Innholdsfortegnelse for 28-Jan-2021 i Horse & Hound

THIS time of year is always hard – as guest columnist James Fisher puts it (p16), you have to “grin and bear it until the birds start singing”. But this time it’s more than dark mornings, muddy gateways, frozen drinkers and hoof abscesses that are taking resilience to overcome. The situation remains dire for riding schools unable to open their doors, with only a glimmer of hope that some may be able to get something from their insurance (news, p5). Anyone looking to import or export horses is facing additional paperwork, uncertainty and costs – and those costs are currently particularly significant for those who are buying (news, p4). “Good news” stories are getting harder to find – though we endeavour to bring some escape and cheer in our pages,…

ARKO III The legendary showjumper, with whom Nick Skelton represented Britain at the 2004 Olympics, 2003 and 2005 Europeans has died aged 27 at Shaw Farm Stud, home of his owners the Hales family (tribute, p28). WALK IN THE MILL The Robert Walford-trained dual Becher Chase winner, owned by Baroness Harding, has retired aged 11. He won six and finished in the top three in 17 of his 30 starts, as well as coming fourth in the 2019 Grand National. GREENHALL CECIL Clare Blaskey’s small show hunter died in December aged 12. The Dublin winner was bought by Caroline Saynor, and their many achievements included standing champion at the Irish Draught Breed Show.…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. @horseandhound instagram.com/horseandhound facebook.com/horseandhound HAPPY HOLIDAYS WITH reference to your holiday feature, “Adventures of your dreams” (14 January), I’ve had the good fortune to enjoy the world of riding abroad. However, I particularly wanted to ride western, so three of us went to Wyoming in the USA and I was hooked. This was not just because of the riding but the stunning landscapes, too. You go where it is too far to travel on foot and where vehicles cannot go, you meet adventurous people like yourself and listen to expert guides regaling you with stories about local history and culture. And then there is nothing as satisfying as sitting around a campfire after a long day in the…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald JANUARY is always dark, with short days, grim weather, few events, hoof abscesses, mud fever and heavy wet rugs, and you have to grin and bear it until the birds start singing. Although it’s always difficult, as I write, Brexit plus Covid has created the perfect storm. Covid has brought a halt to our shows and now the red tape around Brexit is making it incredibly difficult to travel abroad to compete. Hopefully common sense will prevail over the paperwork. With the racing industry as well to support, there has to be a system that works properly. At the moment, however, costs are spiralling, the rules keep changing and you would have to be a brave man or woman to take a lorryload of horses down to Spain.…

BRITISH showjumper James emerged into the CSI5* ranks in 2019 with the black mare Imagine De Muze. He has been on British Nations Cup teams and runs Hill House Sport Horses in Somerset alongside his partner Heather Larson. THE basics must be in place before you can even think about jumping a horse. If he isn’t established in his flatwork then you can’t expect him to perform over fences. I’m passionate about young horses. This year we started Wilson Youngstock and our aim is to buy foals, youngsters and embryos to produce and eventually sell. The best piece of management advice I was given was from my vet. He told me that you’ll pay for every fence you jump later on; a horse has only got so many jumps in…

LISA HALES says: “Some stallions are very good in the ring, but not good breeding stallions; they have to prove themselves again, that they can produce offspring that jump at the top level and Arko did that.” Arko has produced prominent stallions who have jumped at the top level in Shaw Farm Stud’s own SFS Aristio, representing Ireland with Anthony Condon, as well as John Whitaker’s great Argento (pictured, below), who retired in 2019 and was bred by Keeley Durham. Laura Renwick’s Arkuga and Louise Saywell’s Arakan, also bred by Keeley, continue to fly the flag, while Laura Kraut’s gold medal-winner Zeremonie is due to produce her first Arko offspring this year.…

THE basis of every good employer-groom relationship is a written statement of employment particulars, otherwise known as a written contract. “The law states that on day one of employment, if not before, the employer must provide this for the employee,” stresses Lucy Katan of the British Grooms Association (BGA), explaining that the contract outlines certain rights and obligations. “This simple document is of benefit to both parties, particularly the employer.” Should a new groom be worried if the document is not forthcoming? “At the BGA, we educate grooms about the importance of good employment,” says Lucy. “The absence of a written contract is not only illegal, it’s often the first indication that something isn’t quite right. You may think: Does my employer care about me? Are they respecting me as…

catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfaustenl23 North Cotswold, Papermill Farm, Glos A GOOD friend and I have a sort of code expression for a disappointing day’s hunting. “How was it?” one asks. “It was lovely to be out...” replies the other. We know exactly what we mean; barring disasters, an unexciting day’s hunting is always better than not going at all, but not every day is a great one. Of course, this makes you appreciate the really good ones even more, and my reply in the lorry on the way home from the North Cotswold on 30 December was, “It was a proper cracker.” In the seven-and-a-half years I have lived in the Heythrop country, until recently I had barely ever had a day with our neighbours, the North Cotswold. There was no good…

“He looks after himself, slow on bad ground and fast on good” FOR Hamish, hounds are everything. “From the first day, he would let them all round his legs,” says Charles Carter, master and huntsman of the Royal Artillery (RA). “He adores them. I can leave him standing with them as I open a gate and he’ll never move.” Hamish was bought unseen from Caroline Leadbetter. “He’d bucked her off two weeks before her wedding to Chris, the South Dorset countryman, and broken her leg,” Charles explains. “He’d bucked everybody off and Caroline said he needed a job.” He arrived, aged five and jet black, when Charles was hunting the West Norfolk. After trying him in the school, where “he did flying changes under me”, he went autumn hunting. On…

ONCE in a while, a horse and rider’s careers are so inextricably entwined that it is hard to imagine how the story might have unfolded had one been without the other. This was certainly the case for Pippa Funnell and Supreme Rock, whose dominance as a partnership at eventing’s highest level came after both emerged from a run of near-misses and heart-wrenching what-ifs. The 16.3hh Irish-bred gelding with a huge swaggering walk and enormous floppy ears waltzed into Pippa’s life quite by chance, and although his unorthodox style of jumping did not point to greatness in the early days, his rider’s ethos of never giving up paid dividends. As the partnership grew, so too did their list of illustrious achievements – among them two Badminton titles and back-to-back European gold…

“ROCKY was generally very easy to look after at home, but he had an annoying habit of escaping from his stable and then refusing to be caught,” recalls his groom at the time, Nini French, who was head girl for Pippa until after the Sydney Olympics in 2000. “I can remember one year at Thirlestane Castle when I was putting on his leg bandages and he barged past me out the stable door and charged around the castle grounds with three bandages on. It wasn’t until a group of riders who were exercising their horses made a ring around him that I could finally catch him.” Pippa recalls an equally embarrassing misdemeanour when he escaped one year while in quarantine. “We were at Eddy and Mandy Stibbe’s yard and Rocky…

IN the first lockdown, I spent hours listening to Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light, which is about the rise and fall of Henry VIII’s chief adviser Thomas Cromwell. I was there in bloody Tudor England for large sections of the day, loving the character of Thomas and revelling in the author’s dark and twisted imagination. This time, I’m enjoying some quality chick lit and Marian Keyes is my poison – a book called Grown Ups, exploring the soap opera lives of a large and sprawling Irish family. I was listening to this on my phone yesterday while I was out walking the dogs. When I got back to the house, Matthew, who works here, was coming up the road on the bike and he stopped for a chat.…

Jockey David Mullins, 24, has announced his retirement from the saddle. David, who won the 2016 Grand National aged 19, on Rule The World, said his “heart wasn’t in it” any more. Showjumper Ben Maher and 18-year-old Tic Tac won the $137,000 grand prix on the final day of the second week of the Winter Equestrian Festival, Wellington, Florida, on 24 January. Cheltenham and Aintree Foxhunter-winning jockey Alex Edwards, 31, has turned professional after a decision stopping amateurs riding in races under Rules during lockdown. Horse Sport Ireland’s interim chief executive Joe Reynolds will remain in his position for the year ahead. Joe, who took up the role in September, said he is delighted. Showjumper Olli Fletcher 17, will run a half-marathon on 1 February in aid of World Horse…

A NEWBORN zebra foal is delighting staff at a US zoo with his “adorable” antics. The Hartmann’s mountain zebra foal, who is yet to be named, was welcomed by parents Lydia and Die Toekoms at Zoo Knoxville, Tennessee, on 23 December. The foal is a first for the zoo and was bred as part of a breeding programme under the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help the endangered species. “He is so fun,” said curator Petty Grieve. “He gets the zoomies where he runs around really quick all excited. “He’s learning what life is about and trying to mimic his mom eating grass and hay.”…

HAVING nursed at an equine veterinary practice before moving into the NHS, I found the article on antimicrobials (Vet clinic, 14 January) very interesting. But I was shocked to read, “There is still a concern that many yards stockpile antimicrobials.” Why and how is this possible? These drugs are obtained via a prescription from the vet. For them to do their job, the prescribed dose is for a course that must be completed, regardless of whether the infection appears to have cleared. Should you be on a yard where someone offers you antibiotics for a condition that “seems” to need them, call your own vet. Then ask yourself how they acquired them and, more importantly, which poor horse did not complete his medication as prescribed. Lisa Wiltshire Crawley, W Sussex…

FEW horses tick all the boxes when it comes to health and temperament a degree of compromise must usually be made. Experts agree that a five-stage pre-purchase examination (PPE) is a sound investment before buying, rather than the shortened two-stage exam, but how does a vet assess a horse with an obvious or suspected problem? And how does a potential purchaser weigh up the findings to make their decision? Lesley Barwise-Munro MRCVS and Malcolm Morley MRCVS discuss three typical scenarios... THE VETS • LESLEY BARWISE-MUNRO MRCVS oversees a busy caseload of performance and leisure horses at Alnorthumbria Veterinary Group, Northumberland. • MALCOLM MORLEY MRCVS, of Stable Close Equine Practice, Hampshire, has chaired the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA)PPE committee. 1. Safe and sound? THIS horse has a good competition record,…

Alan Davies, head groom to Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin “SHE’S quite a princess!” says Alan Davies of Charlotte’s current top horse, Mount St John Freestyle. “She’s nosey, keen to work and please – and loves parties.” Alan keeps her calm and interested at shows with “lots of one-on-one attention, hand walking and seeing the sights”. Freestyle had never flown before Alan took her to the World Equestrian Games in 2018 and was understandably fractious when she noticed that she was somehow becoming airborne. But Alan recalls: “Bringing her home after she’d won two medals, she coped so well, trusting me implicitly to put her on different trucks and crates, and following me on to planes.” It’s an intimate relationship. “Getting to know the horses’ characters when you go to…

ASK any athlete and they will say that a well-thought-out nutrition plan is just as important as a structured training schedule. In short, without the correct fuel behind us, our performances can be seriously hindered, and it’s the same when it comes to our horses. But what exactly do the leading stars of equestrian sport eat on a daily basis and how have their riders scheduled a feeding regime to suit their specific needs? Into The Blue IT’s taken some work for Louise Bell to get her 15-year-old dressage star’s diet just right, but she’s now nailed the balance. “‘Dynamo’ is a sharp horse and it’s taken me a while to get him to a level where I can feed him what I want,” says Louise. “When he first started…

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR SEIB AWARDS NOMINATIONS are open for the 2021 SEIB Insurance Brokers livery yard and riding school of the year awards. The awards celebrate excellence in teaching, training and horse care, and feature categories for small and large riding schools, full and DIY livery yards, and the best Riding for the Disabled Association riding school. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in June. “We want to recognise and highlight professionalism, skill and commitment in these ongoing challenging times,” said SEIB marketing manager Nicolina MacKenzie. ●Visit: seib.co.uk/awards SURVEY ON RACISM IN THE VET SECTOR A SURVEY will investigate racism and the impact it has on the mental wellbeing of BAME people in the veterinary sector. The Race Together survey, funded by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ Minds…

▲ TYPOS Oops of the week to the rider who texted her vet an order for chips, rather than a local cafe. Did they arrive though? And if so, did they come with a seasoning of Danilon and a side order of shredded vet wrap? ▲ GODIVA Hats (and everything else) off to a rider who is to emulate Lady Godiva by riding through her home town in the altogether, to raise money for a suicide prevention charity. She’s going to get hair extensions in case it’s a breezy day. All bases (and everything else) covered. ▲ BALLS (AGAIN) Last week we mentioned lots of National Equine Forum talk about testicles, during which Tim Mair made an apt comment about ball parks. Which is fine, except it was Tim Morris…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 UNDER the current lockdown, thinking about shows seems unworldly to say the least, but this year’s FEI World Cup Dressage Final, scheduled for early April in Gothenburg, risks becoming less of a world and more of a European cup, based on the FEI’s late changes to the rules. The FEI dressage committee chair Frank Kemperman insists the decision to reallocate the places for a non-league rider, a home athlete and one extra pair based on world rankings to riders of the Western European League is down to Covid. For Charlotte Dujardin and I, the Brexit uncertainty and the number of border crossings required means it’s debatable whether a trip to Gothenburg would be in the best interests of the horses, but there are other riders who have had…

None of my family was horsey but I’ve always loved racing and I learned to ride aged 10 at Dulwich Riding School alongside Dane Rawlins. We used to have competitions for condition and turnout in Hyde Park with all the other riding schools from the area. Riding in the ring has never interested me, I’ve just always liked looking after the horses. When I left school, I worked for Dulwich Riding School before going to stunt rider Greg Powell, who has done stunts for the Bond films as well as jousting and he enjoyed hunting. My first job in showjumping was working for international rider Sally Mapleson. She sent two horses to Nick Skelton – Rhapsody and Airborne – and I went with the horses. She said I wouldn’t last…

SOME horses just make you stop and stare, and Arko III’s star quality was breathtaking. With his exquisitely beautiful head and that handsome swagger combined with exceptional scope, “Archie” made a dazzling impact. Pair those qualities with one of the world’s greatest horsemen and it’s no wonder this blue-blooded stallion went on to achieve an outstanding list of accolades. The Oldenburg stallion by Argentinus was bred in Germany in 1994 by Peter Schutt, and Nick’s interest was sparked when he saw a video of the then six-year-old. David Broome turned him down for owner Lord Harris saying he was too young, but John Hales signed the cheque within five minutes of seeing Nick riding Arko. “Arko was the one that got me back riding again – I’ll always be thankful…

SINCE they joined forces at Tal Milstein’s yard five years ago, showjumper William Whitaker and his groom Benoit Lecomte have relocated across Belgium and on to Germany, the United States and now West Yorkshire. “We seem to have worked well together from the beginning,” says William, who is quick to acknowledge Benoit’s “vital role” alongside him on the global competition circuit. “The schedule is full-on, but he knows his job and I trust him to do what he needs to do.” Benoit likes the way his boss operates, explaining: “There’s no stress. William never panics, he’s always laid-back and he makes good decisions.” It’s a productive partnership. High-profile wins include William’s 2018 FEI Jumping World Cup victory with Utamaro d’Ecaussines, which crowned an epic week at Olympia – described by…

CAVALOR PERFOMIX A complete daily muesli feed including joint, muscle and digestion support. Highly digestible, with high-quality ingredients. £17.08 for 20kg cavalordirect.co.uk GAIN FREEDOM CUBES A high-energy, oil, and fibre pelleted feed for performance horses. It has an oat-free, low-starch (only 10%) formula. £16.55 for 25kg gainequinenutrition.com TOPSPEC PERFORMANCE LITE BALANCER Designed for horses who need a high level of micronutrient support in a low-calorie feed. £29.25 for 15kg topspec.com BAILEYS EASE & EXCEL Low-starch, high-fibre cubes formulated to deliver slow-release calories, quality protein and vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. £14.50 for 20kg baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk ROWEN BARBARY PRO ULTRA This nutrient-dense mix is designed to provide a combination of energy sources, while supplying nutrients beneficial to gut health. £14.76 for 20kg rowenbarbary.co.uk SMART ZERO MIX Advanced low-sugar, low-starch competition mix with a…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Ascot Racecourse, Berks KIM BAILEY will not wish to dwell on too many of the intervening years but he looks closer than ever to the halcyon days of the mid-90s after the rousing triumph of First Flow in the Matchbook Exchange Clarence House Chase at Ascot. The last time that the trainer saddled a Grade One winner was 26 years ago, the time of that golden double of Alderbook in the Champion Hurdle and Master Oats in the Gold Cup. At the turn of the century he made a move from Lambourn to Northamptonshire which turned out to be a disaster; gallops were washed away and the string dwindled to the low teens. It was only with a switch back to Gloucestershire in 2006 that green shoots began…

“I WOULD be the first to admit that I warned Pippa off Rocky. I thought he was too big for her and quite uncoordinated in his huge movement. I told her that I didn’t think he would do her confidence any good. But Pippa’s mindset, like mine, is that if you believe in a horse you find a way to make it work. And that’s what she did. “Pippa was open-minded enough to change her system to suit Rocky instead of trying to make him conform to her style of riding, and ultimately the confidence he gained from that is what made him a winner. It is one of the biggest lessons I have learned from her, and I try to apply it with my own horses.”…

THE fact that Supreme Rock started in – and won – almost every major event he was entered for between 1999 and 2003 was testament to his toughness and soundness. “I don’t remember him ever having an off day,” says his owner Emma Pitt, pictured aboard Supreme Rock hunting with the Grafton. “He never had any kind of veterinary interventions like joint injections; in fact the only complementary therapy he had throughout his career was acupuncture. He loved his treatments and I think they helped keep him supple through his back.” After he won the £4,000 first prize at Chatsworth in 2000, Emma suggested to Pippa that they use the money to fl y out Rocky’s acupuncturist to the Sydney Olympics. “She kindly agreed. The acupuncturist flew to Sydney, where…