Indholdsfortegnelse for 4-Sep-2025 i Horse & Hound

WHAT an exciting competition played out in France last week for the European Dressage Championships. Congratulations to the British team of Becky Moody, Carl Hester, Lottie Fry and Andrew Gould who came home with team silver. Carl once again did his utmost for the team effort. His partnership with Fame is a joy to watch (report, p46). Becky proved once again to be an inspiration to riders everywhere, and is knocking on the door of individual medals too. Lottie had a tougher time at these championships, not least with volume issues in the music, but appeared as cool in her placing as she is when leading the scoreboard. It must have been heartbreaking for Andrew to be eliminated on his senior championship debut, but he handled the judges' decision sportingly,…

RULING COURT Godolphin's 2025 2000 Guineas winner has been put down aged three owing to complications from laminitis. The Charlie Appleby-trained gelding won three times in total. HESTER Lucy Nelson's 14-year-old home-bred eventer, ridden at five-star by Laura Collett, has been named mare of the year by the British Hanoverian Horse Society. SCUDERIA 1918 TOBAGO Z Daniel Deusser's 2019 European team silver medal-winning ride has retired, aged 17. He and Daniel also won the 2022 GCT super grand prix.…

RIDERS and carriage drivers are frustrated as they cannot access woodland routes, after a hollow promise to “make riding accessible to more riders across the nation's forests”. H&H reported that equestrians had lost access to off-road parking at Abbot's Wood and Friston Forest in East Sussex (news, 7 August). The move happened in May, when Forestry England scrapped the requirement for paid permits to ride in most woodlands, including those managed by third parties such as TROT (Toll Rides Off-Road Trust). This followed a survey by Forestry England, supported by the British Horse Society (BHS), in 2023 as part of Forestry England's review of its permit systems. In 2022, BHS director of access Mark Weston told H&H the society opposed permits for publicly owned land where access for other users…

oscar.williams@futurenet.com @oscnwilliams OPINION COMING away from the European Dressage Championships, the overwhelming feeling was relief – a breath of fresh air and, dare I say it, a recalibration. For once, it felt as if (nearly) everyone was united in saying, “This is what we've been waiting for.” In Justin Verboomen and his stallion Zonik Plus, we finally had a flagship example the whole sport could point to – a lovely, soft, harmonious way of going where the horse looked genuinely relaxed. For me, that alone felt like a step into a new era. Of course, there will be the naysayers – the sort who, if you rescued their child from a burning building, would moan you didn't grab the bonsai on the way out – but broadly the trend towards…

When I was a child our neighbour had a firewood round and a cob called Toby, who pulled his cart. Toby was kept in the field opposite the house so I got to know him quite well. Sometimes the neighbour would take me with him on his round and I have a photo somewhere of myself in a cowboy suit riding Toby back to the field afterwards. My father would take me racing and point-to-pointing and I remember looking at the horses thinking, “I'd like one of those.” The first horse I bought was called Grey Empress. I joined the local hunt, the Ystrad, and hunted five or six times to get the certificate to race. I worked as a tailor's cutter for 43 years. One day I was hauled…

FIND MORE GREAT PRODUCTS ONLINE Visit horseandhound.co.uk/buyers-guides to find more fantastic new products THERAPY MAGNETIC RUG BY EQUILIBRIUM PRODUCTS This breathable rug has been redesigned to offer extended magnetic coverage. It is designed to support mobility, aid muscle function and maintain a healthy horse. Features include moveable magnetic patches, so you can target chosen areas. Sizes: 5ft 6in–7ft £195 equilibriumproducts.com PHOEBE HALF-ZIP ANORAK BY LEMIEUX Stay dry in any weather with this practical and stylish waterproof popover anorak. It features taped seams, a half zip, a warm borg fleece lining, a kangaroo pocket, adjustable cuffs and a drawcord hem. Sizes: 6–18 £99.95 lemieux.com CLIPPING HEADCOLLAR BY LIVERYMAN This full-size premium leather headcollar has an anatomically shaped noseband and a double-adjustable headpiece, plus a detachable throat strap, noseband and jaw strap to…

ANDREW GOULD'S senior championship debut ended in disappointment when he was eliminated partway through his grand prix test on Indigro. “Indigro warmed up well but didn't feel quite his usual, forward self in the arena today,” Andrew said. “While this is a huge disappointment, Indigro is my top priority and I fully support the judges' decision.” British Equestrian performance director Helen Nicholls added: “While this is obviously devastating for Andrew, horse wellbeing is the number one priority. We fully support the ground jury in identifying any concerns. Our team vets will examine Indigro to ensure his comfort and work with Andrew's home team to have him back to full health. I have full confidence that Andrew and Indigro's time to shine will come.” Days later, Andrew reassured supporters that Indigro…

BSPS SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS 19–23 August bethan.simons@futurenet.com BSPS Summer Championships, Arena UK, Lincs YORKSHIRE-BASED Team Elenor, headed by Craig Elenor and Sara Parrott, enjoyed a dream week at the 52nd British Show Pony Society (BSPS) Summer Championships, collecting nine wins, eight championships and four supremes, including the coveted supreme of show with the 143cm show hunter pony Sutton Grange Fancy That (FT). Fresh from triumphing at the Royal International (RIHS) and lifting the reserve supreme show hunter pony title, FT continued his remarkable run by taking the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifier, section championship and supreme show hunter pony en route to the overall supreme. FT's foot-perfect show, produced under floodlights with his 13-year-old Scottish rider Isla Smith on board, drew rapturous applause from the ringside crowd. “Isla is…

catherine.austen@futurenet.com @cfausten123 THE Shires, and the Quorn in particular, are the home of modern foxhunting and the most important single factor contributing to the post-war success of the Quorn was their huntsman for 30 years, Michael Farrin. Joint-master Ulrica Murray Smith recalls in her book, Magic of the Quorn, what happened when the previous huntsman, Jack Littleworth, had to retire through ill health: “There was never any doubt in our minds. If we looked for a new huntsman we should try to find someone exactly like Michael Farrin – he crossed the country with consummate ease, was a very fine horseman and certainly had a flair for hunting the fox. His only possible disadvantage was his youth: he was just 25, but time would undoubtedly alter this.” They certainly never…

Edited by Eleanor Jones Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @ jones_eleanor_ OWNERS and businesses have been urged to prepare for winter as low hay yields and high prices create a challenge. In parts of the country, the dry spring meant yields are 50% down. The cost of production has increased, and the dry summer means many have started feeding hay early. Mike Evison, past president of the British Hay and Straw Merchants Association, said supplies are short but there will likely be second cuts. “There is enough, and there's a rollover from last year, but the problem might be if it starts to snow in January,” he said. “If it's a bad winter, that might be when it starts to get expensive and scarce, but…

NEW OPTION FOR NECK SURGERY A PIONEERING surgical procedure for horses with nerve compression in the neck is being carried out at a second hospital. H&H reported that uniportal endoscopic foraminotomy was being offered at Liphook Equine Hospital (vet clinic, 21 August). The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has announced the expansion of its equine referral hospital to include the procedure. “This will offer horse owners and referring veterinary surgeons a viable treatment option for this condition, where previously only limited options were available to prevent long-term suffering,” an RVC spokesperson said. Horses with cervical spinal nerve compression can experience neck pain and stiffness, forelimb lameness, stumbling and falls, and poor performance. JIM MEADS SALE TO HELP MUSEUM THE private collection of late H&H photographer Jim Meads will be sold at…

Showjumper Jessica Mendoza and her Europeans ride, In The Air, won the CSI5* Longines Hampton Classic grand prix, in New York, on 31 August. Olympic showjumper Ben Maher won two CSIO5* 1.50m classes with Ginger-Blue at the Brussels Stephex Masters (27–31 August). Eventer William Fox-Pitt is among the entries for the Cornbury Horse Trials' £50,000 Arena Racing Company racehorse to eventer challenge, with Hussard Brun. Leading Flat jockey Ryan Moore has been sidelined after an X-ray revealed the leg injury he has had for two months is a stress fracture in his femur. Grade One-winning jump jockey Niall Houlihan has been forced to retire, aged 25, on medical advice owing to the head injury he sustained in a fall in April.…

THE biggest vegetable-related day of the year is coming. The British Carrot Growers' Association (BCGA) celebrates the reason for its existence on British Carrot Day, 3 October, the “often-overlooked hero of the veg rack”. Eating more carrots is a concept most horses will embrace to the utmost, and independent equine nutritionist Clare MacLeod is in full support. “Many people incorrectly think fresh carrots are high in sugar; I've been trying to dispel this myth for 20 years,” Clare told H&H, pointing out that fresh carrots are only about 5% sugar, compared to the typical 8% sugar content of hay. “A medium 60g carrot supplies 48g water. So if a horse is fed two medium carrots, this is only 24g actual carrot! This delivers 1.2g sugar, 0.7g protein, 0.4g fibre and…

bethan.simons@futurenet.com OPINION IS plaited showing spiraling into decline? Despite encouraging numbers at some shows, the low numbers forward this season overall – particularly in the pony sector – make me wonder. In contrast, mountain and moorland competitors are a different crowd and appear to embrace “their circuit” far more and will continue to prosper as a consequence. I'm convinced that we need to return to when showing was at a peak some 20 years ago to address the problems, and future-proof the discipline. The British Show Pony Society (BSPS) introduced the marking system in the mid-1990s to promote transparency. I'm flummoxed as to why this was axed in the Royal International (RIHS) flat classes post-Covid. If marks had “run their course”, why do they remain in place in Horse of…

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Final team medals 61 Horses contested the grand prix THE team contest in Crozet was billed as too close to call – and it delivered in spades, right down to the final riders. Two key battles defined the drama: Britain versus Germany for gold, and Denmark against Belgium for bronze. Neither of the front runners got an ideal start. First out for Germany, Ingrid Klimke had to summon all her horsemanship to steady Vayron NRW after an early spook unsettled him. The huge Westfalian stallion, who won Olympic team silver in Paris with Denmark's Daniel Bachmann Andersen, took fright at a tyre mark in the sand. “He saw it and said, ‘There's a lion!’” Ingrid laughed. Clearly rattled, Vayron tripped in the first extended trot, and tension lingered, forcing Ingrid…

BEING among the top 30 who move forward to the grand prix special required a lower score than at the previous Europeans: the cut-off dropped to 68.88%, compared to 71.21% in 2023. The judge at C, Hans-Christian Matthiesen, said this reflects a wider shift in judging: “Maybe the scores are a little bit lower, but I think it's just the result of all the discussions that have been going on for the last couple of years in dressage. Maybe we judges are a little bit more focused on some things, but that's just the natural way.” Britain's Carl Hester also noted the trend: “Thirty years ago, 70% was a gold-medal score. Then it was 75, then 80. You just have to be realistic now. The focus is on more harmonious,…

WELLINGTON 22–25 August pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle Wellington, Hants IT'S been a successful summer for Hope Mussell, who in the space of 10 days secured her required A-level grades and won the Pony Club 110 championship here. Hope has had her winning mount, Vivendi Cruise, since June and rounded off two previous top-10 placings since then with victory here on their leading dressage score of 29.9. “He's an experienced schoolmaster,” said Hope. “He's called Tigger because he loves to jump, he's nearly always double clear. Dressage has been our weak point; we're working on getting his step bigger.” Hope, representing the Belvoir Hunt branch, plans to tackle intermediate next and described Adrian Ditcham's 1.15m cross-country track as “the perfect step up – like a 2½-star”. The Fylde & District branch's Lottie Walsh…

ASPEN COOLING LTD Ltd Solihull (2) BE90open winner James McCullough was left “nigh on paralysed” after an “accumulation of falls and bumps” over the years left him with several fractures to his vertebrae which were impinging on his sciatic nerve. “Around two years ago I started dragging my left leg and two weeks later I had to undergo back surgery,” he revealed. James now has ongoing pins and needles and a limp, but the British Eventing accredited level 3 coach has bounced back to winning form since returning to eventing last year with eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse, Rebel Rua (Artie; pictured). “Artie was predominantly bought for my wife, Olivia; she has had a lot of success with him in dressage and riding club, but has – so far – left…

ALL ENGLAND SEPTEMBER TOUR (PART ONE) 27–31 August jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald All England September Tour (part one), All England Jumping Course, W Sussex DAVID SIMPSON and Pjotr Van De Kruishoeve enjoyed their first Hickstead win since the 2023 Derby, taking the Clipmyhorse.TV Sussex Cup by nearly two seconds from Sophie Paxton and Glasgow Z. The fabulous little stallion jumped the fastest of only three double clears, his nimble athleticism, balance and rhythm making for effortless speed and control. “He's won quite a few classes in the main ring at Hickstead, including the seven- and eight-year-old final and the Derby, and he just loves it here,” said David. “It's really a home from home for him.” The track had proved testing – with only six of 55 starters jumping clear in the…

HUNTING, as we know, is a community of like-minded people meeting regularly to enjoy a shared passion. There's a void when the season ends but then summer rolls around bringing chances to dip into new worlds. Like cricket, for example. The other day I went to watch Somerset play Lancashire at Taunton with my father and two of his friends. Long story short, my son Alec was supposed to go and couldn't at the last minute, so I took his place. Colonel Cox, former secretary of the South and West Wilts, had organised the tickets and gallantly agreed to the swap despite, I suspect, possessing a quietly held opinion that women watching sport is vaguely unsavoury. He had been looking forward to a few beers with a youngster who actually…

SPOOKING To the US, where a bald eagle dropped a live catfish into the arena during a show. Here, a sparrow dropping a caterpillar wouldn't have quite the same effect; at least it wasn't Florida, and a crocodile. INSTRUCTIONS As a young rider came past at a show, her trainer whispered, “Change diagonal,” and she did. The rider's mother said: “Can you ask her to tidy her room next time?” Oh, if that worked as well. GRAZING A council removed an electric fence related to illegal fly-grazing. “I didn't know flies needed grass,” a constituent said. Only in summer… PESTS A rider horrified by the size of the wasps' nest she found in her hay barn was seeking advice. “Only way to get rid of them is to put a…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. @ horseandhound instagram.com/horseandhound facebook.com/horseandhound RULES AND REGS I CONGRATULATE Howard Newitt MRCVS on his excellent article, Rules and regulations: how they help (vet clinic, 10 July). I worked as both a clinical and a regulatory equine veterinary surgeon for 34 years, 28 of which were with Flat racehorses and other riding horses at the Hong Kong Jockey Club where many of the current regulatory rules, regulations, policies and procedures were developed and strictly implemented. This was necessary due to the intensity of racing, the climatic conditions and the vast sums of money wagered at the race meetings, as well as the need for the considerable international movement of horses both into and out of Hong Kong. “Regulatory…

KEY How to follow KEEP UP, WITH H&H The Horse & Hound team will be creating extensive online coverage of Burghley in addition to what will be included in the magazine report. This will include full course photos, fashion photos from the first trot-up, times for the next day's competition, video interviews, breaking news and reports and more. To keep reading at horseandhound.co.uk after five articles, readers will need to buy a subscription either to the website or to the magazine. Magazine and website unlimited subscription: six issues for £6, followed by our flexible offer of £29.99 quarterly, saving 29%. Visit: magazinesdirect.com/XHH/DJ59M Website unlimited subscription: save 40% – pay £52 for a full year of access. Visit: horseandhound.co.uk/join If you are already a magazine subscriber, find out how to activate…

OPINION MY two main roles in Crozet were providing commentary for FEI TV and warming up my old friend Carl Hester. It was busy but rewarding, with many moments to remind me why I love this sport. The facilities were superb, set in the grounds of a smart, eco-conscious hotel in view of Mont Blanc. The organising committee impressed me with their flexible and consultative approach, working with chefs d'equipe to adapt warm-up arrangements and other details. I was also glad to hear a strong reminder to keep dogs on leads in restricted areas, not least as an anti-doping measure. It's been claimed that prohibited substances can be ingested by horses from grass contaminated by dog urine. Transparency was another strong theme. Cameras in all the warm-up arenas were live-streamed…

Individual medals 1 Justin Verboomen on Zonik Plus 2 Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour on Mount St John Freestyle 3 Isabell Werth on Wendy De Fontaine 82.37% Justin Verboomen's personal best JUSTIN VERBOOMEN and his own nine-year-old stallion Zonik Plus made history for Belgium, clinching the nation's first-ever championship gold medal in spectacular fashion. Their performance earned a personal best of 82.37%, bringing the crowd to its feet and leaving an emotional Justin almost lost for words. It had been billed as a three-way duel with Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (Mount St John Freestyle) and Isabell Werth (Wendy De Fontaine). In the end, the tiniest of mistakes proved decisive. Drawn first of the leading trio, Justin delivered the ride of his life. The test was studded with nines for trot work, piaffe and passage, and…

Freestyle medals 1 Justin Verboomen on Zonik Plus 2 Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour on Mount St John Freestyle 3 Isabell Werth on Wendy De Fontaine UNDER cloudless skies and in front of packed stands, the 2025 European Championships signed off in Crozet with a finale that had everything – sunshine, music and a medal fight that went to the wire. For much of the afternoon, the provisional lead was held by Sweden's Patrik Kittel on Touchdown, with his bold new routine featuring the tracks Out of Touch, Touchdown and I Can't Get No Satisfaction scoring 81.14% to lead. It was a welcome end to a competition that's not been without its challenges for Patrik (see box, p76). But everyone knew the real drama would come from the three riders who had already…

EVENTING from the far north of Scotland presents myriad challenges, but Caithness-based Emily Campbell has so far weaved a winning passage despite a lack of training venues and facilities in her area. At Scone Palace she celebrated a BE90 win and second place with her two horses, Craigmain Murphy (pictured, above) and Belline Castle Fifty Seven respectively. “Our nearest cross-country course is a 10-hour round trip, so a few years ago my dad hired a digger and made a trakehner, step, ditch and a water splash in the horses' field for me to practise over,” explained Emily, 17, who bought Murphy unseen two years ago as a five-year-old. ONE TO WATCH…

MEDAL-WINNING EVENTER TRIES SOMETHING NEW MULTIPLE under-21 medal-winning event rider Isabelle Cook swapped discipline with great success, finishing second in the Stoner Jewellers 1.20m final with her four-star event horse, Cymoon F Z. “He can be hot and it does him good to have a nice experience like this, with no pressure,” said Isabelle, daughter of eventing legend Tina Cook. “He's careful and a good jumper; there was more atmosphere than in the outside rings but he jumped super, he definitely rose to it.” Isabelle is at Burghley for the young event horse final so will miss the second week of the tour. “But I've enjoyed my week of showjumping!” she continued. “I would like to come back.”…

JUMP jockey Gina Ellis earned her first international jumping victories when she headed the two-star small tour on the first two days, riding Fireball and Croisiere (pictured). Gina showjumps during the summer when she's less busy racing: “People say it must be difficult switching between the two but I don't tend to do both at the same time. “Michael Jones helps me a lot and he found me Fireball. He also rode as a jockey point-to-point, so understands what I am seeing. I can see a stride quite early from racing but it's not always the right one to go on when showjumping!” FIRST WIN Gina's main showjumping ambition is to win Hickstead's speed Derby: “My best place was fifth on Croisiere this year. We had a fence down. If…