Innholdsfortegnelse for 5-Dec-2024 i Horse & Hound

THE identification of the probable cause of equine grass sickness (EGS) is a “game changer” in understanding of the disease – and an important step towards reducing deaths. Experts believe they have found the neurotoxin responsible for causing EGS, which has been elusive for over 100 years. Research involving The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies’ Equine Hospital, published in the British Equine Veterinary Association’s (BEVA) Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ), pinpoints a toxin with similar actions to snake venom toxins, produced by microorganisms in pasture. “This represents a significant breakthrough” BRUCE MCGORUM The equine hospital’s Professor Bruce McGorum said: “Identifying a probable cause of equine grass sickness represents a significant breakthrough. We hope this discovery will lead to novel treatments and improved diagnostics for this devastating condition. We are grateful…

THE Cycle4Caroline riders finished their 1,100km (684 miles) journey on Saturday (30 November) at The Savoy Hotel, London – and had so far raised £282,667 for Spinal Research and the British Eventing Support Trust (BEST). The ride was set up by Tom March in memory of his sister Caroline, who died by assisted suicide in March, two years after she sustained spinal injuries in an eventing fall. Tom and his wife, five-star winner Piggy March, were joined by seven others for the whole ride, and guests took on some legs. Some 50 extra riders joined for the final section from Windsor to London. Asked how he felt after, Tom said: “I don’t really know. Obviously, you’re relieved and pleased, but in a funny way, when there are so many congratulations,…

SET in the picturesque Surrey countryside, Team Holder is a mother-daughter team renowned for their expertise in producing top-class ponies and horses for the show ring. With 14 ponies under their care, ranging from lead-reins to riding horses, hacks and hunters, Gayle and Emma are dedicated to bringing out the best in both ponies and riders, adding warmth and camaraderie to their training yard. Despite coming from a non-horsey background, Gayle’s journey into the equestrian world began at her grandfather’s village, where a local riding school owner, Valerie Millwood, offered her a chance to ride. That first experience in the saddle sparked a lifelong love of horses. Gayle, 60, recalls her early days with nostalgia: “My first pony was a Welsh A that I bought from Ann Muir for around…

KINDLY SUPPORTED BY Horse & Hound Awards 2024: celebrating the stars of equestrianism in partnership with AROUND 300 of the equestrian elite came together on 27 November at a dazzling event held at the Dallas Burton Polo Club, to celebrate this year’s equestrian and sporting achievements. William Fox-Pitt received the Lifetime Achievement trophy to a standing ovation, following the event rider’s announcement of his retirement from top-level sport. In more eventing glory, Burghley winner Ros Canter secured The Horse & Hound Podcast professional rider award for the third time. And the astonishing one-horse rider Lucy Latta landed the amateur of the year accolade after finishing Badminton runner-up. Showjumpers were also to the fore. While the late puissance specialist Mr Blue Sky UK fended off Olympic medallists and the Hickstead Derby winner…

ARENA UK WINTER CLASSIC 28 November–1 December Arena UK Winter Classic, Lincs “THIS horse has been allergic to first place all year, but she’s finally done it,” said Jess Hewitt, who secured a winter grand prix victory with the consistent Arbitrage. All bar one of the six jump-off hopefuls left the fences intact, but Jess’s pathfinding target on “Agnes” was unmatchable. Annabel Shields came within 0.12sec with Creevagh Carisma, but tipped the last, while the rest of the field, including runner-up Lottie Tutt (Billy Dash), were some two seconds adrift. Jess has ridden Camilla Siekmann’s mare for four seasons, enjoying a strong year that has included almost £10,000 in winnings. “She’s normally my slow one,” Jess said. “She’s often up the placings, but it’s because she consistently jumps double clears.…

Forest Edge, Norfolk RUBY PAYNE neatly ticked off Blue Chip qualification with a win in the 1.25m winter qualifier with her former children-on-horses partner Whitesparke Pepper, claiming an additional victory in the 1.15m members cup qualifier with newer ride Jadraque P. Fifteen-year-old Ruby and the 13-year-old Peppermill mare demonstrated their fluid partnership when they axed one second from the lead time in an eight-strong jump-off. “They were all quite fast, so I knew I had to do the turns. She was very good for me,” said latedrawn Ruby, whose older sister Amelia has also qualified for the Blue Chip Championships. Ruby also plans to take her pony, Zee Tech, who was third in last year’s Blue Chip Pro sparkle JC/JA final. “We wanted to get all the horses qualified as…

THIRTY-year-old conditional jockey Freddie Mitchell celebrated his greatest day in the saddle, when completing a winning double at Newbury for trainers Gary and Josh Moore on Le Patron (pictured) and Hermino AA. Grade One winner Le Patron was getting his career back on track, thanks to a patient ride from Mitchell, for whom this also marked a remarkable comeback after a “long journey”. Having won the World Fegrentri Championship for amateur riders in 2013 at the age of 19, Lambourn-based Mitchell started out as a conditional jockey for Nicky Henderson. He then spent three years riding in France but, plagued by injury, he hung up his boots and took up a role as assistant trainer to Jamie Snowden for three seasons. But a conversation with former jockey Jacob Pritchard Webb…

JOHN DAWSON gave two four-year-old debutants impeccable rides to win their respective maiden divisions at Hexham. The success ensured that John left the course with his 200th pointto-point victory. He also marked the 250th win of his career, combining pointing wins and victories under Rules. His first effort was aboard the no-weight-for-age-allowance maiden winner, the Lesley Coltherd-trained Carlenrig (pictured), who is a Soldier Of Fortune son and owned by Ian Herbert. John had never sat on him prior to today. “He’s a rangy beast of a horse who lobbed his way around, quickening up when he needed to; I’m sure he’ll go on to bigger and better things,” John said. Next up, John led the maiden field on Alan Ingram’s Jack The Lad. Alan bought the gelding, who is by…

SARAH BAKER THE inspirational Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) leader died at her Hertfordshire home on 21 September, aged 84 years young. Sarah’s love of horses started from a very young age and permeated all aspects of her life. Aged five, Sarah yearned for a horse but as family ownership was not an option, she simply improvised by tethering herself to a water butt and standing for ages in her garden pretending to be a pony. When that palled she would put a string leading-rein on one of her sisters and get them on all fours to graze on the lawn. Eventually the family had an extended free loan of ponies from a local family – Sarah was delighted and her siblings much relieved… Sarah passed on her love…

I started riding as a child and everyone thinks you’re going to grow out of it – but now I’m in my 30s I’ve still got a pony. He’s a failed show pony, a part-bred Arab called Vinnie – we call him Vinweasel (pictured). I used to love to jump, but Vinnie’s not a natural, and so we concentrate on dressage. He’s qualified for an Area Festival. Horses led me into this job. I used to work in an events company for government policy events and saw an advert to work for HPower. I wasn’t successful for that job, but they said that with my background and love of horses, how about coming on board as entries assistant for Royal Windsor. That led to being entries secretary and then taking on…

IN the first paper, French and Danish vets looked at the FEI discipline of vaulting. Less well known in the UK, it is popular on the Continent, and is essentially gymnastics on the back of a cantering horse, without any rider connection with the reins. The research looked at various styles and patterns of the reins, which are fixed to a surcingle in either a draw-rein or side-rein formation from the bit. Thirty-nine vaulting horses working at international level were fitted with draw reins or side reins, in each case with or without an elastic section to permit some stretching. They also fitted side reins fixed to the noseband rather than the bit. The horses were worked at a canter on a 15m circle without a vaulter and were filmed…

Horse & Hound Awards 2024: celebrating the stars of equestrianism in partnership with KINDLY SUPPORTED BY…

DRIVETIME, 28 Emily Baldwin’s Dutch-bred gelding completed Badminton, Pau and Luhmühlen, as well as winning many times at the now four-star level, including World Cup victories at Haras du Pin and Chatsworth. “He was this very, very special horse with an aura about him,” said Emily. “He knew he was good.” EVENTING NOBLE SPRINGBOK, 27 The 14.2hh won nine pony eventing European medals with three riders: Laura Collett (team gold and individual bronze); Libby Soley (individual gold and silver, team gold and bronze); and Grace Walker (individual silver, team gold and bronze). He and Libby also won back-to-back pony national championships: “Spring wasn’t just a horse, he was my world,” said Libby. BEN ALONG TIME, 29 A five-star winner at Kentucky, Olympic team silver medallist in Hong Kong and individual…

YEOMANRY RIDE 30 November Yeomanry Ride, Badminton, Glos CLARE KING and Doug White finished first and second in the Yeomanry Ride, sponsored by Hodson’s Horse British Officers Memorial Trust, both enjoying a thrilling ride at racing pace over near-perfect ground conditions. Clare was riding the 12-year-old Cesar Et Rosalie, a former chaser by Network. She said: “It was great fun – the course was short and sharp, so for once I could put my hands down and bowl along, rather than having a bit of a battle to try to steady up and settle him. It was like riding a two-mile champion chaser!” This victory makes up for the disappointment of falling in the Melton Hunt Club Ride when a loose horse took the pair out at the ninth fence.…

HIGHLIGHTS 22–24 November Vale View, Leics JOE TRUNKFIELD made a clean sweep of the Blue Chip qualifiers on a trip to his local show centre, winning one and claiming a one-two in the other. He partnered 12-year-old gelding Hero JL, a horse he was competing for the first time, to the top of the line-up in the Blue Chip Dynamic grades B&C, beating Rosie Smith, 14, and NPS Jaliska. Joe is riding the horse on behalf of John Steels. “Hero’s been competing with Jakob Barlett, who works for John, and he’s one we’re hoping to have some fun on while he looks for a new home,” said Joe. John brought two horses to the show for Joe to ride, the other being the seven-year-old grey Corvette VH Reukenis Z, who…

FUTURE riding horse Monivea The Dark Secret (pictured) took to the centre line as youngstock champion. Thomas Peet handled the Turberry Top Cat two-year-old he co-owns with his mother Mandy Peet, adding this result to an impressive tally achieved from minimal outings. The gelding, out of thoroughbred Musikhani, was sourced from his breeder Pippa Kirby as a foal. He is a full brother to 2023 Horse of the Year Show in-hand finalist Monivea Mozart. “We’ve done riding club with ‘Mario’ this year for some education,” said Thomas, who is a member of Sparket Equestrian Events team. Mandy added: “Mario has personality in buckets. We do our horses from home as a family; it’s proper teamwork. While we have great faith in him, but it was still unbelievable to watch him…

Newcastle Racecourse DRAFTED in as a last-minute substitute for lame stablemate Constitution Hill in the Grade One BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle, Sir Gino provided trainer Nicky Henderson and jockey Nico de Boinville with a huge thrill, closing down his rivals in dynamic style. His chief opposition, the Willie Mullins-trained Mystical Power was never firing in the two-mile contest, but this was a seriously impressive performance from a four-year-old in open company. The bay winged the final two hurdles with ears pricked, opening up an eight-length advantage to become only the second four-year-old in the past 40 years to win the race. “He’s very, very good,” said the trainer, who has been vociferous in his opinion of the unbeaten youngster. “We’ve always believed it, but he’s had to prove it and…

Hursley Hambledon, Larkhill, Wilts EXCITING prospects achieved two neat wins for trainer Fran Poste and jockey Zac Baker. The restricted favourite, the Welton, Doolittle, Burgess and Chater’s eight-year-old gelding Kilfilum Woods, was the first part of Fran and Zac’s double. The Beat Hollow son was bought from Paul Webber on his retirement from training last summer. Fran had been in touch with Paul about another horse and took a punt on Kilfilum Woods on Paul’s recommendation. He won at Knightwick early in November, meaning he was primed and ready for his victory here. “He deserved to be the favourite today, but he’s had slightly patchy form in the past; he’s never ran one race the same,” Fran said. “He jumped brilliantly today, though. He looks an exciting horse moving forward…

POPULAR venues are back and new fixtures will make their debuts in the 2025 British Eventing (BE) calendar. Barbury and Horseheath both return, with early spring dates on well-draining land. Barbury (21–23 March 2025) dropped out of the affiliated calendar in 2023 and 2024, as restrictions mean venues hosting FEI classes are not permitted to also hold unaffiliated eventing. Barbury now replaces Cirencester (1), with classes from novice to advanced intermediate level. Alec Lochore, director of Barbury and Cirencester organisers Musketeer Event Management, told H&H BE has been “dynamic in its approach” to the calendar. “Cirencester (1) has been subject to challenging weather conditions twice out of the last four years, and there was an option to bring Barbury back in – at this point for a year only,” he…

ORGANISERS, riders and a top mare have been recognised for contributions to dressage. The annual British Dressage (BD) award winners were announced at the BD Presents event on 23–24 November. Nereide Goodman – who founded Wellington Riding with her husband John – and Hartpury University & College equine director Phillip Cheetham, received the medal of honour for “outstanding contribution” to the sport. Myles Graham won the Trendell Trophy as the most successful junior rider in the team test at the European Championships, and the Richmond Trophy as the top junior or young rider in the freestyle. Isobel Lickley was awarded the Pablo Picasso Trophy as the top British young rider in the team test. The Graduate Trophy, for the rider in their last year of under-21s who has made the…

HORSES have a finely honed fight or flight mechanism, and so it is perhaps not surprising that they have a reputation of being accident prone. They are also prone to injury because of their “design”. Long legs with little muscle coverage to protect the bones mean that injuries there can be serious. Given that the healing of a wound is influenced by how it is managed after an accident occurs, your immediate action is very important. Prompt first aid can minimise trauma caused by injury, prevent further damage and help maintain the situation until veterinary assistance arrives, if necessary. In minor cases, the right first aid may be all that is required. STOP AND ASSESS WHEN an injury is discovered, remain calm. Most accidents are less serious than they first…

Horse & Hound Awards 2024: celebrating the stars of equestrianism in partnership with EVENTING legend William Fox-Pitt was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award, following his retirement from top-level sport at Badminton in May. His successful international career has spanned nearly four decades – “a career we all dream of ”, as Zara Tindall said in a video played at the ceremony. William holds the record for five-star victories at 14, has collected 20 senior championship medals and won more than 50 three-day events. The rider – who was genuinely surprised to take the accolade – reflected on the decision to retire, saying: “I’m 55 and I was thinking, ‘When is the moment?’ I thought at Badminton, ‘Do I want to come back here again, do I want to go…

REGINALD AKEHURST, 94 Jockey and racing trainer RONALD ALEXANDER, 81 Course-designer, event rider and hunt master JONNIE ANDREWS, 82 Long-standing master of the Glyn Celyn Beagles GUY AVIS, 76 Long-term secretary of the Heythrop Hunt SIDNEY BAILEY, 85 Professional huntsman TIM BARNES, 70 Showjumper, horseball player, showing producer and breeder LILO BLUM, 97 Owner of a riding school in central London JEAN-MAURICE BONNEAU, 64 Medal-winning rider, coach and chef d’equipe MARK BRADSTOCK, 66 Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer SHEILA BROOKS, 86 Highland pony breeder and chairman of the National Pony Society GEORGIE CAMPBELL, 36 Five-star event rider JILL CARENZA, 72 “The queen of hirelings” VALERIE CLARK, 76 Mother of showing producer Sam Darlington VICKY COLLINS, 69 Event rider and breeder ALASTAIR DOWN, 68 Racing journalist JENNY DUCOFFRE, 44 Showjumping groom CAPTAIN…

CAMBRIDGESHIRE-BASED lorry driver Richard Barton and his third-generation home-bred Christal Du Chene (Ambre Du Chene x Couleur Rubin) continued their impressive winning streak with a victory in the 1.30m open at Forest Edge. The 10-year-old mare was fourth at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in the silver league final and has subsequently claimed six wins and two runner-up spots from her last 10 classes. “Being an amateur, I can’t get out as often as I like without taking a holiday from work,” said Richard, who won the silver league final on a different home-bred in 2014. “In the run-up to HOYS, I found I was having trouble with my related distances after having a break from competing. Christal doesn’t tend to touch a fence, so if we have any…

Parwood EC, Surrey “HE looks like a mini Clydesdale,” said Mariana Broucher of Hagrid II, who scored an outright win in the elementary 5. “But he’s very correct in his way of going and he tries hard.” The 15.2hh Clydesdale-cob gelding, who was also placed second at medium, achieved novice and elementary wins at the Associated Championships last year. “He has quite a presence and good rhythm,” continued Mariana, who rides the 10-year-old for Linda Hughes. “One of his highlights is what I call his happy trot.” Gareth Bulley topped the prelim 6 with Alice Oppenheimer’s home-bred five-year-old Headmore Forever Ruby. By Franklin and out of Alice’s grand prix mare Headmore Bella Ruby, “Fleur” was competing at her second show – having won both prelims the previous week at Quob…

“HE’S JUST THE COOLEST HORSE” JUST seven days after finishing runner-up in a chase at Haydock, a “bouncing” General Medrano was rerouted to Newbury by trainer Emma Lavelle, bringing up a winning double at the meeting for jockey Ben Jones. “I have the privilege of sitting on this horse every single day and I couldn’t believe how well he felt coming out of Haydock,” revealed the trainer. “We never usually back them up that quickly, but he was just bouncing. So I said to the team that maybe we should run him again – we thought he might run a bit flat towards the end, but he’s the most amazing jumper and he’s just the coolest horse.”…

HIGHLIGHTS 1 December Border, Hexham, Northumberland “HE’S the best horse on the yard,” said trainer Hannah Roach of talented ladies’ open winner Time Leader, who made his mark on his seasonal debut. The Scorpion 10-year-old, who is owned by G and S Capper, M and C Kennerley and M Loran, was ably steered by Clara Brewitt, providing Hannah with her first of two back-to-back victories. Last year, the upstanding gelding picked up third- and fourth-place finishes in the Hunters’ Chase and the Foxhunters’ at Cheltenham and Aintree, respectively. “As he’s 10, the plan is to go with him again, as it might be his last year at the top,” said Hannah, who has trained Time Leader for three seasons, taking the baton from her mentor Joe O’Shea after his retirement.…