Innholdsfortegnelse for 05-Dec-2019 i Horse & Hound

WE’VE been particularly busy at H&H Towers over the past two weeks planning for our awards, which took place last night, and launching the new premium paid-for area of our website, horseandhound. co.uk/hhplus Magazine subscribers will receive details of this service, called H&H Plus, in letters with today’s issue, and are welcome to enjoy an extended free trial of the service that enables users to read our magazine news and exclusive columnists on our website before the magazine hits doormats. There’s a limit to how quickly we can get a magazine printed and posted, but once articles are written there’s nothing to stop us getting them online to give subscribers early access and make them the first to know. Our H&H Plus service also includes an online veterinary library, curated…

HELLO SANCTOS Scott Brash’s Olympic gold medallist and Rolex Grand Slam winner is to be retired. Owners Lord and Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham, and Scott, have decided the 17-year-old will bow out at Geneva CHI this month. LJT LUCAS NORMARK Anne Dunham’s Rio ride has been put down aged 18. The Lady Joseph Trust and Henrietta Cheetham’s stallion, who won nine para dressage championship medals, had a worsening issue with a hind leg. TIGER ROLL A third Grand National is the aim for Gigginstown’s nine-year-old, after surgery to remove a bone chip. Trainer Gordon Elliott said he is making a good recovery, with the bandage set to come off today (5 December).…

THE demand for traditional Chinese medicine eijao is pushing donkey populations to the brink of collapse, a leading equine charity has warned. H&H has reported that millions of donkeys are being stolen, transported and killed as traders harvest their hides to export as an ingredient for eijao. The Donkey Sanctuary has reported that the animals are in a state of “global crisis” and called on governments for an urgent halt to the trade. In an update to its “Under the Skin” campaign, the charity said populations have been “virtually wiped out” in several countries. Projections suggest the ejaio industry will require more than half the world’s current donkeys over the next five years to meet demand. The Donkey Sanctuary said the skin trade is also creating a biosecurity risk “at…

EVENTERS aged over 40 are invited to come together across Scotland to celebrate friendship, duct tape, and gin in a new league next year. Gin It 2 Win It is free to join and will coincide with the Scottish British Eventing fixtures calendar. Riders can accumulate points for placings, completions and double clears. Founder Rose Dudgeon, who came up with the idea with racehorse trainer Lucinda Russell, told H&H they want to support older riders who want to make friends, enjoy their horses and celebrate personal achievements. Riders are urged to wear a piece of silver duct tape at events to identify themselves as part of the gang. “Duct tape is something most of us have, with our equipment being old and falling apart,” said Rose. Prizes include a day…

‘Being able to combine horses and film-making is a dream’ The cinematographer is the person responsible for everything to do with filming — movement of cameras, lighting; the right hand of the director, the person who puts the director’s vision on screen, and translates the script with a camera. Often, we have two or three cameras so sometimes I’m responsible for 30 or 40 people. Basically, I’m a very expensive babysitter! I’ve been riding since I was six; horses have been my long-term passion and I’ve ridden in all sorts of ways and countries, and on all sorts of horses. When I was a child, I was a big dreamer — I still am — and imagined myself in all sorts of jobs, but film-making was always a massive passion.…

“I’D never seen an injury like it,” says trainer Jimmy Frost of the grotesque sight that greeted him when he looked in on Findusatgorcombe one morning in February 2017. “My first thought was that it would be the end of him. Surely we couldn’t mend that?” It appeared that Findus, then five, had caught his bottom incisors in the stable bars and pulled back. “All Jimmy saw was half of Findus’ face hanging off,” says owner Phill Meaden, who was called immediately with the news. “His lower jaw was split from front to back.” Visiting vet James McIntosh, of South Moor Equine in Devon, continues: “Findus had suffered a rostral [meaning towards the incisors] mandibular fracture. We decided to operate in Findus’ stable to avoid the added trauma of transporting…

POLLY STOCKTON CHESHIRE-BASED Polly has finished second at Burghley three times. A former young rider team gold medallist, she went on to represent Britain on senior teams at the 2002 World Equestrian Games and was on the squad at the 2005 and 2011 European Championships. This year she competed a string of eight horses. TRAINING THE STARS I USE this exercise with all my horses, but it was particularly effective with Westwood Poser, my 2009 Burghley runner-up. He had a tendency to rush, so this exercise allowed him to jump without anticipating and getting excited, and it even calmed him down.…

TALENTED young event rider Hannah Francis inspired equestrians across the country as she pledged to “kick cancer’s butt”. Throughout her treatment for a rare bone cancer, Hannah wrote a blog from the viewpoint of her cuddly toy Willberry Wonder Pony as she fulfilled her dreams, including riding the test event at Tattersalls International and meeting Valegro — but also set up her own charity. Since her death aged 18 in 2016, Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony charity has, according to Hannah’s wishes, been funding research into bone cancer and granting equestrian wishes to people suffering from serious illnesses. “It’s amazing what the charity does,” says rider Clare Reeves, who had lessons with eventer James McIlough and visited Nick Skelton’s yard as part of her wish. “It gives you hope; the more…

CHERWELL COMPETITION CENTRE 24 Nov: prelim 15 silv (K Bates).— 1, KMD Rialto (C Rudge) 68.4; 2, Hu-Ray Henry (G Vines) 66; 3, Kilfarissey Clover (C Blackshaw) 63.4. brnz.— 1, Havall BH (M Gopsill) 65. prelim 19 gold.— 1, Prince George (E Thomas-Olsen) 70.83. silv.— 1, KMD Rialto 70.21; 2, Hu-Ray Henry 66.88; 3, Kilfarissey Clover 65.63. brnz.— 1, Little Hay Tiger (E Halley) 70.63; 2, Havall BH 64.79. nov 23 gold.— 1, Diamantino (W McKay) 65.63; 2, Prince George 64.58. silv.— 1, Gentle Gem DHDL (A Williams) 66.04; 2, Iron L (R Wollerton) 64.17. brnz.— 1, Lady Mexico UK (H Kane) 66.46; 2, Little Hay Tiger 65.21; 3, Lowbury Tango (J Hawkins) 64.17. nov 37 gold.— 1, Diamantino 66.85. silv.— 1, Gentle Gem DHDL 66.67; 2, Iron L 63.89.…

IT is about time big organisations employed good journalists and picture editors to make sure imagery and captions supporting messages are accurate and reflect the content. It is good H&H has taken the lead on improving the situation, but with the ever-increasing pressure to present ethical training, it’s unhelpful to see a horse with its nose way behind the vertical when talking about the correct outline being forward and open. I’m surprised, too, that one can still see on other major websites, for example, a photo of a horse in passage when the copy is talking about piaffe. And don’t get me going about those “arty” no-hat photos which do no good at all. The equestrian media needs specialist expertise to ensure correctness and accuracy in the way our sport…

A TOP TEAM FINISH THE Elite Dressage team celebrated a satisfying grand prix one-two-three at a rainswept Bicton Arena, Devon, where Anna Ross headed the class with Delgado. “He’s my prince — I love him,” said Anna of her own and Beverley Brown’s Uphill gelding, who scored high marks for the zig-zag and flying changes. After making their grand prix debut in October, Alex Baker and Dutchman finished second with 66.9% — a “magic number” for Alex, who started as an apprentice at Anna’s yard five years ago and has now achieved international qualifying scores to ride for Ireland. Sally Bell, third with State Secret, is also a pupil of Anna’s. “State Secret is a Gelderlander who wasn’t backed until he was eight, having been a private driving champion,” explained…

Olney Grounds EC, Warks SOPHIE STRAWSON and six-year-old Okkato 11 jumped the fastest of 24 double clears in a 55-strong Blue Chip power qualifier at Onley Grounds. Sophie, who works in a McDonald’s restaurant to pay for her horses, bought Okkato from Carron Nicol as a just-broken four-year-old and has produced him through the grades herself. The Dutch-bred son of Stakkato was able to contest this newcomers-level class due to his age, but his points total mean that he cannot qualify for the final. He was placed in four of his five classes at this show, where he also jumped in his first 1.25m class. “He’s not how you’d expect a showjumper to look, as he’s small and stocky, with short legs, but he’s super careful and, if I get…

Royal Welsh Winter Fair, Builth Wells, Powys A STRIKING palomino colt with four lengthy white socks landed himself top billing in the supreme. Courtway Arctic Fox became the first Welsh part-bred champion to scoop the supreme accolade here and he is also the first foal bred by his Hereford-based breeder Jocelyn Price since the loss of her husband four years ago. He was shown and prepared on the day by her granddaughter, Gemma Morris. “He’s the seventh generation down from my foundation mare, Criban Activity, whom my father gifted to me as a wedding present,” said Jocelyn, who has been breeding ponies for 58 years. “He has now been sold, but he stays in Wales, and will hopefully come out as a ridden prospect.” His dam, Courtway Airs And Graces,…

Ladbrokes Winter Carnival, Newbury Racecourse, Berks “BRINGING home the bacon” was a popular headline in many Sunday newspapers’ racing columns after De Rasher Counter completed a superb weekend for Marlborough-based trainer Emma Lavelle when he won the £250,000 Ladbrokes Trophy on Saturday, 30 November. It came 24 hours after the yard’s star, Paisley Park, had begun the defence of his Stayers’ Hurdle title with a hard-fought victory in Friday’s Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle. The seven-year-old De Rasher Counter — who was given a confident ride by Ben Jones, the rising star of the season — had the perfect winning profile for the race: an improving young horse in his first season out of novice company. Instead of taking him to last season’s Kim Muir at Cheltenham, Lavelle’s low-key approach was…

YOU cannot beat success as a trainer — that is why we all do it — and last weekend Emma Lavelle masterminded a duo of brilliant winners in the two big races at Newbury with Paisley Park and De Rasher Counter. She rightly deserved to wake up on Sunday feeling a bit ropey after the celebrations, but it is unlikely she did because she’s a true professional — she would have bounced out of bed to pat her two stablestars. Paisley Park was last season’s hurdling revelation; he began his season in handicaps and ended it as the best staying hurdler in the country. Newbury was his first race of the season and, frankly, I don’t mind if your name is Henderson, Mullins or Nicholls, you have to improve and…

Hursley Hambledon, Larkhill, Wilts THE men’s open held a strong 14 entries, and it was Earth Leader who kept in close contention throughout to give Angus Cheleda his first ride and win between the flags, for trainer Rose Loxton. The six-year-old son of Presenting, who went off favourite, had by chance given the winning trainer a lifeline during last season. The horse was responsible for breaking Rose’s leg during a fall at home, which then led to her being diagnosed with cancer. “We always worry if we have done enough work with the horses and it’s been so wet lately,” said Rose. “We can hopefully stay pointing and then aim Earth Leader for Cheltenham.” In the ladies’ open, the Sara Bradstock-trained Southfield Theatre, under daughter Lily Bradstock, dominated from the…

BRITISH breeding has come a long way since the British Horse Foundation charity was set up by the late Richard Meade in 1991. As a director of the foundation, I set up the Supporters of British Breeding as the marketing arm in 1996. We recognised that we had the best riders in the world but at one Olympics, not one rider was on a British-bred horse. Our dream was to spread bloodstock information and encourage breeders to strive for excellence. We planned stallion viewing days, a national equine database that could be used to boost performance, and evaluation for foals up to six-year-olds. We also dreamed of a British sport horse studbook, which was something that sadly we were never able to achieve. The difficulty was we had so many…

LAST week the combination of icy roads and worries about being late to the meet were sending me into orbit on the stress front. It was only when I clocked an appendage (the trailer’s mudguard) dragging along the road behind me, that a blissful and inexplicable calm descended. Turning off the main road I pulled over and jumped out to survey the damage. Having grown up on a dairy farm, I know there are very few things that can’t be mended with a piece of baler twine; it was simply a case of fastening the mudguard to the trailer and going on my way. Usually I carry some string in my hunting coat but naturally, on this day, there was nothing. That left the string we use for tying horses…

A YARD owner who has spent years fighting to decrease his business rates hopes the concessions he won could benefit others in a similar position. Walter Brinzer, of Chelmsford Equestrian Centre in Essex, went to tribunal this autumn as part of his appeal against the values assigned to his premises, from which rates are calculated. Although the tribunal did not agree with some of his basic arguments — such as the £250 value assigned to each of his stables being too high compared to £165 in areas of London and Surrey — points ceded by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) beforehand meant he has already been refunded some £6,000. Mr Brinzer told H&H while it is simple to calculate the rateable value of a shop, for example, as they are…

DR BOB The lightweight show cob who took two Royal International victories has died aged 27. Known for his partnership with amateur Ian Darcy, Dr Bob also qualified for HOYS nine times in a row, and was placed there. MILEY Alvescot Stud’s sire to successful eventers, showjumpers, show and dressage horses has died aged 31. His progeny include Izzy Taylor’s ride KBIS Briarlands Mathilda and graded stallion Masterpiece. MAKE A STAND Peter Deal’s 1997 Champion Hurdle winner has died aged 28 following a happy retirement. Trained by Henry Candy, then Martin Pipe, he also won over hurdles at Kempton, Newbury and Sandown, retiring in 2000.…

DONALD TRUMP Which leading figure of which equestrian organisation has toilet roll featuring the face of everyone’s favourite US president in his, or it could be her, bathroom? We’re not telling, but we applaud this person’s lavatorial equipment choice wholeheartedly… BUYING One will also not reveal the name of she who, at an auction, waved a cheery hello to one of the spotters during bidding — and very nearly secured herself a stallion for €62,000 (£lots). Hands in pockets, ladies! HENRY VIII More discussion on rider weight online attracted lots of comments, some intelligent, and one: “Well, Henry VIII rode.” Mmm. He also killed two of his wives and burned people at the stake so not convinced he’s the best role model……

Hamburger Schleppjagd-Verein, The Hamburger Draghunt Club, Hotel Hof Sudermühlen NEVER had I seen anything like it. Some 120 horses and riders had assembled, accompanied by more than 500 spectators who were crammed into 20 large agricultural trailers pulled by tractors. There was a bar, a bonfire, a troupe of horn-blowers and — rather worryingly — both the ambulance service and the fire brigade had pitched up. Somewhere among the seething mass was a pack of hounds. The location was the Hotel Hof Sudermühlen, a grand hotel that sits in the Lüneburger Heath in northern Germany. In the summer, it attracts tourists keen to explore the CCI5* event at nearby Luhmühlen. Come late November and it plays host to one of the most extraordinary hunting festivals in Europe. The hotel turns…

‘Chuck the reins at him and he’d take you for a clown’DAVID BARKER SOME horses want to be left alone, but others need a little more attention. Ed was one such, a two-thirds thoroughbred ridden by Johnny Greenall, former master and huntsman of the Meynell and South Staffordshire. “I was hesitant to pick one horse,” he says, “but Ed is rather special, ridden by three huntsmen and now saving lives.” Ed was bought from Nottinghamshire dealer Steve Barnes by the late David Barker, Olympic showjumper and another notable Meynell huntsman. He impressed from the start: “The girl groom jumped him over cavaletti, then the gate out of the field and back again,” says Johnny. “So we thought he would suit.” Ed undoubtedly had ability, but wasn’t without character. “He was…

TRM KuraSyn British Showjumping Season Finale, Aintree International EC, Merseyside JACK RYAN soon made his presence felt at this well-supported season finale. Competing at his first show with Team Breen, the young Irish rider quickly found winning form, including an early 1.40m victory riding the Breens’ and Chris Warren’s Clintofino. Using Aintree as a warm-up for two shows in Europe over the next few weeks, Jack quickly gained an enviable winning record. “I had only sat on Clintofino a couple of times at Shane Breen’s stables, but I could tell how careful he was and how he loves to jump,” said Jack, who finished ahead of George Whitaker. “The courses were quite big and technical here, but Chris has done a lot of flatwork with him and he was a…

SPRINGSTEEN WINS IN STOCKHOLM AT the CSI4* Stockholm in Sweden, US rider Jessica Springsteen was in flying form all week, culminating in victory in Sunday’s grand prix with the 10-year-old mare Volage Du Val Henry. Ireland’s Darragh Kenny headed the 1.50m speed class on Saturday with Ann Thompson’s 11-year-old Important De Muze, where Ben Maher and the Jane Forbes-Clark-owned Ginger-Blue finished sixth. HULAHUPE TOP YOUNG HORSE ELLEN WHITAKER and the seven-year-old Hulahupe JR landed the young horse grand prix at the CSI4* Munich last week. Jessica Crane’s Dutch-bred is a son of VDL Bubalu, out of an Indoctro mare.…

HUNT WINS £500 ENGAGEMENT POT THE South Shropshire has won £500 for its efforts to engage with its local community in a competition aimed at promoting mutual understanding. The hunt’s supporters’ club hosted a fun day at its kennels, where visitors could see military tanks and an artificial milking cow, as well as being able to meet hounds and groom horses. The club also dropped invitation leaflets to 400 homes. This is Hunting UK judged its efforts best in its new “Let’s meet the hounds” competition. The runner-up was the Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, which invited Women’s Institute and Young Farmers’ groups to visit kennels. NEW BRIDLE-FITTING COURSE LAUNCHED THE Society of Master Saddlers hopes its new bridle-fitting qualification will raise standards and boost equine welfare. The City & Guilds-approved course…

Eventer James Sommerville married Lucinda Cornes on 27 November. Shoes from horses including James’s 2019 Badminton ride Talent were used as guests’ nameplates at the ceremony. Racing talent spotter David Minton won the Federation of Bloodstock Agents lifetime achievement award. He bought Ballabriggs, Hedgehunter, Many Clouds and Party Politics. Flat jockey Donnacha O’Brien , 21, announced he is retiring. The Group One-winning Irish reigning champion is to follow his father Aidan and brother Joseph into training. Para showjumper Evie Toombes won the British Citizen youth award for her work in changing stigma on hidden disabilities. She was given the medal by charity patron Dame Mary Perkins. Former British Showjumping chair Les Harris accepted the honorary vice president position with the association. Les has been actively involved in showjumping for three…

TARANTULAS A vet in a far-off land was puzzled when a client rang, concerned as her horse had eaten a tarantula. The mare suffered mild colic signs the next day but recovered fully — and had apparently “not even pulled a funny face” as she tucked in. One will never, ever complain about UK rug-dwelling spiders again. Probably. DECORATIONS To the races where two ladies wearing tiaras, as you do, were judging the best turned-out. “I like the decorations,” one stated, pointing at a horse’s cheekpieces. Blimey. Think she needs to see some showjumping… POSTERS To Kendal, where someone complained a large Conservative election poster on the roadside could scare horses. “Good point,” one rider was overheard to agree. “But I think Corbyn’s far scarier.”…

YOUR veteran special (7 November) was very apposite for me. My 23-year-old cob suffered a tendon injury in April, for which she endured periods of box rest and some turnout. But a scan resulted in a guarded prognosis with no guarantees, and while I’d have loved her to be sound enough to keep in the field, I made the dreaded decision every owner has to be prepared to make. The hunt came the same day and I held on to the end of the rope with my back turned while my old girl had her head in a bowl of food. At the sound of the shot, the rope pulled from my hand and I walked away without looking back. Surprisingly, instead of feeling distressed, I felt a sense of…

JAW fractures are not uncommon in the horse and can occur for a number of reasons. Trauma to the head is a typical cause. This could be blunt trauma, such as a kick, fall or collision, or injury caused when the horse pulls back suddenly while chewing or cribbing on a fixed object such as a feed manger or stable bars. This failure to let go of whatever it is he has clamped his teeth around can result in avulsion (pulling out) of the horse’s incisors, or more significant fractures of the mandible — the tapering lower half of the jaw. Whatever the cause, these fractures are often immediately obvious or otherwise straightforward to diagnose. The damage may look extensive, yet repairs can be carried out relatively easily — usually…

WHEN Irish eventer Jonty Evans launched a crowdfunding campaign to buy his 2016 Olympic ride Cooley Rorkes Drift in 2017, the public dug deep, raising the £500,000 needed within the four-week period. Jonty and “the people’s horse” went back to competition, but nearly a year after the campaign, Jonty sustained a serious head injury in a cross-country fall from “Art”. He spent six weeks in a coma and had to learn to walk and talk again, but this season he has been back in competition on Art, and has recently signed up to be an inspirational speaker. “I’ve had to accept that life is going to look different,” Jonty said. “I believe my positive mindset and that of those around me has helped me hugely in facing these many challenges…

THE end of the decade is approaching, and while many of us are scratching our heads asking where the time has gone, we’re also wondering what might happen in the next 10 years. Horse welfare, technology and safety remain at the forefront of our sport, but what could we see coming to fruition by the year 2030? We turn to the experts for their predictions for equestrianism in the new decade. THE BREEDING EXPERT TULLIS MATSON Prediction: “The means to forecast a foal’s ability from a hair sample” COULD you pick the next Big Star by simply looking at a foal? Maybe not, but you might be able to with the help of a hair sample, predicts Tullis Matson, managing director of Stallion AI Services. “I believe genomics is going…

SOMEONE told me recently that this column had almost exclusively concentrated on our opponents or politics. I am not going to apologise for that; in fact, here I go again. If they would stop having elections then I would stop writing about them. This one, be assured, is a big one for many important reasons that by now you will have heard 100 times over from the politicians. It is also a game-changer for our community; get Corbyn and, as the Labour manifesto states, they will tighten up the Hunting Act, making it virtually impossible to lay trails. The “punishment” under a Labour government, should a judge interpret that you were breaking the worst law ever written, may result in imprisonment or hefty fines. With the Conservatives we get to…

Cherwell Competition Centre, Oxon “HE’S a ‘wow’ horse,” read Jessica Wade’s test sheet after a prix st georges (PSG) win with Godin — the eight-year-old gelding’s second success at the level within a week. “He has a lot of presence,” admitted Jessica, who also rode the Uphill son to victory at Summerhouse Equestrian. “There are still a few mistakes to iron out, but he finds things easy and is always enthusiastic.” Jessica then guided her Santano gelding Empire H through his second inter II test, heading the class with 70.39%. “That was pretty much a clear round,” said Jessica. “His changes were clean and his pirouettes were good, so now it’s a matter of building his confidence in the arena. “Godin is hot and sensitive, more of a show-off, but…

ST LEONARDS EC 24 Nov: prelim 7 brnz (A Darrall-Rew).— 1, Midnight Shylock (M Barnicoat) 68.86. prelim 19 silv.— 1, Farleaze Lord Broadwood (T Udy) 66.88. brnz.— 1, Midnight Shylock 70. nov 22 gold.— 1, Llanthony Erehwon (K Raymont) 71.55. silv.— 1, SOS Seychelles (P Tempest) 63.1. brnz.— 1, Church Park Sandy Cove (C Robinson) 63.97. nov 38 silv.— 1, SOS Seychelles 65.81. elem 40 silv (J Green).— 1, Volante Libero (M Clifford) 70; 2, Summer Night City (T Anthoney) 66.61. brnz.— 1, Sambervito (B Hunt) 63.87. elem 53 silv.— 1, Volante Libero 67.94; 2, Summer Night City 65.59. med 61 silv.— 1, Horatio VCG (B Bainbridge) 69.83. med 73 silv.— 1, Horatio VCG 70.15. silv.— 1, Angelica II (M Stevens) 63.53. nov FSM Q gold (A Darrall-Rew).— 1, Llanthony…

SIR WILHELM is maintaining a string of solid elementary scores, following up a plus-70% double win at Bold Heath EC, Cheshire, with a convincing 76.72% victory at Myerscough College, Lancs. “His scores are getting better and better — and under so many different judges,” said his owner/ rider Hilary Janion. “He earned four nines at Myerscough, which takes some doing.” After an inauspicious viewing last year, Hilary decided to take a chance on the Sandro Hit gelding. “I didn’t really like him, to be honest, as he was unsettled in his mouth,” she said. “But I did like his outlook. I’ve always been into showing and he’s a quality horse — a lovely stamp. “We’ve spent a lot of time bringing him on, nice and quietly, building his confidence and…

22 Nov: KBIS Insurance British novice.— 1, Country Pleasure Zone (J Powell); 2, Lady Dolly Daydream (M Munnelly); 3, Jackson X (R Hutson-Lumb). 90cm.— 1, Igo Diamond (C Bowman); 2, Cullen Lady (H Davies); 3, Tatiana II (L Whitfield). Nupafeed discovery.— 1, Fadeline (W Newton); 2, FH Firecracker (C Chapman); 3, West Grey (L Bramwell). 1.0m.— 1, Igo Diamond; 2, Castle Blaze (J Powell); 3, Newtowns Cash Only (G Hilton). Connolly’s Redmills newcomers.— 1, Newtowns Discovery B (G Hilton); 2, Tonagh High Fashion (F Holmes); 3, Dante’s Inferno II (J Elliott). 1.10m. — 1, Dellrose Rosie (C Chapman); 2, Gerdien 2 Van De Oldenhoff (R Lees); 3, Evalinde (J Brookfield). Equitop Myoplast Foxhunter.— 1, Blowell Beeline (J Elliott); 2 & 3, Lelisa & Creevy Taylor (B Walker). 1.20m.— 1, Z…

SHOWING always has its highs and lows, but this season the sport I and so many others love has gone from wonderful moments to the absolute depths. For me, the greatest achievements have been outside the ring. We’ve seen Rory Gilsenan and Lynn Russell, two long-established professionals, battle cancer. Rory has been inspiring everyone with his determination and Lynn is doing the same by raising a huge amount for Breast Cancer Care. I loved seeing Allister Hood take the Royal International (RIHS) supreme ridden horse title on Lady Caroline Tyrrell’s lightweight cob, Our Cashel Blue. His show was superb and, poignantly, this horse has also been treated for cancer. The lows have come from vitriol and bullying on social media plus news of one of the first positive dope tests…

THE Point-to-Point Owners and Riders Association (PPORA) is one of a number of key stakeholders in the world of pointing. I’ve served on the PPORA committee for a number of years as a rider representative and now vice chairman, and so have had a great insight into some of the challenges faced by our amateur sport, but also become aware of the opportunities it can create. I have spoken many times in the past about how pointing can benefit our equine friends; however, it is important not to underplay the role “grassroots” racing serves in helping riders — something that quickly tends to get forgotten. I take great pride in watching young horses I have been involved with progress their careers on the “big stage”, but equally I enjoy seeing…

HURSLEY HAMBLEDON, LARKHILL Tattersalls Cheltenham open maiden 4&5yo.— 1, Mr&Mrs C Poste’s Pass Rusher (J King) F Nimmo. ladies’ open.— 1, The Southfield Racing Partnership’s Southfield Theatre (L Bradstock) S Bradstock. men’s open.— 1, R Penny’s Earth Leader (A Cheleda) R Loxton. restricted.— 1, C Bennett’s Miss Seagreen (S Jukes) S Jukes. conditions.— 1, D Cope, Mr&Mrs L Cope, L Hartley, S Sharratt and C Millard’s Salvatore (A Edwards) P Rowley. open maiden.— 1, L Harvey’s Raised With Praise (D Edwards) L Harvey.…