Innholdsfortegnelse for 4-Nov-2021 i Horse & Hound

WHEN news broke that Charlotte Dujardin’s double Olympic bronze medallist Gio was being sold and would be ridden by super talented British young rider Annabella Pidgley, it felt like a blueprint for how all sales of top level horses should go to keep sports fans happy. Of course public feeling is not the be all and end all, but fans do have strong feelings about the futures of top horses who become national treasures, and it would be more of a concern if nobody cared. Charlotte was joint-owner of the horse, so there could be no sadness that the horse was being “removed” from her by owners. Then there is Gio’s new rider, Annabella, who has been proving herself in junior ranks this year and has the support to shine…

THE Liverpool International Horse Show (31 December-3 January) has been cancelled - but plans for the London International (16-20 December) remain in place. Organisers of Liverpool said with “huge regret” they had made the “very difficult decision”. “With the ever-changing Covid-19 environment and recent announcements made by the Government and the Liverpool Health Protection Board, which oversees the city’s response to the pandemic, as event organisers the risk associated with responsibly staging an indoor event of this kind after Christmas, with respect to the public, and the knock-on implication of this risk to our loyal partners, suppliers, retailers, riders and their guests, is just too high,” read a statement. Simon Brooks-Ward, show director of the London International, formerly based at Olympia, confirmed the show is “100% on track” to go…

RIDER DIES AFTER ROAD ACCIDENT TRIBUTES have been paid to a rider who suffered fatal injuries in a road accident. Max Riley Berry, 22, died after the car he was driving and an HGV collided near Gloucester on 23 October. Max grew up in Lancashire and completed a degree in equine business management at Hartpury. Having taken this summer off to showjump his horses Tini and Ammo, he had recently started his “dream job” at Brendon Stud, West Sussex. “Max was a popular individual who had many friends and was loved by both his peers and colleagues alike,” his family said. “He will be sadly missed by all of his family, who would like to thank all the emergency service personnel who attended the scene.” BRITS’ NATIONS CUP WIN IN…

Showjumper Scott Brash and his Olympic ride Hello Vincent won the CSI5* grand prix of Lyon on 29 October. Scott said the standard in Lyon is “always top notch” and he was “delighted”. Swiss Olympic showjumper Martin Fuchs has won the Lyon leg of the World Cup series for a third time, with Chaplin. Martin won in 2018 and 2019 on Clooney 51. Champion jump jockey Harry Skelton, 32, claimed his 1,000th career win, with Dorisa Queen on 28 October at Stratford. Harry said the next goal is to reach 2,000 winners. Flat jockey Tom Marquand rode his 125th winner of the year, with the William Haggas-trained Sea La Rosa at Lingfield on 28 October. Tom said it had been “a great year”. British Horseracing Authority equine welfare and integrity…

A World War II veteran returned to Cheltenham Racecourse as a guest of honour to celebrate his 100th birthday, 82 years after he was stationed at Prestbury Park as a soldier. Lionel Jordan helped Barry Gerathy choose the best turned out in the 888Sport Handicap Chase on 23 October, the eve of his birthday. Lionel, who served with the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars, recalled many “happy and tough” days at the racecourse. “My father brought me here when I was a young lad and I’ve been keen on racing ever since,” he said. “I was training people here on my 18th birthday. “At that time, the war was on and I was an instructor and it’s fitting that I should be here on another birthday.”…

1) What link did Badminton director Jane Tuckwell have with this year’s European Showjumping Championships? 2) The FEI World Equestrian Games in 2018 had the biggest commercial airlift of horses ever undertaken. How many were there? 3) The name of a Tokyo dual medal winner means “cherry blossom” - who was it? 4) Retired Altior set a world record for consecutive jump races won. How many? 5) Who was the oldest recorded thoroughbred racehorse and how old was he? Answers: 1) Chilli Morning and Windfall II 2) 10 3) Five 4) Eclipse 5) Black Boy and Rapide.…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 AS FEI dressage committee chairman Frank Kemperman steps down after 12 years on the committee and a year on the dressage task force, it’s interesting to reflect on the contribution to the sport from a man who is not a rider, but has an event direction background, namely CHIO Aachen and the Dutch Masters in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. While we can argue that four on a team is better than three for horse welfare across all disciplines, Frank’s right to say, as he does in his “end of term” report, that the Tokyo Olympics format worked well with some details to be ironed out. Looking at the recent changes within dressage, like shorter grand prix tests for the World Cup circuit, and new competition formats as at the Olympics, Frank…

I’m completely self-taught, and it happened by accident. I picked up a welder one day and that was it. A farrier gave me loads of horseshoes and I started welding. The first thing I made was a horse’s head. I thought I’d try to sell it and it went within half an hour. I use horse shoes predominantly, and I mainly do life-size animals, as well as things like love-hearts and cake stands for weddings. I love the star-gazing hare I did, it’s a magical sculpture. I’ve made five life-size horses so far; I’m currently making a dressage horse, which I hope will take a few months - I’ve started with the back legs and hindquarters - and I’m shipping a leaping fox to America. I’m most proud of the…

SPOTTLES FARM Charlwood, Surrey For you: a four-bed Grade II-listed period house in need of renovation. The property is believed to date back to the 15th century and was extended in the late 1960s/early 1970s. For the horses: stabling with sand school in need of restoration. The property has direct access to local hacking. Approximately 1.3 acres of paddocks and gardens. OIEO £850,000 HJ Burt, 01903 879488, hjburt.co.uk UPSHIRE STABLES Lambourn, Berks For you: outlined planning approval to build a three-bed 2,100sqft house and an outdoor school. Set in four acres in the heart of the “valley of the racehorse”, with several sport horse centres around the village as well. Located on a quiet lane which becomes a bridleway, giving superb hacking opportunities. For the horses: stable yard with 12…

1878: born at Mendham Mill on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. 1893: he begins an apprenticeship with a printer in Norwich, and attends Norwich School of Art in the evenings. 1911: living and working in an artists’ colony in Cornwall, where he meets his first wife Florence Carter-Wood, whom he marries in 1912. 1914: attempts to enlist for the war effort, but can’t due to blindness in his right eye. Having attempted suicide on their honeymoon, Florence takes her own life two years later – something Munnings never refers to. 1918: he is selected as an official war artist for the Canadian War Memorials Fund in France, painting with the Canadian Cavalry Brigade and the Canadian Forestry Corps. 1919: the Canadian War Memorials Exhibition takes place at the Royal Academy in London…

THERE was only ever going to be one name for Softie. “He did have a proper name,” says Bill Andrewes, former master and chairman of the Ludlow. “I can’t remember what it was, but Softie stuck, because he was. He had a lovely, gentle nature.” A 17.2hh Danish warmblood, Softie arrived aged five and “very green”, having done nothing. “I think I bought him locally through Horse & Hound,” Bill says. “He was quite capable of having a hissy fit, but he was never nasty. He was a very, very well-tempered horse.” “He was never nasty; he was a very well-tempered horse”BILL ANDREWES ON SOFTIE A “weekend rider” by necessity, Bill turned Softie over to Judy Lloyd to school him. “She turned him into the most wonderful horse.” Bill avers,…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Down Royal, Northern Ireland IF the change in the weather and the clocks last weekend did not signal winter’s arrival, then Saturday’s jump racing – dramatic, thrilling and unpredictable – most certainly did. And sitting at the top of the pile was our old friend Frodon. Bryony Frost has been in the news for reasons I am sure she would have preferred not to be over the past few weekends, after the British Horseracing Authority’s report into her feud with Robbie Dunne was leaked to a Sunday newspaper. But on the horse that has done most for her career, she was making headlines again, but for good, happy reasons after the pair won an epic Ladbrokes Champion Chase on Northern Ireland’s biggest days’ racing. There were only five…

EVERYONE at Llangeinor Pentyrch was full of praise towards the organisers of the meeting, which was the first Welsh point-to-point since the Covid pandemic started, especially given that weather conditions were tricky, to say the least. “The Tudors and the Braces have been fantastic in putting on this point-to- point,” remarked Alan Hill. “Because, by God, they’ve had a long time with no point-to-points in Wales. There are so many happy people here. Even when it was blowing 50mph and raining horizontally, everyone was wandering around with a smile on their face. If everybody in the sport had that attitude, it would be great.” WE OWE ITTO...…

WHAT does a modern equestrian artist think of Whistlejacket? Daniel Crane says: “The painting of Whistlejacket is unquestionably a triumph but are there other historic paintings that have equal merit and, artistically, perhaps more? “Let us look at Munnings’ depiction of Rich Gift, which is a beautiful painting of, plainly, a very good-looking winning athlete. This horse is immortalised in simple surroundings, away from the racecourse, under minimal tack with only a groom in attendance. “The simplicity of composition ensures the viewer regards the primary subject over anything else. It perhaps pleases me more than Stubbs, but does this make it iconic? No. Surely the point of Whistlejacket is that we will never know the answers to the questions it poses, and this is what elevates it to that ‘iconic’…

Share your news story Call 01252 555021 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @jones_eleanor_ THE new Olympic format did not serve riders, horses or the global image of the sport - and we must not compromise horse welfare to have more flags at the Games. These are some of the opinions submitted by national federations (NFs) to the FEI, as it conducts its planned review of the format that came in for this year’s Olympics. Of the 17 federations that responded by the deadline of 15 October, some commented on the qualification pathways and some on the overall format. Of the eight that gave an opinion on the latter, all supported a return to four-combination teams. British Equestrian commented neither on qualification nor the format by the deadline, but said in the feedback it…

GIO Charlotte Dujardin’s Tokyo individual and team bronze medal winner has been sold to join British junior Annabella Pidgley, 16. The 10-year-old also won team silver and individual bronze at the 2021 Europeans. ZENSHERA Ros Canter’s ride, who had five top-10 CCI5* finishes, has retired from eventing aged 17. He was a Nations Cup stalwart and a Pau specialist. His best top-level result was third at Luhmühlen in 2018. STRADIVARIUS Bjorn Nielsen’s Group One winner will stay in training as an eight-year-old with the Ascot Gold Cup his main target. The John and Thady Gosden-trained gelding has won the race three times and won over £3m.…

A NUMBER of changes to the British Eventing (BE) calendar have been announced for 2022. Keysoe International will stop hosting BE events, Borde Hill horse trials will move to a new location and Catton Park is returning under new management. A spokesman for Keysoe said it will focus on being a “worldclass” eventing training venue. This year, Keysoe held three fixtures; in May, August and an international in July. The organising team behind Borde Hill in West Sussex said owing to a “change of policy by the trustees”, the park will no longer hold horse trials and the team is moving to a new location. “We look forward to welcoming you to the new venue in 2022 so keep the usual dates free and we will give an update once…

▲ DECORATIONS Hats off to the equestrian centre where decorations for a Halloween show included tombstones bearing the words RIP. Underneath, the phrases included “to the perfect distance” and “to my bank account”. Top marks. ▲ FOCUS Snapper of the week is William Evenden of iWillPhotography, who not only took his usual top pictures of one child’s round, he also acted quickly when a spook unseated said child, catching the pony in perfect time to allow her to slither safely to the floor. All part of the service, Madam. ▲ SNOOZING Spotted, showjumping legend Peder Fredricson at a show, wrapped up in a coat, hood and horse rug, catching 40 winks in a folding chair between classes. To be fair, after the year he’s had, we think he’s earned a…

YOUR news item about using spiked boots (14 October) emphasises the need for vigilance relating to the welfare of competition horses. It also demonstrates an unwillingness on the part of the authorities to adequately penalise wrongdoers. While delighted the FEI has dealt with this matter, we do not feel that disqualification, a ban, fine and costs properly address the issue, which is clear abuse of the horse. Our main worry is that there appears to be no admitting to the offence, nor any remorse. The Tribunal praised the officials for their prompt action, but made it clear that stronger action could have been taken at the time because of the seriousness of the violation. Surely the matter should have been taken to law and a custodial sentence imposed for cruelty?…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald AFTER reading the backlash on social media from Oliver Townend’s comment regarding wealth and eventing at the top level, it made me reflect on my own journey in the equestrian world. I grew up on a council estate to non-horsey parents. We didn’t have a lorry or a trailer, in fact we used to borrow a trailer that I slept in at shows. My mother was too scared to tow and my dad was always working, so we relied on getting lifts. Both my parents worked their hardest to provide and I remember my mum taking a second job stacking shelves in the local supermarket for me to have a pony. I left home at 17 and worked for Graham and Tina Fletcher until I was 21. In…

• Yours with Love, AJ: a special exhibition showcasing Alfred Munnings’ paintings from the early 1920s, soon after his marriage to his second wife, Violet: Munnings Art Museum, Dedham, until Saturday, 6 November. • Neil Forster retrospective, “probably the finest animal portraitist of the latter part of the 20th century”: Osborne Studio Gallery, London, until 27 November. • Gold of The Great Steppe, golden artefacts from the Saka people in Kazakhstan, with adornments for their beloved horses: Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, until 30 January. • Estella Castle’s Land in the Bend of the River, straw work and corn dolly craft including a life-sized horse and haystack: Egham Museum, Surrey, until 18 December.…

THE Heythrop’s Amy Morgan made her race-riding debut a successful one by winning the charity race at the Countryside Alliance Race Day at Aintree on 24 October. Riding six-year-old Serjeant Painter, trained by Ben Pauling and owned by his wife Sophie, Amy crossed the finishing line 1½ lengths in front of Arthur Owen, who was riding the highly fancied Charlie D. She raised just under £3,500 for the Countryside Alliance Foundation in the process. Amy’s husband Gary is the well-known former Heythrop countryman, and she explained: “I did it because Gary was asked whether I would. He replied that he thought I would and as he isn’t particularly keen on the horsey stuff and this meant he would support me, I didn’t want to say no! “The whole experience was…

FORMER Blue Cross pony Talwyrn Usain made easy work of his first fully affiliated show to win the prelim 15 with 75.6%, at Lluest EC, Ceredigion. Margaret Miles, who took on the 14.1hh traditional cob gelding four years ago, explained that Usain’s biggest stumbling block had been his inability to canter. “He’s still not completely there and sometimes gets his legs in a muddle in the canter-trot transition, but he keeps trying,” said Margaret. “He shows quite a talent for sideways movement, however, which hopefully means we’ll be able to progress.” ONE TO WATCH…

What’s it worth? WE don’t really know how much the Marquess of Rockingham paid Stubbs for his portrait of Whistlejacket; Stubbs left very little paperwork, and he painted several pictures for Rockingham that year. A receipt dated 30 December 1862 for 80 guineas for two paintings, one a horse “as large as Life”, may give us a clue, but not much of one. However, we do know that Rockingham’s heirs, the Fitzwilliam family, eventually sold Whistlejacket in 1997 to the National Gallery for £11m. Stubbs’ work has rocketed in price in recent decades, as has much that can be termed “sporting art”. The record at auction stands at an extraordinary £22.4m, which is what Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath fetched at Christie’s in 2011. 'A PORTRAIT of an animal on the…

THE evenings are darkening, the air is cooling, the horses are in at night. We are tiptoeing towards winter with the promise of crackling fires and crisp, frosty mornings. Now that the hunting season proper has arrived, I have been doing some overdue schooling with my horse, Jim. Flat fields are in short supply around here but there’s a sloping one somewhere out of sight that we go to and do the necessary circles and figures of eight. We are both out of breath after 15 minutes, but he already feels a whole lot better – until he sees the hounds and then it’s back to square one. Mary and Alec have doubled in size since last season and none of their clothes fit any more. I have replaced Alec’s…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. @horseandhound instagram.com/horseandhound facebook.com/horseandhound HAPPY BIRTHDAY! MY mother, Sarah Subtil, has been subscribing to H&H for the past 70 or so years. I have been living in New Zealand for 18 years and Mum sends an issue over to me at least once a month. But due to Covid, I am unable to visit and help celebrate her 80th birthday. Sarah Subtil, née Garner, was born on 5 November 1941, daughter of Bron and Mavis Garner. As a girl, hunting with the Old Surrey and Burstow was her passion. This was during the era of legendary huntsman Jack Champion, and she enjoyed taking second horses out and sometimes whipping-in She married David in 1963 and they had three…

pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle CONSIDERING Pau came at the end of a very busy year, it still had a decent field with some quality horses. Getting there wasn’t much fun - it apparently takes six vets to check a horse’s microchip at Caen - but, given Covid, Brexit and equine herpes virus, once we were at the event, they did very well with the organisation. We had beautiful weather for the first few days, and then some rain. The ground at Pau is always a bit of a concern as it doesn’t always have a lot done to it; it can be quite bare and trampled. However, it had been levelled well, some spiking and watering was done, and then the rain made it as good as it can be there. Tim…

THERE are lots of people like me,” says Amanda Owen, star of the documentary TV series Our Yorkshire Farm, which draws in millions of viewers each week. “I love hacking out, riding in a pair of wellies, just enjoying it. I’ve ridden a bit of side-saddle, but it’s never been my goal to do travers and renvers. I like something I can get on and go - I’m not going to spend time schooling it.” She may be talking about her approach to riding but there are, of course, very few people like the Yorkshire Shepherdess, as Amanda is nicknamed. For those who don’t watch Our Yorkshire Farm, Amanda is the matriarch of Ravenseat Farm, wife to Clive, mother of nine, a shepherdess with 1,000 sheep to tend, 40 beef…

MOST lameness examinations begin with a thorough history, providing invaluable information on duration, severity, onset and any previously diagnosed injuries. Your vet will carry out a clinical examination of your horse at rest, using their eyes and hands, to assess symmetry, weight-bearing, swelling, heat and sensitivity to palpation. They may also perform carrot (baited) stretches to assess flexibility, and most often will passively flex all four limbs. Unless the horse is lame at walk, a dynamic evaluation then follows - a visual assessment at walk and trot on firm and soft surfaces, in a straight line and on the lunge in both directions. Canter is assessed on the lunge. Flexion tests are often performed, plus specific stress tests and perhaps a ridden assessment. Your vet will look at a range…

I APOLOGISE, but this week levity may be absent. These are serious times. I am regularly accused of living in a different universe. Sometimes it feels otherworldly; at times I wish it were. The modern dash for information tramples over truth, let alone wisdom. Our opponents quench this thirst to drive their agenda through unchecked social media, illegal cyber-hacking of hunts and individuals, intimidation and harassment on the hunting field and online, all to convince the uninitiated in the fake names of progress and democracy. Why is it acceptable for senior public service journalists to cosy up to agitators who clearly operate on the fringes of the law, obtaining spurious information by nefarious means? Maybe they think it’s fair collateral for my children to answer the phone to abusive death…

pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle PAU FIVE-STAR 1st Tim Price (NZL) on Falco 2nd Tom McEwen (GBR) on CHF Cooliser 3rd Jonelle Price (NZL) on McClaren Pau, France TIM PRICE sealed the fourth five-star victory of his career and with it showed he has a star for the future in his winning ride Falco. The pair led from the front, strengthening their position on their lofty perch atop the constantly shuffling leaderboard with two flawless jumping rounds. Watching the 12-year-old gelding’s intelligent face looking for each question across country, it was hard to believe this was the first time he had seen a five-star track. His burst of speed on the galloping stretches inside the final minutes showed that the gelding – who belongs to Sue Benson, Jackie Olivier and his rider –…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 Aintree International Equestrian Centre High Profile Show, Merseyside DYLAN DEUTROM’S 440-mile round trip from Hampshire to Merseyside proved lucrative as he won four classes: two at prix st georges (PSG) level and one inter I with Sarah Church, Matt Hicks and Will Dean’s San Marco, and the inter II with Matt Hicks and Sarah Warry’s Sunlit Uplands, along with several placings. San Marco (Status Quo x Gribaldi) had a quiet time through last winter after a bit of self-harming in the box. “He plays the fool all the time and knocked himself piaffing in the box,” explained Matt. “Dylan rebuilt his stable over two days with sloped walls and rubber matting. I don’t know how we’d manage without Dylan,” he added. “Not only is he a great rider,…

HILARY SECKER gave full credit to her brother Jonjo after she and her Irish Sport Horse, Pinecroft Blaze (Lara), smashed their personal best to lead the novice freestyle at Aintree with 83.33%. “Jonjo is an insanely talented musician and composed our soundtrack for us,” she explained. “He did a lot of research about what works well and went with an upbeat Celtic vibe, to suit Lara’s breeding – not quite Riverdance, but similar.” Hilary hopes to step up the progress with 13-year-old Lara after a recent move from London back to Cheshire, where she trains with Philippa Hamilton. “Lara is so eager to please”, added Hilary, who works in finance in the Civil Service. “She loves performing and the music really accentuates her movement. I couldn’t believe our score. The…

gemma.redrup@futurenet.com @gemmaredrup Llangeinor Pentyrch, Pyle, South Glamorgan BRADLEY GIBBS got his point-to-point season off to a flying start when clocking up a treble at the first meeting of the season as a jockey, and one as a trainer, too, despite the challenging wet and windy conditions. The 2m 4f maiden four-and five-year-old victor, and the first of Bradley’s three winners was Patch Me Up, who was bred and is owned and trained by David Brace, who also trained River Llynfi, the one-length runner-up in this race under James King. “Although there were only four runners in his race, this lad won it well. He stuck his head down, jumped well, galloped to the line and gave me a nice feel,” explained Bradley of the five-year-old son of Dr Massini who…

BORN in Liverpool in 1724, George Stubbs’ father was a leatherworker, and he worked in that trade until his mid-teens before starting out on a career as a painter. Largely self-taught, he had a deep interest in anatomy, and studied the human variety in York under a surgeon while working as a portrait painter. Somehow, a visit to Italy in 1754 made him determined to switch his focus to horses and, after a period living in Lincolnshire and learning about equine anatomy by dissecting their bodies, he began to paint them. The patronage of wealthy men in love with racing, which was exploding in popularity and developing into the sport we would recognise today, made him financially successful and well-known. He died in 1806, aged 81.…