You may think you blend seamlessly into your current life as an astrophysicist/CEO/airline pilot, but there will always be those little telltale signs that you’re a country (and horsey-mad) girl at heart.

1. You casually suggest walking to the pub one sunny afternoon, adding brightly: “It’s only five miles or so!” Your friends fall about laughing and call an Uber.

2. While on a company team building day, you turn up in wellies and a proper coat, while everyone else is wearing ‘fashion jackets’. You’re the only person to stay warm and dry all day.

3. While on a camping trip with an urban friend, she complains that she can’t sleep because it’s too dark and too quiet. You can’t sleep because she has hysterics every time she hears an owl.

4. On the same trip, she leaves the tent in the morning only to rush back in, white faced and shaking, saying there’s a ‘herd of raging bulls’ in the next field. Intrigued, you wander out to find a row of dairy cows leaning placidly over the hedge, chewing the cud. You fall about laughing.

5. You simply can’t break yourself out of the habit of carrying ‘useful stuff’ in your pockets, such as a penknife and piece of string. You can generally be replied upon for the odd dog biscuit, as well.

6. You horrify your friends by eating handfuls of blackberries from the hedgerow. They have only seen punnets of blackberries in supermarkets and had no idea you can pick them for free.

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7. You can’t really get your head round the fact that you now have access to a reliable public transport system, and still try to walk or drive everywhere.

8. You still automatically give each new garment the ‘practicality test’ — does it have roomy pockets? Could I actually walk in those shoes? You hate it when friends leave the house without a coat.

9. Your friends buy you a ‘country house experience weekend’ at a posh hotel, and you know deep down that a real ‘country house experience’ involves no hot water, unreliable heating, a temperamental AGA, a dodgy roof and at least four dogs on the sofa and/or bed.

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

What happened to sunny days of competing, picnic et al? Some have been suffering with the miserable weather recently and none more so than those trying to compete their beloved horses in less than favourable conditions. Here’s just a few problems we face while battling the elements on the competition circuit…

1. Brown mud + white breeches = disaster zone. You have considered taking out shares in Vanish.

2. It’s all fine if you have a lorry with a decent living, but a car and trailer combination is a great deal more labour-intensive. Trying to get changed in the trailer and make your horse look as beautiful as possible while it is tied to the outside standing in a quagmire is a fine art. And when you return to the trailer laden with wet tack and clothes there’s the million dollar question: where on earth do you put everything?

3. Spending the duration of Saturday washing, drying, re-washing and re-drying your horse, sawdusting white feathers, rugging and then re-rugging, getting up at 4am to get to the show on Sunday only to be completely immersed in mud as soon as you step off the lorry needs the stiffest of upper lips to survive.

4. The thought of a grass warm-up arena gives you clammy hands. To quote International Velvet, it’s like trying to perform Swan Lake in clogs.

5. You’re desperate to show off your horse’s wow-factor movement to the judges — but those bog-like conditions are something of a hindrance…

6. Plastic covers for your car seat are a waste of space — don’t kid yourself. Now is not the time to be a clean car person.

7. Quickly ‘nipping’ anywhere is a no-no. Spontaneous plans to go to a show? That will be an hour of bathing first. Dashing back to the tackroom across a flooded yard to pick up the girth you forgot? Welcome to mud-splashed brown-spotted breeches. Running to the secretary’s office to make a last-minute entry for the next class? Not unless you want to end up face-first in a puddle. Everything. Takes. So. Long

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8. Rain has an uncanny ability to make your perfectly-groomed horse’s coat go dull and flat, and for your horse to instantly tuck its belly up, flatten its ears and clamp its tail within minutes. Not the best picture…

9. The tack cleaning situation post-show looks as though you’ve had a full day of January hunting, only without the port…

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

A Welsh section D mare with an enviable list of achievements under saddle topped the 2019 Brightwells’ Autumn Cob Sales (30 October-1 November).

Top lot was the flashy six-year-old dun Llanarth Fair Lady (Penlangrug Deio x Llanarth Pam Evans), owned by the Hughes family, who was sold for a trade topping £25,500 to the Alford family where she will continue her career under saddle. Her producer Katy Marriott-Payne rode the mare in the sale ring where she displayed her fabulous paces to the crowds.

Fair Lady was a Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) finalist this season in both open Welsh cob and junior ranks. She took third place in the latter final. She was auctioned with her ticket to the mountain and moorland ridden final at Olympia, a qualification she picked up at the BSPS Heritage championships last month.

The £25,500 price tag is the second-highest price to have ever been reached at the sales with the record being set last year when the Welsh section C stallion Tyrllawn Rolls-Royce sold for £45,000.

The top young stock lot was Andrew Thomas’ filly foal Caederwen Miss Monroe (Waunoris Golden Boy x Caederwen Merch Euraidd), which was knocked down for £13,500. The striking palamino found a new home with Carol Prater of the Rhencullen stud.

Continued below…

The Welsh section D: the ‘native cobs’ with power, action and presence

While there is no maximum height requirement, it is desirable that the section D retains pony character and true Welsh

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Dun mares were certainly popular as Glyn Anderson’s five-year-old Welsh section C Tyntyla Catkin (Cadfach Who Dunnit x Tyntyla Catrin) scored an impressive price of £10,000.

Prices were high across the board as the sale averaged in excess of £1,400 per lot, a level which has not been achieved for some time.

Keep in touch and up to date with all the latest news, reports and exclusive features in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

This week, don’t miss our veteran special with tips and tricks to keep your golden oldie on the road, plus an insight into the competitions available to veterans across the disciplines.

Two equestrians are among the eight sports women to make the shortlist for the BT Sport Action Woman of the Year award 2019.

The prize, which is in its seventh year, celebrates stand-out performances from Britain’s female athletes and is decided by public vote.

This year, eventer Pippa Funnell MBE and jockey Bryony Frost have been nominated alongside competitors from the worlds of football, athletics, taekwondo, para-cycling and motorsport.

Fifty-year-old Pippa was put forward for the prize after her “return to winning ways” at this year’s Burghley, 14 years after her last four-star (now five-star) victory; while Bryony was nominated after becoming the first female jockey to win a Grade One race over fences at Cheltenham.

Bryony Frost with the Ryanair Chase trophy after she rode Frodon to victory in the Grade One at Cheltenham.

Other nominees include last year’s recipient sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, who broke British records this year while claiming a gold and two silvers in the world championships at 100m and 200m.

Voting is now open at btsport.com/actionwoman2019 and closes at 11.59pm on 1 December.

The shortlist was selected by a panel of judges including Clare Balding OBE, Rachel Brown-Finnis, Caroline Barker, Tammy Parlour MBE (co-founder of the Women’s Sport Trust), Jude Kelly CBE (director of the WOW Foundation), and Adam Sills (head of sport at The Telegraph).

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Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “It has been an incredible, record-breaking year for women’s sport, both for individuals and teams. From football and horse racing, to motorsport and martial arts, we are proud to celebrate the achievements of our nominees and hope that their performances will inspire the next generation of athletes.

“We would encourage everyone to continue to show their appreciation and admiration by voting for their favourite sportswoman of 2019.”

The awards, hosted by Clare Balding, will be shown across multiple platforms, including BT Sport 1, on the BT Sport app, BTsport.com and on Twitter on Monday, 9 December from 7.30pm.

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

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well and have had a moment to breath if you have been eventing this season, now that 2019 has drawn to a close.

When the season finishes for competing it can often bring a mix bag of emotions. For some, it may have been the most amazing run, that only in your dreams could you think of pulling off (Piggy we salute you!). But for others, it may have been more up and down or just damn right challenging.

Whatever situation you are in, there is always a positive to be drawn and a way forwards for next season, if you have the commitment and willpower.

November time for me sees my coaching kick into full swing. I was really pleased (and a touched relieved) to gain my UKCC Level 3 training qualification earlier in the year, which has given me a greater depth of knowledge and further skill set in terms of teaching. I won’t lie, the exams were hard work, but really rewarding and if you are looking at the coaching route, I would highly recommend this pathway.

With significant time and energy put into gaining my Level 3, I have really tried to get myself out there as much as possible in terms of offering training days at various different training venues.

Recently I had a great session at West Wilts, where we all kept nice and dry in their indoor arena! I was teaching three talented students on lovely horses and it was a really positive session. During the lesson we did a good warm-up and then jumped around a course. Three important rules came up during our time, which I thought might be good to share in this blog too:

1. Engine — making sure you have quality in the canter (not necessarily faster)

2. Straightness — on approach and landings. Finishing the turn so the horse is on two tracks and not three.

3. Balance — nine times out of 10 if we balance ourselves, the horse becomes instantly more balanced. Using the focus of the eye being up not down really helps with this.

With the lesson being indoors, it also highlighted how quickly things can come up during a course when moving into those smaller spaces during the winter months. Preparation is key in these instances and always making sure you are looking ahead.

I am looking forward to going back to West Wilts on 2 December and 13 January, and I think it is really useful to have a practice indoors if you are thinking of doing some indoor winter showjumping.

I sadly had to cancel my Saracen Horse Feeds jumping clinic over the weekend as the great British weather certainly turned against us in a big way! However, we are already looking at finding a new date. This clinic is great as it allows me to team up with my long-term feed sponsors, who offer all participants a complimentary diet review and use of their weighbridge — which, when we are moving into the colder months, is a really useful exercise.

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Away from coaching, I am also so happy to announce a new supporter. Harcour are now my official clothing sponsor and to say I am over the moon is an understatement. I have loved their kit for a long time and am so grateful for all the wonderful clothes they have sent me. I am not just saying this, but I have never worn such comfortable, stylish and long-lasting kit. I feel very lucky to be able to be able to wear it and look forward to showcasing their brand.

Overall, I think that is all from me for this time. I am looking forward to a busy couple of months training and look forward to sharing all my news with you all next time.

C x

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

British showjumper Emily Moffitt has brought in renowned Irish rider and producer Cameron Hanley as her new trainer.

The 21-year-old Team GB rider has been trained by Olympic gold medallist Ben Maher since they first teamed up in 2016. However, with Ben’s heavy competition schedule, the Moffitt family have decided to recruit 46-year-old Cameron as a second rider and trainer to work alongside the world number five under the Poden Farms banner.

“I am very happy to have Cameron join the team,” said Neil Moffitt, Emily’s father and owner of Poden Farms.

“He has exemplary qualities that we have been looking for, not limited to his riding skills, but also his ability to assist in the training of my daughter Emily. We have a vast array of fantastic horses and look forward to what the future holds for all of us.”

A statement said: “Poden Farms has achieved great success with Ben Maher both as a rider and a trainer. Under his tutelage, Emily has accomplished incredible things, from the GB team win in Dublin to multiple wins for the London Knights [in the Global Champions League (GCL)]. Cameron will work closely with Ben to help Emily continue to achieve her goals for the 2020 season and to develop top grand prix horses for Poden Farms. We look forward to this new partnership and the expanding success of Poden Farms.”

Emily’s new partnership with Cameron, who is based in Germany, has already proved profitable as Emily won the CSI2* grand prix in Valencia, Spain, on Sunday (3 November) riding her “trusty steed”, the 14-year-old stallion Copain Du Perchet CH.

“I think even just in these few weeks, having Cameron here has made a big difference in my riding,” Emily told H&H from the Autumn Tour in Spain where she’s still competing.

“Ben’s really great at coming to shows with me, but he’s so busy so it’s hard for him to be with me all the time so now, between the two of them, we have a good system going.

“Obviously you need a fantastic team behind you to be able to achieve what I want to achieve,” added Emily, who was part of the Aga Khan-winning Nations Cup team in Dublin this year, rode for the title-winning London Knights squad on the GCL and has long had the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as her goal.

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Emily will continue to be based from her Worcestershire stables.

“Ben and Cameron are both quite amazing, I’m very lucky to have them,” she said.

Emily is spending another week competing in Valencia, where she has also been getting to know new ride Kasper Van Het Hellehof, one of a very exciting string of horses owned and produced by Poden Farms.

“I’m taking it easy with him as he’s quite big and chunky and he thinks I’m a little fly on him at the moment! He keeps asking ‘Where’s my rider?’” she said. “We just need to work together a bit more but he’s super talented.”

She then heads to the CSI5* World Cup show in Stuttgart, Germany, before returning to the familiar scarlet colours of the London Knights for the GC Prague Playoffs, where LGCT victor Ben is set to ride Poden Farms’ incredible gelding Explosion W, his European silver medal-winning ride.

Keep in touch with all the latest news, reports and exclusive features in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

Ah winter. Other people may rave about Christmas and crisp frosty mornings, but the reality for riders tends to be freezing in hacks, struggling to fit in rides with short daylight hours and battling with mud.

Because non-horsey colleagues need a helping hand, we’ve compiled this handy guide for your muggle co-workers to help them understand your winter lingo…

1. It’s really tricky to fit in a ride once the clocks change (translation: I’ll be leaving early at least three days a week until spring).

2. It’s so cold at the yard in the mornings now (translation: please forgive the fact I’ll be arriving at the office with 14 layers on, I’ll go and remove them as soon as I’ve had a coffee).

3. My indoor showjumping show went on until midnight last night (translation: I am quite tired today, please don’t ask me to do anything difficult).

4. There’s so much mud in the field gateway (translation: I forgot my office shoes, so I’ll either be tramping dirt through the office — jodhpurs boots are chic, right? — or padding around in socks today).

5.  I can’t wait for my local show centre’s Christmas show — I’ve been planning my outfit for weeks (translation: please don’t ask me to go away for work that week. I need to finish moulding my tinsel to the shape of my horse’s ears).

6. I am so excited to go to Olympia on the Tuesday night (translation: I’ll be hungover on that Wednesday because I will be spending all my money in the champagne bar).

7. I’m going on a beach holiday! I haven’t booked holiday for anything except for stayaway shows for five years! (translation: does anyone have a plug adaptor I can borrow? And I wonder where my passport is…)

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8. The heater doesn’t work in my car, so could we take yours for that long trip? (translation: my car is a mobile wardrobe and tackroom for muddy, hairy clothing, rugs and numnahs — please don’t embarrass me by asking to get in it).

9. I clipped Silver at the weekend (translation: please don’t worry if little white hairs keep flying out of my clothing today).

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

This time of year is always full of promise, but there’s a few reasons why 2020 is shaping up to be an especially exciting year for dressage riders and fans alike…

1. Britain might win an Olympic medal

In case you hadn’t realised, there’s the small matter of the Tokyo Olympics fast approaching! Britain’s top combinations are getting their competition campaigns underway, all hoping to be chosen as members of the team of three that will travel to Japan in July, along with one travelling reserve. And there’s no shortage of talent at the top — with Charlotte Dujardin, Carl Hester and Gareth Hughes leading the charge, you can be sure that whichever riders end up representing us in Tokyo, they’ll be in with a very good chance of a team medal.

2. There will be some exciting format changes

If the Olympics weren’t exciting enough, this year’s Games are set to produce even more drama, with a new competition format. The grand prix special will now determine the team medals, with the grand prix test serving as a qualifier for the individual competition – the freestyle – and to decide the running order for the special.

3. The National Dressage Championships have had a revamp

Back at home, the British Dressage national championships will take place at the beautiful Somerford Park, Cheshire, this September, with three international arenas, extra capacity across the levels and several new classes, including a prelim gold championship, prix st georges and inter I silver championships and a prix st georges freestyle.

4. There’s plenty of new and returning talent to watch out for

One of the most exciting young British riders of the moment, Lottie Fry, will be campaigning hard for Tokyo selection, not just with her 2019 European Championship ride Dark Legend, but the Lord Leatherdale stallion Everdale, with whom she wowed crowds and judges alike at Olympia in December. At the other end of the spectrum, experienced combination Spencer Wilton and Super Nova II are also back in action and aiming for a team place, having not competed since helping Britain win team bronze at the World Equestrian Games in 2018.

5. The Area Festival series has had a makeover

The ever-popular Area Festivals will now run across two seasons, culminating in the winter championships at Hartpury in April and the brand new summer championships, to be held at Arena UK in September.

6. Britain’s para dressage squad are looking stronger than ever

There have been several new faces on British para teams in recent years, such last year’s gold medallists Georgia Wilson and team silver medallist Mari Durward-Akhurst. But competition for a team place at the Paralympics is especially strong this year, with multi-medallists like Natasha Baker and Sophie Christiansen boasting top-class new rides. Britain hasn’t won team gold at a para championship since 2017, but there’s everything to suggest they could be back on top in Tokyo.

7. Freestyle to music fans have a new championship to aim for

The summer Area Festival series now includes freestyle classes, so if you and your horse love nothing more than to strut your stuff to music, this is a great opportunity. The Area Festival Summer Music Championship will be incorporated in to the Area Festival Summer Championships in September. Check out this week’s dressage special issue of H&H for more on creating a winning freestyle.

8. Britain’s queen of dressage has another horse at the top level

Having already proved herself to be far from a one-horse wonder following Valegro’s retirement, Charlotte Dujardin can now add the nine-year-old Gio — aka Pumpkin — her grand prix string alongside Mount St John Freestyle. The diminutive Apache son made his grand prix debut with nearly 80% in January, and is set to compete at his first international competition in March, at ’s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands.

9. Middle tour combinations will be well catered for

If you and your horse have progressed beyond small tour but aren’t quite ready to make the leap up to grand prix, it can often feel as though you’re somewhat stuck in no-mans land. Not this year though — BD has launched a new Middle Tour Championship, to run at the Keysoe High Profile show in December with inter II, inter B and inter A/B freestyle classes for gold and silver competitors.

Don’t miss Horse & Hound’s dressage special issue, on sale now

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