Innholdsfortegnelse for 01-Apr-2021 i Horse & Hound

A WORD of warning, we have an April Fool’s story in this week’s issue. It is not the story about it becoming apparent on Friday that riding schools that only have covered arenas would not be able to recommence all activity on 29 March after all. Alas, that story is true. In accordance with the roadmap out of lockdown, riding schools and show centres were preparing to start inviting all riders back from 29 March, at which point both outdoor and covered arena facility use were expected to resume. However, in the legislation published on 26 March, the specific wording on indoor arenas – which the sports’ governing body had worked hard to get included in July last year – was absent. This meant indoor arenas were no longer viewed…

HANNAH FRANCIS’S legacy is as strong as ever, as the charity she founded announces its sixth research project into bone cancer. Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony Charity is funding a PhD study, based at Middlesex University. The research, led by senior lecturer Helen Roberts, will investigate the way osteosarcoma spreads to other tissues and organs. The charity was established by eventer Hannah in March 2016, five months before she died from the aggressive cancer. Survival rates in osteosarcoma patients have not changed for the past 30 years, partly owing to a lack of research into why the cancer spreads, and what causes this. Dr Roberts said: “I am delighted that Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony Charity has given me the opportunity to investigate why osteosarcoma tumours metastasise to the lungs.” Rachel Francis,…

RETRAINING of Racehorses (RoR) is expanding its role to take on “ownership” of the strategy for racehorse aftercare. The news came as the racing industry’s Horse Welfare Board (HWB) published its report into funding and management of the racehorse aftercare sector on 25 March. The report was funded by the Racing Foundation, following the launch of the HWB’s cross-industry strategic welfare plan, “A Life Well Lived”, for thoroughbreds before, during and after racing (news, 27 February 2020, 25 February 2021). The report highlights seven areas to improve: funding, focus and integration, traceability and data, accreditation, community, education, and communication. RoR chairman Philip Freedman said the charity welcomes the decision and recognition, adding that support and collaboration of the industry is needed for the recommendations to be met. “Incorporating into the…

Olympic eventer Zara Tindall and her husband Mike welcomed a baby boy, Lucas Philip, on 21 March. The couple’s daughters, Mia and Lena, are “over the moon” about their new sibling. The Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust has welcomed wildlife TV presenter Nick Baker as patron. Co-founder Dru Butterfield said he brings “expertise, knowledge and understanding”. Eventer Harry Meade returned to competition at Oasby elite event on 22 March, five months after a head injury from being dragged in a fall. Harry completed on four rides. (Oasby report, p52) Top eventer turned racehorse trainer Sir Mark Todd saddled two winners last week: Tasman Bay and Soyounique. He had told H&H Tasman Bay was the horse he was “most excited about” for 2021. German showjumper Daniel Deusser and Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z…

THERE’S something about a pair of stripy socks. This foal seems to agree; the first birth of the year at the Donkey Sanctuary. “The new arrival is light grey with a hint of brown, and has stripes on his legs that resemble long, stripy socks,” a charity spokesman said, adding that the foal has been enjoying naps and exploring his surroundings. Rachel was already in foal when she was taken in last April. Sanctuary farm manager Neil Coles said: “Rachel delivered her foal quickly and with no complications; our vet is very happy with how they are doing. Rachel has been a brilliant mum so far. “It’s lovely watching them enjoy the spring sunshine knowing they will both have a safe and happy future with the Donkey Sanctuary.”…

IT was good to be reminded of the epitaph to a hunter that Sally Brett remembered from her childhood (letters, 18 March). The lines are from The Place Where the Old Horse Died by George Whyte Melville (1821-78), a sporting novelist and poet who wrote up many of his fi nest runs in verse. It’s worth looking up his poems, whose enthusiastic descriptions still speak to us today. Look especially for The Good Grey Mare, where you will spot the immortal lines readers of Horse & Hound know so well: “I freely admit that the best of my fun I owe it to horse and hound” Fittingly, Whyte Melville died in a hunting accident. Janet Cochrane York The writer of letter of the week wins a bottle of Champagne Taittinger…

alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ I’VE just completed my first lot of show entries which is exciting but presents a few hurdles I will need to get over. The first will undoubtedly be fitting into my show gear. The second will be staying aboard the novice ponies who are perhaps about to be thrown in at the deep end when attending shows that, under normal circumstances, I would have been a little better prepared for. A pony going well at home is one thing but, like me, they have been cocooned. The sheer excitement of seeing the outside world may come as a bit of a shock to some of them, so I’m praying we have time to attend some local arena hires or clinics before heading to the winter championships. A JOB…

RIDER LORNA BLAKE “I’VE known ‘Joey’ since he was a foal and I actually led him as a yearling at the East of England Show; he struck me on the back of my heel and I ended up in the on-site ambulance. I’ve also known his owner, Ann, for a long time and she kindly lets me play about with her horses. “With Joey, you never know which horse you’re going to get in the ring until you’re there; some days he’s amazing while others he’s seriously unenthusiastic. I’m pretty new to the hunter scene and while I’ve ridden Joey for four years, this will be our first full season together. “I have some dreams; I’d love to ride him at Windsor, qualify for Horse of the Year Show [HOYS]…

INTERNATIONAL rider Michael Eilberg (left) says: “Building collection in canter is all about developing the horse’s strength and suppleness to achieve a balance, ready for the half-halt. We use the dog leg with the four-year-olds and the double loop a year later. Both exercises introduce counter-canter and changes of direction, weight and speed to create strength. “You can ride the exercises in trot, or start at trot to familiarise the horse with the lines, but with young horses the canter is the first thing that needs to develop. You usually find the trot’s improved from the work you’ve done in canter. “Start these exercises with sets of two – one on each rein – before giving the horse a trot break, and build from there. His positioning is key; the…

MOST riders will have heard the old adage of “if you don’t pull, they won’t pull” at some point during their time in the saddle. While grounded in truth, it isn’t always so simple. But there are steps that can help, starting with understanding, training and building mutual trust. “It’s about getting to know them and building that partnership,” says Charlotte Alexander, who retrained the likes of Denman, Earthmover and Ulck Du Lin. “If you are taking on a former racehorse at an older age, their bodies are going to be more set in a certain way. There may be only so much you can do on the schooling front, so it is about building up that relationship.” She adds understanding the aids and how their bodies are built from…

• PAS015:1998 or 2011 – these currently accepted product approval specifications were developed by the British Standards Institute (BSI). • EN1384 – the European standard that is in the process of being republished. • VG1 – a temporary specification criteria that was introduced when the EN1384 standard was withdrawn in 2015. • ASTM F1163-15 – the latest ASTM American standard that is certified by the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI). • Snell E2016 – an American standard written by the Snell Memorial Foundation. • MIPS (Multi-directional impact protection system) – a brain protection technology that protects against rotational motion.…

pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle Oasby Elite, Lincs NICOLA WILSON’S ride JL Dublin showed his class to take section A at a star-studded event. With just one four-star long under his girth, the 10-year-old is relatively inexperienced compared to many who lined up. “It was a privilege to be out competing,” said Nicola, echoing the appreciation everyone felt at being able to access these early elite events, which are operating under special protocols and only open to five-star riders. Jo and James Lambert and Deirdre Johnston’s JL Dublin was fourth after dressage on 26.4 and added nothing to that score. His was one of only two cross-country rounds inside the 5min 12sec optimum time, as a number of riders opted to take horses more steadily on their first runs of the season. “It…

WEEK 11 of the WEF was marred by the sad loss of Nicola Philippaerts’ 13-year-old stallion H&M Chilli Willi, following a freak stumble on the flat. The son of Rolf-Göran Bengtsson’s great Casall ASK broke his left fore after jumping the final fence in Friday’s (26 March) CSI5* Bainbridge 1.45m class. He had been with the Philippaerts since 2015 and had been a contender for this year’s Belgian Olympic team. A statement from the Phillipaerts family said that a thorough investigation of the injury had revealed a “very complicated fracture”, and that Ludo and Nicola had to take the “really tough decision” to put him down. Chilli Willi was Belgian national champion in 2017 and won the Longines Global Champions Tour of Chantilly in 2018, also taking third in the…

FOR those brave souls who take on the professionals in open pony classes, Pretty Polly is their chance to stand in the spotlight – the classes introduced by the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) for home-producers only. What some “newbies” may not realise is that Pretty Polly was a real pony; one who swept all before her in the 1950s, ridden by the young Davina Whiteman, long before she and her mother Joan Lee-Smith founded Ponies Association (UK). Pretty Polly was foaled in 1945, by the Arab stallion Naseel out of a Welsh/thoroughbred mare called Gypsy Gold, bred by Stephanie Nicholson of Co Meath. As Tom Best says in his definitive book The History of the British Riding Pony: “This cross highlighted the role of Arab blood in the breeding…

THE National Pony Society (NPS) was formed in 1893, largely concerned with registering polo ponies, most of which were of Arab or eastern breeding and brought back by army officers to play the game here. Then small thoroughbreds were used to add speed and, later, the height limit for polo ponies was relaxed. The smaller ones were adopted for children to ride. In 1949, the NPS was asked to set up rules for ridden pony classes but refused to do so, believing its remit was registration only. A number of pony enthusiasts therefore set up their own organisation, and the British Show Pony Society was born. John Tilling was chairman, Brigadier John Allen vice-chairman, and a committee was formed to canvass for members, among them Sybil Smith, Ronnie Driver and…

Share your news story Call 01252 555021 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @jones_eleanor_ RIDERS are celebrating as the easing of England’s lockdown spells the restart of organised equestrian sport, but frustration remains over a late Government change to rules on indoor arenas. Competition and training, as well as lessons at riding schools, were allowed to resume on Monday (29 March), following months of lockdown. But the related legislation, under which indoor arenas are in the main not allowed to be used, was only released on Friday (26 March). There was confusion last year as indoor arenas were not allowed to open despite the fact they are far more ventilated and larger than other permitted businesses. Defra and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) finally agreed such facilities could be used…

SAMOURAI DU THOT Julia Krajewski’s 2017 Luhmühlen CCI5* winner has retired aged 15 after losing an eye to infection. The pair represented Germany at the Olympics, Europeans and were back-to-back national champions (2018 and 2019). RUBIN ROYAL OLD The top dressage sire celebrated his 25th birthday in good health with breeder Harli Seifert in Germany. He has stars of the British dressage scene Rosalie B, Rubins Nite and Rubin Al Asad among his progeny. JONBON The highest-priced pointer to sell at public auction (£570,000) in November made a winning Rules debut on 27 March. The five-year-old won the bumper for Nicky Henderson, under Nico de Boinville. (Report, p56)…

HICKSTEAD RUNS NATIONAL EVENT THE 2021 Hickstead Derby meeting will be replaced by a national show owing to the coronavirus. There will be no international classes, but national jumping, showing and driving will run on the same dates, 23 to 27 June, and hope remains for some public attendance. Hickstead director Lizzie Bunn said it was a hard decision but owing to uncertainty on restrictions. Highlights will include a 1.40m grand prix with a £15,000 prize fund and age championships, as well as Horse of the Year Show showing qualifiers. RACEHORSE CARE SESSIONS’ LINE-UP THE line-up has been announced for a series of International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) webinars. The IFAR conference will run as four sessions, on 6, 13, 20, and 27 April. The first session,…

▲ VETS Spotted online, a rider reporting having his Covid jab, apparently administered by a vet. We’re confused as to whether this actually happened but also have to salute she who mused: “I hope he didn’t take your temperature too.” Ouch. ▲ REFLECTIONS Scientists studying horses’ reactions to their reflections in a mirror found that when an X was painted on an equine face, said equine saw this in the mirror and started trying to rub it off. Might this work on muddy horses the night before a show, we wonder? ▲ RACING A lifestyle website published a list of reasons “people love horse-racing events”. After the phrase “racing can appear boring and downright archaic” (Er… Ed), one of the reasons given was “They are fast.” Well, yes. ▼ SENSE…

pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle COVID-19 has changed life so much – it’s a struggle even to begin to understand what the new normal will be. Add Brexit on top of that and we almost have the perfect storm, certainly for those of us who have to travel to make a living. The paperwork involved in moving from one country to another, particularly with animals, is off the scale of ridiculousness. Having to take your truck to mainland Europe or Ireland to get it certified – and the cost involved – is just the start. The 32 pages of vet papers to go abroad and the time that it takes to get them processed at the border is unbelievable, and if you want to take your dog as well, that’s another whole raft…

“I’VE always thought a lot of Joey. He gave the most lovely ride and from a professional’s perspective, when you have a few horses at a show, he was a dream; you could just pick him up ready for the class with minimal working-in. You were always sitting in the middle of him and he was super-comfortable. He was quite lazy when I got him so I worked hard on getting him forward and enjoying his job. When he left he was established in his ride and it’s been nice to watch him go on and be successful with someone else; it confirms that you’ve done a good job. Type-wise he’s superb and couldn’t be anything but a middleweight. “I’ve judged the amateur classes at the RIHS before and they…

“WHEN we have a training issue, or our horses are not feeling 100%, we’ll spot the signs and take action, ask for help,” says Sylvia Bruce. “It’s important to apply this to ourselves and our mental health.” Sylvia advises riders to learn their own personal “clues” that something is not as it should be. These could involve changes in: • The way you think, for example constant worrying, difficulty concentrating, or becoming increasingly critical of yourself or others. • Your mood, such as increased irritability, difficulty relaxing or a lack of energy. • Your behaviours – eating more or less than usual, struggling to sleep, developing nervous habits or isolating yourself from others. • Your physical health, for example aches and pains, nausea, headaches or palpitations. Sylvia also advises paying…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @ jen_donald Meydan Racecourse, Dubai, UAE US-TRAINED Mystic Guide took home the 25th running of the Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup in a thrilling race. Trained by Mike Stidham and ridden by Luis Saez, Mystic Guide claimed victory in a snappy time of 2min 1.61sec on the dirt track. And after a double for Thunder Snow and Godolphin in 2018 and 2019 (the 2020 running was cancelled due to the pandemic), the famous blue silks were back in the Meydan winner’s enclosure once again, with Mystic Guide posting a ninth win in the Dubai World Cup for Godolphin. Worth a massive $12,000,000 (£8.7m), the start of the world-famous race was not without drama – with both Great Scot and Military Law late withdrawals. The former ditched Frankie Dettori ahead…

catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123 TIVERTON GOLDFINCH 00 COLLEGE VALLEY GOVERNOR 95-CHARCOAL 94 MANY of the hounds in the Badminton kennel today go back to Tiverton Goldfinch, who former kennel-huntsman and then huntsman Tony Holdsworth brought with him from Devon, where he hunted the Tiverton. “I hacked to the meet on the first morning’s autumn hunting when Goldfinch was just a puppy and there were two deer in the field alongside. Goldfinch set off after them and, as we were standing at the meet with all the rest of the hounds, we could hear her hunting them,” says Tony. “Eventually she gave up, and at the end of the morning we had a hunt of about an hour and lost the fox. Goldfinch started to mark in a rabbit hole, but none of…

NO sooner had we got one pony off the place than my eyes fell on Josh, the resident old boy. His work here is pretty much done, so I made a tentative call to his owner asking her what she would like to do. Fiona acquired Joshy for her girls when they were young, and she has never sold him. He has been on loan since then to a succession of families on the condition that Josh would go hunting, as this is his first love. He came to us via two friends in the College Valley country who had him for their children, and he is a bit of a legend in these parts. I explained to Fiona that Josh was getting too creaky for all but the most…

NEW resources for vets are aimed at helping practitioners have potentially difficult conversations about obesity with owners – which may help save horses’ lives. This latest weapon in the fight against the UK’s equine obesity epidemic, one of a number of resources available for vets on the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) website, is a collection of ways to bring up the issue of weight in a manner that will have the best effect. It sets out phrases a vet may say and what is meant by them, but also what an owner might understand. For example, if the vet says: “He looks like he’s been on the grass,” meaning “he is fat”, the owner may not realise this is a problem. The table was created by research associate Tamzin…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 WITH the amount of coverage the topics of Brexit and coronavirus have had recently, and their impact on competing, I want to focus my column on getting back to competition from a more practical standpoint. Those readers who have had children will understand a little more about coming back from a competition break, though of course, in very different circumstances to those in which we now find ourselves. This time, for most people we are not talking about a physical comeback, but more of a mental comeback for both riders and horses. It is easy to underestimate how our horses might feel when they are first brought back out again after a long break from competing. “For me, a big part of test preparation is visualisation. I ‘ride’…

It feels like the Garden of Eden in the Sary-Chelek Nature Reserve in western Kyrgyzstan, where I lead riding expeditions; there are seven lakes, no cars and it’s bursting with flowers. Some days you’re riding through the biggest walnut forest in the world, on others you’re coming down into a huge open valley where you can really canter, and then you might find yourself on a big, wild plateau where locals are playing a game of goat polo – which involves a dead goat being passed between riders. After leaving Edinburgh University, I got on to the graduate training scheme at an American investment bank, which is what I thought I wanted to do, but it was a shock how wrong I was. Apart from spending my gap year in…

THE stifle is a hardworking joint with a large range of motion, which connects the horse’s thigh and crus (lower limb) regions. It actually comprises two joints. The femoropatellar joint is located at the front of the stifle, between the ridges at the bottom of the femur and the patellar (the equivalent of our kneecap). The femorotibial joint sits between the bottom of the femur and the top of the tibia, and is divided into medial (inside) and lateral (outside) compartments. Unlike in most joints, where the opposing cartilage surfaces fit into each other to create a smooth, gliding surface, the femorotibial joint features smooth discs of tissue called menisci, which sit between the ball-shaped ends of the femur and the plateau at the top of the tibia. A complex…

HOLDING the 2012 Olympics in the UK marked a turning point. Suddenly, Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro were on the front cover of multiple broadsheet newspapers with their gold medals and there was talk of “the dancing horses”. “The perception changed,” says Carl. “We had a good story behind every rider – that’s what people want to read. And our success – team gold, Charlotte’s gold and Laura Tomlinson’s bronze – got people interested. “That’s when people started to understand that dressage riders are sportsmen, too, not just passengers.” Carl points out that Charlotte is now “one of the most followed riders on social media”. And British Dressage has been working to keep that momentum going ever since. Tokyo will be the litmus test.…

WHEN you look inside your riding helmet, or a helmet you might purchase in your local tack shop, it’ll have the information about what safety standards the helmet meets, along with marks of assured quality – or it should do if you’ve made a good purchasing decision. But if we’re honest, as riders, do we really know enough about what is our most important piece of protective kit? Have we chosen it because we’ve decided it’s safe as well as stylish? Helmet safety standards can get a little confusing and appear to many as just a string of letters and numbers. Luckily, the UK is home to some of the most knowledgeable experts at the forefront of helmet design and they are dedicated to helping us make the best possible…

WHEN considering equestrian gloves, technical advances are not just in the fabrics but in the design, says Roeckl’s Alexandra Hlawitschka. “The perfect fit and optimum tactility are absolutely essential for good communication with the reins. Equestrian gloves should fit like a second skin and this takes a lot of design expertise. The parts are very small and there is no room for error when a glove is so thin and needs to adapt to the hand perfectly.” The seams of Roeckl’s equestrian gloves (pictured) have a maximum tolerance of 1mm, which highlights the precision required. “A highly insulated glove, such as a ski glove, doesn’t require the same precision as a thicker seam will mostly go unnoticed, whereas in an equestrian glove it will have a huge impact on the…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) CSI5* week 11, Palm Beach International Equestrian Centre, Florida, USA WORLD number three, Germany’s Daniel Deusser, and Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z claimed the biggest class of the WEF season – and their second major festival victory this month – when they headed an incredibly close-fought $500,000 (£362,000) Rolex 1.50m grand prix. Of eight jump-off contenders only three delivered double clears, but competition was fierce at the top of the field with just 0.34sec splitting the podium positions. Brazilian course-designer Guilherme Jorge – who designed the course for the Rio 2016 Olympics – produced a deceptively straightforward jump-off track that read as if speed would be key, but by the midway point clears had become increasingly valuable. A six-or-seven stride distance to the final oxer…

A WEEK on from the Cheltenham Festival and British racing was still reeling from the 5-23 drubbing it had at the hands of the Irish, writes Marcus Armytage. But the fight back might have begun at Newbury on Saturday when Jonbon (pictured, right) ran out the winner of the BetVictor Standard Open Bumper. Jonbon is a full-brother to Douvan, probably the most talented horse Willie Mullins ever had. It is probably not right to describe Douvan as unfulfilled; he won 15 of his 19 races, including the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Arkle Challenge Trophy, but he was never crowned Champion Chaser. Because of the family connection and his good looks, Jonbon has never been cheap; €140,000 (about £119,000) as a three-year-old. Then after winning a point-to-point at Dromahane last November…

IF McCoy had a favourite film, it would be The Man from Snowy River. “He went downhill so fast!” exclaims the Hon Katie Crosbie Dawson, joint-master of the College Valley and North Northumberland. “I would lie back so far my head would practically be touching his hindquarters. I’d let him go and hold the buckle.” McCoy had an inauspicious start. “He was bought from Ireland aged four by a cousin, who thought he was boring,” explains Katie, “so he went to my mother for a trial. The lady who took him hunting said, ‘You’d better sign the cheque.’” Katie always had good horses from her mother, Elizabeth Joicey, part of the 1976 British Olympic dressage team, but the compact 15.2hh chestnut was “nothing special to look at”. He arrived with…

AFTER World War II, Glenda Spooner – best known for her welfare campaigns – encouraged the use of Arab stallions to produce children’s riding ponies. She promoted “first cross” classes at the now defunct Ponies of Britain shows. Her influence worked; several of the leading riding pony studs started using Arabian bloodlines. In the 1960s and ’70s, Arab or part-bred Arabs, such as Bwlch Valentino – whose sire’s dam Silverspray was an Anglo Arab – had a significant effect on the breeding of the British riding pony. They produced a finer, prettier animal, with extravagant movement, and many pony studs used them on their mares. Among them was Cusop, whose lines from Valentino via his grandson Cusop Disciplin still appear in modern pedigrees today. Interestingly, the National Pony Society has…