Innholdsfortegnelse for 23-Jul-2020 i Horse & Hound

THE response we have had from readers to our nostalgia special has been wonderful – thank you to all those who have written to express your enjoyment and to all those who submitted their memories and images for others to enjoy. This week, and for three more issues thereafter, we take you back in time again – this time just eight years, to Greenwich, London, in 2012. Many of us may never witness another Olympics on home soil, but Greenwich, for horse lovers, did enough for a lifetime. I remember walking to London Bridge station when Britain’s dressage riders were taking the world stage by storm, and seeing swarms of men in suits transfixed by a big screen showing “the dancing horses”. And I was lucky enough to be in…

HARTPURY SET TO HOLD 2022 FINALS HARTPURY is to host the 2022 dressage and eventing European Championships for young riders and juniors. The Gloucestershire venue was set to host the 2020 finals, which were cancelled due to Covid-19. This year’s dressage championships have been rerouted to Hungary. Hartpury’s equine director, Phillip Cheetham, said the venue was disappointed about the cancellation and the decision was “not taken lightly”. “We’re very grateful to the FEI for allowing us to host the event in two years’ time, and we’re excited about providing the perfect environment in which the top young riders in Europe can perform to the best of their abilities.” ONLINE AUCTION FOR FUTURITY ELITE BRITISH BREEDING and ClipMyHorse.TV are launching the first Futurity Elite online auction in September. The sale will…

Charlotte Dujardin and Mount St John Freestyle finished top in the Rotterdam Hickstead Grand Prix Challenge after being awarded 78.89% by the online audience via an app. German eventer Michael Jung was on winning form at the second leg of the Strzegom Summer Tour, taking the CCI4*-S on FischerChipmunk FRH and the CCI3*-S on FischerWild Wave. French eventer Thibault Fournier has returned to competition nine months after sustaining a serious head injury in a fall at Pompadour Horse Trials. He thanked everyone for their support. The Suffolk Horse Society announced Mark Donsworth has taken over from George Paul as chairman of the society. Mark has actively supported the society for more than 30 years. Racing owner Sir Graham Wylie is taking a break from the sport after 20 years. Sir…

DOONAVEERAGH O ONE The 19-year-old former eventer won the Barnadown Showjumping grand prix on 19 July with Elizabeth Power. The Irish Sport Horse previously triumphed in the 2013 Hickstead speed Derby with jockey Robbie Power. STORMHILL MINK Rebecca Walker’s coloured show horse and popular sport horse breeding sire has died, aged 27. The stallion scored numerous major wins, including qualifying for Horse of the Year Show and the Royal International. NETSTUTTERIET’S FASCINATION The full sister to three-time dressage young horse world champion Sezuan was sold at Paul Schockemöhle and Helgstrand Dressage’s online foal auction (17–19 July) for €60,000 (£54,300).…

MORE SPEED On the same subject, while discussing older lorries, a rider piped up: “Is it wrong to feel very slightly proud that my 1995 Cargo was capable of getting a speeding ticket?” Yes. Very, very wrong in every way. But we see where you’re coming from... SENSE Spotted on a road sign, by a rider en route to a show, graffiti saying: “The world is flat.” Given the noise the lorry was making as it toiled up the hill past it, we beg to differ… EARS A study has found that it is not just horses who prick their ears; humans apparently make “minute” movement of their ears in the direction of the sound they want to focus on. No more saying “cheese” for photographers; simply rustle a packet…

THE references to feeding bran in the “Readers’ nostalgia special” reminded me that 42 years ago, a friend and I were at Watton Sale in Norfolk, where the most unruly cob was brought into the sale ring towing two girls on a lead-rope. While it caprioled around the ring, we heard a well-known local dealer say: “There ain’t a lot wrong with that that a few bran mashes wouldn’t cure.” Suffice to say, we found ourselves the owner of the wild beast, who arrived home in a converted furniture van. We later discovered that he was by the Norfolk premium stallion Nysos, out of a Clydesdale mare. He went on to do everything from hunting to British Horse Society eventing (as it was in those days) and a clear in…

I GET asked how I achieve results in the show ring as an amateur, and I have to say that it all boils down to one big team effort. Our little squad consists of myself, my friend Sally-Anne Cowley and her sister Liz Cheffings. We work hard behind the scenes but have such a lovely time together out and about on the circuit with the horses. Sally is my childhood friend and she and Liz have shown horses for over 30 years. We had ponies together as teenagers and a few years ago I decided I wanted to get back into horses. Sally and Liz were there to help and I started to go to shows with them and my coloured cob. The first show I went to I fell…

I USED to be a showjumper, and didn’t take up dressage until I was about 20 or 21. One of my early riding icons was Germany’s Marcus Ehning; I really admire his riding style and the way he has his horses going, and I wanted to recreate that. I’ve also always looked up to my dad, Ferdi, who is my trainer now. But before I switched disciplines it was actually my mum, Geri, who was a great supporter of my jumping career. Dad and I used to clash big time – he used to make sound effects while I was jumping and I used to have to tell him to leave the arena! It wasn’t until I changed to dressage that I really came under his leadership – he always…

AH, London 2012. That gloriously patriotic two weeks, when Britain seemed to come together to celebrate sport, our Team GB athletes and the spirit of the Games. From the opening ceremony to the closing, the Games of the XXX Olympiad was a triumph. As Tokyo 2020 has been postponed a year, we thought we would keep the Olympic fire burning with a look back at the Games eight years ago. Over the next month, we will bring you a retrospective on London in each issue, with dressage this week, then eventing (30 July), showjumping (6 August) and para dressage (20 August). Get out your Union flags, hang your bunting and prepare to be transported back eight years… IT seems extraordinary now to remember that London marked Britain’s first-ever Olympic dressage…

“I WAS very dubious when the three-man team format was introduced, but I don’t think it influenced the placings at all and the judging seemed consistent… “I cannot ever remember such a long interval – four days – between the grand prix and the special, and this may have made it hard for some to stay focused.” Emile Faurie “I don’t think Charlotte was being cautious in the kür, as some have suggested. There were some glitches but, as I understand it, the judges took the more holistic approach to way of going. They made a critique that tipped the balance in her favour. It’s part of the sport. “To be critical – Adelinde Cornelissen’s kür was fault-free, but there’s an argument that there was tension through the horse’s jaw……

BAYFORD HALL INCOGNITO kicked off his competition career at Keysoe, Beds, with a 70% advanced medium win. Daniel Sherriff has been producing the seven-year-old Glock’s Voice gelding at home, building his confidence. “‘Inca’ was tricky as a youngster, so we bought him at an affordable price,” said Daniel. “He’s bright and forward-thinking, so I have every faith in him for the grand prix work. He showed early talent for collection, but I’m glad I waited until he was ready to compete.”…

IS there ever a moment that ignites more passion and excitement in a hunting soul than the sight of a fit, happy pack of hounds bouncing in to a meet? The hopes and expectation for a great, a middling, or indeed any sort of day are why we all polish, clean and scrub tack, horses, kit and children. Then we run around trying to get every one to the meet on time while not treading in every muddy puddle before even getting on a horse. We all know our own routines and timescales, but how much do we really know about what goes on behind the scenes on a hunting morning in the kennels? Does the calm demeanour and immaculate turnout of hunt staff really indicate what has to happen…

“The three friends went out for a birthday ride, with me chugging along beside on the quad bike” DID you watch Normal People at the beginning of the summer? At the time it was perfect escapism; a love story with two hot young actors, lots of churning emotions and some very naturalistic bedroom scenes. The sort of thing which, as a teenager, you couldn’t bear to watch with your parents. I watched it feeling intensely grateful that those days were well and truly over. Or are they? As I left another message on another mobile phone for another electrician, joiner, tiler, it occurred to me that builders are similar in many ways to the dodgy boyfriends of our youth. They have other women (or in this case jobs) all over…

RESCHEDULED championships and plans for the first spectators are offering fresh hope to riders and equestrian sport fans. Riders have welcomed British Dressage’s (BD) plans to reschedule the Winter Championships and Area Festival finals at Hartpury for 17 to 23 August, after the event was cancelled in April. The championships will have a different feel, to run in-line with Covid-19 protocols, including no spectators, no tradestands and all classes held outside. Dannie Morgan, who has won multiple winter titles, told H&H it is “really exciting” the championships is back on. “I’m sure it’s not been an easy task and all us riders are really thankful to BD for managing it,” he said. “It will be a good opportunity to get the younger horses out in a different environment – they…

IN THE NEWS CAJA 20 Willa Newton’s 2016 Blenheim eight- and nine-year-olds winning ride is in foal to thoroughbred sire Tajraasi. The 12-year-old mare is owned by Joey Newton and Lady Sarah McCorquodale. BILLY ANGELO William Funnell’s CSI5* winner has retired from top-level competition, aged 17, and is enjoying his senior years jumping with National Hunt jockey Bridget Skelton. The pair won on their first outing at Keysoe on 15 July. TALENTED MR RIPLEY The grand prix dressage horse has died, aged 15. The Holsteiner gelding, by Nekton, achieved numerous international top-10 results with rider Georgia Stokes and was part of the British Nations Cup team in 2019.…

A NEW series showcasing the UK’s top young horses across the Olympic disciplines with a prize pot of nearly £15,000 and a Hickstead final is launching this summer. The Nexgen Young Horse Series is open to all four-, five-and six-year-old dressage horses, showjumpers and eventers, with extra prizes for the best British-bred young stars. The organisers are working with British Breeding to provide qualifications at the final for the Equine Bridge programme, which supports horses with potential to compete at the highest levels. Qualifiers are all held on a surface, with the series kicking off at Richmond Equestrian Centre on 31 July and further qualifiers at venues across England in August and early September. The final will be at Hickstead on 15 to 16 September. The team behind the series…

A HEALTHY Suffolk horse filly is the first to be born thanks to the innovative use of sexed semen to determine her gender. Nottingham Trent University’s mare Ruby and Mike Clarke’s stallion Holbeach Iggy were selected based on their genetics as part of the project between the Rare Breed Survival Trust and the university. Stallion AI managing director Tullis Matson, who saw the sexed semen technique as a way to support Britain’s endangered equine breeds, said the filly’s birth is a “beacon of hope” not just for the Suffolk horse, but for all critically endangered breeds currently nearing extinction.…

WE are taking little steps towards the new normal; an unmade road with few signposts. Hope remains for economic recovery, and that we dare peek at our bank accounts again. Like so much in life today, we learn the state of our finances online via a cold, hard screen, yet still feel genuine elation or despair as we look at the figures. What a pity, then, that we don’t get that same “feel” when we access equestrian learning online. During these past weeks of virtual training, I’ve climbed all over my computer trying to “feel” softness or resistance while using my eyes and knowledge. I love the feeling of the horse who trusts me, who follows me in trot, who reins back from the word and allows me to share…

WHILE the equine heroes of Derby Day at Epsom were Serpentine and Love, the magnificent chestnut son and daughter of Galileo who gave trainer Aidan O’Brien an eighth win in both the Derby and the Oaks, the undoubted human star was Emmet McNamara. The 30-year-old gave 25-1 chance Serpentine a brilliantly bold, front-running ride to capture Flat racing’s most illustrious prize by 5½ lengths. As the assembled journalists frantically Googled him before the press conference, they discovered that not only was it his first ride in the Derby, it was also his first ride at Epsom, his first Group One – let alone Classic – success, and his first winner of any sort since October last year. Emmet may have been an unfamiliar face to the British press, but, speaking…

23 NUMBER OF 10S SCORED BY VALEGRO IN THE SPECIAL 1976 the last time before London that Germany’s Olympic dressage team had been beaten 10 Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Højris’ London honours took their medal tally to 10, including a young rider team bronze 71 the age of Japan’s Hiroshi Hoketsu (left), the oldest competitor at London 2012 in any sport 90.089% Charlotte Dujardin’s record-breaking kür score 1 the number of eyes Santana, who was ridden by Minna Telde for Sweden, has “ I give a big A-plus to London 2012”US RIDER STEFFEN PETERS REFLECTS THE GENERAL MOOD…

Aston-le-Walls (3), Northants KITTY KING reigned supreme across Saturday’s two open intermediate sections. The first of her wins came aboard her 2019 European Championships mount, Vendredi Biats, who led from start to finish in a competitive class, completing on his 22.3 dressage in open intermediate section Q. “He made the whole event feel very easy”KITTY KING ON INTERMEDIATE VICTOR CRISTAL FONTAINE “He did everything I wanted quietly and easily and I was happy, especially as he can lack concentration in his first dressage tests back after a break,” explained Kitty of the 11-year-old owned by Diana Bown, Sally Eyre, Samantha Wilson and Sally Lloyd-Baker. “During lockdown, to help prevent my horses from getting bored, they tended to do one week of training and then had one week off in the…

Bury Farm, Bucks A 70% score was “the cherry on top” for Samantha Wuidart and Lince FS, who achieved a personal best to head Saturday’s advanced medium 85. Samantha was barely a teenager when she travelled to Spain to view the PRE gelding as a four-year-old. “He wasn’t the horse for me, but I still said ‘yes’,” she recalls. “He was spooky and had so many problems; I couldn’t even get him around my home arena, let alone at a competition. He knew all the party tricks, including rearing and bolting, but we kept going and now I wouldn’t change him for the world. He’s my best friend.” “He wasn’t the horse for me but I still said ‘yes’”SAMANTHA WUIDART Lince, now 11, also finished second in his first advanced…

Arena UK, Lincs LOUISE SAYWELL hit form with brand new ride Edgarrento in the A, B and C handicap to conclude this five-day meeting in style. “I’ve only had him a week and I’m playing around with bridles to see which is the best suited,” said Louise, on the Zento x Numero Uno 11-year-old who jumped to 1.60m with Leon Thijssen. They made the 1.45m track look easy. “He’s easy to handle, a little bouncy to ride but straightforward,” she said. “He had four faults in the first couple of classes but we used a mini elevator bit today and he won.” Kerry Brennan notched up a hat-trick with the effusive Wellington M with two 1.30m wins topped by a 1.40m. “He put on weight during lockdown so we’ve jumped…

WHEN I ask Graham Fletcher what it was like to be showjumping’s pin-up boy of the 1970s, there is a moment’s silence before he bursts out laughing. “At the risk of sounding conceited, I don’t think there was a downside. I really enjoyed it!” he replies. But Graham Fletcher was always a lot more than just a pretty face. He rode at two Olympics, was reserve for a third and went to number four as trainer of the British team. His major wins included grands prix at Meccas such as Aachen, Olympia and Dublin. A former international selector and board member of the British Show Jumping Association (now British Showjumping), for many years he has also found the time to write a column about his sport for this magazine. And…

“I DIDN’T have a showjumping hero when I started out, as I was lucky that it was at a time when there were so many great British riders. I learned a bit from them all,” admits Graham. “When it comes to today, world number one Steve Guerdat [pictured] is outstanding. As well as being an absolute gentleman, he hasn’t done it on expensive or easy horses. They’ve all had some sort of quirk and Steve manages to get the best out of them in a very nice way.”…

LIVE eventing commentary straight to your speakers is set to bring the sport direct to fans’ armchairs at Bicton Horse Trials this week (24–26 July). Miranda Collett, Bicton’s entry secretary and the brains behind live-scoring website Eventing Scores, is adding a “listen live” button to the website. This means people can tune in to hear the cross-country commentary through their phones, laptops and tablets from the comfort of their own homes. “We are trying to use the technology to help the people who cannot come to the event and lessen the likelihood of people trying to sneak in – we really cannot have that at the moment and they risk the sport being stopped again should they do so,” she told H&H. “The message is: stay at home and follow…

CONFIDENCE Overheard at a show, a rider praising the fact the course stayed the same for three classes. “It means I walk it small, don’t see how big I’m actually jumping later and so don’t ride like an idiot to the big fences!” she enthused. Sounds like we’re on to a winner there... TUCKING IN An equestrian bod reckons the horse world should “sell the sizzle, not just the sausage” when it markets the sport to post-lockdown Britain. Better, market the sizzle, the sausage and the cheesy chips. Who wouldn’t be converted by competition venue grub? SPEED Also overheard at a show, two riders discussing their trip to the venue, in convoy. “You were flat out,” exclaimed one. “Have you not got a limiter on your lorry?” “A what?” came…

RUNNING a show venue is one of the toughest businesses to operate. The hours are long, the income is sporadic and the overheads are high. I had a taste of this about 15 years ago and I don’t mind admitting that it isn’t an avenue I will be revisiting. As the husband of an amateur rider, I like to moan as much as the next person about the amount we spend competing. I then remember the operating costs involved. There are the rates to pay, which on average cost between £25,000 and £50,000 a year, plus insurance, staffing, utilities, maintenance, prize money and officials. The truth is that we should be paying more, especially during this current period when fewer entries can be taken and an additional spend is required…

“I’m absolutely not saying the equestrian world is racist, but we want to make the sport more diverse” When I was six, I was strolling to the local shop with my auntie and we passed a field with two Shetlands. I automatically decided I was going to call them Bobbie and Jack and wanted to feed them carrots. Since that moment, my love for horses has grown and grown. I volunteered at my local riding school in Coventry, in return for rides. Once I fell off two horses in one day. I went home and told Mum. I had no confidence. A week later, I got an envelope addressed to me. All I did was scream! It was a picture of Carl Hester at the 2012 Olympics. It said, “Wishing…

SOME liken equine genetic selection for performance to the production of human “designer babies”, deeming the practice morally unacceptable because it represents an unjustifiable human interference with nature. The argument is not that simple. Being able to identify correlations between genetic traits and athletic ability (as Swedish researchers have done for several equine breeds) allows us to breed and train a horse for the discipline for which he has the most natural aptitude. This may have a positive welfare impact, as he is then more likely to be better treated, and it may also reduce “wastage” of unsuccessful, unwanted horses. This reasoning is predicated upon a true correlation between the identification of “desirable genes” and athletic performance, however, which is not guaranteed. Some famous thoroughbreds were retrospectively discovered to be…

IMOGEN MURRAY says she has been able to knuckle down with Roheryn Ruby’s flatwork during lockdown, and credits her improved dressage at Aston to this. “Ruby is funny in the winter. She hates indoor arenas, is a hot character and likes to live out – which she can’t do in the winter months – so it’s hard to improve her in the normal off-season,” she explained. “So we’ve used the past three months to work on her natural balance and worked her in a way where we weren’t afraid to push for more. We usually wouldn’t want to do that while we were competing so as not to rock the boat. But it’s paid off and it was nice for her to be able to hold her own against a…

WILLS OAKDEN and his team of Cooley horses burst out of the starting blocks at Aske with open intermediate (OI) and intermediate victories, plus two second places. His wins came aboard two full brothers, both owned by Ella MacGregor. The appropriately named AKD Cooley Lockdown topped OI section J. “I didn’t so much as have to squeeze him across country,” said Wills, who has been competing the son of Balou Du Rouet for three seasons. “All my horses had three weeks of downtime at the beginning of lockdown and then I spent a lot of time really focusing on the basics and it’s paid off.” AKD Lockdown’s full brother, Macgregors Cooley, also out of the Irish Sport Horse mare AKD Possession, romped home in the intermediate ahead of his stablemate,…

SAHARA HIT, Hannah Heaton’s 15.3hh “pocket rocket”, achieved a best-ever elementary score of 77.03% to win her class at Warren Farm EC, Merseyside. “We’ve been training with Hayley Colwell at Astrid Bolton’s yard, working at medium and concentrating on test riding,” said Hannah. “I love the way that Hayley trains – we’ve just clicked.” Hannah still struggles with arthritis of the joints, which developed when a horsefly bite triggered an overreaction of her immune system, and also underwent surgery on an eardrum in March. Despite the setbacks, she has high hopes for the season ahead. “Sahara feels fired up and positive,” she added. “We have really upped our game.”…

RIDERS praised the smooth running and relaxed atmosphere at this busy five-day show, despite sporting over 100 entries in both the newcomers and Foxhunter classes. “They nailed it. There was plenty of room in the warm-up – a whole ring split for flatwork with a maximum of five riders at a time and a jumping warm-up, again restricted to five riders. And although there were 100 in a class, it didn’t seem busy,” said Jess Botham. Show proprietor and secretary Lauren Fogg was also happy. “We really like this new system – all drawn orders, competitors jumping at specific times and they have responsibly observed all the protocols,” she said.…

SWEETNAM MAKES WINNING RETURN SHANE SWEETNAM of Ireland cruised to victory in the Horseware Ireland welcome stake in the CSI3* at Tryon International Equestrian Center, USA. Riding his own 12-year-old mare Indra Van De Oude Heihoef, Shane left his 11 jump-off rivals in his wake. “It was a tricky course, quite strong for a ranking class,” said Shane, who also claimed a runner-up spot the previous day. “She is a quick horse and she really wants to leave the jumps up.” Sunday’s grand prix went to Kent Farrington of USA riding the naturally fast mare Kaprice. Shane claimed fourth place, this time with the 14-year-old stallion Chaqui Z. HOWLEY LEADS IRISH ONE-TWO IRISH riders took the top two placings in the CSI2* grand prix at Sentower Park, Belgium on Sunday.…

“THE most talented horse I rode was probably Burnbrook [pictured], a mare we just couldn’t keep sound. In two seasons at top level she had only three fences down and she should have become one of the world’s best horses,” says Graham. “Hold Hard won the Foxhunter final as a five-year-old and went back to Wembley next season to win two international classes. Because he was only six, we decided to give him a holiday instead of taking him to Olympia and he died in the field. It was a huge disappointment because he could have been anything.”…

“I MAY be slightly biased, but the Great Yorkshire Show is Britain’s best by a distance,” says Graham. “The atmosphere is second-to-none, the prize-money is very good and the Cock o’ the North championship [pictured, on Preachan] is a great class. I’m proud of the fact that I won it four times on four different horses. “I’m on the committee now and we’ve worked hard to ramp-up the facilities. The collecting ring, for instance, used to be rubbish, but it’s now all-weather and as good as anywhere. “My favourite international show by far is Aachen. The Germans really show the rest of the world how to do the job. You can tell showjumping’s a big sport there as soon as you arrive, with TV cameras everywhere and headline news in…