm sure he'll come back.” BUBBY UPTON “We were walking…

HIGHLIGHTS 11–17 November Edited by Oscar Williams oscar.williams@futurenet.com @ oscarw_dr HAVE YOU WON A BD CLASS? DO YOU OR YOUR HORSE HAVE A GREAT STORY? Email dressagehighlights@yahoo.com within 24 hours of your win for a chance to feature on these pages Hartpury, Glos “WE managed a mistakefree test with expression and energy,” said Nynn Puttisombat, after an inter I win with Ivaro I. “The hard work is paying off.” College student Nynn moved to the UK from Thailand a year ago and started leasing the Connaisseur gelding from Sara Gallop in January. “He's a hotter horse than I've been used to back in Thailand, so it has taken us a while to establish our partnership,” said Nynn. “He's certainly a lot more active and energetic, but it's been a fun…

Bicton College, Devon AFTER scoring outright wins at medium and advanced medium with Constancia Reve De Mon Coeur, Kayleigh Yelland praised the Relevant gelding's trainability and temperament. “He loves to work and learn and has light-bulb moments – if he's finding something tricky, he'll suddenly say, ‘Oh, I get it,’” she laughed. “He's been an absolute dream.” “This gave me the perfect excuse to compete again” JANE MURRAY Now owned by Naomi Williams, 11-year-old “Rocko” was born and bred at Constancia Stud, where Kayleigh is a manager and trains with stud owner Silva Olsson-Ellis. “I couldn't ask for a better support team,” added Kayleigh, who also works at The Donkey Sanctuary, Devon. “We're training day in, day out, and Silva is 100% behind us. “In our first test, the medium,…

RACING ON A WINNING STREAK HIGHLIGHTS 18–24 November HARRY COBDEN and the Paul Nicholls-trained Pic D'Orhy (pictured) lifted Ascot's Grade Two Copybet 1965 Chase. In the past three years, the de la Hey family's nine-year-old son of Turgeon has not finished out of the top three in any of the races he's completed, winning 10 of them. “That was a lovely first run of the season,” assessed Cobden. “He's not a champion, but he's a very, very good horse. I'd love to own him, because he makes a lot of prize money every year and he's good fun!”…

STELLAR LONDON DRESSAGE ENTRIES TWO of Britain's 2024 Olympic medal-winning combinations lead dressage entries for the London International (18–22 December). Becky Moody and Jagerbomb, and Lottie Fry and Glamourdale, are among the Brits entered, alongside Lewis Carrier with Diego V, Laura Tomlinson with Soegaards Bon Royal and Richard White with Heroi Do Seixo. Ireland's Olympic pair Abi Lyle and Giraldo and Austrian rider Diana Porsche and Dahoud 3 are also in. “The line-up is truly outstanding,” said show director Simon Brooks-Ward. “The presence of British talent, riding on the back of their success in Paris, ensures that the dressage competition will be a highlight of the show.” NEW TOOL ON WORM RISK A NEW online tool aims to support horse owners with responsible use of worming drugs. Austin Davis Biologics’…

LAWS Apparently somewhere in Washington, US, riding an “ugly” horse can mean a $300 fine – somewhere in Illinois, it's jail time. Not sure who judges horses’ looks, nor how much of an oil painting they are, but no horse is ugly to us. SCAMMERS This week's award goes to someone who, when asked the breed of the horse he's apparently selling, answered “gelding”. Oh, and it's a “quarter pony”. What are the other three quarters, is the question… NATIONAL WINNERS One was amused to see in the local M&S food hall, packs of four gluten-free “tiger rolls” on offer. He may have done the big one twice, but surely there's only one?…

Edited by Jennifer Donald jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @ jen_donald OPINION IT'S been a tough year for those of us involved in equestrian sport with incidents including the footage of Charlotte Dujardin and recent fatalities at Cheltenham meaning we are being scrutinised more than ever. Social licence raises the question of whether it's socially acceptable even to ride horses, but why should we apologise for something so natural? If any good came out of the dressage furore, perhaps it was a wake-up call to take a hard look at our methods and ensure correct horsemanship is paramount. Good training produces happy horses who perform well and, with camera phones everywhere nowadays, the sport almost governs itself – do something wrong and you'll be exposed. Horses, when trained correctly – and that's the key…

RIDER SOPHIE WELLS “I WASN'T sure about ‘Diana’ to start with, Henrietta Cheetham tried to persuade me to try her for a while. I first rode her as a four-year-old and she was very sensitive to the leg – she's still hot now – but you could see how elegant she was. We decided we'd have nothing to lose if we took a chance. “It was never straightforward though. She was either amazing or it didn't go to plan. But I got to a point where I'd put so much work into her that I couldn't give up. “By the beginning of last year, I could see she was going to be a top horse but if someone had told me I'd be taking her to a Europeans I'd have…

TWO species of lice infest horses; one bites the skin and the other feeds on its surface. Lice are almost entirely a winter and early spring problem when the coat is long, and the horse is unclipped. They may persist unnoticed in low numbers in the skin during the summer, but the numbers gradually rise once the winter coat develops and the skin surface temperature becomes consistently warm. Lice cause itching chiefly of the neck, chest, rump and mane. In horses kept in groups, all eventually become infested due to contact. Lice are host-specific, so there is no risk of infestation of other species, including humans. The lice are 3mm to 6mm long and if the hair is parted, they can be spotted deep in the coat and in the…

FIND MORE GREAT PRODUCTS ONLINE Visit horseandhound.co.uk/dogs to find more deals, products and gift inspiration for your dog-…

CAPTAIN CHARLIE BARCLAY was master of his family pack, the Puckeridge in Hertfordshire, from 1947 until his death in 2002. His father, Major Maurice “Mo” Barclay and his grandfather, Edward Barclay, each completed 52 years as masters and three of his children also became masters. He was one of the most experienced huntsmen and hound breeders for a plough country and held in great respect by the foxhunting world. Despite being a modest and shy man, his advice was often sought and readily given. At Eton he whipped-in to Ronnie Wallace who, even in those days, was showing extraordinary sport. His own mastership of the Trinity Foot Beagles was interrupted by the Second World War, during which he served with the North Somerset Yeomanry. After the war he joined his…

“IT'S like she's read the book – she finds it all very easy,” commented Jessie Kirby of EQP Deidre, who claimed two plus-71% novice wins at Burrows Court Farm, Gloucestershire. ONES TO WATCH Bred at Equiperformance, where Jessie is a rider, the four-year-old Dream Boy mare is off to a flying start in her dressage career. “This was only her third outing, but she comes alive when you take her in the arena,” said Jessie. “It's as if she says, ‘I'm in the right place.’ She's such a sweet, loving mare and for such a young horse, we weren't expecting her to perform as she has. We stepped her up to novice and she'll now have a little break.”…

AUSTRALIAN rider Lyndal Yelavich and Asterix II cruised to an advanced medium win at Onley Grounds EC, Warwickshire, scoring a fraction under 72%. Lyndal, who rides the 12-year-old German-bred gelding for Karen Miller, is settling into a new life and yard in the UK. “I've come here with the horses to train with Gareth Hughes, with the aim of getting onto an Australian team,” she said, explaining that Gareth has previously travelled down under to support Lyndal and the Ballodair Park EC team. “Asterix hasn't done much, so we've progressed with him quite quickly and hope to be at small tour early next year,” added Lyndal. “He has real arena presence and he's very kind and willing. He has adjusted well to life here although, like me, he doesn't like…

THERE were several of us – ladies from the hunt – moving purposefully around the village hall, getting ready for a dinner to coincide with an online auction that was concluding that night. Like many hunts we are blessed with a number of supremely able and organised women: supper for numbers is something they can execute like falling off a log. As the hall quickly morphed from characterless space into ambient party venue, lights dimmed, tables decorated and laid, Caroline came in from her car with an enormous slab of shepherd's pie, which she had collected from the local butcher to feed everyone. “I don't think this is going to fit in here,” she said to no one in particular, glancing from the cooker to the huge tray she was…