Indholdsfortegnelse for 12-Jun-2025 i Horse & Hound

IT is great to see Bubby Upton enjoying a landmark career win at senior level, having achieved so much already in her young career – while also having overcome serious challenges. As Pippa Roome writes (report, p38), Bubby leads the next generation of elite riders ready to take on the world stage. Her strength of character and determination set her apart, and it's apt that she also features in this week's “10-minute box”, where we find out about riders’ lives around the horses (p82). With European Championships to look forward to this summer, talk has already turned to selection. In her column last week, Laura Tomlinson discussed the process and joy of being in the mix, and this week Carl Hester proved his and Fame's consistent good form with success…

ESPE Dressage rider Annabella Pidgley's mare has been sold to join Abby Weel in Australia. Espe won six medals with Annabella, including two young rider European golds. HORSEWARE BUSHMAN Sam Watson's ride, the first Irish event horse to earn 1,000-plus points, has died aged 26. The pair completed two worlds, three Europeans, four Badmintons and Burghley. DON ROYALE Brendon Stud and Pennie Cornish's 12-year-old, produced to top level - including two Nations Cup appearances – by Phillip Miller, has joined fellow Brit Tim Gredley.…

 ESCAPING To India, where an elephant was caught on video, carefully pushing over and twisting the post of an electric fence, allowing it to step carefully over. Let us be very grateful our ponies do not have trunks…  PAIN Overheard: if your knees hurt, your stirrups are too short. If your backside hurts, they're too long. If everything hurts, they're just right. Sums it up.  OPTIMISM A potential horse owner was messaging a seller setting out her plans – to ride to work and back on said horse, which she thinks will be cheaper than running a car. Who wants to tell her?…

A RIDER and fashion student, inspired by a friend who was paralysed in an accident, has created clothing to help equestrian wheelchair users “regain a sense of belonging”. Daisy Brace dedicated her final-year project at Nottingham Trent University to creating “contemporary heritage riding wear that supports physical needs and emotional wellbeing”. A friend of Daisy's mother “felt disconnected from her love of riding” after her injury. Daisy added: “Even after her injury, she wanted to continue riding and I realised there was very little on the market that was functional and fashionable for people in her situation. I wanted to change that.” Daisy's designs include a Harris tweed jacket with quilted panels for comfort and support when seated, and an arched back to reduce bulk. The cotton shirt has a…

Edited by Bethan Simons bethan.simons@futurenet.com OPINION I HAVE heard some concerning stories at shows about how many miles people are travelling to gain qualifications. Planning a horse's season can be a minefield, but it should never be at the expense of their welfare. People have been chasing down the last of the Royal International qualifiers and over a nine-day period at the end of May there were at least 10 shows, some of which were two-day fixtures. At this point in the season the Horse of the Year Show qualifier chase also ensues. Let's say someone tried to chase a ticket at Royal Three Counties, Royal Cheshire, The Lincolnshire Show and the Royal Highland, which are all on consecutive days. If they drove from showground to showground, that's just over…

DEFENDER BRAMHAM 5–8 June Edited by Pippa Roome pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle Defender Bramham, Yorks BUBBY UPTON scored a career landmark win in the Defender CCI4*-L, her first in a senior class at this level. The Suffolk rider has become such a standing dish on the five-star circuit that it's easy to forget she is still only 26. In a sport where athletes have decades of longevity, breaking through can be hard, and Bubby is at the forefront of Britain's next generation of superstars. She is the youngest winner of Bramham's showcase section since a 24-year-old Paul Tapner in 2000. Bubby follows in the footsteps of Tina Cook and Terry Boon in pairing an agerestricted section win here – she won the under-25s in 2023 – with a senior long victory. “Bramham…

TOM WOODWARD, 23, landed the under-25 championship piloting his own Low Moor Lucky (pictured, right). The pair were sixth after dressage at Badminton, but Tom pulled up after an early run-out across country, so this provided some redemption. “I think relief is the biggest emotion,” said Tom. “I'm delighted with him – he's 18 years old and I just want to enjoy him for what he is now and try to make the most of him while I still have him.” Lucky – who was backed when he was nine years old and so named because he “was a nutcase as a young horse and was nearly disposed of” – has been with Tom since BE100 days. Tom said: “I feel quite emotional about this whole weekend, because we came…

“IT'S AMAZING TO RIDE A WINNER ON DERBY DAY” FLAGGED by H&H as a jockey to watch in 2025, Warren Fentiman landed his first Epsom winner with a well-timed challenge from the rear on 7/1 shot Stormy Impact in the Betfred Three-year-old Dash for trainer Richard Fahey. “It was an amazing thrill – the speed, everything and to top it off with a winner here on Derby Day is brilliant,” said Fentiman, 17, for whom this was a 29th career success. The trainer said: “At halfway, we were second-last. They must have run quick because she's not slow, and she was struggling to lay up. She's all speed.”…

WELLINGTON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF DRESSAGE 4–8 June Edited by Oscar Williams oscar.williams@futurenet.com Wellington Riding, Hants FAME proved a model of high-level consistency at Wellington CDI3*, leaving Carl Hester “very excited” about the European Championships this summer, in what could be his 24th championship appearance. It really didn't matter what was thrown at Fame, from crowds packed three-deep to watch the Olympian in action for Friday's grand prix, to Saturday's deluge in the special, the bright bay showed focus to match his power and expression, ears pricked despite the rain lashing down. “He loves the job and doesn't care about the rain,” said Carl. “I wasn't worried, but in our three years together, I've never competed him in the rain – it's always been hot, 35C-plus – so I had to…

LAURA WOODCOCK competed Royal Rhapsody III's mother and is now enjoying success with her son, who won both novice classes at Arena UK, Lincolnshire. The Negro gelding won the novice 6 with a 7% lead over the second horse. “I've been in Prince's life since he was a few hours old,” said Laura, who's a British Horse Society (BHS) level two coach. “His mum was very talented but had an injury, so she was put in foal. “Prince is now officially massive at 18hh – it means we've had to take it slowly. We do a lot of riding in the field as he's more enthusiastic in a bigger space. He's built uphill and has a huge canter. He's quite low mileage but has a great temperament.”…

HIGHLIGHTS 30 May–2 June Edited by Jennifer Donald jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald DO YOU WANT TO BE ON THIS PAGE? HAVE YOU WON A CLASS? Email jennifer.donald@futurenet.com within 24 hours of your event and please include a contact telephone number Second round show, Felbridge Showground, W Sussex LAURA RENWICK almost made it a pair of tickets in the Redpost Equestrian Foxhunter second round when she claimed first and third with NFS Top Gun and Top Star C. Home-bred seven-year-old Top Gun, whose parents are two horses Laura rode to great success – Beluga II and by Top Dollar VI – jumped a smooth and classy round from an early draw to head the eight-strong third phase by 0.57sec. “He is really special,” Laura said. “He has been a class horse from day…

ROYAL BATH AND WEST 29–31 May Edited by Bethan Simons bethan.simons@futurenet.com Royal Bath and West, Somerset JOHN HARVEY landed the Price Family supreme in-hand championship with home-bred Welsh part-bred champion Elmswood Star Struck (Reggie) marking a stunning feat. “This was my first homebred to qualify for the Price, and to win two qualifiers in such a short interval is unbelievable,” said John, who also produced Welsh section A mare Heniarth Yours Faithfully to take the ticket at Herts County the previous week. Three-year-old Reggie – jointly owned by John and Sue Brewis – is by John's own stallion Nynwood Wild Johnny Jump Up out of Silk Mill Paparazzi, a former HOYS 128cm show pony contender. A road trip to find Myles Cooper a large riding horse resulted in the purchase…

BRC TOPSPEC ARENA EVENTING CHAMPIONSHIPS 30 May–1 June Edited by Martha Terry martha.terry@futurenet.com @marthaowenorterry BRC TopSpec Arena Eventing Championships, Aston-le-Walls, Northants LISA DALTON had a day to remember at the British Riding Clubs (BRC) TopSpec Arena Eventing Championships, winning the 126-strong senior 80 aboard Mr Harry Patch. She was also part of the Saffron Walden and District Riding Club (RC) team that won the senior 70 and was second in the senior 80. “It was unexpected but a fabulous day,” said Lisa who has been riding the now 18-yearold cob since he was four. “He was a rough diamond when I got him but he's honest and turns his hoof to everything. “He's had some rocky moments with dental issues – his molars are disintegrating so his ability to chew…

Edited by Catherine Austen catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123 When a huntsman enters the show ring with his hounds he should have a vision of how the “performance” should play out: how he is positioned to the hounds, the tempo and proportion of galloping to standing on the flags, how to get those individual hounds to stand at their best for the judges. If the hounds and huntsman have not sufficiently prepared, they are unlikely to have either the ring grammar and experience to cope with anything unexpected or achieve their best, or even know what “best” looks or feels like. Practice must therefore be built into the routine, as opposed to done by exception. Thirty minutes after breakfast a few times a week will rapidly reap reward, but certain regular short drills…

Edited by Eleanor Jones Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @ jones_eleanor_ QUALIFICATION to own horses could be a key to welfare and public acceptance – but all actions should be taken to benefit horses, not for PR. These were suggestions at a briefing on World Horse Welfare's fourth survey of public attitudes to involvement of horses in sport, on 3 June. This year's study covered perception of sport horses’ quality of life, which many think could be better (see p5). World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers cited the charity's research into what drives trust (news, 30 January). “So what would increase trust that sport horses live good lives?” Mr Owers asked. “The top three answers were unannounced inspections of training facilities, making welfare education mandatory and…

Irish showjumper Denis Lynch has been appointed to Horse Sport Ireland's high performance youth selection panel for this season. World number one dressage rider Cathrine LaudrupDufour and her wife Rasmine have welcomed a baby daughter. Rasmine gave birth to Palma on 31 May. Eventer Lizzie Baugh now has the ride on Caunton Manor Stud's fivestar horses Crazy Du Loir and En Taro Des Vernier, formerly ridden by Oliver Townend. Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien completed the Oaks-Derby double; Minnie Hauk winning the former and Lambourn the latter at Epsom. Report, p46. Farrier Sam Wolfenden has become an ambassador for Redwings. Sam, an influencer with more than a million followers, contacted the charity to offer his support.…

AI Don't you love Google's new AI feature? If one searches for “horse and hound got married” for inspiration, for example, it states: “The query can be interpreted in two ways – a couple involved in the equine world got married or a person married a horse.” Brilliant. MORE AI Another gem comes about a certain legendary rider, who Google AI describes as a “successful champion”. Wonder what being an unsuccessful champion is like… COMMENTATORS To the US, where showjumper Adrienne Sternlicht was competing with the Dutch-bred Faquitol-S. Be very, very careful when announcing that one……

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. @ horseandhound instagram.com/horseandhound facebook.com/horseandhound WELL SAID, ANNA! I AGREE with Anna Ross (opinion, 22 May), we do have some fabulous younger riders, not all of whom have the financial backing to realise their dreams. I breed dressage horses and have been fortunate enough to place them with talented riders, with some horses sold and some still in my ownership. “We need a way to connect young riders with breeders and owners” NICKY CALLAM They have won championships at regionals, nationals, Hickstead Masters, Premier League and young horse level. I now own two horses jointly with their riders and hope to agree a contract with another youth team member soon. There are opportunities for dedicated young riders, but…

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BETFRED DERBY FESTIVAL 6–7 June Edited by Jennifer Donald jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Betfred Derby Festival, Epsom Downs Racecourse, Surrey ONCE again, training magician Aidan O'Brien swooped on Epsom with a formidable battalion of runners, returning to Ireland with a brace of Classic winners and adding a further Group One success for good measure. Saturday's Betfred Derby hero was Ballydoyle's third string Lambourn, who was given a sublime front-running ride by Wayne Lordan. The 43-year-old jockey allowed the three-year-old Australia colt to draw clear in the early stages, quickly turning the 246th running of the prestigious contest into a procession in which he eclipsed his 17 rivals. “The Epsom Derby is always the one you want to win” WAYNE LORDAN With an air of supreme confidence, Lambourn maintained a relentless, ground-devouring gallop…

WELLINGTON felt like an unofficial selection trial for the fourth team spot for the Europeans, on the assumption that the Olympic team of Becky Moody, Lottie Fry and Carl Hester have already earned their tickets to Crozet. Andrew Gould (Indigro), Laura Tomlinson (Issey), Lewis Robertson-Carrier (Diego V) and Richard Davison on his new ride for this season, his wife Gillian's Intero, all lined up in the grand prix classes, with Andrew coming out best with his two runner-up placings. “That fourth spot is open, and I expect we'll be slogging it out over the next three shows,” Andrew said. “Indigro's scores are improving, but I don't feel pressure as I've never been on a team, so I'm still learning. “I'll go to Aachen, which is an unbelievable show. If that's…

Mount Ballan, Monmouthshire ELEMENTARY 6 winner Shanti Lantanzer started life as a showjumper until she came to Helena Charlesworth four years ago. “When she arrived, she was very tight; it's taken time for her body to change,” Helena said. “Her eyes were on stalks when we got in the arena, but once she gets between the white boards, she gets in the zone.” Briony Cutler's home-bred five-year-old mare Shine Bright broke a spell of “seconditis” with two wins at novice. Briony breeds one foal a year, and “Willow” is a granddaughter of grand prix stallion Treliver Decanter. The mare now has her qualifying scores for the Area Festivals at prelim and novice. “We affiliated in January and she's coped well, she's always willing and forward-thinking,” said Briony. “She's got a…

HIGHLIGHTS 28 May–1 June Edited by Pippa Roome pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle DO YOU WANT TO BE ON THIS PAGE? HAVE YOU WON A SECTION? Email eventinghighlights@gmail.com within 24 hours of your event and please include a contact telephone number Belsay, Northumberland “IT'S an unbelievable feeling,” said 17-year-old Oscar Fitzgerald, after landing the Lycetts British junior championship (CCIJ2*-L) with the consistent Super Cillious, owned by Lucy Allison, Deborah Bevan, Juliet Donald and Vittoria Panizzon. Oscar and “Ken” finished on their 28 dressage after a double clear pushed them from third after the cross-country to the top of the podium. “The cross-country needed respect. The corners by the castle were tough, and the step down to the triple-bar skinny was somewhere you could have a silly mistake,” said Oscar. “My first horse RL…

GEMMA STEVENS enjoyed a red-letter weekend at Millstreet, Ireland, winning both the Noel C. Duggan Engineering CCI4*-L and Goresbridge Horse Sales CCI3*-L on a smart pair of Cooley Irish-bred horses. She landed the former on Pru Dawes’ grey Flash Cooley, with whom she led from pillar to post. “It's such a relief because I've been second in a CCI4*-L four times,” quipped Gemma. “Flash Cooley was off last year with an injury, but he has come back so well, especially on the flat.” Her three-star winner was The Rex Syndicate's “extremely talented” Cooley Park Muze, a nine-year-old who started eventing only two years ago.…

HIGHLIGHTS 26 May–1 June HAD A NOTABLE WIN IN THE SHOW RING? Email bethan.simons@futurenet.comwithin 24 hours of the show for your chance to appear in this section AFTER three second places, Edward Young and Collette McGoldrick's Ashlands King's Scholar (Harry) finally secured his first Hickstead pass in the intermediate show riding type class, with Victoria Whalley at BSPS Area 3B. “Harry was meant to be my hack but Victoria, who'd recently sold her horse, was without a ride,” said producer Edward. “Victoria had a novice last year and so didn't qualify then, but she's a real team player and still came to support us so we were keen for her to get her ticket.” FIRST RIHS TICKET…

HARRY MEADE ON TOP OF WORLD BRITAIN holds the top three places in the FEI eventing world rankings, as Harry Meade is number one for the first time. Tom McEwen remains in second place, and Ros Canter has moved up from fifth to third. Harry came third and fourth at Defender Kentucky in April with Et Hop Du Matz and Grafennacht respectively. Last month he was fourth at Mars Badminton on Cavalier Crystal and sixth with Superstition. “It's a great honour to be world number one, and a real milestone,” he said. “It's particularly rewarding for the team behind me; they are so invested and their hard work and support has led to this.” GRANT SUPPORT FOR EVENTERS A GRANT from Kairos Philanthropy to the British Eventing Support Trust (BEST)…

Edited by Pippa Roome pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle OPINION WELL done to Harry Meade for making it to world number one. Harry has grafted, like everyone does in eventing, for many years and had his fair share of knocks that could have finished his career, but he has plugged on through. I love the fact Harry is passionate about the sport and has strong belief in his system, including the science behind horse care, and is now reaping the rewards with a big string of four- and fivestar horses. He's also built a loyal team of people. You rarely see Harry win at a one-day event – he uses those as training days and canters round the crosscountry quite slowly. He is very talented then to be able to make the time…

MANY shows, societies and sporting bodies now have specific weight and size policies, which may be advisory or mandatory. The majority adopt the 20% rule; others have more variable protocols, reflecting their “purpose” and demographic. Some adopt rather generalised wording, such as “must be a suitable size for the pony”, which is arguably too subjective. Unfortunately, many fail to clarify that the tack should be included, or whether the BCS should be considered – leading to mixed messaging and occasional confusion. Some examples include: ● Veteran Horse Society (VHS), and Senior Showing & Dressage Ltd: 20% of horse body weight (VHS also states 17.5% if pony over 25 years of age) ● Retraining of Racehorses: 17% ● British Show Pony Society: 18–20% advised ● Arab Horse Society: 18% recommended ●…

AL SHIRA'AA HICKSTEAD DERBY Preview “Once a horse has proved it can clear the course once, you know it's capable of doing it again” LIZZIE BUNN WHEN William Funnell and Dublon pass through the famous archway into the International Arena on Hickstead Derby day, they will be aiming to join a select group – as well as setting a record unlikely ever to be beaten. William and Barbara Hester's Spanishbred gelding will be aiming for back-toback wins after their triumph in 2024, when William became the first rider to win a fifth Derby title. Should they manage it, the 14-year-old will be one of just a few horses who have won in successive years (see box, overleaf). Dublon has come so close to joining them already; he and William jumped clear…

TWINS Tabitha and Evanthe Hughes had a super day at their local BSPS show – Area 14. “It was a day we won't be able to repeat,” said their mother, Miranda Hughes. Tabitha kicked off the day's luck winning the 138cm show pony class and the small part-breds before winning the area part-bred championship and area reserve supreme with Ecclesbourne Byron Bay. IN THE GENES Tabitha was pipped to the tricolour in the area supreme by her sister, Evanthe, who had piloted reigning HOYS reserve show hunter pony Warleigh Fantastic Light (Scotty) to triumph in the RIHS 133cm show hunter pony qualifier and section championship, the Pretty Polly show hunter and area tricolours on their way to the top honours. Incidentally, Scotty's half-brother 133cm show hunter pony Warleigh Blushing Groom…