Dear diary,

So, thank you for your words of wisdom last week — many of you wrote to me and told me not to lose hope, that one day my talent would be recognised and that the British eventing team would get over their fear or their featherism (or indeed their fear of the feather), and welcome me with open arms.

Thank you for your support — it means a lot. Especially when I am stuck with a mother who is about as supportive as an aged second-hand sports bra found lurking in the bottom of the school lost property basket.

She was on a mission this weekend to try and get the “fizz” out of me. Now admittedly I do share several characteristics with fine champagne — I am appreciated only by the discerning, am fruity with extra zing and clearly (in mother’s mind) can cause a hell of a headache — but I really do take umbrage to this desire of hers to tame my natural exuberance. I am like Zebedee — I’m supposed to have more bounce per ounce than Tigger on Columbian marching powder. If she wanted slow, steady and boring she should have bought a knackered old carthorse… ah ok… well swiftly moving on…

So, it’s fair to say she spent all weekend trying to tame the beast.

To be fair she would have been better spending the weekend trying to pick up every piece of hay in the barn using chopsticks: she’d have had more luck. Look I am a force of nature, a Hovis-sized hurricane, a feathered fury, a muscled mass of manliness — and even a long way from fighting fit I’m strong, faster and fitter than she is. The one thing I can’t take away from her is she’s dogmatic.

She started the weekend with a plan; but as Mike Tyson once said, “everyone has a plan, until you get smacked in the face”. Well in this case it was less smacked in the face and more spun around like a weather vane in a typhoon as I decided walking around on the lunge was boring, executed a walk to gallop which would have made Frankel look like a sea side donkey with an acceleration of a tortoise with arthritis, and dragged mother halfway across the school. That will teach her to lunge me in a headcollar: seriously that’s like trying to catch Moby Dick using a garden cane and a piece of string.

I do sometimes wonder what goes through that woman’s head — admittedly in this case it was nearly my rear right hoof as I gaily kicked up my heels at a height only seen in Las Vegas shows and pole dancing bars (and on that note, why do Polish people get their own dancing bars and the rest of us have to mingle? Always wondered…).

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Anyway after 30 minutes of trying to bring me back to a sensible (in her mind) speed using every trick in her rather limited repertoire — “whoa”, “steady boy” and then a series of threats punctuated by increasingly flowery language — I was dragged back into the barn, thrust under a cold hosepipe and turfed back into my field to “contemplate life”. Which I did. I contemplated life as a heavy weight racehorse, as a polo pony and as a stunt horse. All of which I then re-enacted the following day. She was thrilled I’d taken my homework seriously and spent a lot of time discussing how my ancestry plays a huge part of my talent. At least that’s what I think she was saying — it was hard to tell with the wind rushing in my ears and her tendency to get a tad high pitched when she’s clinging on for grim death…

So, it’s fair to say, despite the mugginess of the weather, I’m feeling a definite cold front wafting from her direction and a general sense that I might not be her favourite horse in the world right now. I’m thinking of placing an advert for anyone wanting to adopt me? Even on a part-time basis? If there’s enough of you I could work some sort of time share arrangement where I move between you all on a weekly basis? What do you think? Anyone up for it?

Laters,

Hopeful Hurricane Hovis

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

Do you have ‘feeding’ clothes.  Or, maybe ‘barn’ clothes?

They are clothes, but you only kept them because they couldn’t be worn anywhere else so you grabbed onto the only category left for their survival…

“I’ll use them to feed!”

I think my assortment of feeding attire was formed from a mix of laziness and the ‘play clothes’ chip my mother installed into my brain.

Mother:  “Don’t go outside in your good clothes, go get changed into your play clothes.”

To my mother, play clothes could be destroyed and I wouldn’t get in trouble.  Good clothes, not so much.

To me, feeding clothes = play clothes.  It’s all good if they get wrecked.

FEEDING CLOTHES = PLAY CLOTHES, ONLY WORSE.

Except… I really don’t need to feed in my adult play clothes.  I mean, I have enough clothes…  This ‘feeding clothes’ thing is just an excuse.

I mean, at least when I was a kid, I outgrew clothes soon enough that none of them got particularly ratty or stained.

As an adult, I’ve quit growing so there is really no reason to throw out a good pair of … whatever… stained favorite painting shirt, floppy 80’s era puffy pants, flabby decorative tshirts, ripped sleeves, shrunken sweatshirts… you know the drill.

Now, I hold onto ‘favorite’ clothes that have ABSOLUTELY bitten the dust (so much so that they aren’t even GOODWILL worthy…), and I tell myself I’m repurposing  them as feeding clothes.  When in actuality, I’m just not willing to tell my floppy, puffy, flabby ripped and shrunken friends, Adios!

When feeding, I am a vision.

OR, THE PAJAMAS THAT DOUBLE AS FEEDING CLOTHES

I feed first thing in the morning… after I brush my teeth.  (I figure horses always like minty breath.)  Generally, I pretty much just put a jacket over my pj bottoms – or sweats – and go outside and do the job.

There are two problems here.

1.  If we have AirBnB guests, I really have to step it up a notch.  Not that they are awake when I feed at O Dark Hundred… but I at least have to put on a bra.
2.  If I feed in PJs, invariably, they will become full of hay stickers.  So what once was a nice, soft fleecy pair of pants, is no longer nice and soft, but full of prickly things – mostly around the ankles.  So, until I take them off – or rip out the stickers while I’m drinking coffee and reading comics- I feel this nagging, sticking, prickles that drives me CRAZY.

I know you know what I mean…

THE “I’M ALLERGIC TO HAY ON MY ARMS” SUMMER LOOK.

For me, I’m allergic to hay on my arms.  I get welts and itchy.  So, I always have to have a ‘slippery to hay’ shirt/coat.  I don’t want any hay to stick on my arms or onto the shirt covering my arms because I don’t want to spread the hay all over the house.

In the winter, this is easy.  I just throw on a canvas jacket, or a raincoat, and I’m good.  Brush it off and no remnants of hay.

But in the summer, when it is 110 degrees, I use my lightest throw-away long sleeved cotton shirts that I’ve shrunk in the dryer.

So, I look like a sweating reject from an office party on top, with mismatched shorts and cowboy boots.  A good look.  Invariably, when I’m dressed like this, I’ll accidentally meet up with one of our AirBnB guests who has decided to take in the sunrise/sunset or go for a morning run.

Oy.

NOT ENOUGH HOOKS TO HANG ALL THE CLOTHES

My feeding clothes hang in the garage.  As I go out, I grab whichever garment is the proper weight for the weather.

Invariably, I have repurposed so many clothing items, I have them stacked upon each other on the measly 2 hooks I have there.  I keep telling myself that I only need 2 hooks – day and night hooks – and I can change out per season.  But, I never change out per season, and I never throw away, only add.

So, now I have about a dozen feeding garments hanging on two hooks plus an assortment of temporary hooks that don’t really work.  Oh, plus some hats.

DON’T TRIM BACK THAT TREE!

I have taken the feeding ritual behavior to a new (low) level recently…  We have a huge weeping California Pepper Tree that pretty much obscures our guests’ view of me as I feed.  It is glorious.  The guests know I’m out there, but they can’t see me.

Well… Hubby decided to trim back the tree to let light stream into the AirBnB… thinking I’d be delighted.

I cried.  I literally was flumoxed because, as I said, “Now I’ll have to wear a bra when I feed!”

And sadly, I meant it.

The post WHY do I tell myself that it is OK to feed in clothes that I would never, ever, EVER wear in public?! appeared first on Horse and Man.

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Spillers’ equine nutritionist Clare Barfoot provides one H&H forum user with some helpful advice on how to feed a barefoot horse for optimum health

Q: “Feeding a barefoot cob — I’m very new to horse ownership and want to research the best diet I should be feeding my part-bred cob, who I believe has been barefoot her whole life (she is nine-years-old). She’s on full livery, so gets fed as part of that, but I want to make sure she’s having what she should be to keep her and her hooves in the best condition. Could anyone give me some advice please?”

A: The importance of healthy hooves has been known for generations of horsemen with the saying “no hoof, no horse” often quoted. Hoof problems are a very common headache for horse owners and while good hoof trimming is essential, the importance of sound nutrition is often overlooked. Nutrition can play a vital role in the cause and prevention of many hoof problems therefore the growth of healthy hooves is dependent on a well-balanced diet.

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• H&H forum: find out what H&H readers suggested
• Find out how to feed a good-doer for more energy
• Read more expert feeding advice

A balanced diet is key

Hoof formation is a highly complex process requiring good quality protein, vitamins, minerals, fats and not least energy. All of these need to be present in sufficient quantities and in correct proportions to produce a strong hoof so the entire diet needs to be balanced. Adding lots of one particular nutrient to a poor diet is unlikely to be of any benefit and some nutrients can even cause more harm than good if given in excess; for example, vitamin A and selenium can actually cause hoof problems if they are added to the diet at very high levels.

Good doers, like your cob and horses in very light work often get all of the calories they need from grass, hay or haylage, but forage-only diets often lack some essential nutrients. As far as diet is concerned, the first step towards maintaining optimum hoof health in horses on forage-only diets should be to provide a good quality feed balancer. Some balancers include hoof-supporting nutrients such as SPILLERS Lite and Lean Balancer or a broad spectrum supplement could be fed instead. This also applies to horses receiving less than the recommended daily ration of compound feed.

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What about additional supplements?

If you are confident that your horse’s current diet is fully balanced and meets all of his normal requirements, additional supplementation may help with poor hoof quality. Biotin is probably the most well-known nutrient as far as hoof supplements are concerned; this member of the B vitamin family is a key component for hoof horn quality and there is scientific evidence to support this. Biotin should be fed at around 15 to 20mg per day for a typical 500kg horse i.e. 3 to 4mg per 100kg bodyweight. Calcium, phosphorus, zinc, MSM, lysine and methionine may also be useful additions to a hoof supplement.

For more information on feeding to support weight gain call the SPILLERS Care-Line on 01908 226626.

Sniffer dogs will be in operation at all Goodwood fixtures following a mass brawl at its opening raceday of the 2018 season.

The racecourse is enhancing its security for “all future fixtures” following an “extensive review” of the fight involving around 50 people on 5 May.

Sussex Police will now be present at every raceday and all members of the Goodwood security teams will wear high-visibility clothing.

Sniffer dogs, which have previously been used at certain fixtures, will be at every fixture and there will be an added push to encourage racegoers to use amnesty drug bins.

“We have conducted a thorough and extensive review of everything that happened at our first fixture, of our existing policies and held a detailed consultation with our safety advisory group and Sussex Police,” said general manager Alex Eade.

“We have also been working with the Racecourse Association and our other Large Independent Racecourse colleagues to ensure that we are part of the industry-wide crackdown on anti-social behaviour.”

Random bag searches will continue to take place at all entrances and anyone found with drugs on them will be evicted.

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Goodwood already has a strict ID policy at its bars. The “four-pint rule”, where visitors cannot buy more than four pints on each trip to the bar, will be introduced and free water “hydration stations” will be available on every bar.

“We have concluded that we will make our security teams more visible,” added Mr Eade.

“We have changed some personnel and the composition of our rapid response teams as well as taking even stronger measures to discourage drug use and excessive alcohol consumption.

“Sussex Police have agreed to have a presence at each of our future fixtures and we continue to work with them on deploying other covert and overt methods of deterring anti-social behaviour and drug use.

“We are also still helping them with their enquiries following the incident on 5 May.”

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

This week’s edition (31 May) is a training special, including a look at the world’s top trainers and whether you should have multiple coaches. Also check out our summer clothing guide, interview with showjumper and recent winner of the Hamburg Derby, Matt Sampson and feature on health problems in miniature horses

There was no rest for Horse & Hound Festival of Eventing competitor Chris Salmon.

After completing his first three-day-event, the para rider is preparing to return to Keysoe later this week for the British Showjumping amateur and para show.

Chris, a trainee showjumping course builder, is classified as a grade III para showjumper and recently took up eventing.

“I have a muscle wasting condition that affects my hands and feet,” he explained.

“There are physio exercises that I can do, but even my surgeon told me not to worry about it too much as riding is the best thing [for me].”

Chris rode the 17-year-old mare Melford Solo, owned and bred by his mother Sue, in the 90cm class at the three-day-event, run in association with KBIS.

The pair scored 35.5 in the dressage, before jumping clear across country with 14.8 time faults. They clipped two poles on the final day to complete their first three-day together on a score of 58.3.

Chris made his British Eventing (BE) debut last year and has enjoyed success at BE90 level, finishing ninth in a BE90open section at Little Downham in October and jumping double clear at Horseheath in April.

“I’m aiming to compete at 1m to 1.05m showjumping and to event her at BE100,” said Chris, who hails from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.

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The mare, known as “Snoopy”, is by Melford Ben and has competed up to intermediate level in the past.

“I just point her at a fence and she goes!” said Chris.

Before Chris took over the reins, the horse competed up to one-star level with Charlie Clover, winning Chilham CIC* in 2015, and was previously campaigned by Jane Buchan and George Witt.

Chris added she is now enjoying “an easier life” after undergoing rehabilitation for kissing spines last year.

“She’s brilliant and really looks after me,”he added.

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

This week’s edition (31 May) is a training special, including a look at the world’s top trainers and whether you should have multiple coaches. Also check out our summer clothing guide, interview with showjumper and recent winner of the Hamburg Derby, Matt Sampson and feature on health problems in miniature horses

Tributes have been paid to Granntevka Prince, who won Blenheim CCI3*, competed at four-star level and was a young rider medallist, after he was put down on Monday (28 May).

David and Gerry Mills’ 18-year-old had suffered a severely dislocated fetlock, which was irreparable.

Prince won the British Eventing six-year-old championship with Lucy McCarthy (née Wiegersma) in 2006 and at the end of 2007 finished 10th in the prestigious seven-year-old World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers. In 2008 he moved up to three-star, finishing second in a CIC3* at Burnham Market.

His most successful year with Lucy came in 2009 when he won the CCI3* at Blenheim and finished fourth on his CCI4* debut at Pau. At four-star, he was also ninth at Luhmühlen in 2010 and 23rd at Burghley in 2011.

Lucy Wiegersma and Granntevka Prince. Picture by trevor-meeks-photography.co.uk

In 2014 Prince joined Devon-based teenager Janou (Nui) Bleekman, who rides for The Netherlands. The pair formed a strong partnership and won the CCIJ* at Tattersalls that year and a CIC2* at Bicton Arena in 2016.

They also finished 10th in the junior European Championships in 2014 and contested three young rider European Championships, taking team silver and individual bronze at Millstreet last year.

“We would like to thank Prince’s owners David and Gerry Mills for trusting us and giving us the honour of having such a legend in our yard,” said Nui’s sister Althea. “He and Janou developed the most amazing partnership. Not only were they a formidable pair in competition, but they really did become best friends.

“Prince adored Nui, she was his person, he was her horse of a lifetime. The love and trust they had in each other shone through. She knew him better than she knows herself.

“He is missed so much already, but by none more so than David, Gerry and Nui.”

Welcome to a new arrival

The Bleekmans also welcomed new life into the world on Monday with the arrival of a filly foal who is “exactly the same colour as Prince, even down to the little star,” said Nui and Althea’ mother Clissy.

The foal is out of Grannalyn, who was bred by the Bleekmans by Prince’s sire Grannex. Grannalyn is also the granddam of a mare called Dasj, who is competing with Althea in the CCI3* at Tattersalls this week. She is also the dam of Oralyn, the mother of Laura Renwick’s showjumper Bintang.

This is the Bleekmans’ first foal by Jenson, who they are standing. He is a four-year-old Anglo European Studbook-licensed stallion by El Salvador.

“The Dutch experts really rate him, so let’s hope a star has been born to follow Prince — she is such a close relative and certainly looks his spitting image,” said Clissy.

Althea added: “We can only hope that a small part of Prince’s brilliance is now shining down on the next generation for us. If they can only be half as good as Prince, they will be legends in their own right.”

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

A gold medal-winning para dressage rider is appealing for the public to help her on the road to Tokyo 2020.

Deb Criddle has launched a crowdfunding page to help her secure her next star horse.

Deb’s former top ride, LJT Akilles is now 18 and has been out of work due to lameness.

The Somerset-based rider is determined to continue on her path to the next Olympics, but suffered an unfortunate set back last month.

“I was trying out a prospective horse and he didn’t cope with my right leg moving around and was a little bit too sensitive,” she told H&H.

“I fell and injured my right leg, the one that is already compromised, which meant I couldn’t ride for six weeks.”

During that time Deborah learnt that she had lost her UK Sport funding and her place on the British para dressage squad.

“I did take a couple of weeks off when I heard the news I was coming off the squad. It was a huge shock.

“I guess you could liken it to being made redundant, not that it’s happened to me before, but being part of the para team has been a major feature of my entire adult life. It’s obviously not as dramatic as it, but it feels as if I’ve lost another limb.

“I did initially think, ‘Do I just call it a day?’ But I’m not ready to. I live for my riding — it’s what gets me up in the morning.”

Deb has since recovered from her fall and remains positive about the future and regaining her position on the squad next year, but will need to find a new horse.

“The time Akilles has been off I have so missed going out to train,” she said.

“He is off work through a mystery lameness incurred while indulging in high jinks in the field.

“It is still under investigation as the root cause is being difficult to pin down, but I am hopeful of a final diagnosis that is treatable.

“He is very happy and comfortable being a field ornament at the moment!”

Time is running out

Deb has raised 26% of her £25,000 goal, but the crowdfunding page can only run for 120 days, leaving eight weeks to generate the funds.

“Time is really tight,” said Deb. “I need to find a suitable horse before the end of the summer to meet winter qualification targets and to be eligible for international competitions.

“I have to start from scratch and work through the world class system

from podium potential. They start the next intake for that squad in August this year so I would really need to have a potential Tokyo horse in place before then to stand a chance of being selected.”

Deb explained that the temperament of her new horse, her future long-term partner, is paramount.

“The horse needs to have a clear four-beat walk with good overtrack and an expressive trot and canter,” she said.

“Horses are so adaptive, if the horse has not been ridden by a para rider before that has no bearing what so ever.”

Deb was seriously injured in a road accident, which left her with fractures to her leg and a paralysed arm, which has since been amputated.

“For me, being one handed, the contact is so important. The horse has to be very quiet in the mouth as tension shows up quickly and is, of course, penalised by the judge.

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“My ultimate goal is to make it to Tokyo 2020 and produce the horse so we reach our peak performance where it matters, on the field of play. I want us to be the very best that we can be, and a real partnership.”

Those who donate £1,000 or more towards Deb’s horse will be treated in a similar way to syndicate members.

“They will be part of the process from the start,” she said. “They will be invited to yard visits, training sessions, behind-the-scenes opportunities at competitions and receive regular updates. They will get to know the horse and his routine.”

Recent dramatic storms across Britain have highlighted the ongoing dilemma about whether it is safer to keep your horse in or leave him out during thunder and lightning. We take a look at the pros and cons of each approach of dealing with horses in thunderstorms

While cases of horses being hit by lightning are, thankfully, relatively rare, when storms are forecast it is understandably a cause for concern for owners. As well as direct strikes, there is the worry that horses will hurt themselves while galloping around, so is stabling your horse a better option?

Stabling during a thunderstorm

Horses are very sensitive to electricity, particularly lightning, and the British Horse Society’s official advice is to house horses in thunderstorms.

“If you have access to well-grounded stabling, we would advise keeping an eye on the weather forecast and stabling your horse if there is a threat of a lightning storm,” says BHS Head of Welfare Gemma Stanford.

While some horses appear unconcerned by wild, stormy weather, others become very unsettled. For this reason alone, some owners prefer to stable their horses rather than have them galloping about and putting themselves at risk of injury.

“We always bring them in now,” says eventer turned showing producer and judge Michael Cooper. “We had one bolt badly [during a thunderstorm] — it smashed through and then got stuck in the field gate and was a real mess.”

Horses’ natural herding instinct during a thunderstorm can also increase the risk of injury or death from a lightning strike. Often, they will group together for protection from the elements and, if the storm includes heavy rainfall, will shelter beneath a large tree — often attractive targets for a lightning strike.

If this also happens to be near a water trough or wire fence, the combination of a tall tree, good electrical conductors and rain-sodden ground can be fatal for horses. The risk is heightened for horses wearing steel shoes.

The out option

Some owners, however, feel leaving their horses out is the better option. Breeder Julia Hodkin, of the Future Sport Horse stud near Beverley, has lots of youngstock at grass, as well as competition horses grazing during the day.

“We generally don’t bring them in as I’ve actually never really seen any of our horses that bothered about thunder; they almost seem to know it’s part of nature and isn’t going to physically hurt them. If the thunder was being accompanied by serious lightning, howling winds and driving rain, however, we would bring them in because of the detrimental effects of those elements on them,” says Julia.

Showjumper Derek Morton is another with youngstock at grass.

“We always bring young foals in out of heavy rain whether there are thunderstorms involved or not, but once they are over six weeks old I wouldn’t bring any stock in out of thunderstorms. I’m a true believer in treating my youngstock as if they were in the wild and they certainly wouldn’t get a stable in the wild to get away from the elements,” says Derek, who houses all his competition horses at night.

For those who choose to house their horses during thunderstorms, the advice is to ensure the buildings are well grounded and have lightning rods. The grounding system in a building can provide an easy route for electricity to run to earth in the event of a lightning strike or power surge.

While nowhere outside is safe from lightning, as emphasised by lightning expert Grant Kirkby, if you are put in the position where your horse will be turned out in a storm, the advice is to make paddocks as safe as possible.

This includes:

• Site shelters on lower ground rather than in exposed, isolated areas (which can make them a target for a lightning strike).
• Avoid using fields with streams running through them and be aware that lightning can travel along wire fencing, water courses and even ‘jump’ from a tree to your horse. It may be worth fencing off large single trees in exposed locations to stop horses sheltering beneath them. Of course, this decision has to be balanced against the benefits of using these trees to offering shelter for horses from flies and the heat.

Finally, the safety of those handling horses during stormy weather also has to be considered. Planning ahead and bringing horses in before the forecasted bad weather arrives is ideal, but in situations where this hasn’t been possible, it may be too dangerous to safely bring horses in during thunder and lightning.

This article was first published on 6 June 2016

More than half of H&H readers would consider rehoming a rescue horse, and almost a third have already done so.

The results of a poll on horseandhound.co.uk revealed that rehoming is an attractive option to equestrians.

Of those who completed the poll, 65% said they would consider rehoming in the future, while 28% said they had already rehomed a rescued horse or pony. Just 7% said this wasn’t something they would consider.

An RSPCA spokesman welcomed the news.

“It’s great to hear that almost 30% of people have already given a home to a rescue horse or pony,” she told H&H.

“It’s so encouraging that 65% of people said they too would consider rehoming a rescue horse. We’ve seen some of our horses going on to achieve amazing things from becoming super Pony Club ponies, happy-hackers, carriage ponies, showjumpers and even just wonderful companions.”

Thriving in his new home

Coloured pony Mickey was found collapsed in a Leicester park close to a busy main road at the start of the year (23 January).
After being rescued by an RSPCA inspector, he received urgent veterinary treatment from a vet.

“When I arrived to catch Mickey he was already in such a bad way that he had collapsed on the ground,” said RSPCA inspector Sharon Knight.

Mickey in the park

“When equine vet Melissa Packer arrived she was keen to explore all avenues to save his life and it’s down to her that he has pulled through. Mickey was thin and exhausted, and he was suffering with a huge infestation of lice.”

Mickey was transported to a boarding yard in the Leicester area.

“Poor Mickey remained on a drip for more than two days after we transported him to our yard,” said Ms Packer.

Mickey was taken to a boarding yard for treatment

“He was covered in lice so we had to clip his matted coat, and underneath, he was just skin and bone, he was in an awful state.

“After a blood transfusion, the drip and lots of TLC, his health started to improve slowly, and I’m delighted to say that he is now in a new home in Leicestershire.”

Mickey’s new owner Mags said she was “so happy” to have him.

“He is a cheeky chappy, and very loving,” she said.

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“He has fitted into our family of ponies very well and he is just a super little foal. He has a home with us for the rest of his life, so thank you to the RSPCA and Mel and her team for all the hard work making him better, I feel very fortunate to have him.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the RSPCA’s rescue horses and ponies looking for a home, visit www.rspca.org.uk/findapet, or contact one of the charity’s equine rehoming centres.

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

This week’s edition (31 May) is a training special, including a look at the world’s top trainers and whether you should have multiple coaches. Also check out our summer clothing guide, interview with showjumper and recent winner of the Hamburg Derby, Matt Sampson and feature on health problems in miniature horses

OPINION

Nothing stays the same in this fast-moving world of ours.

Indeed, many of my generation look back with nostalgia at how the shows attracted the public. Some aspects of what’s changed about our sport are good. Breeding, for instance, has now become an exact science compared with the way we used to source our horses.

Other changes are not so good…

Take British Showjumping (BS), which is now run totally differently from how it was many years ago when I sat on the board. Then it largely consisted of a committee voted on by the membership with additional co-opted members from the business and commercial world.

I have to say that it was a privilege to sit round a table and listen to the ideas and acumen put forward by such learned men as General Sir Cecil “Monkey” Blacker MBE, Dougie Bunn MBE and Malcolm Barr MBE, all of whom had the overall interests of our sport very high on their agenda.

This era also coincided with showjumping’s most fruitful years in terms of sponsorship — not just for county shows, but for city shows, too. The number of top-quality riders who were produced for the British team during that time remains unmatched.

Has the sport in Britain moved on or hit new heights since our team gold in London 2012 or Nick Skelton’s fantastic individual gold medal in Rio 2016? Given similarly prolific achievements in their day, would that committee of old have been more dynamic and proactive than their current successors? I know they would.

I realise that today’s BS has, of necessity, become a completely different organisation. It has many things to deal with that we never had to consider back in the day; company law, health and safety, the list is endless. And that’s why they need a different style of committee from the one we had then. However, I have long argued and still maintain that they need professional showjumping experience to steer them in the right direction.

An absurd situation

A few days ago, I was entering Persimmon, a ride of our son Will, for an International Stairway class. I was surprised when my wife, Tina, said that as it’s a grade A class, she’d just make sure the horse is grade A.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said, because Persimmon has won more than £15,000 in the past few months alone. But sure enough, Tina was right, the horse was registered as grade B.

How can such an absurd situation possibly occur? Well, it was only when I checked the way they have interpreted and allocated points for different
competitions that I realised the inexperience or naivety of whoever set the points for the various classes.

At a recent young riders Nations Cup for under-21s at Fontainebleau, Will and Persimmon jumped for a clear and four over a big, difficult course. It also happened to be the best British score. For that, the horse was awarded eight points. At Chepstow in the international two-star grand prix, a class with more than 60 starters and fences at 1.45m to 1.50m, he was fourth and was given 16 points. Then he won a 1.30m at a local centre with very few entries — and got 45 points.

I’ll let you do the maths.

I would like BS to justify the reasoning behind a points system that is causing such bewilderment — we look forward to the reply.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 31 May 2018