Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-May-2023 i Horse & Hound

THIS week's showjumping special (p28) takes a closer look at horses competing successfully without shoes. It's a topic we've revisited frequently during my time here when I last wrote on the topic there were a few trainers having success with racehorses, and some dressage riders extolling the virtues of removing some horses' shoes for a period of time. Now, with the likes of world champion and Olympic team gold medallist King Edward and the two-time Olympic individual silver medallist H&M All In having success at championship level shoeless, there is renewed interest in the practice. Doubtless it is not for every horse - there are horses in world champion Henrik von Eckermann's stables who wear shoes if that is what suits them. But it is interesting more are considering whether…

European eventing champion Nicola Wilson has been named in the new 12-month UK Sport coach development programme. Grand prix rider Anne Marie Dunphy is Horse Sport Ireland's new high-performance director for senior dressage. She will remain as youth dressage director. Eventer Izzy Taylor won both open intermediate classes at Tweseldown on Friday (19 May), with SBH Big Wall and Monkeying Around. Germany's Marvin Jüngel won the Hamburg Derby on Balou's Erbin, with the only double clear. He won the speed Derby on Koradina R. Report p46. Polo player Nina Clarkin will join the England mixed team as they take on Ireland at Chestertons Polo in the Park, Hurlingham Park 9-11 June.…

PRIORITIES Overheard at a show, a rider's mother asking if she wanted food. Rider demurred as “If I eat, I'll throw up”. “Make sure it's over the side so it doesn't get on the horse,” replied Mum. All about priorities. HAIR Overheard, a rider marvelling at moulting, in a native with Cushing's. “Even the birds are turning their beaks up now,” she lamented. Washing machine's loving it though, right? TUCKING IN Ascot winner Farhh To Shy boasted quarter marks spelling “Cake”. At home, if one falls off, one brings in cake. “She brought in A LOT of cake,” an insider revealed. Ouch. WARMING UP Overheard at a dressage show, a rider asking the time as she exited the car. “You're on in eight minutes,” said her groom. “Oh good,” the…

DRESSAGE ONLY IN HORSE & HOUND polly.bryan@futurenet.com @pollyrose21 OPINION I DON'T believe that animal lovers concerned about our sport should or will just leave us alone. So when I was fortunate enough to compete Habouche at the Compiègne CDI in France and learnt that a critic of modern dressage, who is active on social media, was in attendance, I decided to track her down. Closed minds will close doors - if we don't listen, people will only shout louder. So I approached tentatively, and opened the conversation. “Hello, are you riding or er… supporting?” I asked. “You won't like me,” she replied, explaining that she was a vet, there to film the riders so she could raise concerns about horse welfare if she felt it justified. Interestingly, she viewed herself as…

I don't come from a horsey family, but I started riding at the age of five and quickly got the bug. I got the taste for high-level sport while working for international showjumpers during my university holidays in Switzerland, US and Canada. So my background is showjumping, but I work across the disciplines now. I wasn't passionate about psychology at school, but I was drawn to working with people and I trained to be an occupational therapist, specialising in child and adolescent mental health. I realised I didn't want to work in a hospital setting my whole life, so I took “early retirement” and did horses full time for two years. I saw the need for psychology in the sport while working in the US and Canada. “I'm the mirror…

★ VET ★ ESSENTIALS Being able to undertake basic horse health checks in order to monitor your horse's vital signs and recognising typical indications of illness early are skills that every horse owner should have. TAKING A HORSE'S TEMPERATURE THE average healthy horse's temperature is in the range of 37-38°C or 98.5-100.5°F. An increase in temperature is typically an early sign that your horse's health is not as it should be, so it is recommended that all horses have regular temperature readings taken. This allows you to identify what is normal for each individual horse so that changes can be picked up easily. Daily monitoring of horses' temperatures is common practice in many top competition and racing yards. It is hugely beneficial if horses can be trained to have their…

THE barefoot study, involving Peder Fredricson, vet Staffan Lidbeck and Lars Roepstorff from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, sponsored by insurer Agria's research fund and involving eight horses, found that when unshod, movement in the hoof is “freer and larger”, specifically widening over the heels, and contraction of heels during the breakover. There was also more vertical independent movement in the barefoot hoof. There is 50% more expansion across the quarters of the hoof, increased widening, and increased contraction during the breakover, and increased contraction just before the hoof hits the ground. Professor Roepstorff stresses that no one is saying barefoot is better; the unshod horses showed increased stride frequency, which would be an advantage in a jumpoff, but “we can only speculate whether top riders like Henrik von…

GERMAN JUMPING AND DRESSAGE DERBY 17-21 May CSI4/5* German Jumping Derby, Hamburg CONTINUING their domination of big ring grass grands prix, Germany's Gerrit Nieberg and Ben 431 added the Longines grand prix of Hamburg to their CV with a classy performance. It had looked for a long time as though we might see a British winner after Ben Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly set a strong jump-off target, but the Hertfordshire rider had to settle for the runner-up spot for the second week in a row. A field of 12 came through for the jump-off and from mid-draw, Ben Maher made a bold bid with the big-striding Cap Kennedy mare, with whom he won a CSI4* grand prix in Florida shortly before the fall that ruled him out for three…

SHARON TEALE bounced back to form after a challenging few years to take the Nupafeed Supplements discovery second round at Willow Banks, Lincolnshire, with her home-bred mare Tealequest Roulette (pictured). Sharon bought both of the 10-year-old mare's parents as foals to form a breeding programme. “She's only done about 20 shows in total, as I only registered her in 2021, and she's jumped clear nearly every time out,” said Sharon, who had to have her stallion gelded and put her breeding programme on pause after she developed a chronic illness in 2017. “I thought I'd never ride again - I couldn't even put a bridle on or brush a horse's tail,” she said. “I managed to get back on track with clean eating and vitamin injections and sold my dressage…

FIRST RIHS TICKET YOUNG rider Grace Lockyer, 11, got a winning tune out of her mother Claire Lockyer's 138cm show pony, Revolution Brave, at British Show Pony Society (BSPS) Area 9b, to pick up the home-produced pair's first-ever ticket to the Royal International (RIHS) final. Grace is following in the footsteps of her mother who had success on ponies, including 143cm show hunter pony Chiddock Crossbow, a former supreme winner of the now-ceased Cherif championships. “Grace missed her last year in first-ridden classes due to Covid,” said grandmother, Susan Ham. “Because she's so tall, she had to move straight onto a 138cm pony.” Brave also lifted the ridden pony championship at Wiltshire Spring in April. “We kept everything low-key last year, and over winter we kept him ticking along with…

DRESSAGE HIGHLIGHTS 8-14 May Kingswood EC, Staffs NICOLA LICKLEY is making the most of her daughter Izzy being away in the Netherlands to compete and train her two talented mares. Riding the eight-year-old mare Katniss, Nicola topped the PSG with just shy of 70%. Meanwhile, the 12-year-old mare Gracia LH won the pick-your-own advanced - her first test at that level - with 72.65%. “Izzy's in Holland with the Van Olsts having a wonderful time, so I'm having a wonderful time on her horses,” she said. “We've had Gracia since a two-year-old - I rode her then gave her to Izzy to do juniors on, then Izzy wouldn't give her back. Then we bought Katniss a few years ago for Izzy, but she was focusing on her junior campaign and…

TICKETS for the Festival of Hunting, which includes the Peterborough Royal Foxhound Show, are now on sale online and cost £25. Children under 12 are admitted for free when accompanied by an adult. Visit festivalofhunting.com for more information and to purchase. The Festival of Hunting is the sport's great summertime day out, featuring classes for all types of British hounds, an inter-hunt relay, the popular young handlers' class, displays and lots of rurally themed tradestands and food concessions. This is the final year taking place on the show's long-standing site of the East of England Showground, Peterborough. There is a new format for the hunt picnic competition – the prize for which is a case of port – and hunts wishing to register for this hotly contested event should email…

NEWS Insider Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @ jones_eleanor_ BRITISH EVENTING (BE) has announced a “full stakeholder review” of abandonment insurance, as the fixtures calendar continues to be hindered by cancellations. In the latest blow, Somerford Park International, Cheshire, which was to hold classes from novice to CCI3*-S, announced its 30 June-2 July event is off. Organiser Debbie King said Somerford is “not prepared to run without abandonment insurance“. “Having built up trust with our client base over several years we are not prepared to jeopardise this and leave clients out of pocket in a challenging economic climate,” she said. “We self-insured last year and due to the high volume of cancellations this year the cost for us to insure has escalated by over 100%,…

CREATIVE FORCE Godolphin's Group One winner sustained a fatal injury in the 1895 Duke of York Stakes. Trainer Charlie Appleby paid tribute to the “yard favourite”. COTTRELL RIVERDANCE The Bowles family's Welsh B has died aged 26. He was reserve in the Senior Showing and Dressage Ltd finals and twice Veteran Horse Society veteran of the year. KALABALOO The mare who scored 12 pointing and one hunter chase win has retired. The 11-year-old, trained by Tom Ellis for Shona Westrope, finished in the first three in 16 of 18 pointing starts.…

RESEARCH on equine reactions could help identify genes associated with “spookier” horses. US scientists have published a study in which horses wore heart rate monitors. An umbrella was opened in their sight, and their behaviour and heart rate were monitored. The data showed two groups. One was startled, then maintained a reactive state. The second startled but calmed quickly. The team will investigate genetic components that may influence how horses react. “We are just beginning,” said lead researcher Samantha Brooks. “It might take 10 years to have clear understanding, but it is worth the effort.”…

alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ JUDGING the ridden mountain and moorland (M&M) classes at Royal Windsor was a privilege, and I take my hat off to the team who had done a brilliant job in ensuring everything ran smoothly, the ring was in good order, and that we weren't wallowing in mud. My co-judge, Charlotte Miller, and I were on the same page throughout and we were both delighted with our champion (Castle Kestrel) and reserve (Westown Wild Fire); two lovely stallions who had stood out from the moment they entered the ring. They were both pulled in top in their respective classes, had excellent conformation and breed type, and performed well. They both looked bright and exuded presence in the Castle Arena championship in the evening. In the classes, Charlotte and I…

HORSE&HOUND IN THE SPOTLIGHT Need to know OFF THE RECORD Age: 14 Breeding: by Arkansas out of an Ard Ohio mare Breeder: Peter G Brady Rider: Will Coleman Owners: Off The Record syndicate Greatest achievements: second Fair Hill CCI4*-S 2018; first Great Meadow CCI04*-S 2018; first Jersey Fresh CCI4*-S 2019; third Tattersalls CCI4*-L2019; second Great Meadow CCI4*-S 2020; first Carolina International CCI4*-S 2021; 15th Kentucky CCI5* 2021; second Great Meadow CCI4*-S 2021; first Aachen CCI04*-S 2021; third The Fork CCI4*-S 2022; 12th Kentucky CCI5* 2022; sixth Aachen CCI04*-S 2022; third Great Meadow CCI4*-S 2022; seventh individually and team silver Pratoni World Championships 2022; second Stable View CCI4*-S 2023; seventh Kentucky CCI5* 2023 (all class levels updated to current format). RIDER WILL COLEMAN “I BOUGHT ‘Timmy' out of Richard Sheane's yard,…

PRODUCTS VISIT HORSE & HOUND'S VIRTUAL SHOPPING VILLAGE horseandhound.co.uk/directory/shopping LINCOLN POWER REPEL Dual-action formula using DEET and PMD to provide effective protection for up to 12 hours. It has a lemongrass oil fragrance. £18.50 for 500ml lincolnhorsecare.com ABSORBINE ULTRASHIELD INSECTICIDE Stable spray for an “instant knock-down” effect on insects and long-lasting protection. £29.33 for 946ml absorbine.co.uk BOTANICA FLY SPRAY All-natural plant-based spray that can be used directly on your horse. Designed to be sweat resistant and a deterrent to all insects. £19.79 for 750ml botanicainternational.co.uk NAF OFF DEET POWER PERFORMANCE Concentrated fly repellent designed for yearround use. Contains 19.6% DEET. £19.99 for 750ml naf-equine.eu FARNAM TRI-TEC 14 Water-based stable spray that lasts for up to 14 days. Kills horseflies, mosquitoes, mites midges, crab flies, deer flies and more. £29.95 for…

WHILE we are enjoying an incredible era of second- or even third-generation showjumpers making a name for themselves, the sport has always attracted a rich assortment of characters and backgrounds, who prove that having non-horsey parents or an urban upbringing are no barrier to success. One of the most popular riders of the 1980s and 90s was Joe Túri, who landed the 1990 Hickstead Derby, represented Great Britain at the 1988 Olympics and won team gold at the European Championships. But this distinguished rider was actually born Jozsef Túri in Nagykőrös, Hungary, and the horse-mad youngster defied his father's wishes that he learn a trade and instead joined the Czikos troupe of trick riders. Nearing the end of a tour of England, a 16-year-old Joe and a co-performer seized an…

HOT PROPERTY THE property world never stands still for long and the equestrian market is no different. But while interest rates, inflation and development policies have led to inevitable adjustments, much of the evolution is down to buyers: our demand for equestrian property and what we want from it. Equestrian buyers' requirements are in a constant state of flux, with certain facilities once deemed excessive now considered a bare minimum, and other former “luxuries” overlooked. So, how has buyer criteria evolved over the years, and what features make today's buyers tick? Equestrian estate agents agree that an arena is now considered much more of a necessity than 10 or even five years ago. “Demand for arenas increased a while ago, but it's really ramped up again,” says William Grant, managing…

HIGHLIGHTS 8-14 May alexandra.robinson@futurenet.com @alexrob_journo_ Nottinghamshire County, Newark Showground, Notts A LIGHTWEIGHT hunter enjoyed his first victory at a county show since coming back to the show ring after an unplanned hiatus. Julia Moorhouse's Timpany Imperial secured the overall hunter championship with Oli Hood at the helm. The gelding, runner-up at the RIHS and reserve supreme at the Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain Hunter Championships in 2021, gets the seal of approval from Oli's father, legendary showman and former H&H Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Allister Hood. “You know exactly what he is when you look at him; a true-to-type lightweight hunter,” Allister said. “He's not very big but he's got substance; he'd carry a tall man out hunting for the day with ease.” The Emperor Augustus eight-year-old began his…

A WELSH section D won a chance to make his RIHS debut after clinching the overall M&M championship at his first attempt of the season at Ayr County. Sarah Burkhill's home-produced Taiforgan Cracker Jack went through the card to stand supreme of show. Jack was bought unseen by Sarah, who works for Barclays, two years ago as a lockdown project. “He was a complete blank canvas,“ said Sarah, of the Geler Ryan son, who had a short run as a tent-pegging pony prior to his foray into ridden showing. “He's the most straightforward horse and he's so kind and easy; it's like he's been here before.” FIRST RIHS TICKET…

HIGHLIGHTS 10-14 May pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle The Malcolm Group Floors Castle, Roxburghshire EMILY KING topped a competitive CCI3*-S with an exciting new ride in the shape of Vicki and Stewart Irlam's nine-year-old Jackpot. The Dutch-bred gelding was produced to advanced level by Polly Schwerdt and Emily took over the reins last autumn. “He's wise for his age,” said Emily, who managed to keep her nose in front of her partner, Sam Ecroyd, who finished second on Chapel House. “Jackpot is a super-cool jumper and although he's still quite green with some of the more advanced dressage movements, he's surprised me with how much he's learnt in such a short space of time,“ added Emily. The pair lay in second after the dressage on a score of 27.1, but shot to the…

Llanymynech (1), Shrops A FORMER dressage horse. who would “fall over a pole on the floor, never mind a jump”, came of age when he triumphed in BE100 section J on a score of 25.3. Emily Gieron took on 10-year-old Il Donno W – whose stable name is “appropriately” Bodgit – to sell when he was seven. “It became apparent that no one would want to buy him,” said Worcestershire-based Emily, who rides to advanced level, teaches and produces horses through her business, EG Eventing. “Ten strides away from a fence, he'd whip round and refuse to go near the jump.” “I think he'll be a lovely horse for the future” EMILY GIERON ON DONNO W But Emily identified the gelding's underlying talent and persuaded her “very supportive” owner Liz Greaves…

AGAINST THE ODDS JUST 11 weeks after having half her left lung removed, Rosalind Tate was back in the saddle and winning between the white boards. She won the elementary with plus-70% at Kingswood Equestrian Centre, West Midlands, on her 10-year-old mare Targa Florio. “I'm 65 and got a bit paranoid about cancer when a friend died soon after being diagnosed, so I paid to have an MRI scan back in December,” said Rosalind. “They sent me for a CT scan and then a PET scan and found I had lung cancer. About a week later, I had an operation to remove half my left lung. I recently got the news that it hasn't spread, so I don't need any more treatment. It saved my life.” Rosalind credits her daughter,…

Haydon Hunt, Hexham, Northumberland THE sun shone on the last northern meeting, at Hexham, to finish the season on a high. Four-year-old gelding Hawkseye View overcame a spill last time out when being brought down at Overton to land the maiden under Lyall Hodgins for trainer Diana Walton, who co-owns this horse with Mr D G Pryde. “He's still very green and I didn't want to hit the front too soon, but he won easily,” commented Lyall. “He'll come on loads for it.” Another promising youngster, five-year-old Monknash by Native Ruler, won a strong maiden conditions race under John Dawson for trainer Jack Teal and owner Charles Mathew. “He won well,” said Jack. “That'll be him now - he'll go out for the summer. It's been a good show of…

AS each hunting season comes to a close, one of my initial thoughts is, “At least I can now put some time in at work [dealing in cars] and recoup some earnings.” This season, however, an end-of-season party, a five-day getaway to the Canary Islands, a three-day stag do and a five-day trip to Ireland for the Punchestown Festival means I certainly haven't given myself much opportunity for financial restitution; indeed, the bank balance is further depleted. I forgot to mention our point-to-point on 1 May, for which I was, rather cleverly, co-opted by the point-to-point chairman into joining the committee and working party. I am pleased to say that although it may have hindered efforts to get back to work, the day was a huge success and we saw…

A controversial choice for some SHEILA WILLCOX was already a three-time Badminton champion – still the only rider to achieve this consecutive hat-trick – but her sole Burghley success came nearly a decade after her Badminton triumphs. Sheila took some notable scalps – Jane Bullen and Our Nobby, the reigning Badminton winners, were third. Gill Watson and Shaitan finished sixth and would go on to take the Burghley title in 1969. Only eight horses went clear cross-country. In this Olympic year, Sheila believed the horse had done enough to secure the remaining slot for Mexico. She had been informed by a selector she needed to finish in the top three - and she won by a 16-point margin. However, she was listed as reserve and told that if a team…

LONDON 52 Laura Collett and her 2022 Badminton winner head the 27 Brits entered for Luhmuhlen CCI5*. Entries also feature defending champions Felix Vogg and Colero. ARKUGA John and Laura Renwick's home-bred, ridden by Laura and recently James Smith, has moved to Sean Jobin in Canada. He won grands prix and was on Nations Cup teams. HONEYSUCKLE The two-time Champion Hurdle winner, who retired in March after winning 17 of her 19 starts including 13 Grade Ones, has been scanned in foal to Walk In The Park.…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. WEIGHT SUGGESTION WHEN watching the Badminton cross-country in wet, sticky conditions, making it hard to be within the time, it occurred to me that the diminutive Ros Canter - riding Lordships Graffalo - had an advantage over horses with taller and heavier riders. I wonder if the authorities would again consider insisting on a minimum weight to be carried in three-phase cross-country events to make it fairer, as in racing? Mark Milbank Buckland Newton, Dorset “Without these volunteers, there would be no sport” HANNAH MATTHEWS A DROP IN EXPERTISE CAPTAIN Mark Phillips couldn't be more correct about horsemanship being in decline (opinion, 11 May). Surely one of the best ways to develop those core skills and educate a…

“TIMMY loves his paddock and going outside. He's also very food motivated - at feeding time he's the first one you hear from and he has to be fed first. He's very high energy at competitions and enjoys a big atmosphere, but he never loses his appetite - Will jokes that he gains weight on a big trip as he never stops eating. “He loves attention and being fussed over. The World Championships last year was a long trip, but Timmy handled it so well. I've done a few foreign trips with him and I feel like I know him better than some of the people in my life! “He tried so hard in every phase at Pratoni and I felt like my heart was with him in every footfall.…

MANY will remember the foray with fame enjoyed in the 1990s by dreadlocked Londoner Oliver Skeete, who earned countless television appearances and print space on the back of his novel bid to showjump at the Sydney Olympics. A former motor mechanic and footballer, he began riding aged 36 after “getting bored” watching his daughters learning at Ealing Riding School and was hooked. He sold the family car to buy a horse and within a year had started showjumping competitively. Unfortunately he didn't make it to the top of the sport but he succeeded in taking it to a much wider audience. Since hanging up his boots, Oliver has made a cameo appearance in Die Another Day and now runs a removal company, occasionally riding a friend's horses. Looking back at…

IT'S a well-known fact that equestrians insist on nothing but the best for their horses, but put next to no thought into their own living space. Or is it? Adrian Beatty says that in his experience, more buyers are now also seeking upgraded accommodation. “People want a nice place to live as well as their horses having a nice place to live. In the past, people might buy equestrian properties and accept the house as a secondary part of the plot - but now they're spending half a million on the house to bring it up to a certain standard,” he says. In the main, though, the horses still come first; Tom Hobday estimates that most buyers put 80% emphasis on equestrian facilities and 20% on the house. “There are…

SHOWJUMPING HIGHLIGHTS 6-14 May Ayr Agricultural Show, Ayrshire GRAHAM BABES headed a tightly fought 1.30m Scottish Branch outdoor open championship, incorporating The Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP RHS Young Masters qualifier, with Caught Red-Handed PS, holding on to his lead by just 0.09sec. Sixteen-year-old Fergal Holohan was hot on his heels with Karima II, while Lucinda Stewart's prolific winner Cancun II followed up in third. “The horse suits a big outdoor ring,” Graham said. “She wouldn't be the fastest horse, but she has a great big stride and I used that to my advantage.” Graham bought the 17hh, 12-year-old Converter 2 x Balou De Rouet mare from Emily Sage eight months ago. “We liked that she was really well-bred and when she finished jumping she could make a good broodmare,…

BEA BAILYE-HAWKINS' 133cm campaigner Precious Gem II has a new nursery stakes jockey in 10-year-old Felicity Watts. The young rider piloted the multi-RIHS winner to the nursery stakes and mini working hunter pony title at Kirklevington Show, before Bea steered the mare to win the 133cm class. The week previous, Felicity won three classes at the BSPS winter championships, including two worker finals with novice Waitwith Toffee Apple. Then Annandale New Approach lifted the RIHS 122cm mountain and moorland (M&M) worker ticket and took section reserve. “We wish we could have more runs like this,” said Felicity's mother, Sharon Watts. ON FORM…

FOR the fifth time in his career, Kerry Wainwright's Welsh section B Skellorn Bronze Soldier (pictured), handled by Stuart Mason, won a Horse of the Year Show in-hand supreme ticket, this time at Nottinghamshire County in a 15-strong field. The fourth-generation home-bred, a champion at the Royal Welsh in 2019, was as up for the job as ever as Rosemary Morris chose him for the ticket, ahead of Simon Charlesworth leading Peter and Kathy Bowdler's hunter breeding champion, Plas Pennant Master Morris, a two-year-old by Ansiei and bred by Derek Walker and Nick Davies. “My champion was a correct type, a beautiful mover and he exuded Welsh character,” said Rosemary. “He was shown and produced well, and he stood out from the moment he came into the ring. He was…

FREELANCE rider and trainer Emma Lawton celebrated two wins in two days at two different venues when she topped a BE100open at Aston-le--Walls (1) with Dinarthall Sea King (Wills, pictured) on Friday, then a BE100 with Ross Skylark the following day at Llanymynech (1). “This was the first win I've had with Wills in the six years that I've owned him - we've always ended up second or third,” said Emma. Piggy March was the pro on form at Aston, cleaning up in the open intermediate sections with wins on Hartacker and Brookfield Future News, The former, a new ride for Piggy, was the talk of the day when he set the dressage arena alight with a score of 14.8. The event also saw the return of Brookfield Inocent, with…

LAURA PATTERSON and her 14-year-old gelding Edelweis V (Etoile) headed the BElOOopen at Floors Castle on a score of 28.5. Etoile is enjoying a successful comeback to competition, following an injury sustained last summer that Laura feared at the time may have spelled the end of her partner's eventing career. “When Etoile went lame the night after cross-country at Bishop Burton's under-18 youth championships, the vet suspected he had damaged his suspensory ligament,” said Laura. “I iced it until the stables closed that night and again in the morning, until the vet could bandage him up for the drive home.” Etoile's rehab was complicated by the discovery of arthritis in his hocks, but after treatment he has returned to work. “It was the most amazing feeling being back out competing,”…

Northallerton EC, N Yorks TWO event horses had a successful dressage outing. Under Rachel Turner, 12-year--old A.S Bewitched scored 70.83% to win the prelim, while 10-year-old Skelig Mhor topped the novice. “A.S Bewitched is a mare that we're aiming to qualify for the Badminton grassroots championships for a client, and Skelig Mhor is my horse that came in to be sold last year, but I liked him and bought him instead. He'll go novice eventing this year,” said Rachel, who doesn't have an arena, so uses shows to school her horses. “I do a lot of riding club events for the same reason,” she said. “Going out means I see other people too, otherwise I'd be at home a lot on my own.”…

catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfaustenl23 Silver Spur, Southam, Warks MARK HEUFF and Thegreendalerocket were narrow winners of the Fox Grant-sponsored main race at the Bicester with Whaddon Chase's Silver Spur meeting on Saturday, 29 April. Mark, a joint-master of the Taunton Vale, and the 14-year-old former chaser held off Roddy Stanning and Gunfleet by just a nose. “It's our first win since we had a very bad accident in the Melton Hunt Club Ride in November 2021, so I am delighted - he's been an awesome horse for me for the past six years,” said Mark. He explained that, after finishing second in this 214-mile, 22-fence race and winning the Quorn ride in 2021, the pair leapt a hedge in the Melton too close to a tree. “A branch whacked him in the…

THE 1960s were a golden era for horses that remain household names to this day. The Hickstead showjumping report reads like a Hall of Fame, with David Broome winning on Beethoven, besides the mighty Stroller with Marion Coakes, Anneli Drummond-Hay's Merely-A-Monarch, and Ann Moore on Psalm. Meanwhile, over in Leicester, the famous Mister Softee defeats another high-class field, including Harvey Smith's Olympic ride O'Malley. • Tessa Waugh will be back later in the year…