Eventer Emily King is looking forward to her move to Cheshire, to base her operation with her boyfriend, fellow event rider Sam Ecroyd.

Since making the decision to ride professionally, Emily has been based with her mother, top rider Mary King, in their Devon yard, but she is due to make the “big leap” this summer.

“He’s got a business up there so I’m setting up at his yard,” she told H&H. “I’m going to be taking on the northern circuit!”

And although Emily said the change will be a big one for her, she explained that she and Mary have always done “everything separately” with their horses in Devon, despite the fact they share the same yard, so it will not be as much of a difference as some might have thought.

“The only real change is that we won’t be travelling together to competitions any more,” she said. “Everything will be the same at home and we’ll still be at all the same events. It’ll be a different location, but everything else very similar!”

Emily said the aim is to make the move towards the end of July.

Continued below…

Sam, 21, has enjoyed international success up to three-star level, including riding on teams for Britain.

He was on the gold medal-winning team at the 2010 pony European Championships, following this up with team bronze and individual silver the following year.

Emily cited the move as one of the reasons the previous owner of Langford Take the Biscuit had to sell the six-year-old gelding, which sparked Emily’s successful crowdfunding campaign. Donors contributed the £40,000 necessary to buy the horse to allow Emily to keep the ride.

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

In this week’s edition, out on 24 May, don’t miss our “cob special”, including how to find the perfect cob, meet champion cob Our Cashel Blue and more.

Chiara is now on a three-week break whereby she enjoys her time in the field with regular grooming and pampering in the form of massages and physio.

One serious issue came to light at Windsor which was that neither her numnah nor her girth was doing her any favours with rubs in strategic places. This is not as easily rectified as it might seem; everything will now have to be checked, the saddle refitted, new numnahs (pure orthopaedic wool, of course) and establishing why her very expensive girth rubs and what the solution would be. She is so fine skinned that perfection is really the only option and these issues only show up after she has covered a considerable distance.

Pretty Chi at Windsor

Last weekend I helped at the iconic Golden Horseshoe ride on Exmoor. This time last year, I was at the same place but the difference was immeasurable. The biggest factor to cause this difference was the weather (pictured top in the rain in 2015). Last year was typical ‘Horseshoe weather’; rain and wind and not very warm. But this year it was like being on another planet with warm sunshine and a light breeze, perfect conditions for endurance.

The largely dry weather leading up to the event meant that the going on Exmoor, often really difficult, wet and deep; was pretty much as good as you can get, resulting in several of the coveted ‘Golds’ being awarded in both the main 160km Horseshoe class and the 120km Exmoor Stag class.

For me this weekend was a chance to give a little back to our sport and do what many of us endurance riders do; volunteer to help the busy, overworked organisers. Actually it was fun! I got to do car parking (again), help with the very large pleasure ride class and actually judge for an award as well as covering the Facebook feed. It was almost a holiday with the aroma of sunscreen prevailing over the usual smell of eau de horse!

The tort-up at the Golden Horseshoe

With being away three weekends in a row, the washing builds up and the heap on the chair gets correspondingly deeper; you know when you have a pile of clothes which you’ve worn perhaps an hour and then needed to change for a different task. These clothes, while not really dirty enough to warrant a trip to the washing machine, are not clean enough to return to the depths of the wardrobe or over-stuffed chest of drawers. This is something I have always struggled with and, as I look at the heap of clothes on my chair, I am beginning to wish that I could just stick to one colour scheme because none of these items can be worn with another one: orange is the competition colour, grey is my sponsor’s colour, red and navy some of my favourite Team GBR kit and deep pink which is my best colour (yes, I have had my colours done, darling!): decisions…

A competitor at this year’s Golden Horseshoe in the sun

Today I was a little short of time and decided to take Dilmun and Fantom out together, riding Dilmun and leading Fantom. About a mile or so from home I had an incident with a horse lorry. These are very narrow, very quiet Cornish lanes and this lorry drove to within a metre of us, tailgating us down the very steep lane even though they could see I was going to pull into a driveway some 20 metres away. We shot in sideways while said lorry roared past hooting and this was a HORSE lorry. What is wrong with people?

Training has now focussed on Fantom in an effort to improve his strength and fitness which, despite his successful completion of a 40km ride, still leaves ongoing work if we are to contest a one-star towards the end of June. This competition in Norfolk is intended to be in part a test to see if he has overcome his ‘tying up’ problem and partly to just enjoy for its own sake and be competitive. I have now added an ulcer remedy to his diet as it is probably the only thing I haven’t done as a tying up prevention. He does, however, appear to be having a little ‘down’ patch at the moment and has reverted to his ‘super slug’ status and training sessions are a bit of an effort. However, it is extremely hot and humid here in the far west and I am hoping this is just due to the weather.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

The dry weather has transformed daily life at Watergate Endurance mainly because there is no mud! However, instead of the obligatory mucking out of stables and field shelters, poo picking is now one of the largest tasks. I had a pleasant surprise this evening when I found that the ‘poo fairy’ had been and miraculously transformed one of my paddock areas into an almost manicured lawn (well, perhaps not quite manicured, but certainly an improvement): thank you Emily (Wiz’s jockey).

Annie

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

In this week’s edition, out on 24 May, don’t miss our “cob special”, including how to find the perfect cob, meet champion cob Our Cashel Blue and more.

A beloved veteran gelding has been put down as a result of injuries sustained while being chased by a dog.

Claire O’Kane’s two Arab horses and loan pony were turned out in their field in Bedfield, Suffolk, when the incident took place.

The dog, believe to be a bull terrier, entered the paddock and chased the horses for around 15 minutes.

Claire was working at the time, but her neighbour spotted the horses being chased and informed Claire later that day (19 April).

Although Claire checked the horses in the dark that evening, it wasn’t until the next morning that the full extent of the injuries became apparent.

Her retired Arab, Mirshid al Nowak, was left very lame and following a vet inspection it was decided it was kindest to put him to sleep.

Claire’s other Arab, Qasaria, and Welsh section A pony, Thistledown Emma, were not injured, but Claire is “worried sick” the dog will get into the field again.

“They’ve only got to be chased and run into a fence and they could be seriously injured,” she told H&H.

“My neighbour said the dog was so out of breath it was drinking from the horses’ drinkers. I don’t know what the owner was doing.”

Claire contacted police and hopes the dog’s owner can be traced.

She said Mirshid was “completely priceless and irreplaceable”.

The pair competed at the Arab Horse Society National Show, as well as enjoying dressage, long-distance rides and jumping prior to his retirement.

“He was a very good all-rounder and a best friend,” said Claire.

“He introduced my two children to horses and was so gentle and kind. I couldn’t have wished for a greater horse, he was the king of our yard.”

A spokesman for Suffolk Police has issued an appeal to trace the dog’s owner.

Continued below…

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/wp-content/themes/keystone-theme/shortcodes/js/collections.js

“The dog is described as brown/fawn bull terrier and was with a woman, thought to be the owner,” he said.

“Police are reminding dog owners to take appropriate steps to keep their pets under control as they are responsible for them and their conduct when out walking.”

Witnesses or anybody with any information are urged to contact Suffolk Police by calling 101 quoting reference 24194/18 or use the online reporting link http://www.suffolk.police.uk/contact-us/report-something

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

In the latest edition (24 May), don’t miss our “cob special”, including how to find the perfect cob, meet champion cob Our Cashel Blue and more.

From Broomstick the skinny thoroughbred who liked to take off, to the German-bred Kraut, some funny horse names are so bad, they’re unforgettably good…

1. Houdini

Obvious reasons, found wandering around the stable yard.

2. Bunny Killer

Real name Murphy but nick-named Bunny Killer as he trampled some rabbits to death in his field.

3. Badly

Always amusing to hear: “next in, we have Jo Bloggs riding Badly”…

4. Clear So Far

Talk about jinxing every jumping round and being condemned to a life of having the first fence down.

5. Prudence

She opened gates, her stable door, untied ropes, went into the feed room and flipped up lids, and even climbed through electric fencing. But she always weighed up the pros and cons of her actions so she never got hurt.

6. Bandit

A Shetland pony. He was very naughty and always up to mischief. A perfect match for his name.

7. Hannibal Lector

Used to kill rats in his stable. Also one day turned to the horse in the stable next door and bit its tongue out.

8. Snoreen

He actually snores when he’s asleep. It’s hilarious.

9. Puff

This little grey pony farted a lot at Pony Club.

10. Wotsit

We could never remember his name. We’d say “Y’know, what’s his name”, and eventually Wotsit stuck.

11. Lucky Strike

Turned out to be a ringer. Not such a lucky strike!

12. Trauma

He had a difficult birth. Life was a bit of an uphill struggle for him with that name.

13. Heidi

A 12hh Welsh mountain pony. She was palomino with long blonde locks.

14. Nipper

A 14.2hh New Forest/thoroughbred who used to mistake hair for hay.

15. Spirit Of Independence

She was born on 4 July… Independence day. But she was certainly a ‘free spirit’ and would ditch her rider at any given opportunity.

16. Pants

His actual stable name is Smartie, but somewhere along the line this evolved into Smartie-pants, then just Pants. Cue funny looks calling his name at shows.

17. Broomstick

A skinny bay thoroughbred who liked to take off.

18. Frog

He was imported from France.

19. Kraut

She was German-bred.

20. Treasure

A 12hh Welsh chestnut mare and a total pain in every way possible. Banned from Pony Club. Had a nasty rearing habit. Not a Treasure in any way, shape or form.

21. VIP

Which has, bizarrely, been elongated for his stable name into Very Important Peanut — or Peanut if we’re feeling lazy.

22. Hoarse

A Canadian horse with a minor respiratory problem. Bit of a cruel name, but also inspired.

23. OP

He’s ginger and it stands for Orange Pony. He is even freezmarked OP.

24. Horsey McHorseFace

A racehorse named after Boaty McBoat Face. He is now in training in Australia.

Continued below…

25. Massey

She was hugely fat when she arrived, so she got called Massey (as in Fergurson) before anyone checked the name in her passport.

26. Fab

She isn’t. She’s just generally angry about life and likes to make her feelings plain.

• Does your horse have a funny name? Let us know by emailing hheditor@timeinc.com and we may add it to our list…

Teenage showjumper Olli Fletcher has soared into the record books as the youngest ever winner of an Area Trial.

These 1.50m classes are some of the most prestigious on the national circuit and always a highly competitive affair, so when 15-year-old Olli, son of the great showjumpers Graham and Tina Fletcher, was handed the red ribbon at Wales and West last weekend (18-21 May), it was a truly momentous moment for the whole family.

“The first round asked plenty of questions and it wasn’t over until you’d jumped the last, but the jump-off was smooth and flowing,” says Olli, who was riding the 15-year-old former eventer KBIS Caicos.

“He’s amazing, lovely to ride and has so much scope that every fence is like jumping a vertical.”

Olli would love to follow in his mother’s footsteps and win the Hickstead Derby, but his immediate aims are a place on the junior European jumping team and a tilt at the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at the Royal International.

“I’d love a crack at the Derby, but rules say I’ve got to wait three years until I’m 18,” says Olli. “Caicos has already jumped it with [former rider] Alfie Bradstock and although he’s 15 now, he thinks he’s seven.”

Olli’s father Graham reckons he didn’t win his first Area Trial until the age of 16, so son Olli is already giving him a very good run for his money.

“To win a Trial at his age is a great achievement,” Graham told H&H. “Your only hope as a parent is that your children do better than you, and, with the right rub of the green, I think he could go on to do very well.

“I’d say Olli is a pretty similar personality to me – a bit cocky and, like my Dad had to do to me, sometimes I have to keep him in check! But I would say his riding is a lot more stylish than mine was, but I think every rider has to be nowadays just because of the type of horses they’re riding. The courses back then were a fair bit gutsier and tougher, too — you had to ride with a bit more vigour, shall we say!”

Continued below…

Don’t miss the full report from Wales and West in next week’s issue of H&H, out Thursday, 7 June.

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

World number one showjumper Harrie Smolders has bought a one-third share in the British-produced six-year-old stallion Escape Z.

The son of the Dutchman’s Olympic partner Emerald was bred in Holland by Willem van Hoof and has been produced in the UK since a three-year-old by Danielle Ryder.

In 2016 he claimed the national four-year-old title at Addington and last year was named leading five-year-old stallion at the world young horse championships in Lanaken.

The 166cm (16.1hh) chestnut will remain in the UK with Danielle — who along with his breeder Willem retains a one-third share — to produce for the next year and a half.

“I am often away from home and he would not get enough exercise at my place. He has to keep up with his peers, no more. Hopefully he will be the successor of his sire Emerald,” Harrie said.

“He is a very remarkable horse. I believe that he has great quality and enough power to cover wide oxers. I am always looking for horses like that. As long as they have something exceptional, the right instincts, things you can not change as a rider.”

Danielle said Harrie — who claimed a European individual silver medal last year with the British-produced stallion Don VHP — had confidence in the UK’s young horse system.

“Harrie has known the horse for a year and a half and followed him since he did his first international shows as a five-year-old, then he saw him jump at Lanaken on the z-tour and he approached us from there,” Danielle said. “He will ride him a few times over the next two years and then take him over as an eight-year-old. He knows Willem well and trusts us 200%.”

Danielle, who runs Sports Horse Direct, has been sourcing horses from Willem for 14 years and believes Escape Z is the best to have passed through her hands.

“We’ve had a feeling from the horse from the beginning,” she said. “I always believed in him, Harrie believed in him before he rode him and when he sat on him he said he was even better than he thought. He can make power from nothing.

“He’s a simple horse to ride because he’s so balanced and easy in his character. I can collect [semen] off him in the morning and go to a show in afternoon, but in the ring he’s a fighter — he only ever sees the jumps and is totally focussed on his job.”

Continued below…

Escape Z has some superb competition bloodlines, being out of the mare Promesse (Heartbreaker x Cathargo), who is also the dam of the popular five-star grand prix stallion Untouchable 27.

Escape has already made a mark on the breeding world, having served 70 mares last year. His foal Escape The Opposition was awarded the best show jumping foal at the BEF Futurity, achieving the highest points of any age and any category in 2017.

As well as continuing with stud duties, the AES and Zangersheide-approved stallion will be aimed at newcomers second rounds this year and will also contest the six-year-old classes at Lanaken.

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

Sponsorship is getting increasingly difficult to secure for riders at all levels. Whether you’re competing at four-star or just starting to make your way up the grades, sponsorship and its allocation to you relies on many things. It’s not just how good you are in the saddle. A blend of social media prowess, what else you can offer the company and your character are factors too. And, more than this, when the sponsorship is secured, that’s just the start.

Over the years, we’ve seen many brands ‘drop’ riders for various reasons. Sometimes a contract or agreed time simply expires and is not renewed. In other cases something happens and the company is forced into making a decision one way or another. Sometimes, the company may come out in support of a rider, but often they’ll go quiet and wait for the storm to pass or, depending on the ‘severity’ of the issue and/or how this aligns with the brand’s values and customers, they may decide to walk away.

It’s not just how a rider or equestrian behaves in his or her professional career that can cause a parting of the ways. Incidences that are deemed socially unacceptable or illegal can also cause an agreement to terminate, as can a breach of contract.

Marta Kotonska is the managing director of fast-growing brand Eqclusive and supports a number of riders and grooms.

“For us, loyalty is important as is work ethic. We expect our sponsored team to use our products, to wear appropriate branded clothing and be an active part of what we’re doing to promote our brand. These are all written into the contract we sign with the sponsored person before we start. We have a lot people who are incredibly keen to work with us so we have a framework to give people the opportunities to do this.”

As for more serious matters, that’s written into the contract too.

“We have a specific clause stating that we can drop a rider banned by FEI, involved with doping or not fulfilling the clauses above. Luckily we have never had to do this. We came close once, but after a very honest conversation we managed to move forward, and we’re really pleased we did.”

For Annabel Brocks, managing director of Annabel Brocks and Hawkins Organic, welfare also remains at the forefront of her mind.

“For any riders we sponsor, one of the most important things to me is welfare and care of their horses and not just what you see in the public eye. We normally spend quite a lot of time with riders before becoming associated with them to ensure this and it’s a real deal breaker for us.

“We wouldn’t work with anyone who we felt was negligent in any area and would have no issue in terminating an agreement if an incident was reviewed and we felt it was detrimental to our brand. We’re very fair and appreciate there’s two sides to every story, but welfare is essential to what we do and what we believe.”

There’s so many aspects to sponsorship and with social media becoming a bigger and bigger part in many brands’ marketing strategies, the response on social media to a particular event can definitely influence a decision too. Sponsored riders, in addition to all of the above, are selected because the attributes they possess either echo or complement a brand’s, and the reach that that person has, to people with shared views, can be hugely valuable. If something happens to compromise this, whether it’s a welfare issue, being banned, doing something illegal or frowned upon, brands will review how to move forward.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

If something does start to go south, burying your head in the sand is not the best option. Being open and honest, and keeping the lines of communication open is, often, the very best chance of either maintaining a sponsorship or, at the very least, parting on the best terms possible.

The cost implications when a brand decides to support a rider are one thing, but the damage that can be done to a brand if the rider no longer aligns with their customers can cost a lot more, and this is something many brands will consider before parting ways with a rider.

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

In the latest edition (24 May), don’t miss our “cob special”, including how to find the perfect cob, meet champion cob Our Cashel Blue and more.

(THANK YOU, EVERYONE for sending prayers, great thoughts and donations to the ER BUCKET FUND for The Golden Carrot yesterday.  We are very, very close to our goal.  Amazing.  Thank you.)

NORMA JEAN is SHEDDING IN MAY! She hasn’t done this in 10 years! I really think Gina is a miracle worker!

Earlier this month, I told you about Gina Vetro and her homeopathic/ayurvedic remedies that have brought my donkey back from the brink (after 3 vets just said she was “old” – I knew I was losing her).  You can read that story here.

Soooooooooo, the next hugely big news is that Norma Jean is shedding!  SHEDDING!  Norma hasn’t shed earlier than August in years.  YEARS!

They say donkeys don’t get Cushings, but they get Fatty Liver Disease, and there is nothing anyone can do.  Well, I am going to say that there IS something you can do… Call Gina!

LOOK at how happy and engaged Norma is now… and she is shedding, trotting around, being loving and defiant, giving her opinion and demanding attention – finally – again!

I am thrilled.

Please, if you have a horse that is ‘off’ and you know it. Call Gina!

GINA VETRO CONTACT INFO:  Gina Vetro, phone: 646-403-7070, email:  Gvet13@gmail.com , Click for FB.

LOOK AT HER SHED! AND LOOK AT HER SMILE!

THE FINAL TEST WILL BE HER SUMMER DONKEY PSORIASIS… but even if it comes back, I’m still thrilled with Norma’s surge in health!

Norma has gotten donkey psoriasis on her legs every summer for the last 5 summers.  I have something that gets rid of it  (MAJOR’S SOLUTION/Fungus Free – no affiliation), but it would be great if it didn’t come at all!

So, we will see… crossing fingers.

The post NORMA JEAN is SHEDDING IN MAY! She hasn’t done this in 10 years! I really think Gina is a miracle worker! appeared first on Horse and Man.

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

Your purchase with R.W. through this link helps the Bucket Fund!

When you shop @AmazonSmile, Amazon will make a donation to Horse And Man Inc.



Supporting The Bucket Fund through Amazon Smile is HUGE for the horses. Please choose HORSE AND MAN when you make your Amazon purchase through this link. THANK YOU!

Riders are invited to donate their brains to help form a greater understanding the long-term effects of concussion in sport.

The International Concussion and Head Injury Research Foundation (ICHIRF), led by Dr Michael Turner, is exploring whether repeated head trauma leads to neurological problems later in life (news, 28 January, 2016).

The project involves in-depth screening of jockeys, riders and other athletes who have had concussion, comparing their results to control subjects.

Dr Turner told H&H the next stage is to look at whether concussion can lead to the neurodegenerative disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

CTE can only be diagnosed after death, when the brain can be examined for evidence. This is where the brain donation scheme comes into play.

“It sounds very gory but when you talk to friends, most are organ donors and have already come to the conclusion that they are happy to give up their organs to somebody else to save their life,” he said.

“We don’t need the brain to be active. We’re happy to wait until you’ve finished with it.”

Dr Turner explained that those donating their brains must be involved in the screening process, although those who are screened as part of the concussion project do not have to sign up to donate their brains.

Continued below…

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/wp-content/themes/keystone-theme/shortcodes/js/collections.js

ICHIRF is looking for controls and those who have been concussed for brain donations, as well as more people, preferably aged over 50 to sign up for the screening process, which is free for participants.

The brain donation scheme is organised alongside the Queen’s Square Brain Bank at the UCL Institute of Neurology. Each brain examination will cost £5,000 and ICHIRF is looking for more sponsors of scheme.

For more information visit www.concussioninsport.org

For further information about the brain donation scheme and the ICHIRF project, including comments from Richard Pitman and Bob Champion, don’t miss this week’s H&H magazine, out on Thursday (31 May)

OPINION

Kentucky designer Derek di Grazia and I have been talking a lot recently about how horses see. We believe increasing understanding of this has big
implications for eventing safety. Horses are prey animals — they have a good range of vision to the sides, but they miss about 10° directly in front and behind them. So as horses approach a fence, they increasingly pull their information from the sides. We can use fence decoration to help horses read the question.

For example, trees around the fence should be placed about one foot in front of the leading edge (the take-off side of the jump), rather than level with it. This will encourage the horse not to get too deep and take off too close to the fence.

The trees should ideally be slightly taller than the fence, to give the horse the impression the leading edge is little higher than it is.

The hardest fence for a horse to read is a spread with the flags on the back — as the horse gets closer, he reads the flags, but misses the leading edge, risking hitting it.

Nothing is a complete solution in eventing safety, but this is a different way of looking at it — if we can help horses understand the question, we might not need so many frangible fences. I have been using this knowledge on my courses at all levels this year and it really reduces the number of fallers.

Changing courses

This was my third year overseeing the CIC2* at Rockingham. Budget is always a factor at one-day events and it takes time to make changes.

The first year you’re basically putting on a plaster — getting rid of the bad fences and making the moderate ones as good as possible. In the second and third years, a designer can start to put in new fences to get close to the course you want. After that, there must be a policy of replacing a few fences each year as the old ones deteriorate. Without ongoing investment, an organiser will suddenly need to replace 10 to 15 fences at once, which is expensive.

Although the ground at Rockingham had a hard crust, it was soft underneath and broke up well when aerated. Horses travelled well on it, so with sunshine and a new title sponsor in Fairfax & Favor, the event came together nicely.

New rules

The FEI is currently rewriting the abuse of the horse rule after the fallout following Oliver Townend’s warning for over-use of the whip at Badminton. The new rule will make it clearer to riders and the ground jury what is and isn’t acceptable.

The FEI also recognises that showjumping is becoming very influential following the change of scoring this year to decrease the dressage influence.

As such, it is looking at bringing in a change to award one time-fault per four seconds commenced over the time allowed in the showjumping (as in the pure discipline), rather than the current rule of one time-fault per second. This will mean three or four seconds over the optimum shouldn’t cost a rider 15 places, again a positive move.

Finally, I am in favour of Mark Todd’s idea of trialling a split of the ground jury role to put separate experts in charge of each phase (comment, 24 May). Having the right people in the right roles can only improve the professionalism of former Olympic team gold decisions in our sport.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 31 May 2018