Innholdsfortegnelse for 3-Mar-2022 i Horse & Hound

AT the start of every new season I decide that this one is my favourite – but honestly, spring has to be it. After the havoc caused by storms in recent weeks, the crocuses are out and the daffodils will be tomorrow if not already. The grass is coming back, the horses are feeling well – even the real oldies who are coming out of the winter with ribs protruding. It is the most hopeful time of year, with sunny moments motivating us with their reminder of long days and warm evenings to come. Even if it is snowing again next week… Now is the time for a spring clean – not necessarily of the house or stables, but of our training and approach to competition. What are our goals…

GIO The Olympic and European medallist – formerly ridden by Charlotte Dujardin – and new rider Annabella Pidgley made a winning debut in the inter II at Onley Grounds Equestrian Complex on 26 February, scoring 72.64%. WANADOO Carl Hester’s reserve ride for the Rio Olympics, owned by Coral Ingham, has retired from competition aged 21. Coral’s daughter Megan took the ride in 2017 and the pair enjoyed numerous top-10 international results. BALLINCLARE The large hack has been sold to Ami Miller. The six-year-old, who stood intermediate supreme at the RIHS in 2021 with Alice Homer, was owned and produced by Team Homer and will be based with producer Jo Bates.…

1) Name the only British showjumper ever to have been crowned individual world champion. 2) Which rider claimed third and fourth places at Badminton 2019? 3) How much more energy-dense are fats/oils than carbohydrates? 4) No British male rider has ever won world individual gold in eventing. True or false? 5) Who was the judge at C for the dressage team final at the Olympic Games in Tokyo? Answers from 24 February 1) 1735 2) John and Sam Watson 3) 158cm 4) James King 5) The Netherlands.…

CONOR SWAIL has just reached a major milestone in his career and yet there is an aura of calm about the rider in the warm-up ring for the International Arena at the Winter Equestrian Festival, Wellington, Florida. The Irishman is not one to get flustered as he walks his horse Count Me In (Crosby) quietly around the warm-up fence, preparing to add to a tally of recent victories that has tipped the global-ranking algorithm in his favour and put him in the top 10 showjumpers worldwide. “This is the most successful time I’ve had,” says Conor at his barn later that week. “It’s something that’s very difficult to do. When my career is over, it’s nice to say that I’ve been in the top 10 in the world.” The time…

IT is of course not only the horse who may be involved in a fall, and training of event cover vets has advanced hugely in respect to managing incidents in which a rider is trapped by a fallen horse. If the message from control is clear that a rider may be trapped, the vet acts strictly under the instructions of the attending doctor. Rider safety is the priority. The immediate handling of such a case is: • The vet assesses that the horse is still alive and that there has not been a sudden death. • If the latter is the case, the doctor will instruct the vet as to which direction to remove the horse. Rapidly applied strop systems should be used (forward slide, backwards slide, sideways slide, shoulder…

BEAUREPAIRE FARM HOUSE Bramley, Hampshire For you: a six-or seven-bedroom red-brick farmhouse situated in a rural location. The current owners have extended and refurbished the entire property while retaining most of the original features. There are outbuildings laid out as a courtyard offering office space and secondary accommodation. Outside features include lawned gardens and a lake stocked with carp and a zip wire over the top. For the horses: there is stabling for three horses, a tack room, a hay store, and a field shelter located in one of the paddocks. The land totals 33.23 acres. £2.85m Knight Frank, 020 3504 8689, knightfrank.co.uk STAVERTON ACRES Staverton, Northamptonshire For you: a six-bedroom property believed to date back to the 1930s. There are well-maintained gardens and an additional detached brick barn conversion…

AN obstacle breeders sometimes face is a buyer who changes a horse’s name. Changing, adding or dropping a stud prefix erroneously can often prove a huge setback, especially for someone working to put a small stud on the map. “It’s very wrong for people to incorrectly add a ‘brand’ to the name of something if they haven’t bred it,” says Jennie Loriston-Clarke. “It’s happened several times to us [at Catherston] and quite a few showjumping horses not bred at Zangersheide have mysteriously had “Z” added to their names here.” The Central Prefix Register, set up in 1978, is an umbrella organisation with around 50 affiliated breed societies and studbooks in the UK, Europe and North America. Langaller, Catherston and Penhaligon are all registered with it. “The aim is to protect…

IN 2003, Amanda James and her daughters Emma and Sophie bought their first Connemara unseen from Ireland. The then three-year-old Lord Tresleigh Nevicata (Owen) was the Connemara who broke the family’s run of plaited ponies. “My instructor at the time, Lady Hemphill of the Tulira Stud, recommended him to us and thought he’d do well in the UK show ring,” explains Emma. “Owen went on to be champion at Devon County, won the NFU and Peasedown finals at the National Pony Society summer championships and was seventh at the Royal International [RIHS], among other results.” Since, the James’s have enjoyed a love affair with the breed, winning the RIHS on three separate occasions with Glenmore Gwennic (Glen, pictured), Glencarrig Rocco and Shanbo Rory. “Glen has been with us for nine…

IF my imagination were allowed to run free, I would have a mix of the present and the past in my fantasy day’s hunting. I would choose the North Warwickshire hounds and I would be the 21-year-old field master, three years into my mastership and still blessed with both the ignorance and arrogance of youth, where there is still great excitement in the anticipation of a day in the cream of the country. It is in the 1930s and the meet is at Willoughby on a cold December day. The hedges are black as can be and snow is in the forecast: all bodes well. There is a huge local support at the meet for the sport of kings. There are quiet roads, acres of grass and no acrimony. The…

148cm Pony Premier, Northcote Stud, Lancashire IZABELLA ROGERS secured a Charles Britton Winter JA classic win for the third consecutive pony premier with Neil 55, also taking a JC/JA handicap victory with the JC Elshofs Evano. Although Neil has been owned by Izabella’s mother Nicola since a youngster, Izabella has only been competing him for a year – this time last year, she would only ride him on a lead-rein after falling off and breaking her leg. “They have a really good relationship now, she really trusts him and he really trusts her. She can turn him up to anything,” Nicola said. Izabella executed an acrobatic feat to win the JC/JA handicap with Elshofs Evano, who she is currently riding for his owners. The pony spooked at two dolphin statues…

THE unfeasibly dry January had its benefits – including no mud and perfect going – but good hunting was not one of them. And then it rained. This came just before a much-anticipated joint meet with the Tynedale in the Scottish part of our country. It’s an area of hill heaven, but in the past this meet – home to a big shoot – has been a boutique affair with just a small field of twelve or so. The Tynedale have brought their hounds several times before along with a handful of supporters on bikes and very few on horses. Despite the low-key nature of the day, it has produced some consistently good hunting. The last occasion, two years ago, was an epic several-miler culminating with an incursion into Border…

Share your news story Call 01252 555021 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @ jones_eleanor_ RIDING schools have called for changes to the licensing system, warning that the industry is facing a “national crisis”. Owners have told H&H they are required to carry out vast amounts of paperwork and wade through endless red tape, which means a huge workload, and less time to spend on the nature of their business. The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations will be reviewed in 2023, five years after they came in, and it is thought this could be an opportunity for change. Sue Nevill-Parker, of Arrow Equestrian riding school, told H&H: “We need to act or it will all be swept under the carpet and in 20 years’ time, there will be no riding…

French former five-star event rider Pierre Le Goupil has been appointed cross-country course-designer for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Pierre described the role as the “job of a lifetime”. Olympic rider Beezie Madden will be inducted into the United States’ showjumping Hall of Fame. The 58-year-old’s career spans three decades and she has won four Olympic medals. The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, has succeeded his father, the Duke of Edinburgh as president of Royal Windsor Horse Show. Prince Philip, who died on 9 April 2021, held the role from 1991. Showjumper Emily Moffitt took the Martha W Jolicoeur leading lady rider award in week seven of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida. Emily cited her “spectacular” ride Winning Good. Jump jockey Henry Brooke has broken his neck for a second…

GOOD WEEK WELLIES At Paris Fashion Week, they had someone riding a horse in style down the catwalk. At London Fashion Week, it was all about wellies. A common theme, perhaps, but of course the French had to do it with just a bit more quelle heure est-il (Um. Ed). THE PAST Hmm to the governing body that said the 2022 “World Equestrian Games” “bring together all FEI disciplines (eventing, dressage, jumping, driving, vaulting, reining, endurance, paradressage and para-driving)” in one championships. Well, they did… A QUICK WEE Hats off to the Donkey Sanctuary, which has won the Devon’s Top Attractions “loo of the year” award, in recognition of its most excellent lavatorial facilities. They also won last year, so this is the second award on the trot, one could…

IN light of the social media storm over the training methods of a world-famous coach, we must look to the future of equestrian sport. Both rider and coach have taken unreasonable amounts of abuse online, and now equestrian coaches and training venues are in a fluster trying to obtain social media disclaimers. In every workplace, there are complaint procedures. The equestrian world needs to have better publicised ways of allowing riders, owners and coaches to make a complaint safely and let it be heard before the relevant governing body – to allow them to do the judging, not social media. What’s more, it needs to be better educated in making or dealing with a complaint, which will in turn protect our horses and our sport. Shonagh Stark Abernyte, Perths The writer…

catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123 IN KENNELS Joint-masters: David Burke, Lorraine Burke, Kevin Hough, Imelda O’Donnell, John Cantillon Huntsman: David Burke MH Whipper-in: Frankie Burke Hounds: 25 couple old English foxhounds Hon secretary: Lorraine Burke, +353 8610 16466 Hunting days: Wednesdays and bye-days Neighbouring packs: Galway Blazers, East Galway, North Galway Hirelings: Johnny Geoghegan, +353 8686 59807 Grallagh Harriers, Dartfield, Co Galway TO refer to any hunt as “a happy family” is something of a cliché, but the Grallagh Harriers in Co Galway is exactly that. David Burke is senior master and huntsman. His brother Frankie whips-in and their sister Lorraine is joint-master and acts as secretary as well as field master. On the day of my visit, their other sister Sinead was following by car and the matriarch of the family, the…

THE annual evening of bareback classes at Bury Farm (see p58) was once again a big draw. Jess Keatley-Palmer and her 14-year-old warmblood mare, Gratia VD Krekebeke, coped with being saddleless in an atmosphere to win the 90cm class with 1.27sec in hand. “It’s something I have watched on the livestream for as long as I can remember and it’s always been a goal of mine, but I’ve never had a horse quite ready to do it,” said Jess. “We practised a lot – we hacked bareback and schooled bareback. I’ve had her for four years and she’s quite accustomed to riding with no saddle.” Jess added that her only worry was the challenge of having to stop and grab a drink off a table mid-course. The bareback single fence…

Edited by Polly Bryan polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 Myerscough College Regionals, Lancashire AI technician Rebecca Emma Mcnair pulled off two plus-70% tests to land the novice and novice freestyle, riding her six-year-old mare Lolalinja US. It was the first time they’d ridden their music. “She also won her first elementary three days before the regionals with 70%, so I’ve booked her in for some more elementaries and will aim for medium this year and some six-year-old classes,” said Rebecca, who trains with Becky Moody and Gareth Hughes. “I bought her unseen as an unbacked three-year-old and have taken my time with her.” Rebecca also has ambitions to take embryos from the mare. “She is awesome to ride – you can drop her and then pick her up and she doesn’t change, so…

Morris Equestrian Area Festival, Ayrshire SHONA LECKIE and Jack Sparrow I scored the highest percentage of the show when claiming the novice 23 silver with 73.68%. Shona bought the eight-year-old Everdale gelding last April. “He was imported as a fiveyear-old from the Netherlands, but didn’t do much for two years and then we bought him,” said Shona, who trains with Jill Grant. “He’s quirky and very sensitive, but in the last few months, we’ve given him more to think about and he’s come into his own. We call him the Duracell bunny – he’s always got so much energy.” Solicitor Stephanie Lynch and her home-bred gelding, Journeys Atlas, won the novice 23 bronze with 69.24%. The pair also event to BE90 level, but are enjoying pure dressage. “My instructor Karen…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @ jen_donald Newcastle Racecourse, Newcastle, and Kempton Park Racecourse, Surrey EVER since Christian Williams won the Welsh National with Potters Corner in 2019, it was evident he knew the time of day as a trainer. Not much has happened to dissuade us otherwise since, and his prowess with staying chasers was never better highlighted than in a half hour spell on Saturday afternoon. It began when the mare Win My Wings galloped past Eclair Surf at the second-last to win the Vertem Eider Handicap Chase at Newcastle and was completed when Cap Du Nord, ridden by Jack Tudor, led home stable companion Kitty’s Light for a one-two in the valuable Coral Trophy Handicap Chase at Kempton. But for injury, Williams might have been more successful as a jockey. Indeed,…

“OH Tom, we don’t buy chestnuts,” wasn’t exactly the answer bloodstock agent Tom Malone wanted when he called Garth and Anne Broom (aka Brocade Racing) to tell them about his recent purchase, a four-year-old gelding from Co Cork called Native River. They visited anyway, more out of courtesy, and were so immediately taken by him that they overlooked their chestnut ban and decided to buy. Tom remembers the day he found him: “He came out of the cattle shed in Cork and when I saw him, I fell in love. He was a big, scopey, athletic, chasing type. You could see the outline of what he would be in the future: strong hips, a lovely way of using his shoulders, good engine, good head – it all combined to make…

NEW INTERMEDIATE SERIES CONFIRMED THE British Eventing (BE) Novice Masters series returns this season, with a new Intermediate Masters pilot. After a successful trial in 2021, the novice scheme has been extended up a level, with three events running intermediate classes, and four at novice. “Both the Novice and Intermediate Masters provide unique opportunities for members competing at national level, such as riding a bespoke dressage test, performing in an international sized 20m x 60m arena in front of two judges plus the option to perform your test in a tailcoat, adding to the special feel of the occasion,” a BE spokesman said. NEW HOST FOR THE GLOBAL TOUR FINAL THE Global Champions Tour and Global Champions League 2022 calendars have been confirmed – with a new host country for…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. @ horseandhound instagram.com/horseandhound facebook.com/horseandhound PUT TO THE TEST LAST October, I had a go at the gold carriage dog award – held by the British Carriage Dog Society (BCDS) demonstrating the use of Dalmatians in their traditional role as a companion to man – with my Dalmatian, Rosie (Winfl ash Olympic Star). At aged nine, it was probably going to be her last chance to have a go. It included an obedience test – with Rosie working off the lead – followed by a 40km endurance test, for which two horses, Sammy and Alled, were used to pull the carriage. The endurance test – again with Rosie off the lead – involved Sammy completing the first 20km…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 THIS time of year is often challenging. After the storms passed through, leaving several trees down and the fields flooded, the horses were unable to have regular turnout for the first time in a long while. En Vogue and Imhotep, who both normally live out, have had to be stabled. A change of routine can bring a change in personality and the problem is, working horses harder is not always the best answer. After the European Championships last September, Vogue had six weeks completely off followed by six weeks of hacking before starting the next phase. What we need to bear in mind when working grand prix horses is that what you’d do every day while training towards grand prix isn’t necessarily going to be the best way…

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ERIN GO BRAGH – the iconic stallion paved the way for other ponies to compete at higher levels in eventing. He started out as a driving pony before Carol Kozlowski commenced his eventing career in 1987, which spanned over a decade. THE NUGGET – in 1935 aged 22, this remarkable pony successfully cleared a 7ft 2in jump at the London International Horse Show, setting a new world record at the time. Proving that age really is just a number, the evergreen gelding totalled over 300 international prizes during his time as a jumper. STROLLER – despite being just 14.1hh, the Connemara cross became the first pony to compete in the Olympics, doing so in 1968 as a representative for Great Britain, winning an individual medal in the showjumping with Marion…

FRIDAYS are the new Monday in our household. Not only is there no hunting, but our toddler doesn’t go to nursery either. Thus evolved my tactic of using my son to “soften” farmers who may not be readily disposed to a large Beaufort field crossing their land. A few weeks ago, we paid a visit to a delightful lady farmer who spoilt us with cups of tea and orange squash. All was well until the Victoria sponge appeared. Gilbert took up his slice with alacrity before declaring that it was “disgusting”! We left shortly afterwards. The ridiculous restrictions and curtailments of last season are, thankfully, a dim and distant memory. At the time of writing, we haven’t lost so much as an hour due to frost, fog, pestilence or plague.…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald South View Winter Classic, Cheshire JOE TRUNKFIELD claimed back-to-back winter grand prix wins with Su and Gordon Hall’s scopey Grennanstown Sarco Luxhill, taking South View’s feature class two weeks after winning at Solihull. “He’s big with so much scope but he’s insecure and needs to believe in himself, then he’d be confident to win any class,” said Joe. “He had a sweetener in day one’s 1.20m, popped round the 1.40m but I saved him for the grand prix.” The 33 competitors faced course-designer Gillian Milner’s thought-provoking 12-fence track as technical distance questions demanded respect, a double of verticals after an oxer and the penultimate combination catching several. Nine jumped clear, the on-form Robert Murphy supplying three of them. But it wasn’t his day. Robert’s opening target on Imbeer…

AFTER a year of rehabilitating Falcon II’s tendon injury, Nicola Claxton and the now 11-year-old (pictured) are competing successfully, winning the advanced medium with 69.74%. Nicola bought the gelding from her trainer, Ruth Edge, two years ago. “Ruth said she was going to sell him, so I decided to take a punt on him with his injury,” said Nicola. “He was on box rest for three months after I’d got him and then we reached the stage where we could walk him in-hand and eventually I got on him. We built the ridden work up slowly to an hour and then introduced trotting and cantering and started competing again in May last year.” Nicola still trains with Ruth, as she knows how to get the best out of the horse.…

JORDAN KAVANAGH enjoyed a successful day at Willow Banks EC, Lincolnshire, when winning three classes with two promising rising five-yearolds. With Flashdance GH, he won the prelim 17A with 72.24%, and Magic Mikey won the prelim 19 with 75% and novice 23 with 71.88%. “I ride Flashdance for owner Beth Patmore – we broke him as a three-yearold and then Beth hacked him about for a year before I started competing him,” said Jordan. “Magic Mikey belongs to Gwen Russell and we haven’t had him long; she bought him for me to compete. “He has been really consistent, scoring over 75% in almost all his prelims, then he did his first novice which we were aiming to just potter around for experience. I wasn’t expecting to do well and win.”…

IF there is one race at Cheltenham later this month where the Irish look guaranteed, it is the Triumph Hurdle in which they have Vauban, Fil Dor and Pied Piper. But that is, perhaps, to reckon without the unbeaten Knight Salute (pictured). When Milton Harris bought him out of Andrew Balding’s yard for 14,000gns last summer, he had not beaten a single horse in his last four starts on the Flat. But the son of Sir Percy had won a novice race at Sandown as a juvenile and had been, at that stage, considered good enough, at least, to run in the Haynes, Hanson and Clark at Newbury. Sometimes, however, a flight of hurdles and a change of scenery can make an amazing difference to a horse and now, unbeaten…