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 Olg

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 y

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. The multiple medalwinning para dressage horse, ridden by Denmark's Stinna Tange Kaastrup and Amanda Overga

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 fr

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. Bon mot of the week to the commentator when o

1) In racing parlance, what is a “store”? 2) What breed is the 2023 HOYS M&M ridden pony of the year Vynnes Magical Edition? 3) What does a penalty no 1 mean in polo? 1) Germany's Michael Jung and La Biosthetique-Sam FBW,2012 2) 600-700g, about half

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Sarah Jenkins Magazine Editor/Eventing/Pony Club Pippa Roome (07815442555) Website Editor Carol Phillips (0330 390 6598) News Editor Eleanor Jones (0330 390 6386) Features Editor/Polo/Riding Clubs Martha Terry (0330 390 6327

[email protected] @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

“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 togethe

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

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

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

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 Lit

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

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.”

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

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 h

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.

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 c

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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

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

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,

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 kn

BRITISH rider Harry Charles enjoyed an outstanding double, very narrowly missing out on an incredible four-timer, at the CSI5* Stuttgart German Masters. With the speedy Billabong Du Roumois, the 24-year-old finished second in the opening speed class,

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

“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 “Oliv

“HE'S amazing,” said Clare Hainsworth of Rudino, a PSG winner at King's Sedgemoor EC, Somerset. With her confidence lost after recovering from severe injuries, Clare was offered the schoolmaster on loan two years ago. “A horse reared and fell over ba

HIGHLIGHTS 17-19 November [email protected] @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

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

DURING his part-time showjumping career, Sefton managed five wins, seven seconds and 14 thirds. Clearly he had a zest for jumping ever since his first hunting experience as a youngster. All his riders agreed that Sefton could have made it as a top-cl

WHEN horses are trained for duty with the Life Guards, they are not only taken through the various levels of equestrian discipline and skills, but also run the gauntlet of people shouting, banging drums, throwing things and generally acting like a mo

AFTER retirement, Sefton went to live in the Home of Rest for Horses near Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire. He was far from ever being lonely, because there was a constant stream of visitors from all over the world wanting to meet him. Sefton al

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. Vicky Smith's coloured horse has joined Ciara Mullen in Ireland. Vicky and Bart won at both HOYS