Innehållsförteckning för 8-May-2025 från Horse & Hound

SUNSHINE noticeably improves people’s moods, and Carl Hester (opinion, p14) draws on this moment to encourage gratitude, embracing harmony and seeing the positives – in life, in politics and in dressage. Humans revel in complaining, and it never hurts to be reminded to look beyond the immediately obvious – and be kind. I’m certainly cheery that it is Badminton week, closely followed by Royal Windsor – a fortnight of fabulous sport in stunning settings. I’m grateful for the beautiful venues in which so much of our sport takes place. You can follow your favourites at Badminton with Pippa Roome’s expert analysis of every competitor (form guide, p34). Pippa is happy to take feedback on the new look of these pages by email (pippa.roome@futurenet.com) – we’ve removed the columns for scoring,…

BARKWAY BLACKJACK The legendary lead-rein and first-ridden pony has died, aged 26. “Stan” had HOYS, RIHS and county success and qualified twice for the senior championship at London. RHANDOLF OF CATCHPOOL Lara Joslin’s home-bred and son Harry won the first ridden bronze medal of the Shetland Pony society, at the south and west Wales group show. QUID Kirsty Hardstaff’s home-bred has been put down, aged 21. He overcame broken withers to jump HOYS FEI classes, on the county circuit and the Queen Elizabeth Cup.…

Dressage legend Carl Hester competed for the first time since Paris, at Addington. He and Fame won the grand prix and the special. Report, p62. Four-time Olympic rider Boyd Martin has become the first US rider to top the world eventing rankings in 21 years. Britain’s Tom McEwen moves to second. Para dressage rider and swimmer Suz Hext and her fiancé Gareth Petts have confirmed they are expecting their first child this year, in November. British Horse Foundation chair Jane Nixon is stepping down after six years and will become president. Yogi Breisner and Jan Birch will be co-chairs. Management of Talland School of Equitation has passed to Pippa El Derby, Pammy and Brian Hutton’s daughter. Pippa said: “My parents have been my idols.”…

oscar.williams@futurenet.com @oscarw_dr LIKE many people nowadays, I enjoy being able to watch competitions online when I’m not riding or teaching. I had several pupils competing at the recent NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships, and it was a real luxury to sit down and follow their performances remotely. I’m not going to name names – there are too many to mention – but I have to say how genuinely impressive the next generation of riders is looking. So many exciting combinations came to the fore, and with champions crowned across the board, the future of British dressage looks bright. I’m old enough to remember when elementary was the top level at the winters – and yet this year, we saw young riders holding their own right up to inter I.…

How to follow H&H’S COVERAGE • Horse & Hound will be creating extensive online coverage of Badminton in addition to what will be included in the magazine report, including course photos, interviews, reports and daily video round-ups of the action, sponsored by NAF. • To keep reading after five articles, readers will need to buy a subscription either to the website or to the magazine. To buy a Horse & Hound website unlimited subscription, visit horseandhound.co.uk/join. Or, for great value, visit magazinesdirect.com/XHH-brandsite for a magazine subscription that includes unlimited website access plus the digital version of the magazine. If you are already a magazine subscriber, find out how to activate your website access at horseandhound.co.uk/subscription-benefits • 15 May issue: 26-page special report. VISITING BADMINTON • Visit badminton-horse.co.uk for tickets and…

IN 1952, the US Marines Corps bought a five-year-old Mongolian mare for $250 from a Korean racetrack. A small chestnut mare with four white socks and a white stripe, Reckless was trained to transport ammunition during the Korean War, learning how to step over munitions wires, duck incoming fire and ignore the sounds of battle. During the Battle for Outpost Vegas in March 1953, Reckless made 51 trips on her own from the ammunition supply point to the firing sites, carrying 9,000lbs of ammunition some 35 miles through open rice paddies and up steep hills, while artillery exploded at rates of 500 rounds per minute around her. She also carried wounded soldiers back down the mountain to safety, and was wounded twice herself, but continued to travel to and from…

HIGHLIGHTS 25–27 April BRITISH EVENTING (BE) Scotland chairman Grace Moran topped one of two novice sections with her own Dancing Leprechaun (Woody). The duo finished on their dressage score of 33. “I bought Woody from Trevor Smith in Ireland about five years ago. He cost pennies,” said Grace of the 12-year-old thoroughbred gelding. “He’s not a world-beater, but what he lacks in talent he more than makes up for in his willingness to please. He’s so versatile – my 10-year-old son rides him.” Woody even turned his hoof to handy pony last year. “I set up a course for our Pony Club and was told it was too difficult, so I rode Woody round to prove them wrong,” she smiled. The Scottish-based rider last won an affiliated event in 2014…

TYLA SCHOU claimed the prix st georges on her first outing with Laura Tomlinson’s Vivaldi son, Fallatijn Van Kairos. Tyla, a groom for Laura, was riding the 15-year-old grand prix gelding for Sophie Wallace, who hopes to aim “Finn” at Premier Leagues and internationals later this year. “It took me a few rides to get to know Finn’s buttons, but he’s so well-trained and easy,” said Tyla. “He gave me an amazing feeling in the warm-up, which I really enjoyed.” “He is so well-trained” TYLA SCHOU…

NPS SPRING FESTIVAL 26 April bethan.simons@futurenet.com NPS Spring Festival, Three Counties Showground, Worcs CLIBBERSWICK SPECIAL DELIVERY (Eddie) delivered the goods for his rider Morgan Matthews, six, topping the first Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) mountain and moorland (M&M) first ridden qualifier of the season. Morgan’s mum Marie Matthews purchased the island-bred Hollydell Hestin eight-year-old in 2022 as a lead-rein prospect. “He’s never had another rider; we did all his training from the ground on long-reins,” said Marie, who keeps Eddie on a DIY yard near their Coventry home. “They’ve grown and learnt together; when Morgan wanted to come off the lead-rein, he just stepped up to the job – there’s nothing he doesn’t do! He may be small in height but he’s huge in personality!” Morgan and Eddie had…

NICOLE MUSSON, who works full-time as a senior project manager in the defence sector, has successfully bred and competed Welsh section Cs for many years under the Corstan prefix; a stud that her parents began in the 1980s. More recently, Nicole has introduced Welsh section Bs to her breeding programme and having always admired Waxwing Persia (Marmite), a 10-year-old stallion by Eyarth Beau Geste, he joined her stud at the end of 2024. “I love his limbs, bone and substance. I begged Emma Burrow to let me borrow or buy him to use on my mares and she finally relented,” explained Nicole, who combines his stud duties with showing in-hand and under saddle. IN THE GENES Nicole showed Marmite, a previous HOYS and London International (LIHS) finalist, to take the…

ONE TREE HILL finally got his head in front on his 12th attempt when winning the maiden (no weight for age allowance) under Jack Stenhouse at Flete Park for trainer Louise Kittow and owners The Plainsfield Racing Club. “He’s been placed a few times and has always given me a good feel, but he just hadn’t quite managed to win, so he deserved this,” said Jack. “He enjoys this better ground and Louise has done a good job with him.”…

Share your news story Call 0330 390 6386 Email eleanor.jones@futurenet.com @ jones_eleanor_ OLYMPIC eventer Vittoria Panizzon said she is hugely relieved her four-year ban and fine for a missed human dope test, which was not her fault, has been entirely overturned – but the year she has lost is one she will never get back. The British-based Italian rider was suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping organisation (NADO) last year, as she was deemed to have failed to comply with the World Anti-Doping Association’s (WADA) athlete whereabouts scheme by avoiding testing. It applied to a single test rather than missing three, which is a different charge. Vittoria was not allowed to compete – her national suspension was mirrored by the FEI – so she missed a season including the Olympics. She…

WILLIE SHERET MBE THE much-loved showjumper, trainer and author, known for his mantra, “keep going clear”, died on 18 April, aged 96. Not defined by pronouncements or modern celebrity, Willie built a reputation that spanned decades through steadfast consistency, uncompromising standards and an instinctive understanding of both horses and people. He was a top rider and revered coach, a resilient working-class Glaswegian whose horsemanship transcended boundaries. He was best known for his 1975 triumph at the Horse of the Year Show, winning the Foxhunter final with St Corry. One of very few Scots to win it, it was the high-water mark of a competitive career forged not in privilege but through sheer application and years of hard-earned experience. The win was emblematic of Willie’s contribution as a rider, trainer and…

JUST over a year since eventer Caroline March died, and three years after she was paralysed in a cross-country fall, her brother Tom has finalised his next challenge to help fund research towards a cure for paralysis. Tom and his wife Piggy were among those who raised hundreds of thousands in the Cycle4Caroline challenge last year, but Tom is taking on the “Pedal 3 Peaks” alone. “Although we couldn’t save Caroline, perhaps we can make a difference and help others who suffer a spinal cord injury,” he said. “Since Caroline’s death, there have unfortunately been other riders who have suffered similar devastating injuries. “When you have someone with a spinal cord injury, you see what it does to their life. It transforms everything. “Like many, I was naive and thought…

jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald THESE days, there is a lot of money in showjumping as a sport, but it doesn’t necessarily buy you experience or education. When I was younger, I went to Pony Club, which is fantastic for children. There is so much focus on learning about management and anatomy, and I collected a jumper full of badges. I worry now that these routes into equestrian sport are dying a death. I live in Essex, in Area 40, and when I was growing up, we also had the great fortune of British Showjumping academy training. It was a National Lottery-funded initiative where you were invited to spend an entire day at a show centre with an accredited coach – such as Di Lampard or Alan Fazakerley. You’d have two lessons, one…

Need to know FORGELAND HYDE PARK Stable name: Will Breeder: Carol Jackson Owners: Guy Mears and his daughter Isabella Mears Wood Producer: Danielle Heath Sex: gelding Age: 14 Height: 158cm Breeding: by Kilvington Scoundrel out of Fernhill Park Best ridden results: thrice HOYS hack of the year (2019, 2021, 2023) and supreme horse (2023). Record six-time RIHS large hack winner (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), thrice hack champion (2018, 2019, 2022), twice reserve champion (2021, 2023) and once reserve supreme (2022). Six-time Royal Windsor large hack winner (2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). Also, twice HOYS champion intermediate (2018 and 2021), at RIHS intermediate champion (2018), thrice large intermediate at Windsor (2018, 2022, 2023), and twice champion (2022, 2023). OWNER ISABELLA MEARS WOOD “MY father and I had long supported…

IN humans, a person is said to be “choking” when the airway is obstructed, but in the horse world the term is traditionally used to refer to an oesophageal obstruction, and the airway is normal. We can only speculate as to why this confusion of terms has come about. The author wonders if it may derive from the – in retrospect bizarre – practice in Victorian times of giving whole eggs to horses. These were carried in the groom’s hand into the horse’s mouth and placed in the back of the throat. Not uncommonly an obstruction would occur, with the egg either stuck in the throat or in the upper part of the oesophagus. These horses were said to be “choking”, an all-encompassing term that did not, until further investigated,…

HIGHLIGHTS 25–27 April pippa.roome@futurenet.com @pipparoomeorkyle Cirencester Park, Glos “HE’S one of those horses that you can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning and ride,” said Sarah Bullimore after winning advanced section S on her nine-year-old home-bred Corimiro. The pair finished on their 26.3 dressage, following a confident performance across country inside the 6.54sec optimum time. “He jumped beautifully,” said Sarah, who added that changing the bit from a Waterford to a pelham has aided their performance. “Sometimes he likes to run and I’ve felt perhaps he hasn’t been quick enough to respond when I need to shorten. On the flat his transitions are so good, but sometimes in the cross-country the excitement takes over.” Sarah, who also scooped an open intermediate (OI) win with Corimiro’s half-brother, the…

ADDINGTON CPEDI/CDI 29 April–5 May oscar.williams@futurenet.com @oscarw_dr Addington CPEDI/CDI, Bucks CARL HESTER returned to competition at Addington CDI3* nine months after the Paris Olympics, where speculation over his retirement reached its peak. Despite some outlets suggesting he might step away from the sport he’s helped shape, Carl always insisted he wasn’t sure. Here, he delivered a clear answer, winning both the 17-strong grand prix (77%) and the special (76.94%) with his Olympic ride, Fame, 15. It was one of Fame’s owners, Fiona Bigwood, who gave Carl the gentle push he needed to get back between the boards. “Fiona quite rightly said to me, ‘What’s the point in having a horse like that if you don’t compete him?’” Carl explained. “That put me over a barrel a bit – but in…

“HE’S on quite a trajectory,” said Hawtins Stud owner and manager Judith Davis of Gijs van Vooren, who rode Hawtins Quattro (Q) on the horse’s inter I debut at Hunters Equestrian, Gloucestershire. The 12-year-old Quasar De Charry son has formed a formidable partnership with Gijs and produced a winning score of 74.12%. ONES TO WATCH “Gijs only started at advanced medium last year, but spent the winter schooling and training with Serena Pincus,” said Judith. “Q is very straightforward but a big-moving horse and has needed time to develop. Together, they’re flying. It will be interesting to see if he and Gijs go up the centre line for Belgium one day.”…

JUST six weeks into their affiliated career, William Eustace, 14, and Durrenmatt II (Dudley) are notching up the wins, claiming their third win in as many affiliated outings. The pair headed the prelim 4 at Speedgate Events, Kent, with 74%. “We bought Dudley last year, for jumping,” said William’s mum, Charlotte, of the 14-year-old Connemara gelding. “William trains with Emma McGurk and he’s developing a real passion for dressage. “They spent the winter turning Dudley into a little dressage pony. Dudley’s in his element; he and William really ‘get’ each other.” ONES TO WATCH…

CADLANVALLEY EL DORADO made producer Katy Marriott-Payne glad of the opportunity to show her own pony by landing the confined novice final and section title at just his second show. Katy has owned “Gavin” since a two-year-old. ONE TO WATCH “He’s lovely and really laid-back, so I’m really excited for him, but as he’s mine, we have no fixed plan and we’ll just see how we go,” said Katy of the five-year-old. Gavin is by Cadlanvalley Georgie Boy out of Cadlanvalley Royal Penny, making him a maternal grandson to Cadlanvalley Buzby, whom Katy rode to the HOYS M&M ridden championship in 2016.…

ONE of the youngest competitors at BSPS Area 4B was three-year-old Eleanor Carne who rode lead-rein show pony Hightopps Miss Minnie Me to earn her first-ever RIHS ticket and take the mini show pony championship, at their first show together, led by her godfather Martin Skelton. Minnie is on lease from Mandie Hobson to Eleanor’s mother Katherine for this season and has been at home with them all winter, building their partnership. “We saw Minnie at HOYS last season and were so excited at the chance to have her on lease. Martin has produced her beautifully. It was a special moment to see them all in the ring together and for them to take the championship was unbelievable,” said Katherine. Eleanor will turn four during RIHS week. FIRST RIHS TICKET…

HIGHLIGHTS 1–4 May jennifer.donald@futurenet.com @jen_donald Betfred Guineas Festival, Newmarket, Suffolk THE Flat season erupted with an astonishing weekend of top-n class sport, in which Godolphin landed the first two British Classics, plus the Kentucky Derby and Oaks in the US. The action began with the breathtaking sight of the finest three-year-old colts in full flight up Newmarket’s Rowley Mile for the highly anticipated Betfred 2000 Guineas. The Charlie Appleby-trained Ruling Court triumphed in the one-mile contest for jockey William Buick, effortlessly shrugging off a late challenge from the fast-finishing favourite Field Of Gold to score by half a length. This was a third win in the past four years in the colts’ Classic for owners Godolphin, whose highly regarded Shadow Of Light (Mickael Barzalona) and Tornado Alert (Silvestre de Sousa)…

BRC SEIB WINTER DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS, QUADRILLE AND EQUETECH DRESSAGE TO MUSIC 25–27 April BRC SEIB Winter Dressage Championships, Quadrille and Equetech Dressage to Music Championships, Arena UK, Lincs IT was almost a non-starter for junior rider Jessica Baldwin and retrained racehorse Highway Robbery. The Dick Turpin gelding took four hours and several attempts to load ahead of these championships. Nevertheless, persistence paid off. After their arena triumph in the junior novice, they flew to the top of the overall podium in the junior novice dressage to music (DTM). The floorplan, set to a Michael Jackson medley, showcased the thoroughbred’s medium trot and finished with an on-beat square halt to Bad. Highway Robbery came off the track in 2020, spending a few years “not doing much” until Jessica got him on…

MY father had a name for them when I was growing up: “pony women”. Women, that is, with a passion for ponies rather than horses. There was a prime example living on the hill above us; a lady called Penny, who lived alone with a good number of rather beautiful New Forest ponies that she bred herself. Penny was tall but she was also slender so riding these ponies, which were on the larger side for the breed, wasn’t a problem for her. She could often be found hacking around the village on her latest protégé, armed with a long schooling whip and speaking to them constantly in her distinctive quavering voice. AT one point one summer, Penny asked my mother if I would like to ride one of her…

WILLINGAPARK CLIFFORD The 20-year-old and Hazel Shannon have become the first combination to win Adelaide CCI5* four times, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2025. NIBELEY UNION HIT Myles Graham’s ride has been retired from top competition, aged 18. Myles and the Bell family’s “Una” won two team and one individual bronzes at youth Europeans. MCS MAVERICK Pippa Funnell’s former five-star ride is now being ridden by Piggy March; they finished eighth in the open intermediate at Osberton, their first event together, on 1 May.…

EQUESTRIANS have spoken out on the human side of dealing with a strangles outbreak, to help others going through similar experiences. Their stories are shared during Strangles Awareness Week (5–11 May). There were more than 260 lab-diagnosed cases recorded in 2024 by the surveillance of equine strangles scheme and more than 100 diagnoses already this year. The Mare and Foal Sanctuary in Devon is sharing the story of its 2015 outbreak, in which four ponies died, to tackle the stigma around strangles and encourage others to talk openly about it. Sally Burton, head of sanctuary care at The Mare and Foal Sanctuary, said 2015 was a “devastating year”. “Open conversations could help prevent suffering” SALLY BURTON “Our team is devoted to rescuing ponies, so it was unbearable for us to watch…

SENSE A non-horsey type watching a rider collect her mare’s first wee of the night in a bucket said: “I have never seen anything so weird.” Saves bedding, money and time, what’s not to like? PARENTING Best Dad Ever award to he who led his daughter around a 40cm lead-rein cross-country course, including through the water. We salute you, sir, and provide a virtual towel and warmed slippers. SENSE Overheard in a debate on matchy gear, a rider saying: “I match everything. Then when I fall off, it’s clear which horse is mine.” Well reasoned, that woman! DRESSAGE A rider shares a picture of herself and her horse caught mid-leap over an obstacle at a show. All good, you might think, except said obstacle was white boards and said show…

Email to hhletters@futurenet.com Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited. LIFE LEARNING WITH GCSEs looming for many, a thought for all the young people who thrive in the saddle, more than the classroom. What is learnt in the field – and the richness that horses and hounds can bring to your lives – far outweighs any grade that’s ever achieved. Sarah Battersby Bridport, Dorset HAVE YOUR SAY Do you feel strongly about an issue in the horse world? Write to H&H at hhletters@futurenet.com and please include your full name and address. “I hope dressage can show how it bene ts both horse and rider” MARGIE SHOOP LISTEN TO THE VET IN your feature, “A case for Dr Green?” (17 April), David Sinclair MRCVS states that “it’s always best to…

“WE never planned to breed a horse this big – or this good!” remarks Lizzie Baugh. It’s an elite clutch of riders that get to gallop on Badminton’s hallowed turf, but to make your debut on a home-bred is especially rare and precious. “Badminton has been a dream since I grew up watching Pippa Funnell, my absolute idol, riding there – I was a real eventing geek,” laughs Lizzie, who is now in the final stages of Badminton preparations with B Exclusive (Buzz). “It doesn’t feel real, and I don’t think it will until ‘Buzz’ is in one of those lovely stables.” It does read like a fairy tale: teenage girl teams up with gangly youngster, both born and raised on the family dairy farm. No one wants to buy…

“I’D admired Will from afar, never dreaming that I’d produce him one day. I knew that he was a stunning horse but I didn’t fully appreciate his quality and swagger until he walked onto the yard. He knew how beautiful he was. “Will’s not a fan of hacking, but once a week I’ll take him round the neighbours’ land to stretch his legs. At home, he likes his peace – unless you have a carrot – but put that browband on and he walks in the ring owning every bit of it. The bigger the crowd, the better. He eats up the atmosphere and loves every minute. “By our first show, we had formed a bond that just continued to strengthen – we found each other’s buttons. After that, each…

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• The 2025 Royal Windsor Horse Show runs 15–18 May. • Horse & Hound will be creating extensive online coverage of the show in addition to what will be in the magazine report. Our exclusive coverage will include all the major showjumping and showing competitions, plus breaking news from the ringside as it unfolds. • To keep reading after five articles, readers will need to buy a subscription either to the website or to the magazine. To buy a Horse & Hound website unlimited subscription, visit horseandhound.co.uk/join. Or, for great value, visit magazinesdirect.com/XHH-brandsite for a magazine subscription that includes unlimited website access plus the digital version of the magazine. If you are already a magazine subscriber, find out how to activate your website access at horseandhound.co.uk/subscription-benefits • In the 22…

IN 1914, a bay thoroughbred stallion with a distinctive white star travelled from his home on the Isle of Wight to the Western Front. Over the next four years, Warrior and his owner General Jack Seely commanded the Canadian Cavalry Brigade. Together, they experienced the full horrors of frontline war, including the bloodbath that was the first day of the Battle of the Somme, the muddy hell of Passchendaele and a crucial cavalry charge against the Germans at Amiens in 1918. Twice trapped in burning stables, buried in rubble and mud, and often subjected to intensive machine gun and mortar attack, Warrior became something of a legend for his uncanny ability to dodge bullets, heave himself from oozing mud and survive shelling. Warrior returned home to the Isle of Wight…

ADDINGTON marked the first domestic competition to fully implement the FEI’s new noseband measuring device. Stewards use it by sliding the tool under the noseband at the nasal bone – if it fits through, the noseband is deemed acceptable; if not, it’s too tight. Consequences depend on timing: before a test, riders can simply loosen the noseband; after competition, a failed check means elimination and a yellow warning card. Despite some concern ahead of the roll-out, riders at Addington reported no issues. “It’s not as bad as some people might think,” said Carl Hester. “It’ll be like a seat belt eventually – you won’t think twice about it.” Nikki Barker echoed that sentiment, calling it “a bit of a non-event”. She added: “It didn’t take long, it didn’t wind anyone…

IT was a family affair at Cockshot, Cheshire, where Donna Goodwin triumphed in the prelim 5 on her British Dressage debut with Meadow Banks Baby (Disney) – beating her daughter Melissa Jeffries and Disney’s full sister Faberlina, themselves winners of the prelim 4. “Melissa bred hers first, and I then borrowed the mare to breed mine,” said Donna, whose six-year-old Franklyn Sugar gelding is a year younger than his sister. “I definitely got the laid-back one, as Disney is a sweetheart.” Donna, whose 73.57% score with Disney was the highest of the show, had previously competed with E-Riders online dressage due to family caring commitments.…

EVA HENDY, 14, made the long journey from the furthest tip of Cornwall worthwhile by landing her first RIHS pass in the UK Ponies and Horses amateur ridden class with her mother Abby Jose’s seven-year-old Eagle Mountain Shadow. Abby has owned the Connemara gelding for two years, having purchased him unbroken. This season, the family hopes that the pair will also qualify for the RIHS in junior ranks. Though delighted, Abby admitted that an unlikely motivator she offered her daughter in jest to ease pre-class jitters was now making her a little apprehensive: “I joked last night in the lorry that if Eva qualified, she could throw a bucket of ice-cold water over me, so I also have that to look forward to.”…

AFTER falls at both Cheltenham and Aintree, Constitution Hill made his highly anticipated return at Punchestown, where he sized up against the Willie Mullins-trained State Man – also a Cheltenham casualty – for the Boodles Champion Hurdle. Eight-year-old State Man (pictured) dazzled, cruising into contention under Paul Townend to post his 12th Grade One success, more than four lengths clear of Champion Hurdle hero Golden Ace (Lorcan Williams) for trainer Jeremy Scott. The Nicky Henderson runner Constitution Hill, meanwhile, never looked comfortable with some stop-start jumping and he was eased home by James Bowen to finish fifth of the six runners and later reported by the vet to be “sore” after. Henderson and Bowen later combined to win the Ballymore Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle with smart youngster Lulamba, turning the tables…

THE sashes kept coming for East Yorkshire RC’s star junior, Lola Snowden. At her first BRC dressage championships, she and 10-year-old part-cob gelding, Yamas, maintained a quality standard throughout to trounce the competition in the DTM junior prelim and take an emphatic win in her junior intro 3 section with a 5% lead. This earned her the overall junior national champion sash. FIRST SASH “We’ve had him three years, but he originally came from a field after seven years of doing nothing, just growing up,” said Lola, who produces Yamas herself alongside trainer Joyce Fearn.…