‘There is only one way to jump a hedge and that is cleanly’, says Mike Felton, joint-master of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale. He tells Tessa Waugh how to make that happen

1. Know your obstacle. When you’re approaching a hedge there are three things to take into consideration: whether or not it has a ditch on the landing or take-off, the state of the ground, and whether it is clean, in other words, does it have wire in it or not?

2. It is a popularly held misconception that hedges should be jumped at speed, but if there is no wire and the going is relatively good, you can jump it like any other fence. You don’t need speed, you need impetus and impulsion. Think coiled springs and contained energy.

3. If you go too fast you will jump flatter, which is fine if the hedge is thin and wispy and you can brush through it, but not if it’s tall and thick.

4. If you go too fast and the going is heavy, the horse will struggle to get its feet out quick enough to take off and you have another ingredient for a crash.

5. Ditches in front of hedges again requires plenty of impulsion. Without it you will land in the ditch or fail to clear the hedge behind.

6. Ditches behind — less of a worry; if you and your horse have done the necessary to get over the hedge without incident, you will clear a ditch behind it too (as long as it doesn’t have a strand of wire in front of it).

7. Practise with your horse with a much smaller obstacle with a ditch towards, before putting them at a big obstacle with a ditch in front.

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8. Don’t ride for the weak bit of the hedge — aim for the stouter bit because your horse will jump it better.

9. Think of the farmer whose hedge you are jumping and use the gate if your horse won’t go. A small hole quickly becomes a motorway if everyone takes the easy option.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Police are appealing for information after someone grabbed a teenager’s reins while she was out riding in a woods.

Thames Valley Police have released a photo of a man they would like to speak to following the assault as they believe he may have “vital information”.

Investigating officer Patrycia Lesiakowska said she released the image as she believes this man may have “vital information”

The 15-year-old was hacking in Captain’s Woods in Chesham at around 4.30pm on 22 October.

She was approached by a man, shouting that she should not be there.

The girl apologised and turned to leave, but the man hit the back of her horse with a dog lead and grabbed her horse’s reins while continuing to shout.

He then grabbed the rider’s leg and tried to pull her off the horse, but she managed to stay on. She then saw another woman walking a dog through a field and the man ran off.

“I am releasing this image as I believe this man may have vital information about the incident,” said investigating officer PC Patrycia Lesiakowska, who is based at Amersham Police Station.

“This incident has left the victim feeling very shaken and I am keen to hear from anyone who has any information or who recognises this man.”

“You can contact us using our online form or by calling 101, quoting reference number 43190329163. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on their website or by calling 0800 555 111.”

The girl was not injured in the incident.

In case you missed her original story, you can read it here.

Our poor girl is 28, has horrible teeth, horrible feet and less than a 1 on the Henneke Scale.  Luckily, she landed at BHFER where Jo is being fed and treated often – with extreme care and diligence.

Please let’s help BHFER help this mare.  All donations are 100% tax deductible.  THANK YOU!

Today is the last day to help her… maybe some Halloween Starbucks money, or extra candy money for this poor starved mare!

If you receive this post via email, click here to donate!

HERE ARE PHOTOS OF HER FIRST WEEK AT BHFER – She had a bath, her teeth and feet done…lots of good food.   Does anyone know what her brand means?

Does anyone know anything about this brand? We hope to find out more about JO.

HERE SHE IS – TODAY.  WOW!!!!  A week of love, great food, excellent care and support.  Bravo BHFER!

They tell me that she is VERY vocal!  She wants to eat her mashes all day long!  BHFER is doing such a GREAT JOB.  Let’s help them, please!

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 WHITE CZECH GLASS PEARLS! Only $46!

I wear mine every day. They go with everything… and are perfect alone or layered! 8mm beads with a handcrafted sterling silver flower charm at crystal closure. 17.5″ To purchase, click here!

AMAZING JOCKEY MEDAL! Only $78!

I have one very similar (in photo) and I get compliments every time I wear it! These are jockey medals from Buenos Aires. This one has white enamel and is from 1952. Jockey name etched on the back. So cool! Looks great with silver or gold! Czech glass crystal beads with sterling star charm at crystal closure. 18.5″

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HANDMADE, ONE OF A KIND, STERLING SILVER BEAD NECKLACE! $425!

All of the beads on this necklace are sterling silver, hand made, HEAVY with a handmade sterling silver clasp and ring. I wear mine often (see pic) with these two other necklaces listed below. All one of a kind! This sterling necklace looks fabulous alone or layered. Dressed up or with jeans. 18″ (I do have two others that are slightly longer)

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Imagine the reaction if the top three horses at Burghley were all penalised with 15 penalties for missing a flag across country — and so lost their places — especially if all three were considered by the eventing community to have jumped the respective fences sufficiently, albeit at odds with the requirements of the current controversial rule.

This is what happened at Fair Hill, the biggest autumn international in the USA, and understandably the public were outraged. The officials have been put in an impossible position, implementing a rule that, as a body — the International Eventing Officials Club (IEOC) — they oppose.

The FEI eventing committee has made changes to the wording for 2020, but these will not avert a repetition of Fair Hill; their rule still does not allow a horse’s outside front leg to displace a flag.

The FEI eventing committee is made up of six people, one of whom is a rider representative. A couple of years ago, after unanimous discontent over another important decision made without consultation, the committee asked the rider rep to set up a working group of experienced riders to provide feedback on proposals. I was asked to chair this group.

Over the past 14 months I have had over 200 hours of meetings with officials, riders, national federations, fence judges and broadcasters over the 15-penalty rule.

Do we judge style?

The rider group, in conjunction with the Eventing Riders Association, the IEOC and, crucially, 15 national federations, have written to the FEI explicitly supporting an alternative rule that tolerates the outside forelimb displacing the flag. Despite this and our attempts to work with the FEI, the key part of it has so far been rejected by the committee.

At the heart at the issue is whether “style” should be judged across country. The committee have indicated that a jump that is further within the flags should be rewarded over one that is closer to the edge, even when both are “clear” in the traditional sense.

Another difference is that the FEI rule relies on a retrospective video review involving drawing lines on screens, whereas the stakeholders’ proposal is clearer to the fence judge, rider and spectator in real time — if the outside forelimb makes contact with the flag, then all is OK, as long as the back end has jumped the height of the fence.

In other sports, reviews are only workable if the action can be stopped while a decision is made — imagine the outcome of a rugby match being reversed as the crowd are leaving because a try was retrospectively overturned. Under the FEI’s flag wording, the leaderboard often changes after the last horse has crossed the line, which damages the presentation of the sport to the public — a key FEI priority.

Public thinking and the FEI are totally out of sync. If we continue with the FEI rule, ground juries will either refuse to enforce it or we will see decisions which create a public outcry as big prizes are wrongly awarded.

The dramatic alteration to the Fair Hill podium proves how much we need to fix this before the Olympics next year. The rule, in whatever form, will be written into stone at the FEI General Assembly in two weeks’ time. Let’s hope they don’t ram through an unwanted and unworkable rule against the advice of the national federations.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons will play Sir Henry Cecil in a film about Frankel’s extraordinary career.

The British film star won the 1991 Academy Award for best actor in a leading role for his portrayal of Claus von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune.

Jeremy Irons. Credit: GTRES/PA Images

Frankel, produced by Eclipse Films, will chart the career of the unbeaten superstar. It will also focus on the bond between the horse and his late trainer.

“This is the story of how [Sir] Henry in his autumn years fought failure and illness to make Frankel the greatest champion racehorse of all time,” states the film’s synopsis.

“Unbeaten in all 14 starts, winning all the honours and bowing out with an emotional victory in front of a capacity crowd at Ascot. The connection between Henry and Frankel was almost spiritual.

“They had a bond and connection: it was as if Frankel seemed to understand everything that [Sir] Henry was telling him to do, and [Sir] Henry credits Frankel for pulling him through some of his darkest moments… Frankel was his second lease of life and they made history together.”

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The Queen unveils Frankel statue at Royal Ascot

A bronze statue of Frankel was unveiled by The Queen on the opening day of Royal Ascot

The film is produced by Eclipse Films, directed by Ron Scalpello and produced by John Sachs, Andrew Berg, Jeremy Irons and Kimberley Sachs. The script is written by Jim Piddock, who is also the executive producer.

Andrew Berg and John Sacs told screendaily.com that Jeremy was the “first choice” to play Sir Henry and that he has a “genuine love of horses”.

Sir Henry saddled 25 British Classic winners in his career, including Frankel, and also had a record 75 Royal Ascot wins.

The film’s release date and the actor who will play Frankel’s jockey, Tom Queally, are yet to be revealed.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

An equine photographer with some “tricks up her sleeve” got into the Halloween spirit with the assistance of some helping hands and hooves.

Amy Lathrope-Reid, owner of Indy Equine Photography, teamed up with rider Sophie Seymour and her 16-year-old Danish warmblood Odin, for the photoshoot on 21 October in Old Sodbury, Bristol, after Amy had a cancellation.

“I didn’t want to waste the day so I thought maybe I could squeeze in a shoot and Sophie said she was up for it,” self-taught photographer Amy told H&H.

“I put a post on Facebook to try and find a dressmaker in the area. Someone tagged Hoof Hearted Embroidery, which is based at a venue I photograph at all the time but I had no idea they did dressmaking, I couldn’t believe it. I had all these ideas but in my head but I didn’t know if I was going to pull it off in a week but they saw my vision and the dress was made in four days.”

Amy roped in the assistance of Sophie’s groom, Caroline Pederick, who painted Odin for the photoshoot.

“When I told Sophie I wanted Odin painted she said Caroline is an artist. She had never painted a horse before,” said Amy.

“I made a crown for Sophie to wear using wooden skewers and spray-painted old Christmas decorations with the help of YouTube tutorials.”

The photoshoot was due to take place on the Saturday (19 October) but disaster struck when it was rained off.

“Monday was the last day I had available and thankfully Sophie and Caroline were free and we had the help of Leah Wren, who assisted me on the day. I couldn’t get a make-up artist so between Sophie and I we did her make-up with the help of online videos,” said Amy.

“It felt very touch and go whether it would all come together in time. It took three hours to paint Odin and everything took so long that we only had an hour of light left to do the actual shoot but it went incredibly. Odin really is the most beautiful horse to photograph with. He reared on command for some of the shots – we had no idea he would do it, it was pure chance and he was happy to help.”

Amy said she has some useful “tricks up her sleeve” when it comes to photographing horses.

“I have an odd ability of making realistic horse noises with my own voice and can do random sounds like car alarms and dolphins. I sometimes have horses whinny back to me – it’s so funny. The noise I can make is quite high-pitched and sounds like a little pony; if there are ever horses nearby in a yard or something I’ll often have ponies whinnying back too,” she said.

“I’ve also found using sheep noises help get their attention or I’ll have an assistant hold a reflector which will make the horse look in the direction I need them to.”

Amy said her Facebook page “exploded” after she posted some of the pictures from the photoshoot.

“The amount of comments we’ve had has been amazing – I can’t believe how many people liked the pictures. This has to be one of my top shoots,” she said.

“I really wanted to pull it off and I’m so grateful to everyone who helped make it come together, I’m ecstatic.”

Article continued below…

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Amy launched her own photography workshops this year, for which Sophie models, and has more planned for 2020.

“Sophie is so brilliant to work with. She’s a great rider and does a lot of team-chasing and eventing; she is happy to do things like ride bareback or without a bridle – it’s a great partnership,” said Amy.

“I’ve had some ideas I need to hone in on for an exciting Christmas shoot I’m hoping to do so we’re looking forward to that.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

A documentary charting the story the Peckham teenager Khadijah Mellah, who made history at this summer’s Glorious Goodwood, will air on ITV the weekend.

Khadijah, 18, stormed into the history books when she won the Magnolia Cup at the Sussex racecourse on 1 August.

She first sat on a racehorse just four months previously and the Magnolia Cup marked the first time a person had raced in a hijab on a British racecourse, with her victory making her the first British Muslim woman to ride a winner on UK soil.

Riding A Dream, produced by UnVeil Arts, will be shown on ITV at 11.45am on Saturday (2 November) — directly after the Rugby World Cup final.

“A big part of my life has been proving people wrong,” said Khadijah, who won the charity race aboard the Charlie Fellows-trained Haverland.

“I am thrilled that I am part of a shift in social understanding of what women can achieve and what they can be good at. There’s quite a stereotype around Muslim girls and them ‘not being able to follow their sporting dreams’. I want to be a role model to anyone who wants to do something that they wouldn’t initially believe was in their comfort zone and allow people to follow their aspirations and dreams.”

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‘Horses bring me immeasurable happiness’: Peckham teen makes history with Magnolia Cup glory

The 18-year-old became the first woman to race in a hijab in Britain with her winning ride in Goodwood’s Magnolia

Oscar winner to play legendary trainer Sir Henry Cecil in Frankel film

‘This is the story of how [Sir] Henry in his autumn years fought failure and illness to make Frankel the

The documentary follows Khadijah’s journey from Ebony Horse Club in Brixton, where she learnt to ride, through the challenges she faced while preparing for the race — including fasting during Ramadan, preparing for her A-levels and making the jump from riding in a school to galloping racehorses.

“Growing up in Peckham with no real connection to horses before she started riding at Ebony Horse Club, Khadijah’s fairytale story broke down barriers and stereotypes and proved that there are no limits to what you can achieve when you put your mind to it,” states the synopsis from ITV.

“Hers is a story that not only impressed a nation but also inspired the world.”

For a full interview with Khadijah, don’t miss today’s issue of Horse & Hound (7 November).

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

British Eventing (BE) membership prices, entry and start fees, prize money and abandonment insurance are all set to increase next season – as the organisation looks at “revamping its membership offerings”.

BE has contacted members to tell them the cost of full, owner, syndicate and corporate memberships is to rise by £5 – the first increase since 2014.

Entry fees and the upper limit of start fees are to go up by 1.98%, with prize money going up by the same amount, while abandonment insurance is also to go up, “as a result of high levels of claims and a reduced number of underwriters willing to insure against the weather”.

Day pass and supporter membership, rider and horse day passes and horse season tickets will remain the same price, and there will no longer be a £15 fee for new horse registrations.

BE CEO Jude Matthews said BE and the British Event Organisers Association (BEOA), had agreed a formula for calculating any increase in entry fees, which was “designed to reflect the increasing costs an organiser incurs year on year”.

“BE had asked the BEOA to consider a freeze on entry fees for 2020, but the BEOA felt it was not possible to maintain the high standards of event that BE requires and support a freeze in entry fees,” she said.

“We are committed to providing the membership with top quality, safe, and fun competition opportunities, but we know members find the costs of competing high, and we are committed to looking at ways that this can be managed. We will continue to work with our organisers to ensure that we provide great sporting opportunity for members, whilst maintaining viability for organisers to run.”

Ms Matthews said that in the 10 years since abandonment insurance was launched, claims had totalled £5.4m, with an extra £633,000 this year.

She said members had asked about making the cover optional but if this were the case, premiums would increase as only events with higher risk of abandonment would insure.

“It would also become increasingly difficult to find an underwriter prepared to accept the risk of higher levels of abandonment,” she said.

“The BE team works hard to manage the insurance premiums, including monitoring levels of abandonment at each event, and structuring the calendar such that the events in the earlier and latter part of the year are more weather tolerant,” she added.

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“There is a strict process in place when events abandon, which helps to reassure our insurers and therefore manage the premiums levels.”

The insurance cover is rising by between £2 and £3 for BE80(T) to novice, £3.70 at intermediate level and £5.03 at advanced.

Ms Matthews said some members may believe the increase is to fund BE’s IT project but that this is not the case, this has been funded from reserves, and that BE has “worked hard to keep the increase to an absolute minimum”.

She added that BE is looking into revamping its membership options for 2021.

“It will be focussed on offering a range of memberships that are more targeted to each of our membership groups, and we will be working with our stakeholders on this exercise over the coming months,” she said.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

We love the summer, with longer days and better weather – but we’re pleased to see winter too. Here’s why…

1. We can wave goodbye to summer problems, such as sweet itch, constant flies and sunburn.

2. Indoor competitions start up again — no more hard ground!

3. Did we mention the flies?

4. Riding on a cold, crisp winter’s morning, when it’s just cold enough to make your cheeks glow and there’s a cup of hot chocolate with your name on it for when you get back, is one of life’s very special pleasures.

5. A clipped, rugged horse can often be easier to keep clean in the winter than a naked one in the summer.

6. You can’t be disappointed by the weather, only pleasantly surprised.

7. Summer kit is all very well, but you’re always secretly pleased to see your proper coats, breeches, thick socks and gloves again. Plus, you’ve now got a good excuse for a new pair of boots.

8. A long ride, followed by comfort food. Toast and jam. Soup. Jacket potatoes. Need we say more? Also, you’ve heard that you burn more calories in cold weather which obviously completely cancels out any extra biscuits.

9. Leaving your horse tucked up with rugs and hay, and heading home to pyjamas, furry throws, a log fire and a box set.

10. Final release from the frizzy hair that’s plagued you all summer. ‘Hat hair’ is generally much better in winter, too.

11. Coming home from the yard on a dark winter’s night and having time to take a long, hot bath as it’s only 6.30pm.

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17 rug hacks to transform your winter

Heaving wet rugs across the yard and attempting

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12. Christmas! What other time of year do you get to cover your horse in tinsel and dress up as an elf to go or a hack, without anyone raising an eyebrow?

13. The January sales. It’s a well-known fact that it’s actually impossible to have too many outdoor rugs/winter coats.

14. We’re not sure whether we remembered to mention it, but the lack of flies. In fact, the lovely, lovely lack of all things buzzing, biting and stinging, and no longer having to spend what feels like £20 a week on fly spray.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Charlotte Dujardin has beaten Isabell Werth to win the grand prix at this week’s World Cup qualifier in Lyon, France.

Charlotte rode Emma Blundell’s nine-year-old Mount St John Freestyle to score a shade under 80% and win the class by a comfortable margin, with every judge having her at the top of the leaderboard.

“I was really pleased with the whole test — it was pretty much a clear round, and Freestyle tried really hard. It’s not often I watch my test back and I’m pleased with it but I am today,” Charlotte, who earned 79.98% with the Fidermark mare, told H&H.

“This is her first time doing the indoor season and we didn’t even do an arena walk as it was so late last night, but Freestyle wasn’t spooky at all.”

Her scoresheet featured plenty of nines, for movements including the extended trot and canter, half-passes, both sets of tempi changes and the right pirouette.

Germany’s triple world and European gold medallist Isabell Werth posted 77.83% to finish second on the 13-year-old Ehrenpreis gelding she has won here with for the past two years, Emilio 107. Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Zaire-E took third on 76.44%, also for Germany.

This is Charlotte’s first time seriously contesting the World Cup series since she won back-to-back titles with Valegro in 2014 and 2015.

Continues below…

Watch Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro’s winning Rotterdam dressage freestyle

Watch their winning freestyle dressage to music performance

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It was also her first international appearance since she and Freestyle were eliminated following their grand prix test at the European Championships in August, after blood was found on the mare’s flank, but Charlotte said that the events in Rotterdam were not on her mind here.

“I felt no apprehension at all — I didn’t have any of that in my head,” said Charlotte. “I just wanted to go in and have another good crack at the test.”

The pair will contest the grand prix freestyle tomorrow, which forms the World Cup qualifier. They will ride at 6.20pm (5.20pm UK time) to their new music, which they debuted at Hartpury in July with over 86%, but have not had the chance to ride to since.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.