Innholdsfortegnelse for 21-Sep-2017 i Horse & Hound

LESLIE LAW’S Olympic gold and silver medal-winning star Shear L’Eau has died, aged 26. “Stan” won individual gold at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games — Great Britain’s most recent Olympic eventing gold medal — and also helped the team to silver. The combination were also part of the gold medal-winning teams at the 2003 Punchestown Europeans in Ireland, where they finished fourth individually, and the 2005 Europeans at Blenheim. The horse’s other career highlights included two top-10 finishes at Kentucky CCI4* and fifth at Burghley in 2003. The Irish-bred grey gelding, by Stan The Man, was the only horse Leslie took with him when he emigrated to the US in 2005. He retired from competition in 2007 and lived out his days at Leslie’s US base. Leslie and his wife…

Showjumper Edwina Tops-Alexander has made her international comeback after the birth of daughter Chloe at the end of July. She jumped at a five-star show in Lausanne. Kiwi event rider Joe Meyer’s home in Florida has been “considerably damaged” by Hurricane Irma. A “giant” tree fell on his roof, but no humans or animals were harmed. Australian eventer Sam Griffiths has been given the all-clear to ride after injuring his neck in a fall in April. Sam rode at Badminton before he knew how severe the injury was. Dressage rider and trainer Ferdi Eilberg is to rejoin the equestrian World Class programme as high-performance coach to the para-dressage podium and podium-potential squads. British-based Kiwi event rider Jonelle Price competed at Blenheim a month after she gave birth to her and…

DIGITAL IMAGES AVAILABLE TO BUY H&H’s picture sales service has been expanded ahead of the start of the hunting season to offer digital images for the first time, in addition to our existing range of prints and photo-based gifts. Low-res digital files suitable for use on social media will cost £6, with high-res files suitable for printing at £15. The digital images will be available via email. H&H magazine editor Pippa Roome said: “This is a great step and allows more people than ever to enjoy H&H’s extensive archive, to which we are constantly adding at shows and events across Britain and beyond.” Visit: horseandhound. co.uk/galleries VETS ADVISE CARE FOLLOWING STORMS HORSE owners have been urged to take extra precautions against seasonal…

WINNING CHICKENS A horse owner was surprised when he arrived at an agricultural show to discover an unexpected passenger — one of his chickens. Seizing the moment, the stowaway was entered in a chicken class — and came second. Happy days. FIRST-WORLD PROBLEMS Don’t you just hate finding racehorses in your swimming pool? Pity poor Alexander Armstrong, of Pointless fame (and the voice of Danger Mouse, fact fans), who woke to see Alice Plunkett’s mum’s youngster in his shallow end . We’ve all been there… DONKEYS US eventer Ryan Hall credited an unexpected source for some of her success — a donkey. She backed KitKat and taught her to jump which, she said, has improved her accuracy to a fence. The big question, though, is where did she find a…

‘In sport, people often think they need to be seen as resilient and able to cope. It’s OK to say sometimes that you’re struggling and perhaps need help’ LEONIE LIGHTFOOT, PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGIST AND BEF CONSULTANT A BLACK cloud has darkened the skies over sport in recent years. As household names open up about the depression and anxiety that have dogged their sporting careers, it has become painfully clear that life as a professional athlete is not always all it’s cracked up to be. Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton and middle-distance runner Dame Kelly Holmes are among those who have admitted to suffering mental health problems while struggling to stay at the top of their game. Equestrian sport has followed form: jockey Mark Enright revealed in the Racing Post in early…

THE multi-approved stallion Rubin Royal (right) has been hitting headlines recently, most notably by siring both the winner and the runner-up spots in the grand prix, Rubin Al Asad and WG Rubins Nite — as well as Rosalie B, the mare Laura Tomlinson rode in her demo on Saturday. Rubin Royal is by the Rubinstein son Rohdiamant, and it’s often said that the R line stands for rideability. Rohdiamant brings the blood of the influential anglo-Arab stallion Inschallah AA. Rubin Royal’s dam-sire Grundstein II is a foundation German sport stallion for both dressage and jumping, and further along his dam-line is Akzent II, who is also the damsire of De Niro. Rubin Royal is fourth (behind De Niro, Gribaldi and Sandro Hit) on the World Breeding Federation sire rankings for…

KELVIN BYWATER’S team has created a national championships which is a spectacular “show”. I experienced several aspects this year: competing, training, socialising, commentating, judging, shopping, oh and dog walking — the nationals tick all the boxes. Stable manager Steve Fazakerley does his very best on this challenging site to keep all horses safe and comfortable. If HS2 does mean a change of show site, grooms, riders and horses would appreciate it if there was the space to have barn-type stables or at least ones with an overhang, to provide some shelter. No riders will miss negotiating that slippery horse walk either. Many horses have their first exposure to a big show environment here, the clattering of hooves on that walkway producing movements defying description in the British Dressage Handbook. Chief…

SsangYong Blenheim Palace, Oxon WITH a new sponsor and course-designer, Blenheim once again shone a spotlight on rising stars of the sport. As last year, the results were truly international, with six nationalities gaining top three placings. But, following the season’s theme, young Brits impressed too. Kimberly Severson, 44, claimed the second CCI triumph in three years for the USA — and her first win here for 16 years, on the part-Irish draught Cooley Cross Border. In 2001 she won on Winsome Adante, and if “Cross” proves half as talented as him she’ll be a happy lady —he later won Kentucky a record three times, plus Olympic silver in Athens. “It’s been a long time coming, but this horse has had a big win in him,” said Kimberly, who nailed…

“IT’S probably a one-off, fluke victory,” laughed Burnham Market (2) BE100open winner Lucy Mason. “My horse can do it but I’m not the bravest and I don’t like leaving the ground.” Lucy, 52, a housewife from Norfolk, piloted her 16-year-old gelding Call Me Ishmael to victory, finishing on their dressage of 25.3. “When my husband came and told me I’d won after looking at the scoreboard I said, ‘Don’t be so stupid!’ — I still can’t believe it,” said Lucy, who credits her progress to Tina Ure and Charmian Aitken. “Tina has got me jumping again. I used to feel like I could be physically sick before I went cross-country. My hands would shake and people looked at me and asked why on earth I was doing it.” Lucy bought…

Quainton Stud, Bucks ABBE ELLIOTT (née Burchmore-Eames) and Wilandri E effortlessly switched from Henley’s big grass arena to the sand surface at Quainton 24 hours later to land the top-billed grand prix. “He knows his job better than any horse I’ve ever known and he’s as brave as a lion — nothing fazes him,” said Abbe, who — alongside her mum Sadie — donated half her prize-money back to the show held in aid of Cancer Research. “We lost my nan Diane Burchmore to cancer; this is in her memory.” Course-designer Phil Ashworth set a seemingly straightforward track for the grand prix, but it proved trickier than it walked, with the final combination catching several otherwise clear rounds, and only seven from 43 starters accessed the jump-off. Helen Tredwell took…

LANCASHIRE-BASED dog groomer Heather Rothwell struck a major blow for home producers when standing reserve in the Edgar overall supreme on her five-year-old riding horse, Happy Valentines (Harley). This elegant Furstenball bay, bought by Heather’s partner Ian Cure as a Valentine’s gift this year — hence the name — had already won his class and then headed a 14-strong overall home-produced championship to get this far and his smooth, mannerly shows caught many an eye. In the final supreme, David Tatlow — one of three judges — awarded Harley his only 10 of the night. “You could see it was trying all the time to do what its rider asked, and both horse and rider had smiles on their faces all night,” he said. Heather added: “This was the first…

EMMA GIBSON looks to have found an exciting new star in the shape of the handsome grey Lackaghbeg Augustus Star, ridden and produced by Claire Oliver to head a strong class of four-year-olds. But his purchase in January came about by accident. “I’d gone to stay with Moggy [Hennessy] for a shooting weekend in Suffolk, also intending to go shoe-shopping in Bury St Edmunds,” said Emma. “But she persuaded me to stop off en route to the shops to look at ‘something else’ at Steve Pitt’s. I came home with two brace of pheasant, two pairs of shoes, a handbag — and this horse!” It has proved a canny impulse buy, though, as the strapping son of Emperor Augustus was champion at The Showing Register and runner-up at the Sport…

CHAMPIONSHIP shows make the last weeks of the traditional season sparkle — many of us look on these end-of-term finals not just as practice runs for Horse of the Year Show [HOYS] but as special occasions. I understand why some riders regard the British Show Horse Association National Championship Show as the most important date in their season. HOYS has a unique atmosphere, but you can’t beat the nat champs — as everyone calls them — for enjoyment and the competition is just as hot. We go hoping to win, but we also have fun. This year was no exception, despite the torrential rain that meant riders competing outdoors could wring out their jackets. The pairs class brings a smile to every face and it’s great to see riders finding…

 Doncaster, Yorks ‘It’s not like driving a car round the M25 and pulling out’ DAVID ELSWORTH AFTER DESERT SKYLINE HAS TO DIG DEEP CAPRI may have been a slow burner at the start of this season but Aidan O’Brien’s grey is increasingly looking the pick of the colts among Ballydoyle’s Classic generation after he added an epic William Hill St Leger to the Irish Derby at Doncaster on Saturday (16 September). It is ironic that a bunch finish in any Derby is traditionally seen as a bit of a slur on the race, denoting a winner which is neither outstanding nor better than his peers. Purists like a clear-cut winner of these races, a Workforce over a Sir Percy. But, over the extra quarter mile of the St Leger,…

Atherstone, Warks TEAM RIDEAWAY I took the first qualifier for the national championships with a flying round over the big, inviting Atherstone hedges. Joe Stevenson took on the captain’s role because team boss Stephen Clark is temporarily out of action following an accident at home, and he gave a great lead on the big-jumping Slim. Two pairs of huge hedges on a 180° angle gave them the chance to show off their nifty turns. They then headed on towards the big drops at the centre of the course, with team-mate Paul Thomason having to sit tight on Touch when he got a flyer. Charlotte Alexander was close on Joe’s heels aboard Kingy as they swung into the new pen enclosure, before galloping on to the finish, where Touch crumpled over…

Victoria Foods Carriage Driving Extravaganza, Wellington Riding Centre, Hants MALCOLM SALTER and Mike Clark’s Welsh section D Newydd Beau earned a unanimous verdict from the three-judge panel to be crowned supreme champions. While earlier in the day the pair had finished reserve in the private drive championship — following a close battle with Paul Atkinson and Black Boy — the freestyle format in the supreme proved the ideal showcase for the mannerly 10-year-old gelding. “I was able to choose what suited him best and show him off,” said Malcolm, who is in his second full season with this turnout. “I was able to get him really going along a straight side and then I dropped him into walk, with a halt and rein-back. “He’s done ridden dressage before, so it’s…

ORGANISERS of the Event Rider Masters (ERM) series hope it is set to head to the United States next season. After the 2017 ERM final at Blenheim on 16 September, ERM chief executive Chris Stone said it is hoped a leg will be run at the Carolina International Horse Trials in March 2018. He added that Belgium is also due to have its first ERM leg next year, at Arville in June. Both these fixtures are subject to FEI calendar approval. Mr Stone agreed with press conference host Alice Fox-Pitt that the series is “no gimmick”, but it is an “authentic version” of the sport of eventing. “The only change we have made [to the CIC3* format] is the seeding,” he added. “We try to push the edges of what…

BLAIR Castle International Horse Trials (24-27 August) has apologised “unreservedly” for an error which meant the wrong rider was crowned CIC3* winner. Harriet Wright, 18, and Ngong Hills won by 3.9 penalties, from Matthew Heath on Cooley Lord Lux, including four for knocking one showjump. But when Harriet watched a video at home, she saw she had lowered two fences. This meant Matthew should have won by 0.1 of a penalty but although Harriet rang Blair straight away, the result stands under FEI rules. “My heart sank but I stayed true to myself; I had to call,” she said. “Some people were saying ‘don’t phone’, but it wouldn’t have been like winning; I want to win on my own merits.” Harriet said she is “really chuffed” to come second, adding:…

PHALLUSES Or should the plural be phalli? We’re not sure. Whichever, the cross-country course plan for this year’s Dauntsey Park Horse Trials sparked a few giggles, being variously bulbous and elongated. Childish, but entertaining. GELDINGS On a similar note, we hear Desert Skyline trainer David Elsworth was willing to make rather a large sacrifice for the three-year-old, who could not run in the St Leger as he has been gelded. “I suggested I volunteer to do a transplant at the vets,” said David, whose offer was refused. Gosh. SPENDING Ah, the perils of working for H&H. We will not name the reporter who “accidentally” bought a pair of beautiful boots while covering a recent show. The reason we’re not naming her is because they were out of her budget, and…

I’VE recently realised that one of my favourite aspects of eventing is the incredible variety the sport throws up in every area. Blenheim (report, p54) last week was a great example. Take the many different ways you can win. Our cover star Izzy Taylor led throughout to top the Event Rider Masters (ERM), Kim Severson moved up from third after dressage to take the CCI3*. Then there are the riders. Look at the ERM. Gemma Tattersall is one of our top young professional jockeys and has ridden four different horses to take the series title. Meanwhile, runner-up Sarah Cohen competes just one horse — who has contested every leg of the series — alongside being a mother of two. And Mark Todd, who finished third, is 61 years old and…

OVERALL RESULT 1st Hayley Watson-Greaves on WG Rubins Nite (76.02%) 2nd Lara Butler on Rubin Al Asad (75.59%) 3rd Carl Hester on Alcazar (75.22%) Lemieux British Dressage National Championships, Stoneleigh Park, Warks IT’S not often a rider is crowned national champion despite not winning a single class. Unusually, the two grand prix classes produced three winners this year: Lara Butler narrowly led the grand prix and Carl Hester captured the freestyle, but it was the combined scores from both that crowned Hayley Watson-Greaves the 2017 national champion. It was a fitting end to the season for Hayley and WG Rubins Nite after being non-travelling reserve for the Rio Olympics and shortlisted for the Europeans in Gothenburg last month. “Squeaks” — so named for the noises he makes — is now…

ONCE in a while, a horse comes along that you know is going to be a major player on the world stage. Every person who witnessed Charlotte Dujardin and the phenomenally talented Mount St John Freestyle score an inter I nationals record, en route to becoming the Saracen Horse Feeds inter I supreme champions, must have been wondering whether we were witnessing a future Olympic medallist. “She feels like Valegro in the arena,” Charlotte said of the brilliant mare, who posted 81.5% in her first freestyle. The Fidermark daughter has surged through the levels and she continued her upward trajectory here. This is her third national title in as many years and Charlotte is aiming her for the World Equestrian Games in 2018. “Everything is ready for grand prix now…

BLENHEIM is undoubtedly one of our premier events and huge credit to the organisers for improving the prize money once SsangYong joined as sponsor. First prize has more than doubled for the CIC class, but you won’t see a finer field of eight- and nine-year-olds anywhere and I still think at £5,000 (plus use of a SsangYong Tivoli for a year) it is less than it should be. David Evans’ first cross-country course as CCI designer didn’t offer anything outrageously different. I questioned whether some of the distances were pushing it — the striding between the table and two angled brushes at 12 and 13 seemed massive — but in fairness, it rode very well. As the years have gone on I have felt that Blenheim’s become smaller, but perhaps…

AN auction in aid of Cancer Research was held immediately after the grand prix and the marquee was teeming with enthusiastic bidders. The lots included a miniature horse sculpture by grand prix winner Abbe’s husband Charles Elliott and a horseshoe worn by Big Star along with a framed photo signed by Nick Skelton, which made £800. Bidding was brisk and a total in excess of £5,500 was raised. “That’s double what we made in 2015,” said chuffed show organiser and auctioneer Ross Irving.…

LAST month’s European Championships were a missed opportunity for so many reasons, but the decision not to send a British team showed some serious flaws in judgement and revealed how badly our sport is being managed. The performance manager’s job is to select the best team available — sending no team at all shouldn’t even be an option. With our two best riders — Ben Maher and Scott Brash — out of the championship equation, for whatever reason, the Europeans should have been a chance for some different riders to go. Nigel Coupe, Keith Shore and Harriet Nuttall, to name just three, were all deemed good enough to be selected for the Nations Cups of Aachen and Dublin, but they were not on the list of nominated entries for the…

British Show Horse Association National Championships, Addington Manor, Bucks A WORKING show horse and his plucky rider not only sprang a major surprise, but provided a dramatic finale to the Leeman supreme championship on day one of this popular show. After a day of intense competition, the five supreme contenders included three reigning Royal International (RIHS) and Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) champions but in the end, the formbook had little influence. Some hot favourites failed to shine so the title was there for the winning and the last to go, worker and side-saddle specialist Southerly Roberts, set out with drive and determination on Carole West’s SEIB working show horse champion Gallifrey (Buttons). Egged on by an enthusiastic audience, Southerly and this versatile cob produced a truly “supreme” show,…

 Cherif Championship, Addington Manor, Bucks A NINE-HOUR first — and last — round trip from Northumberland paid off handsomely for Taran Hanover when her smart hack, Whittaker’s Prince (Sammy), headed a strong over-158cm class and then positively sparkled to land the coveted overall Cherif ridden supreme title. Competitors flocked in droves to this final running of the show, leading to strong competition in all height divisions. No one was more surprised than Taran herself when her Stanley Grange-produced 10-year-old emerged triumphant to claim a host of prizes, which included £150, trophies to keep, a magnum of champagne and a week’s luxury “horse holiday” in Somerset. “I can’t believe it,” said Taran, who works as project manager in her husband’s company. “I’ve always wanted to come to this show as I’d…

 AUTUMN hunting is well and truly underway. Many packs enjoyed an early start this season, with lots of children managing a couple of days before going back to school. Here are the Duke of Beaufort’s hounds, hosted by Fi Mitchell at Trull. It is joint-master and huntsman Matt Ramsden and kennel-huntsman Nick Hopkins’ second season with the great Gloucestershire pack — but Capt Ian Farquhar’s 33rd. We wish them, and all the other many packs in Britain and Ireland, a very good 2017/2018 season. It is a special time of year — misty mornings as the sun comes up, the sight and sound of hounds again and the chance to catch up with hunting friends one may not have seen since March. The best reason for getting up before 5am……

TRAINER Clive Cox continues to be in sizzling form and six days after Harry Angel won the 32Red Sprint Cup Stakes at Haydock, he was delighted to see Heartache, his Queen Mary winner, return to form in a scintillating Wainwrights Flying Childers Stakes. In a terrific finish she and Karl Burke’s Havana Grey came right away form their field but the filly pulled out a bit more inside the last half furlong to win by half a length. Both juveniles look very speedy and it would be no surprise if she were to win the Cheveley Park over an extra furlong. Having been so impressive at Ascot, Heartache disappointed in third in the Prix Robert Papin in France, but she pulled muscles there and 54 days between races had given…

 WITHOUT a doubt Carl Hester is the person who has inspired me the most, both as a dressage rider and as a person. He started from nothing and has achieved his success through sheer hard work coupled with natural ability. In addition, he has a rare capacity to influence and engage other people. Alongside his riding ability, it’s an unbelievably powerful combination and makes it almost impossible for you not to listen to what he has to say. ‘He started from nothing and has achieved his success through sheer hard work coupled with natural ability’ During the years we were together, I learnt a huge amount from him simply by observing how he went about his job and treated his horses. Coming from eventing, we both very much had the…

CORNETTO K The 11-year-old by Cornet Obolensky has been sold to British showjumper Alexandra Thornton. He finished fourth at the European Championships in August and ninth at last year’s Rio Olympics with Italian Alberto Zorzi. PRADA A daughter of this former four-star horse won the four-year-old “criterium” (for French-bred and non-French-bred horses) at the French young horse championships under Tom Carlile. Spring Thyme De La Rose, by Sir Donnerhall, was bred by Sarah Williams and belongs to Prada’s owner, Vicki Miller. CORNADO NRW Marcus Ehning’s 14-year-old has returned to international showjumping after a break of more than a year. The stallion sustained an injury that ruled him out of the German team at the Rio Olympics. TEAVANTA II C Z Dutch showjumper Ruben Romp’s top horse, “Tea” has been sold…

THE team behind Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony charity is “hugely excited and incredibly honoured” to have been shortlisted for the FEI’s 2017 solidarity award. Hannah Francis’ charity, which funds research into bone cancer and grants horsey wishes to those suffering from serious illnesses, has been named a finalist in the category, one of five FEI awards presented every year. Each award is decided 50% on public vote and 50% by judges. So fans of inspirational young eventer Hannah, who died of cancer last year, and her outstanding legacy are being urged to vote. “From such genuinely humble beginnings, to think the charity is now receiving global recognition is phenomenal,” charity spokesman Jon Stroud told H&H. Jon was involved with helping Hannah achieve some of her “bucket list” wishes. “They’re over-used…

Sir — I find Alyson Flower’s letter (14 September) interesting. She asks for dressage penalties not to be announced during the showjumping round — and other competitors do share her view. When this is the case, why not go earlier to the showjumping judges’ box and ask that your dressage penalties are not mentioned? As a judge myself, however, I find the majority of competitors have no problem hearing their score announced, or they may even know what it is by the time they jump. I’m also aware that some spectators like to hear how a horse has done in the dressage and if they then follow up by jumping clear or, indeed, have increased penalties. A public announcement is avoidable, but I do think the general public enjoy hearing…

IZZY PALMER went one better than last year’s nationals when she not only defended her grade title, but also came out on top across all five para divisions. The 2016 grade III champion with Sophie Wells’ former Paralympic ride Pinocchio, 16-year-old Izzy retained the renamed grade IV title this year with another of Sophie’s horses, the 17-year-old Touchdown M. Their score of 72.07% was also enough to elevate them to the top of the overall leaderboard. The friendly little Jazz gelding was named as reserve for the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing with Sophie, but shortly afterwards was diagnosed with a tumour in his foot, leading to retirement. However, seven years later he made his comeback as a schoolmaster for Izzy, who trains with Sophie. “He’s a miracle — he’s had…

JESS DUNN is a lady made from tough stuff — three weeks ago she broke her fibula in an accident on a young horse, but it hasn’t stopped her campaigning four horses across the championships, including the third-placed five-year-old, her own Helga. She also finished third in the advanced medium gold behind Charlotte’s two horses riding LG Alicante Valley. “These were set to be my best championships yet and I couldn’t just give up on the idea,” said Jess, who also suffered with food poisoning the night before the young horse final. “I’ve had an amazing support team at home who have kept everything going over the past three weeks. I thought when I broke my leg, ‘I can’t give up on getting to the championships until the actual day…

BUNTINES MAKE IT 100 OSBERTON (28 September-1 October) will mark the 100th British Eventing fixture organised by Stuart Buntine (pictured) and his wife Anna. Their first event was at Lambley House, Notts, in 1998 and more than 10 venues have contributed to their tally. “It was only last year we thought about how many we’d done and started to count them up,” said Stuart. “The most amazing thing is in all those years, we’ve only cancelled one whole event and about three or four single days. We always have a big volunteer party during the winter, so I think this year it’ll be even bigger.” WOBBLEBERRIES IN THE START BOX LITTLE DOWNHAM (3) will host an official Wobbleberry Challenge BE80(T) section on Saturday, 30 September, for more than 100 riders…