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…

Looking for Halloween costume inspiration? Check out these 9 spooky ideas…

A skeleton riding a spider — and 18 other spooky horse Halloween costumes

Forget trick-or-treating — dressing your horse up as a ghost/joker/skeleton/Grim Reaper is the way to celebrate Halloween in style

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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.”

Article continues below…

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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

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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.

Continues below…

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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.

Continued below…

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.

Dear diary,

I’m a day late but Happy Halloween to you all. Several people have asked if I was going out trick or treating to celebrate, but to be honest, Halloween isn’t something that I can get behind. Not because of any issues with the concept of pagan worship — if treats were on offer, to be honest I’d worship at the altar of thoroughbred racehorses and yes, I am shallower than a paddling pool in the Nevada desert — but more because every day of my life is fright night; I live with my mother…

This time of year is worse than ever because whenever I am invited to the cult event Your Horse is Alive, mother goes into a spin, labouring under some bizarre view that the world will judge her horsewoman skills by the length of my nostril hairs and will remove her right to ride if I have fur, like anywhere. The fact that two minutes in her presence would confirm that the only thing she should be left in charge of is a rocking horse is clearly beside the point. I have to be de-furred, de-haired, de-moustached and de-moralised all in the name of mother’s pride: yep operation “from feral to fabulous” is well underway…

This year the person tasked with turning me from roan (I refute the fact that I am ginger-in-the-wrong-light) to seal pup grey was Aunty J. Aunty J is an individual who has clearly been a bad bad, bad girl in a previous life as she is the one tasked on a weekly basis with trying to instill some sort of ability into mini-mother and the pint-sized piebald pain in my posterior. What crime she committed to be saddled with such a herculean task one doesn’t even want to contemplate, but she’s clearly a very religious woman — she can oft be heard muttering “for the love of God, why me?” as she plasters an encouraging smile on her face (think air stewardess with rigor mortis), while the deadly duo massacre yet another circle.

Anyway, this week at least she got a treat, as she got to lay her hands on a real horse, one whose masculine physique was (at the time) cocooned under a three inch thick man-blanket while I wafted a moustache that Colonel Mustard would have been proud of rakishly in her general direction. Fast forward two hours and I have hair envy of Right Said Fred, the facial hair of a prepubescent Daniel Radcliffe and an ass colder than relations between Boris and Jeremy. It’s so cold my Hovis sausage has gone so far into hiding a US Seal team couldn’t find it. The few remaining lone cat hairs on my inner thighs are forlornly swaying like backing singers at a Kanye West concert — superfluous to requirement and painfully aware of their imminent demise; in my hair’s case because my mother’s middle name is Edward (think about it), and in the singer’s case — well Kanye, needs I say more…

Aunty J did have to phone she-who-has-a-fuse-shorter-than-the-career-duration-of-a-british-prime-minister and admit to having slipped while de-furring my back leg, and thus my leg lines are slightly lower than the morals of an alley cat. If all of you coming to see my at Your Horse is Alive could make an effort to point that out, I would be grateful — I have a mental sweepstake as to how fast I can get the mothership’s blood pressure into outer orbit. Plus, if you lot point it out, then she has to be polite which will mean I get to enjoy watching the muscles near her jaw twitch as she grits her back teeth and channels her inner Jaws (the bond villain not the fish — she’s not that good a swimmer). Whereas if I draw her attention to it then my life expectancy drops lower than the chances of us leaving the EU before my 30th birthday.

Not that I will probably live that long. Certainly not if Aunty Em McSnitch of Snitch-ville insists on posting videos of me manfully protesting the enormous civil rights violation that occurred earlier this week. Now, it’s worth bearing in mind several key facts here, because unlike Mother McJudgey (why I’ve gone all Scottish here I know not but bear with me), you should not jump to conclusions.

Firstly, in life there is a hierarchy. We might not like it but there is. Call it Darwin or Fred for all I care, but the reality is I’m more senior than the cowardly coblet — be it in years, talent or social standing. So thus, manky mane should NOT come in before me. Like ever.

Secondly, I am Celtic.The green blood of the Emerald Isle of my birth flows through my veins like water down the River Shannon. Thus, when I protest I do it in suitable style, conveying my ancestry as well as my angst; River Prance was my interpretative masterpiece and NOT as critiqued by some uneducated heathens “a mini-tantrum”.

Thirdly, and quite frankly most importantly, I have NO hair. I am NAKED. Equine Dougal looks like a walking pompom — he could house an entire family of field mice in his mane and his fur is thicker than he is. He could have stayed out a few minutes longer while I was fetched in and allowed to defrost like Olaf working on his suntan.

Continued below…

Hovis’ Friday diary: Women are impossible. Especially my mother

‘Many things make mother sad; the size of

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Thus, I think I was totally within my rights to protest. As for the allegations of “doing an impression of Puff the Magic Dragon” — I was not snorting I was swearing in fluent equine. Hey, if it’s ok for mother then it’s ok for me. For those of you who have viewed the video on my Facebook fan pages, then behold my moves.I’ve always told you Viagra has nothing on me — there’s the proof…

Talking of Viagra, I understand he’s coming to Your Horse is Alive next week so I look forward to it. Very few times in your life do you get to be in the presence of your hero, a world beater who has changed the very face of British Equestrianism. Don’t worry though — I’m sure he will handle it just fine…

Laters,

Hovis

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

Restrictions on the use of fireworks on private property in Scotland are among options being considered by a new review group.

The Scottish government announced an action plan on 29 October after its public consultation on firework use, which found 92% of more than 16,000 respondents felt there should be more control on how fireworks can be used.

As part of the action plan, a firework review group, made up of key organisations including animal welfare charity SSPCA, Police Scotland, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), has been set up to consider current legislation, and the “opportunity to explore” a number of options has been identified.

Proposed changes include the introduction of restrictions on the use of fireworks on private property, a notification system before fireworks can be used, tightening of the dates and times fireworks can be set off and the introduction of no-firework zones around locations such as retirement homes and hospitals.

Scottish community safety minister Ash Denham said: “The group will carefully consider how the current legislation around where and when fireworks can be used can be tightened to help ensure that people can enjoy fireworks safely and appropriately.”

A spokesman for the Scottish government said the introduction of a notification system would require those intending to use fireworks to notify a relevant authority, and the surrounding community, in advance of fireworks being set off.

“This would have the potential to lead to a reduction in the volume of fireworks being set off, and would ensure those who need to take preventative measures before firework displays, such as those with livestock or people with sensory issues adversely affected by fireworks, are able to do so,” he said.

Article continued below…

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The group is due to begin work “imminently” and will present its final recommendations to the minister in the summer of 2020.

Other actions announced in the plan include a campaign launched on 21 October with the SSPCA and the SFRS to improve awareness and understanding of the impact the legitimate use of fireworks can have on people and animals.

“The campaign encourages people to attend organised public displays, and is supported by a published list of public firework events across the country which is publicly available on the SFRS website. This is supported by a programme of communications run across social media, local press and radio,” said the spokesman.

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

Comedian Ricky Gervais is among those backing a struggling charity that specialises in rescuing mistreated and abandoned fly-grazed horses and ponies.

SAFE, which is based near Reading, Berkshire, has had to stop taking in new rescues after running low on funds.

The organisation appealed for help and its post was shared by Ricky — who is from Reading — on his Facebook page.

“We’re lucky we have a connection to him through his niece and he was decent enough to share the appeal for us,” said SAFE’s founder Alison. “We have had a few donations come in since, even from some people in the US.”

The charity’s appeal fund now stands at around £7,000 but Alison said the day-to-day running expenses are still mounting.

“We spend £300 a week on hay at the moment,” she said. “Although we don’t have any money, we never scrimp on top quality feed. Everything that we take in goes into quarantine, is strangles-tested and blood-tested and the vet is constantly out — it all adds up.”

The charity runs from basic premises that do not have running water.

“We have always had to ferry water in with a bowser,” Alison said. “I think people see us on social media and know we are a successful charity and they think we have rolling fields and lovely shiny stable blocks but it’s far from the truth. We do what we can with the limited resources we have but we have been struggling for a while.

“We are successful rehoming our horses and have found lovely homes for many of them but the equine crisis carries on.”

Alison reassured supporters that the charity is not closing, it does not urgently need to rehome horses and that support for the horses it has rehomed will continue.

“I have seen a lot of posts saying we’re closing — we’re not but we can’t take in any more until we have our funds sorted and are sure we’ve got enough to last the horses currently in our care through the winter,” she said. “Other than that, we are carrying on as normal.

Continues below…

‘We’re at capacity’: horse charity unable to carry on if horses aren’t rehomed

Volunteers say they have nine horses ready to go to new owners, and that they need to free up space,

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“If we do come across rescue cases we will work with the landowners to try and find somewhere for them, find another rescue or post on our Facebook page looking for homes. We will still do home checks but will not get involved financially, but we’ll still be at the end of the phone and email and Facebook messenger doing what we can to help people.”

Alison said what the charity needs more than anything is a regular secure income, and appealed to horse owners to sign up for a monthly donation of “just the price of one cup of coffee”.

“We have more than 10,000 followers on Facebook, so if they all did that we would be secure,” she said.

More about SAFE and options for donating can be found on its Facebook page or its website, where there is also a list of horses and ponies available for rehoming.

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

Enjoy some of our favourite updates from equestrian social media channels during the past week. From eventing mums flying around five-stars to a pony in a kitchen, it all happened on social media this week.

Don’t miss the exciting competition on this weekly page. Our favourite tweet each week will win either an Apatchy mini tablet case or an Apatchy cosmetic bag, personalised with your own initials. For more information about the competition and to find out who this week’s winner is, go to the bottom of this page.

Equestrian social media posts of the week

Hours of fun

This pony looks to be living the dream

When you win your first five-star

How sweet

Inspirational

The commentator should have fun with this one

Sarah Skillin

Possibly the BEST Team Chase name in history!!!

And congratulations to this week’s Social Media Post of the Week winner

Three five-star super-mums juggling babies and competing at Pau

If you like this, why not follow @horseandhound on twitter today?

Tweet of the week competition

The winner of the Horse & Hound tweet of the week competition can also be found by searching Twitter for #HHTweetOfTheWeek. The winner will receive an Apatchy mini tablet case (pictured left) or an Apatchy cosmetic bag (pictured below right), personalised with their initials.

Apatchy are designers and makers of bespoke lifestyle gifts. Their ranges include wash, cosmetic, travel and sports bags, which can be instantly personalised or customised without the need for sewing, gluing or ironing. To find out more about Apatchy’s unique personalised products and their wonderful gift wrapping service, visit www.apatchy.co.uk

Here are 12 hairy superstars we wanted to steal and take back to our own yards this show season…

1. Pillheath Prince Charming

Brook Kehoe and her own Welsh section B stallion secured their first ticket to Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) at the Royal Highland Show in July.

2. Ballagh En Vogue

The Hall family’s Welsh section D yearling was crowned M&M in-hand supreme and overall NPS silver medal champion at Lincolnshire County show.

3. Thistledown Snowstorm

As well as standing junior Heritage champions, Talia Aristodou and the nine-year-old Welsh section A stallion trotted to the overall reserve supreme M&M title at the 2019 Royal International Horse Show (RIHS).

4. Greenholme Warbler

Claire Wigley’s 15-year-old stallion came out of retirement this season to win his HOYS classes at both Lincolnshire county and The Great Yorkshire with Katy Marriott-Payne in the saddle.

5. Crusheen Shadow

The six-year-old Connemara and Abby Macey stood top of the RIHS junior ridden championship at Ponies UK spring classic.

6. Wells Reliance

The 11-year-old Shetland, owned by Harry Sleigh, clinched several titles during the season, including taking the Sanderson Trophy at the Royal Highland Show.

7. Southerton Jasper

Helen Jeans’ Dales took home a HOYS qualification and the section reserve at Derbyshire Festival with producer Jess Talbot.

8. Betws Onid

The three-year-old Welsh section A colt landed his first Cuddy ticket this season as well his section title at the National Welsh championships.

9. Stuffynwood Daffodil

The overall supreme at NPS Area 4 was clinched by Everett Hayes and Sarah Nobles big-moving Dales mare

10. Dunmere Glayvar

The Dartmoor stallion took his RIHS open ridden qualification at South Suffolk show.

11. Gloves Blakehill William

Ella Kivlochan rode her own Connemara gelding to clinch his Olympia place at the BSPS summer championships

12. Wagtail Echo

Karen Shield led the stunning youngster to land the foal championship at the NPS Area 4 summer show.

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