Innholdsfortegnelse for 15-Dec-2022 i Horse & Hound

IT'S not the easiest time of year to have horses. It's not the easiest time, full stop –between cost of living, adverse weather and strikes, and lack of turnout, frozen water troughs and solid surfaces. In this week's issue, we offer expert advice on how to tackle some of your horse's winter woes at least (feature, p48) and ways some in the horse world are saving money without compromising care (p44). We also provide some inspiration –much-needed when it “feels like” minus-eight out there – such as exclusive insight into Yasmin Ingham's management and approach on the day she became world champion (p18). We bring you some light relief and festive cheer – when Christmas nativities go wrong, for example (feature, p38). And there's a drop of nostalgia, as we…

IN THE NEWS CLOONEY 51 Swiss rider Martin Fuchs paid tribute to the “horse of his life”, who officially retired at CHI Geneva. Martin partnered Luigi Baleri's gelding to individual European gold and world silver and at two Olympics. KAYF TARA The 11-time British champion National Hunt sire Kayf Tara, whose offspring include Thistlecrack and Special Tiara, has died aged 28. He stood down from stallion duties in 2020, remaining at Overbury Stud. SALINERO The double Olympic dressage champion, ridden by Anky van Grunsven, has died, aged 28. He won five individual golds, other medals and four World Cup finals. His final international start was at London 2012.…

▲ VETS A huge thank you to all those who battle through the snow, including Lucinda from RW Equine vets, who abandoned her car and walked to get to, and treat, a colicking horse last weekend. You are heroes. And please can the snow go away? Forever. Thank you. ▲ TAKING A BREAK Overheard at a show, after a less than blistering jumpoff, a trainer saying to the rider concerned: “Did you stop for a cup of tea and a fag halfway round?” Tsk. A G&T, if you please! And yes, possibly. Cheers! ▲ FARRIERY The most viewed post on video app TikTok in Britain this year is one of a farrier cleaning a horse's hoof and starting to trim it. It's had more than 270 million views and people…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com @ horseandhound facebook.com/horseandhound instagram.com/horseandhound Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. CLEAN UP OUR ACT THE horse riding world is on the edge of a precipice, which could collapse if things don't change. I'm talking about social licence. Animal welfare is a massive issue and horses in sport are a prime target. Already the Olympics are threatened, so it is the duty of every rider to be responsible and not condone the abuse of the horse in any way. “The horse riding world is on the edge of a precipice” ERNEST DILLON We all need to make the nonriding public aware that horses enjoy sport, but when we see exhibitions of abuse from riders who should know better – whether that be through ignorance or…

HORSE&HOUND HOW I WON… YASMIN INGHAM'S World Championships story ‘I couldn't wipe the smile off my face' I WAS expecting a call about selection for the World Championships during World Class training. My phone went off while I was in a sports psychology session with Jo Butt, so I quickly pulled it out, but it was one of my friends, so I put it away and said, “Sorry Jo, carry on, I'm just expecting an important phone call.” About 20 minutes later, I heard another ring and it was the World Class performance manager Dickie Waygood. I'd hoped and dreamt I'd hear him say, “You're going to Italy,” but it's a moment you can't prepare yourself for and until you hear those words, it doesn't feel real. The news was…

AFTER it was confirmed I'd won gold, there were lots of interviews, then the medal ceremony, then the press conference. I hoped after that we'd be released to go and celebrate, but I had to go and do dopetesting. I hadn't done it before, so it was all a bit alien to me, getting the sample and having to write out all the paperwork, and time-consuming. After that, I was able to join my family and friends at the main arena, and we celebrated with champagne. We had a great time just chatting and showing videos and pictures. I was supposed to fly home that evening with the team and earlier in the week, Mum had said wouldn't I want to stay Sunday night if I did well? I didn't…

OF course, it's not just about the big indoor shows. Clive Hamblin is one of three duty vets who works at the two-day Christmas meeting at Kempton Park, which includes the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day. “My role as a duty vet is primarily a reactive one – we pick up the pieces, clean wounds, assess what treatment is required and administer it if we can, or move the horse elsewhere if we can't,” explains Clive. “It's great fun and we're well supplied with turkey sandwiches and mince pies” CLIVE HAMBLIN MRCVS “Sometimes the horse may not be sore until an hour or so after the race and we then have to decide whether the horse is OK to go home and be treated by the team there,…

DREAM RIDES THERE have been many memorable horses from years gone by, each with their own awe-inspiring story of success, bravery and undisputed talent. From Red Rum to Boomerang, from Warrior to Gigolo, each discipline is steeped in a history of stars who are still admired across the horse world today. Do you ever dream which you would pick if you could ride any horse in the world? Some icons of the sport reveal which legend from the past would be at the top of their Christmas wish list……

DREAM RIDES JAYNE is one of the most decorated showing producers, winning her first Horse of the Year Show title in 1966 with the pony Cusop Pirouette. She has ridden countless stars and while admittedly she isn't one for “horse envy”, there is one racehorse she always admired. “If I could have Best Mate in my Christmas stocking, my goodness I'd be happy,” says Jayne. “My husband and I knew his trainer Henrietta Knight well and often used to visit. I met Best Mate as a five-year-old at the end of his first season. He used to go out in the field with Edredon Bleu, his best friend as it were. The two of them were so lovely together.” One of the best-loved racehorses, Best Mate was known for winning…

ALAN has flown around the world taking care of some of Britain's top dressage horses, working for Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin. It might be difficult to think you could ever top the great Valegro, but there is one horse of eventing royalty Alan would gladly welcome for Christmas. “It would have to be my childhood heroine Lucinda Green's Regal Realm. I remember seeing him in the 10-minute box at Badminton and he was just the most incredible horse. He was a wry little thoroughbred and was quite quirky – Lucinda had to really work around his quirks to get the best out of him. She had to do her dressage in a jumping saddle because he didn't like a dressage saddle and things like that. But he was an…

HUNTING OLD SURREY, BURSTOW AND WEST KENT 25 November catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfaustenl23 Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent, Ardingly, West Sussex THE South Eastern Prime Stock Show at Ardingly showground, sponsored by the Old Surrey, Burstow with West Kent Hunt (OSBWKH), sets the stage for a festive high-day. John Jorrocks, the Cockney grocer whose hounds hunted the Surrey hills in RS Surtees's sporting novels, would have felt quite at home, jostling with farmers eager to show their stock and catch up on seasonal gossip. When hounds met at midday, they were greeted by hundreds of farmers. The mounted field of 70 barely fitted into the showground's outdoor arena and more resembled a meeting at the United Nations. Hunt collars of every hue signalled there were visitors from a dozen packs, with…

NEITHER of these memoirs by celebrated H&H writers – former Editor Michael Clayton (My Life in the News: from Village Fete to the Front Line, £20, Merlin Unwin) and hunting correspondent Rory Knight Bruce (An Unanchored Heart, £20, Anthony Eyre) – is primarily concerned with the “hunting parts” of their lives. Both provide different but equally fascinating and beautifully written accounts of other aspects of their work in journalism, their childhoods and younger years – and perhaps what led both men to develop a passion for hounds and the all-encompassing nature of our sport. Excellent reads for that post-hunting bath or those dull days when frost keeps hounds and horses at home.…

BRIGHT RINCO has added a string to his bow with an unbeaten run of dressage wins. The six-year-old event gelding, ridden and owned by Maisie Morgan, headed four prelim classes outright in two days, at Felbridge Showground, West Sussex, and Speedgate Events, Kent. Maisie explained that “Ditto” is something of a reformed character. “We had him as a rising four-year-oid to sell, but he came back to us as he was a bit naughty,” she said. “When we started riding him again, we thought we'd buy him. He was a bit tense, but he has settled and is more relaxed. “Ditto has had a good season eventing,” added Maisie of the Bright's Hero son. “We thought we'd try dressage, as that's what he's bred for, and started with novice in…

CHI GENEVA is famed for its rich variety of classes and one of the highlights was Saturday's Coupe de Genève “competition over combinations” in which a quality field of 35 tackled a unique track of combination fences, consisting of doubles and even a quadruple vertical-vertical-oxer-oxer. Amazingly, 12 riders jumped clear to progress to the scaled-back – although no less testing – jump-off against the clock. The winner was home rider Steve Guerdat riding Venard De Cerisy, who powered round at incredible speed to claim the CHF37,125 (£32,000) top prize and lead a Swiss podium. Fifth-placed Joe Stockdale (Bingo Du Chateau) said: “I've never done anything like that before. There were some big fences in there. I wasn't sure how Bingo was going to react going into such a big combination…

Mendip Plains EC, Somerset SARAH HICKS and her “special” eight-year-old Joplin IV returned to form to head the Heritage Insurance diamond qualifier. The Starpower x Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve gelding has been owned by Sarah since he was an unbacked three-year-old and has recently made a successful return to the ring after some health niggles, having previously been lumping 1.20m. “He's had some time off because of saddle issues and lameness – he was kicked in the shoulder, but it turned out the problem was his feet, which could be fixed with different management,” Sarah said. “He came back for the amateur championships at Aintree but wasn't back to full fitness. Hopefully we'll jump the bronze league next year and get to have some fun.” Sarah, who works as a…

HIGHLIGHTS 9-11 December jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Cheltenham Racecourse, Glos IT was mildly ironic that when Nicky Henderson arrived at Cheltenham on Friday – the only day of the International meeting to survive the cold snap which has brought nearly all outdoor horse sports to a halt – his most obvious chance of a winner seemed to be Mister Coffey in the novice chase. However, despite withdrawing him because of the ground, he still returned home with a double. Attacca, wearing Patricia Pugh's silks made famous by Altior, put up possibly the performance of the day. Carrying a penalty to beat or, rather, outstay Master Chewy, who had been clear in a novice hurdle at Ascot when falling on his previous start, Attacca won by 1¼ lengths. “You've all seen these colours…

AT the beginning of the season, I was having a few doubts about hunting, specifically my own involvement. I wasn't on the brink of hanging up my boots or anything drastic. I was just questioning the sense of pouring so much time and energy into one thing at a stage of life when there are so many demands on those areas already. It's also true that last season was a bit disappointing. We had some good days, of course, but the majority were a bit quiet. But life often works in mysterious ways and these past few weeks have been very different. November can be a difficult time for a huntsman for all kinds of reasons. Expectations are high when the end of autumn hunting merges into the season proper…

GB ENDURANCE TEAM NAMED THE horses and riders to represent Britain at the World Endurance Championships have been named. Linda Cowperthwaite and her own Krakatau, James Dickinson and his own Magdy, Rebecca Pinder and Amanda Kettlewell's Oso Irazu, Nicki Thorne and her own Kamilcia and Carmine Villani and her own Bayla D'Alluech have been selected for the event at Boutheib, UAE, in February. Chef d'equipe Fiona Bloom said: “I am delighted we are able to send a full team. We do not underestimate the challenges, but it is a privilege to be working alongside these experienced combinations and management team.” SEIB PLEDGES CHARITY SUPPORT SEIB Insurance Brokers is celebrating its 60th anniversary by giving £60,600 to good causes. The broker has given £250,000 to causes through its SEIB Giving scheme.…

Dressage rider Gemma Owen and Sirius Black III won the prix st georges at the Arena UK High Profile on 8 December. The pair have won on all three outings since Gemma's Love Island appearance. US showjumper McLain Ward has become the live contender for the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping, following his and HH Azur's win in the Rolex grand prix at CHI Geneva. Report, p66 European eventing champion Nicola Wilson spoke at the British Eventing Support Trust ball. She said she does not know what she would have done without the trust's support. Dressage rider Michael Eilberg and his wife, fellow rider Maya, welcomed their second child, Elise Lilly, on 6 December. The couple's elder daughter, Amalia Annie, was born last year. The Riding for the Disabled Association…

polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 CHRISTMAS is coming with its usual mixture of excitement, stress, interruption and, for those of us who are currently required to compete in white breeches, a deep fear of competing in January postmince pies. I'll admit I'm not a “Christmas person”. I'm an atheist, no fan of tradition and ritual, and I generally regard the festive season as an unwelcome interruption to my routine that can only be tolerated by having whisky on my breakfast yogurt throughout the month of December. There are many traditions I'd like to see changed in 2023… • Walk pirouettes bring no one joy – I propose an amnesty on them for one year until everyone agrees what a good one looks like. • People should stop talking in German accents to their…

I don't come from a horsey family and only became interested when we moved to Leeds and had two stables, which someone rented for their horses. I rode at the local riding school and did a few local shows, but I really just enjoyed happy hacking. From the age of nine, all I ever wanted to do was to groom for Michael Whitaker and I ended up working for him for 13 years. After my GCSEs, I did a traineeship with Stubbing Court Training in Chesterfield, which led to me working for Tim Brown for five years, and it all stemmed from there. Of course, I've had my favourite horses over the years – like Billy Twomey's Tinka's Serenade and Michael's Portofino – but if I had to pick one,…

THE TERRACE HOUSE Kidds Hill, Hartfield, East Sussex For you: a grand family home forming the major portion of a country house built in the Jacobean style in 1886. This plus7,000sq ft, six-bedroom house has five reception rooms with stunning views in a sought-after location near Ashdown Forest. It has been completely updated, while retaining period features such as intricate cornicing and impressive fireplaces. Outside there is a pool and hard tennis court, set in mature gardens. For the horses: excellent equestrian facilities include seven stables, tack room, feed room, barn and storage. Set in 9.1 acres, including paddocks. OIEO: £3m Knight Frank, 020 78611093/ 01892 772942, knightfrank.co.uk CATFOSS HALL Sigglesthorne, East Yorkshire For you: a Grade II-listed sixbedroom house set in a parkland setting and built circa 1815, with…

SPENCER may be best known for his talent between the white boards and being part of the silver medal-winning team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and the bronze medal-winning team at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon in 2018, but his first love was eventing. “I always thought it would have been amazing to ride Ginny Elliot's Priceless. I was at Badminton in 1985 when they won, and from then on, I was obsessed. That's what started my passion for eventing at that time,” says Spencer. Priceless was known for his characteristic buck that provided the odd hairy moment, but he was a true athlete and won medals at Olympics, Worlds and European Championships. Ginny and Priceless were crowned world champions in 1986. “He wasn't big, but he was incredible…

• SHOP AROUND: buy feed in bulk where you can or consider sharing with a friend and taking it in turns to buy. • CARRY OUT A FEED REVIEW: consult a feed nutrition helpline to find out if you could make some economical changes to your horse's diet. • CAR SHARE: can you and a friend buddy up on yard visits? • BEDDING: consider your horse's bedding. Could you switch to straw or straw pellets, or use pellets under shavings? When using wood pellets, have you added enough water to get the most out of your bedding? • A CHANGE IN ROUTINE: could your horse live out this winter or could you switch to assisted or DIY livery instead of full to bring costs down? Talk to a riding school…

Beechwood EC, Essex DEXTERITY scored a comeback win, heading the PSG with Sarah Turner. The 11-year-old Westfalian gelding has been sidelined since May after injuring himself in the field. “It was lovely to have him back in the ring and he enjoyed being out again,” said Sarah, who has been riding Michele Wyatt's “gentle giant” since he was four. “He's forward-thinking with a sharp streak, but never naughty. He's feeling the best he has. “The ultimate plan would be to do a couple of international shows, probably at small tour,” she added. “I'd like to get him to grand prix. I've taken my time with him to let him strengthen and he's certainly showing potential for the higher levels.”…

WHIP ROW THERE is a row coming down the tracks regarding the whip. It is sure to be the talking point and subject of many headlines in the second half of the season. The Whip Consultation Steering Group came up with a set of new rules and penalties, which include using the whip in the backhand only. Use in the forehand will result in a seven-day ban, or 14 if it is a class one or two race, and possible disqualification for a horse if a jockey goes four hits above the limit (seven on the Flat, eight over jumps). A month-long bedding-in period begins on 9 January before its introduction on 6 February, a month before the Cheltenham Festival. The jockeys, who were represented by Tom Scudamore and PJ…

HORSE poo could hold the answer to life on Mars. Scientists tested horse and pig manure mixed with simulated Martian and lunar soil to see how well lettuces would grow. The study is part of research into the feasibility of feeding astronauts on crewed missions to the moon or Mars. The mix, a substitute for “crew excreta” and crop residues, was mixed with the “soil” to see if food production could, theoretically, be possible. The Martian soil performed better – Mars grew better lettuces. But the soil from both “was able to sustain plant growth even in absence of fertilisation”, although adding manure meant better results. Something to ponder next time you're forking up the muckheap… LE…

alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ I RECENTLY attended the Horse & Hound Awards held at Cheltenham Racecourse (30 November). It's an event I always look forward to and this year was no exception. It's true when they say the horse industry is a small world, and it was great to catch up with such a variety of equestrians. It's wonderful how the awards honour so many different types of people, including amateurs and professional riders, volunteers, vets and farriers. There are many things that I took away from the evening and hoped we could implement them into our sport of showing. We still have an obvious amateur versus professional divide, and I think the reason this is less obvious in other disciplines, such as showjumping, is that the sports are less subjective, less…

CHRISTMAS can be a wonderful time of year for us – from decorating the tree to eating an abundance of chocolate or spending quality time with friends and loved ones. Many of us also enjoy exchanging gifts at this time of year. But what do our horses really want for Christmas? “Horses aren't bothered about fancy presents, a turkey dinner or watching Christmas classics on the TV, but there are some things that are important to them,” says vet and behaviourist Gemma Pearson. “Start by considering what your horse enjoys doing, such as interacting with his horsey pals, having the freedom to gallop and roll in the field, forage for tasty treats in the hedgerows and receive a good scratch and groom from his owner. These are a great way…

Mud, mud, inglorious mud THIS common winter complaint is prevalent in certain soils, and some horses are more susceptible. But there are ways to manage it rather than exacerbate it. “Yards where muddy legs are washed with a hosepipe every evening often have a higher incidence of mud fever,” says Kieran O'Brien MRCVS of Penbode Equine Vets in Tavistock. “This can only be because the constant wetting – and chilling – of the legs reduces resistance of the skin to invasion by bacteria.” These normal skin inhabitants are “opportunist invaders”, entering through splits and fissures in the skin folds at the back of the pastern. From there, infection spreads to cause swelling and soreness. “Treatment requires removal of all the crusting material, usually with an antiseptic soap such as Hibiscrub,”…

ARENA UK HIGH PROFILE SHOW 6-9 December polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 Arena UK High Profile show, Lincolnshire THE extremely cold temperatures at Arena UK didn't detract from some hot performances. Tom Goode won Tuesday's grand prix aboard Dior III, a 14-year-old stallion, who is owned by Emile Faurie. The pair scored 69.75%, despite a couple of fresh moments. “He was quite excited to be out, as it's his first competition since April, and he felt fantastic,” said Tom, who is head rider for Emile. “He got a little bit overexcited in the extended canter – he shot off, so that didn't quite go to plan. He did something a little bit similar in the one-tempis, but overall it felt good and his piaffe and passage felt fantastic.” Tom says that the son…

Felbridge Showground, West Sussex LUCYANNA WESTAWAY and Ahi O Malley headed the PSG on their third attempt at the level. Owned by Frances Davies, the 11-year-old gelding has been with LucyAnna for around six months. “He's a compact horse, so cool and quite cheeky, but we just clicked,” she said. “He likes the test as he knows what's coming up, so he's helping me learn as we go.” LucyAnna also rode her own Dimaggio gelding Don Desire QS to a prelim 19 win. The six-year-old has taken time to grow, according to Lucy, who regards him as her horse for the future. “I got lucky when I found him,” she said of “Donald”, who kicked off his competition career in October. “He has such a lovely temperament, kind and quite…

THE Heritage Insurance diamond qualifier at Wellington Riding went to Chantal De Verteuil on Donald Pottie's mare Hebe Havana (pictured). It was another quick class, with just 0.23sec separating Chantal from runners-up Katharine Davies and Keamore Darco. Chantal took over competing the Luidam mare after his owner was injured in the summer. Donald is one of Chantal's liveries at her mother Anna's yard in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. “He's back riding but I have kept the ride at the moment as we seem to do well together,” Chantal said. “She's qualified for the star final – she's qualified for both classes first time out.” Donald has owned the 16.1hh 14-year-old since she was three. “She is cool and loves a jump-off, she's ready to turn before you even know it and…