Innholdsfortegnelse for 20-Feb-2025 i Horse & Hound

NINE days until spring and we are totally ready for the warmer months of competition to get under way. Our essential guide to the season (p35) will help you to select your goals, not to mention fixing your social diary, and equips you with the intel you need to achieve ambitions this year. Harry Meade details the meticulous management routine that helped him finish with three horses in the top 12 at Burghley last September - with more five-star heroes waiting in the wings. From choosing bedding to using nebulisers, Harry is passionate about giving the horses in his care every comfort - and every chance of success. His thorough approach to fitness work promotes soundness. In all you’re left thinking this is how to manage horses for long, happy,…

I AM MAXIMUS The 2024 Grand National winner, owned by JP McManus and trained by Willie Mullins, tops the weights for 2025 at 11st 12lb. The nine-year-old is 8lb higher than last year. BALLAGHMOR CLASS The four-time CCI5* winner, ridden by Oliver Townend, is among the eventing stars entered at Poplar Park on the first weekend of the 2025 British Eventing season. VIROFLAY The eight-year-old, trained and ridden by Olive Nicholls, won the Coronation Gold Cup at Larkhill (16 February) on his seasonal debut. Report, p112.…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. ENSURING QUALITY YOUR article (H&H online, 6 February) on the recent failed drug test from the Paris Olympics illustrates the challenges that competitors face, while highlighting some of the concerning messages emanating from the FEI Tribunal, some of which could be misconstrued, while others are potentially very damaging to the trust that is essential if professionals are to work collaboratively to achieve competitive success. “Select products that are BETA NOPS approved” CLAIRE WILLIAMS Without wishing to comment on the specifics of the case, I would like to clarify some of the points from the Tribunal that are highlighted in the article. Both FEI laboratory and Tribunal reports show there is no greater risk of prohibited substances occurring…

WHEN Harry Meade filled a quarter of the top 12 places at Burghley last year, it was rightly hailed as an astonishing feat of horsemanship. To produce three horses to perform at their peak at the highest level of the sport on one weekend shows not only outstanding ability, reaping the rewards of years of training, but an extraordinary management regime enabling all three to complete sound, happy and competitively on the final day. Let’s not forget, Harry had two more five-star contenders ready for Maryland the following month, and another two waiting in the wings. Many countries could field a full team from his yard alone, and yet he has a relatively small string. There are dozens of five-star riders, and a handful ranked above Harry (EquiRatings predicts he…

THE county show commentator is the glue who holds the competition and the spectators’ interest together. They have a unique perspective and spend the day dipping in and out of the equestrian classes, sometimes covering all the sections themselves or focusing on a specific discipline. Simon Richardson is one of the showing world’s most well-respected equestrian commentators whose voice is known across the country. Cheshire-based Simon’s favourite county show is, naturally, Royal Cheshire, his local fixture. “I began stewarding there over 30 years ago,” he says. “It’s a buzzy, busy show with lots of HOYS qualifiers and there are six or seven rings to keep an eye on, so I’m constantly on the go.” Simon also enjoys the atmosphere at Westmorland County (10–11 September) in Cumbria. “It’s such a friendly…

AGE is just a number, they say, and that’s certainly true for “gentleman” Gerard. An Irish Sport Horse by Political Merger, he first saw hounds aged 18 and, six years later, at 24, is still “hunting weekly up front” with Zoe Brooks. Gerard arrived as a seven-year-old for Zoe, then 18, to event. The 16.3hh chestnut, properly Killossery Merger, had got to old-style CCI* with Killossery Lodge Stud in Ireland. “He looked the part and had good breeding, so I thought we’d go to Badminton,” she laughs. “I was a bit naïve!” However, “our hearts just weren’t in it” and “he had a brief stint between the white boards before trying hunting when my other horse was injured. We wasted a decade – he was simply born to hunt.” “BRAVER…

THE fact Tim Gredley (pictured) was even riding in the Abu Dhabi LLN is nothing short of remarkable as a week earlier “I could not walk” he revealed. The British rider had been suffering excruciating pain and inflammation in his knee, unable to ride for 10 days prior to the show. But team physio Jennie Owst identified the cause in the bursa region of the kneecap and immediately set to work. “If it hadn’t been for her, I wouldn’t have been able to ride - she was brilliant,” said Tim. “She fixed me within two days. I only got on Imperial for the first time on Thursday and the knee still isn’t perfect, but it’s been manageable since. “If it had been anywhere other than Abu Dhabi, I probably would…

RAJNIE SINGH scored a prelim bronze double at Merrist Wood College, Surrey, with Indigo Penny Lane. Soon after she was bought seven years ago, “Penny” underwent emergency surgery for torsion of the large colon. “The following year, she colicked again 12 times,” said Rajnie, who added that the mare spent weeks at Liphook Equine Hospital after a large colon resection. “It was touch-and-go, but she’s had no colic since. AGAINST THE ODDS “She’s completely different to other horses I’ve known. She’s so willing and kind in every way and has been super-gentle from the get-go.”…

Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @jones_eleanor_ LEARNING from gymnastics could be a key to equestrian sport’s thriving - as could asking horses, “Are you OK?” Experts spoke at World Horse Welfare’s virtual conference on 13 February. It followed last year’s event, at which those in other industries shared how they had boosted public support (news, 8 February 2024). “Today’s conference brings the conversation back to us,” said World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers. “It considers factors that may lead to unwanted practices and offers solutions to the challenges, which will surely help show the public we’re serious about improving the welfare of horsest.” British Gymnastics (BG) CEO Sarah Powell considered culture shifts in sport. A review commissioned in 2020 said gymnast welfare had “not been…

Eventing legend Ian Stark has been appointed a US Equestrian eventing selector. The panel will make recommendations for CCIOs and championships. Irish showjumper Cian O’Connor and 14-year-old gelding Bentley De Sury led an Irish top four in the World Cup leg in Ocala, US, on 16 February. Former champion apprentice jockey Billy Loughnane, 18, landed a 697/1 treble, keeping him in the running for the all-weather jockeys’ championship. National hunt jockey Sean Bowen celebrated his 1,000th career win, with the Olly Murphy-trained Kefir D’Oudairies at Fakenham on 14 February. Showjumper Sebastian Hughes and Colorado Volo won a high bar class outright at the Longines Hong Kong International Horse Show on 14 February.…

LITERATURE Overheard, a rider sighing to another that February had been “a bit like a rude book”. “How so?” asked her pal. “Well it’s been pretty 50 shades of grey,” came the reply. More like one unending shade, but ha ha nonetheless. ENCOURAGEMENT Overheard at a show, when one rider finished the course. “Woohoo, you didn’t fall off!” Always the main objective, well done. BOOTS Reports have re-emerged of a man’s 500-year-old body, wearing boots, found in the Thames. He led an active life, was “probably in pain every day from arthritis” and still had his boots on. Has to have been a rider. INSTRUCTORS A trainer encouraging a rider to use half-halts pointed out an example of when one would have been good. “I had planned to but when…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald THE process of modern vettings is becoming so unreasonable that we will soon reach the point where it is near-impossible to sell a horse. The odds have become so heavily stacked against the vendor that I think we should be charging purchasers a £250 fee to present a horse for a vetting, to cover the use of staff time. Once, this would have been built into the selling price, but the chances of a horse failing the vet have become very high, when they used to be very low. There’s also no consistency. One vet fails a horse and then another passes it the next day or the next week. Some of the horses I sold in the 1970s, 80s and 90s would probably fail a modern vetting,…

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YOU can guarantee that every equestrian has, at some point during a competition, had that sinking feeling when something hasn’t gone to plan. Poles fall, unexpected run-outs can happen or the slightest step back in a halt can lose valuable marks and what might have been a top placing, or a win, can result in a long drive home thinking of the “what ifs”. Riders know better than most that things don’t always follow the script – and while one unfortunate result might be put down to an unlucky day and brushed off, when these start to become regular occurrences it can soon start to become rather disheartening. Consultant clinical psychologist with Changing Minds Dr Duncan Law, who has worked with top sports athletes, explains that when people are driven…

SHOWING BRITISH SHOW HORSE ASSOCIATION (BSHA) BSHA Northern Spring Show Kelsall Hill EC, Cheshire 13 April Don’t miss: qualifiers for Royal International (RIHS) and London International Horse Show (LIHS) BSHA Southern Spring Show Addington Equestrian, Bucks 10 May Don’t miss: qualifiers for RIHS and LIHS BSHA National Championships Addington EC, Bucks 11-13 September Don’t miss: qualifiers for HOYS BSHA Rising Star Show Addington EC, Bucks 14 September Don’t miss: qualifiers for LIHS For full calendar and qualifiers, visit britishshowhorse.org BRITISH SHOW PONY SOCIETY (BSPS) More than 500 affiliated shows during the summer season, which are qualifiers for the BSPS Summer Championships. The winter season runs from October to March, with all affiliated shows acting as qualifiers for the BSPS Winter Championships. BSPS Winter Championships Arena UK, Lincs 3-5 May Don’t…

catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123 TWO well-known MFHs discuss their hunting lives, hounds and the sport… Matt Ramsden (MR): I’ll start - Charles, how did hunting come into your life? Charles Frampton (CF): My mother is an avid hunter. She and both of her brothers - one was master of the Mendip for a while - grew up hunting in Somerset. The farm was half Mendip country and the other half Blackmore and Sparkford Vale (BV) country. My sister was allergic to horses, so it was just my mother and I who went hunting a lot. I have to say that although I enjoyed going out hunting, I didn’t enjoy riding that much and my mother put me under lots of pressure to ride. The BV country then wasn’t child-friendly; unless you could…

HIGHLIGHTS 3-9 February oscar.williams@futurenet.com @oscarw_dr Moreton EC Winter Area Festival, Dorset “I LOVE flying the flag for cobs,” said Donna Willis, who headed the elementary silver with Cerrighedd Yago, an 11-year-old gelding by Diggers Gold. Originally bred for showing, Yago caught Donna’s eye at four years old. “There was something about him - he was fan,” she said. “He’s a great character. He does tire quite quickly and I only have a small window to train him in, but he’s a true cob with that fire in his belly. “I’m finding the new medium tests quite challenging,” she said, after placing sixth here at the level. “So in the elementary, I knew I had to step it up and ride every stride.” A REAL BREAKTHROUGH HANNAH BAILEY took the prix…

RIDING a horse she was given for free, Charlie Cornish claimed a bronze and overall elementary win at Prestige Equestrian, Gloucestershire. “He was such a handful that he wasn’t wanted, but his owner didn’t want him to fall into the wrong hands,” said Charlie, who took on Dali Van Het Burghof Z in 2022. “He’s a big, flashy horse but he’d lost all his confidence, so I brought him into work after time off and we went back to basics. “He’s quirky but clever. I’ve told him a million times that he’s the best thing since sliced bread. The good bits were so good. It’s exciting he did so well, even with costly mistakes.”…

“HE’S a lovely horse for the future with plenty of progression to come” enthused Alex Chadwick of Nicholas Wright’s Clashhill (pictured, left), an Ocovango seven-year-old, who took the Puckeridge and Essex Hunt’s intermediate at Horseheath, Cambridgeshire. This was the gelding’s second win at this track with Alex in two outings. “He did it the hard way, as he was keen from the off,” Alex added. “He got a bit wrong and he still won, so when he gets it right, it will be exciting.” Alex also led the maiden on Ed Turner and Family’s Atlantic Fleet. The seven-year-old by Beat Hollow was a catch ride for Alex, but he still secured the second quickest time of the day. “I kept him simple and handy, and he did it very well,”…

THERE aren’t many in the Gen Z bracket in our hunt but every so often someone who grew up here organises some friends to come and stay for some hunting. They block-book the local hireling population, bunk up at someone’s house and make a weekend of it. This has an invigorating effect on our field, many of whom enjoy the injection of youth and novelty. One of the Davids, for example, is a great gatherer of information and will make his way methodically around the group. Afterwards he throws out his discoveries like bones to the indigenous, for instance, “Tessa, have you spoken to Ned? He’s from the Wynnstay.” Or, “Did you talk to the girl over there on the grey, she’s a military nurse,” and so on. THIS weekend…

FOOT AND MOUTH: VIGILANCE URGED RIDERS travelling to Germany should be vigilant owing to foot and mouth disease (FMD). Defra suspended commercial imports of hay and straw from Germany on 7 February to limit the risks of carrying disease. FMD was identified in a herd of water buffalo near Berlin on 10 January. It can affect cows, sheep, goats, all other ruminants and pigs. Horses are not susceptible but can carry the disease, as can people and vehicles. “Therefore, it is advised that anyone travelling to Germany with horses does not come back with locally bought hay and straw,” British Equestrian said. “Measures should be taken in Germany to ensure that horses do not have contact with wild boar or deer, who could be infected, or have access to livestock…

DOUBLE Olympic gold medallist Tom McEwen went back to his roots to present awards at his former Pony Club branch – and share pizza. Tom went from a show to the Vale of the White Horse (VWH). “He’s always really supportive, which is lovely,” branch secretary Joanna Ramage told H&H. “He’s so generous with his time; he must have been knackered – but he did get some pizza!” Joanna said the branch is competitive, but its ethos is about being friendly and supportive, as well as horsemanship and pony care. The awards evening is about every level and achievement of rider, and volunteers. “We had long service awards to present, too,” Joanna said. “Pamela Ormond, our president, has hosted the mini and junior camps for years and it was important…

EUROS FEI DRESSAGE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP SENIOR When: 26-31 August Where: Crozet, France Takes place at Jiva Hill Stables, at the foot of the Jura Mountains near to Geneva on the French/Swiss border, and facing Mont Blanc. This ecologically sustainable venue organises international dressage competitions, including a CDI5* in 2024. How to get tickets: on sale from March, with early-bird offers. Check jivahillstables.com for details. Format: individual and team competitions, with gold, silver and bronze awarded in each. The grand prix test is first and determines the team medals, with three scores from the team of four counting. The top 30 from the grand prix go forward to the special, which determines the first set of individual medals. The top 18 from the special contest the freestyle, for another chance at…

BIG GOALS ROYAL WINDSOR Windsor Castle, Berks 15-18 May Showing - don’t miss: hunter championship, native in-hand championship and hack championship. QUALIFICATION None needed Showjumping - don’t miss: Rolex grand prix, Walwyn novice championship and the under-25 class. QUALIFICATION None needed for most national classes. Entries open in spring for the popular Foxhunter and 1.40m. Qualification by invitation for the CSI5* classes. Plus top-class carriage-driving and endurance contests. AL SHIRA’AA HICKSTEAD DERBY MEETING All England Jumping Course, Hickstead, W Sussex 19-22 June Showing - don’t miss: hacks, hunters and the RoR Tattersalls open show series final. QUALIFICATION None needed except for the RoR final - finish in the top three at RoR qualifier, running from August 2024 to June 2025. Showjumping - don’t miss: the Derby, the speed Derby and…

RIDING CLUBS AND TEAM CHASING BRITISH RIDING CLUBS CHAMPS EACH of British Riding Clubs’ (BRC) 23 areas across the UK may hold qualifiers for the championships. The number of qualifying combinations depends on the number of entries taking part and varies across each discipline and class. Most of the qualifiers for the 2025 winter championships have already been completed, but they can be held up until 28 days prior to the championship, so check your area for the final few. The summer qualifiers begin on 1 April. Dressage: intro, prelim, novice, elementary, medium, advanced medium, plus pairs and quadrille Eventing and arena eventing: 70-100cm Showjumping: 60-105cm Combined training: prelim/novice dressage; 60-100cm showjumping WINTER SEASON Equilibrium Winter Showjumping Championships Arena UK, Lincs 5-6 April SEIB Winter Dressage Championships and Quadrille Equetech…

HIGHLIGHTS 10-16 February jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Ascot Racecourse, Berks JOCKEY Michael O’Sullivan’s tragic death at the age of 24 (news, p6) has cast a huge shadow over this week’s sport. But before the devastating news came through on Sunday (16 February), Paul Nicholls received a muchneeded pick-me-up when formidable chaser Pic D’Orhy clinched back-to-back wins in the Betfair Ascot Chase. Much has been discussed regarding the Ditcheat handler’s barren 12 months, his last Grade One success coming in this race a year ago. So the De la Heys’ 10-year-old gelding’s electric display under stable jockey Harry Cobden served up a tonic for the 14-time champion trainer. “We all have peaks and troughs and things haven’t gone right since Christmas for various reasons, but you’ve just got to keep believing in yourself…