Innholdsfortegnelse for 23-Nov-2023 i Horse & Hound

I HOPE you enjoy this week's front cover, which saves you a purchase at this costly time of year since it doubles as an Advent calendar. We're still working on producing one with chocolates - or horse treats behind every door, but I hope you love Olga Demidova's charming illustrations, and there's a treat in the form of amusement or inspiration behind every door. There is more of this as well in this week's pages, with Pippa Funnell explaining what drives her 20 years on from her Rolex Grand Slam victory (p16), and Horse of the Year Show supreme Danielle Heath sharing the secrets of her success (p54). Plus we recall the story of Sefton (p84), as remembered by those closest to this incredibly brave horse. Ahead of London International,…

JUST KIDDING Muzi Pottinger's championship ride has retired aged 17. The pair came second at Adelaide and jumped cross-country clears at Badminton, Pau and Luhmuhlen. BART Vicky Smith's coloured horse has joined Ciara Mullen in Ireland. Vicky and Bart won at both HOYS and the RIHS three times and were champions at Windsor. RUBINS NITE The ride of Hayley Watson-Greaves has retired at 19. He competed at top level for almost 10 years, including on Nations Cup teams, and was reserve for Rio 2016.…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. THE BEST DAYS I LOVED reading the feature “Two little girls and one pony on a train” (2 November). It brought back so many happy memories. In the 1950s I went to a local riding school. I wore a dress and sandals, and was put on a pony and sent on a hack. Instead of being put off by this, I was hooked for life. My mother bought me a pony for £30 (including a saddle and bridle) and, like Mollie Colebrook-Clark, we rented a field for five bob a week. We didn't have much money and I clearly remember my mother saying, “You and the pony both need new shoes, which is it going to be?”…

THERE are two respiratory conditions that can severely limit the performance of elite sports horses: paralysis of the nerve that supplies the muscles of the left vocal cord and bleeding in the lungs during intensive exercise. The first gives rise to respiratory obstruction and makes a horse a “roarer”; the second results in blood in the airways that may even appear at the nose. Racehorses are especially limited by these problems. Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is a worry for many trainers, and some thoroughbreds require surgery to sort out the paralysis of the vocal cord, technically called recurrent laryngeal hemiplegia (RLH). We don't think of cart horses and heavy draught horses moving at racing speeds. They might kick up their heels when turned out to pasture, but for the most…

JACK may not have been to school for some time. Officially he's home-educated, but that doesn't have anything to do with reading, writing and 'rithmetic - but he can recite the entire stallion guide for jumping sires from memory. He's a busy lad. He rides the ponies and horses he and his mother produce at home from 5-7am and goes to work for the local big event rider (who trusts him to ride his five-star horses) from 7am-lpm, then rides at least a half-dozen more at home. He's skinny as a rake, yet eats any meal put in front of him like a starving dog. Not that he'd think his life was anything but great; all he wants to do is ride all day, every day and improve. He's learnt…

AFTER a gruelling year taking her daughter Lily and pony Bandit (Mick Jagger in tiny, hairy pony form) to what has seemed like the four corners of the globe as part of the Shetland pony Grand National squad, Sarah has finally had “the call”. Lily and Bandit are going to London International! Everyone is excited; well, Sarah and Lily are. Sarah's husband and their other three children, slightly less so. The show lasts five days, a week before Christmas. There are two choices - fend for themselves, and Sarah will deal with the resulting chaos when she gets home; or come to London and sleep in a horsebox with no living, let alone electric hook-up. Possibly fun - at a stretch - for one chilly night. Not for five. Ah…

IN 2021, Danielle was suddenly struck down with a serious illness while at Lincolnshire Show. “I started to feel ill in the middle of the night,” she says. “I had an intense pain in my leg muscles. I was rushed to the local hospital and was initially sent away with paracetamol, but I got progressively worse once at home. A couple of days later, I was admitted to hospital via ambulance. It was my first time being in a hospital.” Danielle was diagnosed with pneumonia. She missed Royal Windsor, one of her favourite shows, and it took her time to recover fully. “I couldn't have carried on without my friends, including Nicola Charles and Kevin O'Connell. They kept the yard running and the owners organised. I think it was a…

OFS DRAGONS FIRE made easy work of the mediums at Port Royal EC, North Yorks, claiming the medium 73 and the medium freestyle with Sophie Wells. The seven-year-old gelding was challenging to back and ride away as a young horse. “He had a visual issue with a rider being on him,” said Sophie. “ It was a case of figuring out what he didn't like and building his confidence. He has a good temperament and is catching up. He may not be the most talented with his paces, but makes up for it with trainability.” ONE TO WATCH…

1st win in the Bahrain International Trophy for Sir Alex Ferguson's home-bred Frankel gelding, Spirit Dancer 85-THE FULL SET OF RACECOURSE WINNERS ACHIEVED BY JOCKEY DENIS O'REGAN BEFORE HIS RETIREMENT 3rd win in the Paddy Power Gold Cup for trainer Paul Nicholls 100TH WINNER FOR OWNER JANET DAVIES AFTER MINELLA MISSILE WON THE TRUSTATRADER NOVICES' HURDLE AT CHELTENHAM 5 wins for Irish trainer Gavin Cromwell at Cheltenham so far this season A LANDMARK 100 WINNERS ACHIEVED BY JOCKEYS' CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER SEAN BOWEN 3 WINNERS BY SIRE MALINAS AT THE NOVEMBER MEETING…

Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @ jones_eleanor_ MORE than half of equestrian staff still do not have contracts, research has found - while one groom said the situation at her previous workplace was “killing” a colleague. The British Grooms Association (BGA) and Equestrian Employers Association (EEA) found a “deeply concerning” 55% of grooms have no written contracts of employment, in a recent survey released to mark their 2023 Good Employment Week (20-26 November). The BGA and EEA's campaign focuses on staff and employers “putting their hands up” if they do not fulfil the legal requirement of having a contract. A spokesman for both said the survey shows that “the equestrian industry remains a place where too many yards are ignoring the most basic employment legislation”.…

Eventer Ros Canter, and her owners Alex and Nick Moody, and Michele Saul, collected awards at the Event Horse Owners Association ceremony. Showjumper Harry Charles was crowned German Master with Aralyn Blue in Stuttgart on 17 November. Harry is the youngest rider to take the honour. Retraining of Racehorses has appointed eventer Zara Tindall as patron. She said its work “resonates with my lifelong love of these magnificent animals”. French showjumper Julien Epaillard and Dubai Du Cedre won the Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix at the GC Prague Playoffs. Report, p72. Jump jockey Denis O'Regan, 41, announced his retirement, weeks after he became the first jockey to win at every current active jumps track in Britain and Ireland.…

THE mother of a child whose pony was put down just before her birthday has credited the “astonishing” generosity of the dealer who gave her a horse for nothing. Rebecca Dickie and Rosie were devastated when Madge broke her leg; they had bought her from Natalie Vincent in August. But Natalie gave them seven-year-old King, who was taken to Shetland free by transporter Eric Gillie. “We're overwhelmed by Natalie and Eric Gillie's generosity,” Rebecca said. “We think she's wonderful. We will do something to pay it forward; find a way to help someone else.”…

oscar.williams@futurenet.com @oscarw_dr THIS was the year I finally ticked something off my bucket list that I've always wanted to do. I'd seen the videos of the horses on the internet, and I'd read and talked about it, but this month it was time to go and see the Golegã Horse Fair for myself. The passion of the Lusitano breeders is evident the moment you arrive in Golegã, a charming town in the Ribatejo region, which is the agricultural heartland of Portugal. We arrived at midday, having driven about an hour and 20 minutes from Lisbon. By that time it was already challenging to find a parking spot anywhere near the town and queues of people were gathering all around us. Bear in mind this is a 10-day festival and I…

RIDER LEWIS CARRIER “DIEGO was found for sale as a four-yearold at Dan Greenwood's yard by my trainer at the time Diana Fisher. I didn't see or ride Diego before my family purchased him but we had great faith in Di's judgement I'd say she made the right choice. “Diego was my first horse, so he was big compared to the ponies that I was used to. At the time he was an energetic character who was always trying to get into mischief whether in the field, stable or under saddle. “He is mostly fun to ride, although he can still be very challenging. We have had some ups and downs over the years but he has continued to progress up through the levels and he's a horse that never…

THERE'S no such thing as an expert in the horse world. We're all apprentices. Every day you learn more, and each horse will teach you new things. The day you stop studying and being open to learning, is the day you're better off walking away. A horse will be the best colleague you'll ever have. Unlike cattle, when you work with a horse, you're interacting with an individual, pair or small team, so you can build a special relationship. If you listen to them, you won't find a better workmate.…

A LACK of samples from EGS cases has hampered research into the disease for years, and the cause remains unknown. The EGS Biobank is a project that aims to address this problem. It collects case reports, plus biological and environmental samples, and stores them ready to be made available to researchers investigating EGS. Samples are donated by a network of veterinary practices, with the horse owners' consent. The Biobank has samples from more than 70 EGS cases, but needs more. Research projects planned aim to further our understanding of the disease and find the causal agents. • For more information: Moredun Research Institute - moredun.ac.uk…

IT'S lunchtime on Christmas Day, and Dan's sister observes him shifting food around his plate but not actually consuming any of it. “Don't tell me you're nervous, Dan?” she says with a giggle. “Obviously not,” he snaps. “I just want to get it right.” This is 25-year-old Dan's second season as one of the Smashington Vale's field masters, and he's doing a good job. He takes it very seriously and spends hours walking country the day before. He's naturally cool-headed and can ride - he wouldn't know one end of a mucking-out fork from the other, and occasionally his mother regrets her long-held attitude that if you want boys to ride, you've got to do all the boring bits for them - so isn't fussed by the Smashington Vale's Saturday…

FIVE GOLD RINGS (Goldie) noses at Kerry's pocket, knowing there's a Polo there somewhere. There always is. She straightens his rugs, runs her hands down his legs for the 50th time that day and strokes his gleaming bay neck. Goldie may not know that he's favourite for the King George VI Chase tomorrow at Kempton, but most of the country does. “See you at 5am,” she whispers. She goes back to her bungalow on the yard, but she won't be able to sleep, counting down the hours until it's time to get up, feed Goldie and get him ready for the races. Kerry is torn between huge excitement that her darling - who's been her charge since he arrived on the yard as a big, raw four-year-old with gangling limbs…

JORIE By Jorie Butler Kent, £75 THIS stunning album-style memoir opens a window on the unparalleled life of American heiress Jorie Butler Kent. A top-level rider and polo player, Jorie is also a friend of the royal family and a pioneer of environmentally conscious tourism. Through these pages, we delve into her enviable life of adventure - of travel, snow sports, aeroplanes and horses. Verdict: “What a life this lady has led! This gloriously lavish memoir is a wonderful addition to the coffee table for anyone who aspires to beautiful things, glamour, adventure - and horses.” A MATTER OF TRUST By Lucy Ann Huxter, £9.99 A CONTEMPORARY adventure romance set in the world of British eventing. The protagonist gives up her office job to work at an eventing yard and…

PRIOR to the Mears' acquisition of Will (pictured) in the summer of 2021, the now 12-year-old gelding had been produced by two other giants of the showing world first, Jayne Ross and latterly, Robert Walker. Under their instruction, Will amassed many titles and Danielle credits his former riders for playing their part in his journey to eventually standing supreme at HOYS. “I first saw Will when he was a five-year-old at the RIHS final,” Danielle recalls. “He was pulled in top in the large hacks with his breeder Carol Jackson's daughter Camilla Cottle. I had been pulled in fourth with Love Actually who came up to win, and Will was placed about fifth after going a little green. I admired him then, but Jayne had beaten me to it and…

SWEEP made a sensational comeback on his first run since sustaining a life-threatening injury a year ago. The 14-year-old gelding, who raced as Bayley's Dream, was gifted to Meisha Micklewright by his former rider/ trainer Billy Aprahamian. Meisha knew the horse well, having ridden against him in point-to-points. He instantly took to his new life, even ending up field mastering on his first day hunting - the opening meeting - with her partner Tom Chatfeild-Roberts. But two weeks later, he came down at a road crossing at the VWH hunt ride, sustaining a life-threatening stifle injury. “I was told to put him to sleep, poor prognosis, and that he would never come right,” said Meisha. Instead, the couple, who are both vets, gave him a chance and committed to a…

BO WILSON wouldn't have been a Pytchley jointmaster if it hadn't been for Jimmy. “Shortly after being towed to the front and apologising profusely, I was asked to be master,” she reveals. “He got me the gig!” Bo had broken her rule not to buy horses out of season with Jimmy. “I tried him in July and he was wonderful, so I bought him straightaway. When the season came, I found the truth in the warning that he 'never stops'.” Indeed, Bo never got the brakes working - “he goes in a Cheltenham running gag, but I never touch it because there's no point” - but it didn't matter. A l6.2hh Irish Sport Horse, Jimmy came from the Fabers in the Beaufort country. When Bo took him back there for…

Onley Grounds EC, Warks SARAH MILLIS scored just shy of 75% in the grand prix with Impressive VDC, the Charmeur gelding she has had since he was two. “It was one of the nicest rides I've had through the grand prix,” said Sarah. “We've taken time to focus on some of the basics at home, such as strength behind, self-carriage and speed control, so it was good to see that starting to come through in the arena. Regardless of the score, I was really pleased with the feeling I got.” With 10-year-old “Ed” on the reserve list for Kronenberg CDI in the Netherlands later in November, Sarah added: “At this level, and at different competitions, we're still learning how best to prepare him.” Sarah also claimed both advanced mediums with…

HORSE&HOUND LEGENDS OF THE SPORT THE legend of Sefton started in Ireland, Waterford to be exact, traditionally celebrated for its fine and precious crystal. Well, Sefton was not particularly fine and certainly not very precious when he was a youngster, the result of a liaison between an Irish Draught mare and a local stallion. He was not even given a name in those early years, but his anonymity did not last for very long - as the story goes. Call it blarney or a true account, but the Sefton story really began when he was a yearling and taken to a horse sale where he was one of a crowd but still managed to catch the eye of Michael Connors, a well-known horse trainer who owned Tullyvolahane Farm and was…

FRANKEL The stud fee for Juddmonte's 15-yearold Galileo son will be £350,000 for 2024, equalling Godolphin's Dubawi as the most expensive in the world. HORSEBO SMARTIES The multiple medalwinning para dressage horse, ridden by Denmark's Stinna Tange Kaastrup and Amanda Overgaard, has died aged 22 after a “freak accident”. NOLTES KÜCHENGIRL Marcus Ehning's World Cup final winner, with whom he helped Germany to 2006 world bronze, has died aged 26. The mare won multiple grands prix, retiring to be a broodmare.…

EVIL GENIUS To the Aintree amateur champs, where a skinny plank was labelled “The plank of shattered dreams.” And every time it went down the PA played Another One Bites the Dust. Harsh but amazing in equal measures. COMMENTATORS Bon mot of the week to the commentator when one horse felled the jump bearing the BS motto “You're not raising the bar tonight,” he said. Ouch. EYELASHES At Aintree came an SOS from the office: “False eyelashes urgently needed, the bigger the better!” Fancy dress class? Or just show staff looking as fabulous as they acted throughout… HUSBANDS A non-horsey husband made the mistake of issuing the “them or me” ultimatum to his wife. “I told him that at least when they give me [manure] I can put it on…

“WHEN I'm watching Lewis and Diego compete together I'm like a yo-yo and I find it so hard to film. I definitely get more nervous than both of them, probably because it's out of my control and I just want the world to see how special they are together. “I cry at the end of every test. It's a huge rush of emotions and seeing the happiness on both of their faces after the final salute is all I could ask for in life. “Being a partnership for so long means that they know each other inside out and I think that contributes massively to their success. I always say that they are very similar characters. They both have an incredible work ethic, thrive in big atmospheres and have the…

EVERY year it's the same. Katie is asked to make a list of the Christmas presents she'd like and, for the past six years, she has carefully written A PONY in capital letters. Nothing else. For her birthday, too. She's dutifully played with the My Little Ponies then the Crafty Ponies, she's got a duvet cover with ponies on it and every pony-related book known to man. But she desperately wants the real thing. Katie's parents look at each other when Katie gives them this year's list. How did they breed a child who, with absolutely no family connections to horses, has been instinctively obsessed with them since she first saw one in a field in her grandparents' village? “Katie's eyes are as big as saucers as she whispers, 'Thank…

HORSES are such a full-time vocation, it can feel nigh-on impossible to find the time to curl up on the sofa with a good book. But, with the nights drawing in and Christmas approaching, we asked top riders what book has had an impact on them and why. A few confessed to never reading a thing, while others struggled to limit it to one. Whether you are a committed bookworm or you readjust one book a year on your annual holiday - and whe ther you're looking for a training manual or you fancy a bit of escapism you'll find plenty of inspiration in these riders' excellent recommendations. Carl Hester MBE Top dressage rider and trainer, Olympic gold medallist and multi-medallist at European and World championships “I LOVE the autobiography…

SHOW production was never at the forefront of Danielle's mind when she was growing up. After working on other yards during her twenties, Danielle decided to come back home and run the yard. “I'm very creative and I wanted to go into interior design, something I might focus on when I slow down with the horses,” she says. “I got into producing by accident really. I sold my intermediate, Giovanni, to the Greenwood family, who asked me to keep on riding him and it snowballed.” Danielle does manage to use her creative flair regularly, though, via designing horseboxes. “Every winter we sell our horsebox and buy a new one to build,” she says. “I love designing the living area, it definitely scratches the itch. I like my luxuries, so I…

HIGHLIGHTS 6-12 November oscar.williams@futurenet.com @oscarw_dr Stourport Riding Centre, Worcs JEMIMAH HH bounced back into contention with a 73.24% prix st georges (PSG) win on her first attempt at the level. The home-bred Lord Leatherdale mare last competed in April, when she took advanced medium silver at the winter championships. A week later, after a reaction to a routine vaccination, she developed vasculitis and then laminitis. “Jemimah spent a week at B&W Equine Vets, with us not knowing whether she'd make a full recovery,” said Jade Clarke, who co-owns the nine-year-old with Sue Brennan. “After she had two months on box rest, we got going again at the end of June. “We'd always planned to step up to PSG after the winters, we were just a bit delayed,” added Jade. “She…

“THE energy is always there,” said Gail Allum of her mare Farantie, an outright winner in the advanced medium 85 at Bury Farm EC, Bucks. “She does everything so willingly. She's an alpha mare - opinionated but in a progressive way.” Gail bought “Olive”, 13, as a weanling and has produced her through the levels. “I trained with Jeroen Hulsman for years; I'd have him back in an instant, but circumstances changed,” she said. “I hope to try a PSG with Olive next year if we can keep the multiple changes under control.” ONE TO WATCH…

HIGHLIGHTS 17-19 November jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald November Meeting, Cheltenham Racecourse, Glos STAGE STAR came so very close to exiting stage right with a mistake at the last fence when holding a commanding lead in the competitive £157,392 Paddy Power Gold Cup. However, after an equally heart-stopping balancing act from Harry Cobden, the jockey picked up the pieces and galvanised the Paul Nichollstrained seven-year-old up the Cheltenham hill. The tenacious gelding refused to relinquish his lead, giving his 3,000-strong Owners Group syndicate more to cheer about. “To go from 30mph to walking out the back of it and nearly falling, then to get going again, just shows the true courage this horse really has,” said Cobden, who has partnered the son of Fame And Glory to eight of his nine successes, three…

HORSE&HOUND GOODNIGHT WHAT is the definition of friendship? Someone who gives you the coat off their back, a shoulder to cry on, listens to your woes, celebrates your successes. To that list I would like to add somcone who turns up at the end of a busy day to help you clip your horse's head. A horrible job when the horse in question freaks every time you touch his ears and isn't averse to walking over the top of you to get away. Here was Maggie with two of her boys, Oscar and Oliver, on the way home from rugby training, offering her help when she would most likely prefer to be back at home with the fire lit and the telly on. It. is always satisfying watching the professionals…