On Friday afternoon, Sarah Nicholls and the seven-year-old 15.1hh CSH Sioux sat in seventh place after the dressage phase of the H&H Festival of Eventing, run in association with KBIS. But thanks to a great clear cross-country round inside the optimum time, followed by one of few clear showjumping rounds, the pair found themselves in first place at the end of the competition.

“I can’t believe we’ve won,” said a delighted Sarah, who hails from near Leicester and works for an engineering company in Rutland. “I knew ‘Simon’ was capable as he can do a good dressage test and is reliable across country, but showjumping is my weakest phase. I was hopeful but I tried not to let my emotions get in the way of how we performed.”

Sarah was competing in her first three-day event aboard the coloured horse, who is by a Grade A showjumper, out of a gypsy cob mare. She bought him as a just-broken four-year-old “for little money” as a project to sell.

“But he just kept getting better and better, so I’ve kept him,” explained Sarah, who also crosses the biggest of Quorn Hunt country with this diminutive gelding. “I couldn’t fault Simon this week — I do this purely to have fun and I couldn’t do it without the support of my parents who have been holding the fort with my other two horses at home this week.”

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Hannah Parr and Tinkers Boy also rose up the placings thanks to a clear showjumping round, moving up from fourth to eventual second. While overnight cross-country leader, Honor Gordon and Made Of Gold dropped to third after incurring four faults.

Don’t miss the full report from the H&H Festival of Eventing in Horse & Hound magazine — on sale Thursday, 7 June and follow online at www.horseandhound.co.uk

Being organised is key for Horse & Hound Festival of Eventing competitor Lorna Ewin.

The Kent-based rider balances working as a facilities manager for a London firm of brokers with riding and competing three horses.

“It is about working out your timetable,” said Lorna.

“I get up at about 4am, arrive at the yard between 5-5.30am, ride and am on the train to London at 7am to start work at 8am.”

Lorna finished at 4.30pm before catching the train home and riding another horse after work.

She has two of her own horses and also rides Claudiuss (“Claude”) for her mother, Valda Angier.

“This is the first time he has done this sort of thing,” said Valda, who had made the trip up to the Bedfordshire venue to support her daughter.

Claude, a pure-bred Arab, competed in ridden showing classes at Royal Windsor Horse Show earlier this month.

He has also enjoyed success at arena eventing and in Arab Horse Society classes, finishing seventh in the overall performance awards last year.

Lorna has competed in showing classes at Horse of the Year Show three times and took her first steps into the world of horse trials this weekend.

The Horse & Hound Festival of Eventing, run in association with KBIS, was also Claude’s eventing debut.

“He is nearly 100% Crabbet — we did a hunter trials two weeks ago at Crabbet Park, which is where his ancestors are all from, which was nice,” added Valda, adding he is an “absolute angel”.

“We bought him as a five-year-old from breeder Diana Whittome in Wales and have remained great friends.”

Valda added the event has been “super” and found it a “great help” to have nutrition advice on hand from Spillers.

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The striking grey was a stallion until he was five, but has taken to his new life as a riding horse with aplomb.

Lorna walked the course with four-star eventer and coach Milla Lanni, which she said was really helpful.

“The only thing he questioned was the ditch, but he looked and went,” said Lorna.

The pair jumped double clear to finish ninth in the 70cm section.

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

The full report from the H&H Festival of Eventing in Horse & Hound will be in next week’s issue of the magazine — on sale Thursday, 7 June

Charlotte Dujardin turned heads earlier today when she celebrated her success at this weekend’s Somerford Park Premier League with a spot of cross-country schooling.

Charlotte and her prix st georges (PSG) and inter I winner River Rise Escala (Maisie), who is also the reigning PSG winter champion, enjoyed a pop round Somerford’s cross-country course this afternoon (28 May) to round off the show.

“What a brilliant final day at Somerford Park Premier League; such a wonderful show and so well run by Millie [King] and her team. River Rise Escala won the inter I today; her first ever inter I with 73%. So to celebrate, we went for a little play and decided to have some fun around the Somerford cross-country course,” said Charlotte.

The videos show the nine-year-old bay mare, who is by Lord Leatherdale x Ferro, thoroughly enjoying herself as she pops small logs with lots of scope and room to spare, before showing off her fantastically elevated trot through the water jump.

“It was so much fun — she can really jump!” Charlotte told H&H.

The afternoon rounded off a hugely successful Premier League for Charlotte, who scored wins across the levels with three of her exciting upcoming mares. She claimed victory at PSG and inter I with her own and Paul and Wendy Dockley’s eight-year-old grey mare Florentina, who recently made a winning international debut, as well as topping the seven-year-old test on Emma Blundell’s Mount St John VIP.

With Maisie, whom Charlotte owns along with her breeder Sarah Tyler Evans, she took another PSG win with more than 77% before posting 73% on the mare’s inter I debut.

Celebrations for the yard were also in order after Carl Hester triumphed in the grand prix on over 75% with his World Equestrian Games hope Hawtins Delicato.

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Don’t miss 7 June issue of H&H for our full report from the Somerford Park Premier League

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.

Beccy Belcher was in total disbelief upon winning the 80cm championship of the H&H Festival of Eventing, run in association with KBIS.

Riding Sarah Rooke’s coloured mare, Sugar IV, Beccy rose from sixth after dressage. The pair then enjoyed a clear cross-country round within the optimum time to sit in second place coming into the final showjumping phase, where they proceeded to leave all of the poles in their cups. This was good enough to secure the win when overnight leaders Debbi Cox and Molly incurred eight faults.

“To win is completely unexpected,” said an elated Beccy. “I’ve only had ‘Spice’ for a year and this is our second horse trials together and until today we had only jumped one round of showjumping too.”

Beccy was given Spice by Sarah to use as a broodmare.

“Spice has already had four foals and then was chucked in a field,” explained Beccy, who works as a lecturer and is head of business, travel and tourism at Berkshire College of Agriculture. “My history is in showing and dressage and so I fancied giving eventing a go. Spice looked like she was bored and so we brought her into work and haven’t looked back.”

Beccy admitted she left entering the festival until the very last minute.

“I hadn’t actually even taken Spice cross-country schooling when I entered,” she explained. “I entered on a whim and thought we could use the experience as a schooling exercise.”

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The pair looked thoroughly convincing throughout the event and stormed around the cross-country.

“Spice is like a Ferrari and is always 400 steps ahead of me,” said Beccy. “But she was a dream across country — when her owner saw we were well-placed after the dressage, she text me saying ‘make sure you let the handbrake off on the cross-country and she will look after you’. I’m glad she said that, else I might have gone a bit steadier.”

Chloe Nixon, who led the dressage, finished in eventual second riding her Lipizzaner mare, Anna thanks to a clear showjumping round. They added four cross-country time-faults to a 28 dressage. Craig Messenger and Findon Euphoria completed on their dressage score of 33 to finish third.

Don’t miss the full report from the H&H Festival of Eventing in Horse & Hound magazine — on sale Thursday, 7 June and follow online at www.horseandhound.co.uk

Lucy Ohlson has overcome two horrific accidents in the past eight years to compete at the Horse & Hound Festival, run in association with KBIS.

Lucy, who runs Petesbrooke Equestrian Centre near Hartlepool, competed in the 70cm class aboard Donna House Star T (“Wilma”).

The pair enjoy taking part in “a bit of everything”, including unaffiliated one-day-events and Team Quest dressage competitions with friends who are based at her yard.

The riding instructor had to learn to walk and ride again after she nearly died in a car crash eight years ago.

She was driving to a friend’s house when her car collided with a piece of farm machinery being towed by a tractor.

One of the blades of the plough tore into Lucy’s car and into her side.

Lucy, who was 28 at the time, was placed in an induced coma and sustained a broken neck, brain trauma and severe internal injuries.

“I had to teach myself to ride again,” she said.

“I knew how to do it, but I had to teach my body how to do it again.”

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Lucy added she believes her recovery was down to her determination to get better.

“I’m quite a determined person,” said Lucy.

“I never thought I was never going to walk or ride again, these were just hurdles I needed to overcome.”

Lucy also broke her pelvis in a schooling fall at home last year and has been working hard to build up her strength and fitness over the past 12 months.

“My horse caught a pole between his front legs and nosedived, he fell and landed on my hip and my pelvis just shattered,” she explained.

Following extensive rehabilitation, Lucy is back in the saddle and jumped double clear at this, her first three-day-event, to finish 18th.

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

The full report from the H&H Festival of Eventing in Horse & Hound will be in next week’s issue of the magazine — on sale Thursday, 7 June

“A wrong is being righted”, according to the vet who has been giving his time to treat a filly injured in a suspected acid attack.

Dave Rendle, of Rainbow Equine Hospital, said coloured pony Cinders, who came into the team’s care on 24 April with horrific facial burns, underwent further surgery on Friday (25 May).

For the past three weeks, since a specialist vet flew in from the US to help the team at Rainbow Equine operate on Cinders, her dressings had been changed daily and removed in stages as she healed beneath it.

“Most of the damaged areas have healed but on either side of her face and around her eyes she has been left with bands of scar tissue,” Mr Rendle said.

“Scar tissue always contracts and the contraction of tissue on Cinders’ face caused distortion of her eyelids and muzzle. Her eyelids had become pulled out of line and her top lip was being pulled upwards exposing her teeth and gums.

“The scarring did give Cinders a very endearing smile but the contracture was getting gradually worse, so she underwent a third surgery.”

Areas that had not completely healed were grafted, while those that had been distorted by scar tissue were debrided and released, to allow her muzzle and eyelids to move into more normal positions.

To prevent further contracting, skin grafts were placed within the releasing incisions, so new skin can grow across the gaps to stop them closing.

“Within 30 minutes of the end of surgery, Cinders lifted her head, looked around and simply stood up, unflustered by her third general anaesthetic,” Mr Rendle said.

“Half an hour later, she was back in her stable enjoying her lunch.”

Mr Rendle said Cinders was bright overnight, and “demonstrating her usual voracious appetite”, and that by the next morning, it was clear her features were in more normal positions.

“Both her face and her back [from which the skin grafts were taken] will be sore but with the help of the mixture of pain medications her attitude, interest in all around her and needless to say her appetite are unchanged as a result of the surgery,” he added.

The biggest issue affecting the success of skin grafts’ adhesion to underlying tissue is infection, which is hard to manage in horses, especially in facial areas as it is hard to cover the surgery sites completely. But the vets at Rainbow are optimistic enough will remain in place to minimise further scarring.

Burns and plastic surgeons from Pinderfields Hospital Trust helped with the surgery, while manufacturer Zimmer lent equipment.

“We are extremely grateful to all the professionals involved from both Rainbow Equine Hospital and Pinderfields who have donated their time to treat Cinders, to Zimmer for the loan of equipment and most of all to the hundreds of people who have made donations to ensure that

Cinders gets the very best of everything,” Mr Rendle said. “A wrong is being righted.

“We will continue to do all we can to ensure Cinders makes the best possible recovery and has a long, happy and pain-free future.”

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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.

Louise Bergicourt-Toolan didn’t let the pressure get to her on the final day of the H&H Festival of Eventing, in association with KBIS. She jumped a clear round in the final showjumping phase of the 70cm class to maintain pole position.

“I just can’t believe it — for us to finish so close to our dressage score is a great achievement, especially as this is our first eventing competition together,” said Louise who helps run a riding school in Richmond, West London.

Louise was riding Melanie Gatt’s six-year-old Connemara x thoroughbred, Woodfield Gold. The dun completed on a score of 28.25, some 3.1 penalties ahead of second-placed 11-year-old Frankie Fox and Rockwood Dundoolie.

Woodfield Gold (or ‘Phoenix’ as he is known at home), arrived from Ireland onto Louise’s riding school two years ago, and was used as a horse to teach novice riders until recently.

“He is a one in a million horse and he gave me a brilliant round today,” said Louise, a mother of one. “He was looking at each fence, concentrating and didn’t let the atmosphere get to him. I was nervous this morning, but only because I didn’t want to let him down. I just shut the crowds and atmosphere out and imagined I was schooling at home.”

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Louise is excited about the future for this 15.2hh dun.

“I think it’s onwards and upwards for us now,” she said. “We will hopefully look to aim him at qualifying for the Mitsubishi Cup at Badminton.”

Last year’s winner, Sally Pidsley and Tranwheal Tineth Moon, added four faults to their score in the showjumping but held onto third place.

Don’t miss the full report from the H&H Festival of Eventing in Horse & Hound magazine — on sale Thursday, 7 June and follow online at www.horseandhound.co.uk

Tough, resilient, reliable and brilliant fun. Of course no horse is perfect, but cob owners and riders have got a pretty good deal. Here are 18 reasons why Aimi Clark thinks they are so much better than thoroughbreds. Thoroughbred lovers — get ready to fight your corner…

1. No time to ride today? No matter – your cob will still be as safe and chilled out as he normally is tomorrow. And, come to think of it, next week. But pity the girl on your yard whose thoroughbred has been on box rest — aren’t you glad you don’t have to get on that?

2. Box rest isn’t something you’ve ever given much thought. Cobs don’t break as easily as thoroughbreds.

3. Admittedly thoroughbreds go faster, but when it’s stepped on a stone and hopping lame, your cob will plough ahead. Remember the hare and the tortoise?

4. In fact, barefoot is an option for your mighty cob’s strong feet.

5. You don’t have to hold your breath when you bring your cob in from a muddy field, because he rarely loses shoes. His legs don’t swell to twice their size at the first sign of mud fever either.

6. While your friend spends a huge chunk of their pay cheque on hard feed for their thoroughbred, your cob looks great on little more than hay and grass.

7. You also don’t have to waste lots of money on rugs to keep him warm in winter. He doesn’t sulk because he’s thin-skinned and cold when it rains in the summer, and he is far more tolerant of pesky flies.

8. Your toddler, mum and 80-year-old grandparents can all ride him. He’s a truly safe all rounder, but still brilliant fun when you get on to go hunting or cross-country. Put a novice on a thoroughbred and see what happens when they hold the reins too tight and let their lower leg slip back…

9. When you take your cob to a show, you don’t have to allow extra time for calming them down just to get a saddle and bridle near them.

10. No need to factor in time for plaiting either — we’re team hogged manes!

11. And those awkwardly narrow, high withers on thoroughbreds that often require a made-to-measure saddle? Pah!

12. You don’t need several layers of thick pads underneath said saddle either, because your cob’s saddle truly fits, and he isn’t prone to allergies or rubbing.

13. Hacking out in a group is fun. Your cob will go first or last, and you don’t panic when another horse (probably a thoroughbred with questionable brakes) gallops past.

14. That thoroughbred was probably fidgeting, leaping around and generally being a bit too excitable earlier, while your bemused cob stood perfectly square.

15. Your cob is not sensitive skinned and he loves a good groom. No bared teeth or flailing limbs to be seen!

16. Vices — what vices? Chewing on wood is not usually a cob’s idea of fun.

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17. And he’s definitely not a fussy eater — nor does he ever get so stressed that he goes off his food.

18. Admittedly cobs tend to have a cheeky streak — that loveable cobby charm and charisma — but when they get to the point when they might hurt themselves, they stop. They’re quite clever like that.

We could go on but you get the message — cobs are great! Can you think of any more reasons?

Don’t miss this week’s cob special of Horse & Hound magazine (24 May 2018), where we meet the life-changing cobs and find out what makes Our Cashel Blue just so special

With foaling season well underway, Horse & Hound’s sport horse breeding editor rounds up some of the most exciting foals of 2018 so far

1. The Farouche legacy

A Devon stud has welcomed two exciting foals out of the double world young horse champion, Woodlander Farouche. A colt (above) and a filly (below), both by Valverde, were born at Lorna Wilson’s Newton Stud earlier this month, where Farouche’s grand-dam Claire also lives.

“The foals were the result of a double flush performed at Twemlows Stud — Claire and her family have a tendency to double ovulate which is great for the embryo transfer work,” says Lorna. “I’m so grateful to Ally Walton for allowing me to buy these embryos in utero at the end of last season.”

“I couldn’t be happier to have both a colt and a filly! The filly will in all likelihood be retained and the colt will be for sale. The filly arrived first, in the middle of the day, and is a real character with that ‘look-at-me’ quality just like Farouche. The colt kept us waiting an extra week, but he is huge, long-legged and has a beautiful frame, so it was worth it!

“We haven’t decided on names yet and are open to ideas which must start with a V!”

Farouche’s earlier offspring have already made an impact, with her 2010 embryo transfer daughter Woodlander Walk On The Wild Side scoring two higher first premiums as a youngster, and her 2011 approved son Woodlander Wild Child already building a reputation as a stellar sire.

2. The daughter of this year’s Badminton winner

Kiwi event rider Jonelle Price is excited about an embryo transfer filly out of her hugely popular Badminton winner, the Classic daughter Classic Moet. The foal, who is by Upsilon, was born on Good Friday at the end of March and has now been named Faerie Good Golly.

“If she’s a patch on her parents, she’ll be a formidable filly!” says Jonelle.

3. The grandchildren of Britain’s most exciting dressage hope

Emma Blundell’s Mount St John stud has welcomed two foals out of daughters of Charlotte Dujardin’s World Equestrian Games hopeful, the majestic Mount St John Freestyle. A Vivaldi colt (above) out of the Ampere mare Mount St John A La Freestyle arrived at the beginning of April, followed by a “stunning” Total US filly out of the De Niro mare Mount St John Dancefloor at the end of May. If their stellar dam line is anything to go by, we predict big things for these two.

4. A multi-purpose filly bred in the purple

The gorgeous Geminis Classic Dancer was born at the Gemini stud in late May, with all the breeding credentials to go on to a successful career either as an eventer, or in the show ring. The filly is by Geminis Classic Opera, a Cuddy finalist at Horse of the Year show as a three-year-old, whose grandsire Chico’s Boy is the sire of Gemma Tattersall’s international three-star mare Chico Bella P. Classic Dancer is out of Lemington Night Dance, full sister to Piggy French’s three-star partner Lemington Letts Dance.

“She is a stunning nearly black foal who has a fantastic career ahead of her,” says Georgie Belton of the Gemini stud.

5. A possible star sire of the future

Dressage bloodlines don’t come much better than that of grand prix dressage rider Rebecca Cowderoy’s beautiful colt foal Spider, born on 12 May at Fosshey Stud, out of her international small tour and keur mare Celicia (Florencio x Gribaldi). Spider, whose full name is yet to be decided, is by the stallion of the moment, the Vivaldi x Ferro son Dream Boy, who is clocking up international grand prix victories with Holland’s Hans Peter Minderhoud.

“We can’t wait to see him develop over the years; for now we plan to keep him entire,” says Rebecca. “He is naturally uphill with great balance and beautifully put together, his head is extremely pretty — you can see his mum in him — and he has a huge wow factor about him meaning you can’t help but look at him!”

This week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (24 May 2018) is our cobs special, where we meet Our Cashel Blue and find out how to bag the perfect cob

Don’t miss next week’s issue (31 May 2018), where Badminton winner Classic Moet is our Horse Hero of the week

Opinion

There can be no disputing that point-to-pointing is a very sociable sport and that will have been obvious to anyone who has attended a fixture in recent weeks when the sun has been shining.

I thoroughly enjoy the social aspect of pointing and will happily spend an afternoon in a field chatting and picnicking with friends, but the action on the track is what brings the majority of us to that field and there we have a problem — in some areas at least.

Horse numbers are down and field sizes have been embarrassingly low at some fixtures. I recently attended one fixture that had two matches and a walkover, which had people heading for the exit well before the last race.

This is a hot topic among participants and pointing enthusiasts at present and is being debated on a regular basis. Some are also expressing concern that we are losing a number of owners to under-Rules racing.

Therefore, what can be done to reverse the tide? It costs a similar amount to keep a horse whichever code you choose to run it under and there’s no disputing that there are many other benefits for owners under Rules, the obvious one being prize money.

I’m told by many who have been involved in pointing for decades that prize money is not the be all and end all. Taking part, winning occasionally and enjoying all of this with friends are all more important — although I firmly believe that prize money should be increased, but that is a whole new debate.

What works for others?

The first thing I would do is to consult with those areas of the country where numbers are holding up and find out what they are doing right — it certainly can’t do any harm.

I would also concentrate on promoting involvement in racing clubs and syndicates. This is how I became involved in point-to-point ownership and I would throw the kitchen sink at this in marketing terms, while also using the unique social aspect of the sport as a selling point.

This could attract some much-needed new blood to the sport, but one thing I would certainly recommend is that there are sufficient passes available when they have a runner — another hot topic at present.

Ref Horse & Hound; 24 May 2018