Horses are highly social animals, often forming many strong bonds and friendships over the course of their lifetime. There are clear evolutionary reasons for this, as Dr Claire Ricci-Bonot, a postdoctoral researcher at INRAE (France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment), explains.

“It’s important to remember that horses are generally gregarious animals who live within complex social systems,” she says. “For them, the group means safety and survival, so their brains are adapted to seek out partners.”

Social interaction is so important for horses, it’s recognised within the five freedoms of equine welfare.

“We know that developing and maintaining social relationships and hierarchical positions are second only to getting food in what horses do all day, given the opportunity,” says equine behaviour consultant Dr Debbie Marsden.

“This is not surprising as for herd animals like horses, ‘fitting in’ and ‘getting along’ is vital for survival, and a network of established relationships is essential to minimise aggression and conserve energy.”

Given horses are hardwired to rely on social bonds for survival, it’s no wonder they’re picky about their friends.

“Horses living in a group tend to have one to three preferred partners; they often spend a lot of time together and synchronise their activities,” says Claire.

But, as anyone who’s ever tried to integrate a new horse into an existing group knows, predicting where horse friendships will blossom isn’t easy. It’s an area of equine behaviour in which Debbie would like to see more research.

“We don’t know which horses will get along or become friends until we put them together,” she says. “It would be really useful to be able to ‘profile’ or predict this.”

Becky Moody on matchmaking equine neighbours and forming horse friendships

For international dressage rider Becky Moody, giving the horses on her yard the opportunity to socialise is important but requires careful matchmaking.

“It can be difficult to manage on a yard like this, as you have a lot of strong characters in your competition horses!” she says. “So I 100% choose carefully. Some horses, when turned out, are relatively solitary, not bothered about the one that’s next to them, and then others spend the entire time playing with each other.”

When Becky put in round pens for winter turnout, socialising was an important factor in their design.

“The pens are in pairs and we have a low bit between them, so the horses can interact and they do spend a lot of time playing with each other. That was really important to me, that they had that opportunity.”

Lizzie Wray is the yard owner at Shadowmere Equine Retirement Livery, Lincs. Whenever a new horse arrives, she uses their 14-day biosecurity procedure to get to know the horse and their personality, before choosing which she thinks is the most suitable group for them to join.

“We then bring the group we think will be good to the next paddock, and let them get to know each other safely, over the fence,” she says. “Once we’re happy, we’ll introduce the newbie into the herd.”

Even then, she doesn’t take any chances.

“Say we’re introducing a fourth horse to an existing group of three, we always have four members of staff on hand in case it doesn’t work and we need to remove the newbie and rethink.

“We have come across ones that hate each other,” she continues. “We’ve got one mare who just doesn’t like this one gelding – she can’t even look at him, the poor boy is doing nothing to her!”

Lizzie says it can take two or three weeks for a group to settle, but if it’s not working, they’ll try something else.

“If they don’t get on, or it’s not meeting their needs, then we’ll try another group.”

Some horses seem to struggle more socially than others.

“It does seem to be a particular characteristic of the bullied animal, not the bullies, but we don’t know how to assess for it,” says Debbie.

“They may just not be giving out the ‘expected’ social signals, or giving out the wrong ones. And there may be as yet unknown pheromonal signs or some other communication we’re not aware of.”

It’s thought poor social skills stem from the horse’s upbringing and a lack of opportunity to interact at an early age, and Debbie says it’s unclear if this can be corrected in later life.

“We don’t know how to teach or improve these social skills, other than by offering varied social experiences in later years.”

A healthy, well-established equine bond is characterised as much by what we don’t see as what we do, which presents a challenge when trying to study it.

“Simple ‘acceptance’ and ‘tolerance’ is a huge part of equine social behaviour. It’s hard for scientists to measure or investigate ‘nothing happening’,” explains Debbie.

“There is probably a lot more communication and subtle social behaviour going on than we are aware of. One thing we do know is that, once established, these relationships last for a great many years.”

For Lizzie, running a retirement livery means facing the inevitable – having to manage a horse whose close companion has died.

“Horses absolutely grieve,” she confirms. “We had two geldings who were particularly drawn to each other and very happy, but the younger one was sadly riddled with arthritis and had to be put to sleep.

“For two weeks afterwards, the surviving gelding was completely off his food and lethargic. We thought he was going to die of a broken heart, but eventually he quietly slipped into the other herd and they seemed to support him.”

Lizzie is a big advocate of allowing horses to see what’s happening when a horse is euthanised, “So they can process it, and they don’t think, where’s he gone?”

Apart from the unavoidable end of life, Lizzie and her team try not to separate any of the horses on their yard.

“These horses are not out competing,” she points out. “They come in through the gates and don’t leave until it’s time for them to be put to sleep. We don’t turn out or bring in alone, and if a horse is on box rest for some reason, they always have a buddy.”

On a busy competition yard, where horses are constantly coming and going, managing attachments requires careful consideration, as five-star event rider Millie Dumas explains.

“You have to find the right groups of horses to take to a show, for example, and sometimes you have to separate horses so that an attachment doesn’t become a performance issue,” she says. “If you want to get the best out of them, they also have to be happy and content in their home environment. We don’t want stressed horses.”

Separation anxiety in horses – what we know

Separation anxiety is something many owners are aware of, but surprisingly little is actually known about it. In her previous role at the University of Lincoln, Claire undertook a study into owners’ experiences of separation anxiety. The results, based on 88 responses, were published earlier this year.

“More than 90% of the respondents believed they had a horse that had suffered with separation anxiety or knew someone owning a horse who they believed had suffered from separation anxiety,” she says. “However, in the scientific literature, little is known about separation anxiety despite it being commonly discussed in the popular press and by owners.

“Our research demonstrated that it’s more complicated than we might think.”

The research found that how separation anxiety manifests differs from horse to horse. It was observed in different contexts, as it depended on whether the horse was being left behind or was actively leaving, and occurred at different points during the process.

“This was separated into ‘during preparation’ for departure, when ‘actively leaving or being left’, when there is an ‘initial barrier to contact’ and finally when there is a ‘loss of contact’,” Claire explains.

“Moreover, we identified several signs potentially associated with separation anxiety, ranging from increased arousal – for example hypervigilance – to apathy.”

The research concluded that care needs to be taken not to overgeneralise.

Claire also points out that more research is needed on how to prevent separation anxiety occurring.

“There’s no scientific literature on the benefits of training horses through graduated periods of controlled isolation to cope with separation from a companion or group,” she says. “Until we get more data, our recommendations remain ‘best guess’.

“However, gradually training young horses to cope with separation as a preventative measure is advisable.”

For Millie, this training is an important part of a horse’s education. She’s seen first-hand the problems that can occur without it.

“We’ve had liveries in the past, often older horses that have perhaps lived their life with one other horse and gone everywhere together. Because they’ve never been taught to be independent, they’ve become insecure without their companion by their side,” she says.

“We’ve managed these types of horses by making sure that they have the right sort of company next door to them, ones who give off a calm demeanour.

“It’s important to teach horses from a young age gradually to be independent as well as have company, to be able to leave it and come back,” she explains.

“We have a lot of young horses and I think it’s really important they learn that, as well as having that downtime where they can socialise with other horses.”

Becky agrees, and adds that hacking can play a big part in this early training.

“We hack all our young ones a lot, they do always hack in pairs and getting each one to walk in front and be confident makes a big difference to how they are at a competition.”

• For unlimited access to advice on how best to care for your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

With top-class showjumping on offer in one of the nation’s most beloved arenas, there have been some truly fantastic moments at the Agria Royal International Horse Show.

Top Royal International showjumping memories

In no particular order, I’ve chosen a few favourites to whet your appetite ahead of this year’s fixture.

Janet Hunter and Lisnamarrow’s remarkable run

Scotland’s leading lady Janet Hunter and her spectacular white-faced Lisnamarrow were one of the most memorable partnerships of the late 1980s and the early ’90s.

Together, they won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in 1988, 1989 and 1991 – holding a unique place in history as the only combination to have accomplished this impressive hat-trick.

Lisnamarrow, known as Scotty, had made comebacks from injury to take the wins, having had the best part of a year out following the Olympic selection trial at Hickstead in 1988. He returned to the ring three months before their 1989 victory, when Janet beat her mentor Liz Edgar and Everest Rapier by more than three seconds.

“I was based at Ted and Liz Edgars’ and beat Liz in the jump-off, which didn’t go down well with Ted! They all packed up and left me to celebrate without them!” Janet recalls.

The pair’s 1991 victory was a nostalgic milestone as it was the final year the RIHS was held at Birmingham NEC, which had hosted it from 1982.

Great Britain’s Nations Cup triumph

A spine-tingling roar echoed around Hickstead on Nations Cup Friday in 2023, when Great Britain put an end to a 13-year drought without a home victory.

The spell was broken in spectacular fashion by maestros John Whitaker and Unick Du Francport, who sealed the deal with a fairy-tale clear round.

On his 180th team appearance, John was joined by Ben Maher, Harry Charles and Tim Gredley to finish on four faults.

“The first time I came to Hickstead was in 1970 or 1971 with a pony. But today was – after all those years – probably the best day,” said John, who was 67 at the time.

The enormity of the occasion also affected Britain’s team manager Di Lampard.

“I have to confess, I took myself off and shed a tear. I’m not normally like that, but this did hit me because I wanted it so badly,” she said.

The win kicked off a historic week for the home side – on Sunday, John’s son Robert added to the family legacy by securing his first King George V Gold Cup aboard Vermento.

It heralded a new era of Whitaker family dominance at Hickstead – with cousin Donald winning the King’s Cup in 2024, Robert regaining it in 2025 and James picking up the Queen’s Cup the same year.

Sibling double

Were you at Wembley – one of the venues that has been home to the Royal International until it moved to Hickstead, where it has remained ever since, in 1992 – when David Broome and Liz Edgar pulled off an incredible sibling double act not once, but twice?

In both 1977 and 1981, they lifted the King George V Gold Cup and Queen Elizabeth II Cup in the same year, conquering what were then entirely separate male and female championships.

H&H’s report by Pamela McGregor-Morris records how in 1977 the Broome family “saved the show” and that their father, Fred Broome, was awarded “the Sherry Sippers award for the personality making the most impact during the week”.

David – who had apparently “talked seriously of retiring at Hickstead” – won five classes that year, including his fourth King’s. He also secured the Radio Rentals champion horseman title after jumping clear on “four strange horses”. Liz, riding Everest Wallaby, finally laid her hands on the Queen’s after 16 years of trying.

David and Liz’s records in both classes remain unsurpassed. David lifted the King’s Cup six times between 1960 and 1991, while Liz dominated the Queen’s between 1977 and 1986, winning on five occasions.

Tim Stockdale finally lifts the King’s Cup

Few moments capture the electrifying highs and lows of showjumping quite like the afternoon in 2010 when the late Tim Stockdale fulfilled his 34-year dream to lift the King George V Gold Cup with Kalico Bay.

The previous year, a heartbreaking fault at the final fence denied him victory on his Olympic ride Corlato, leaving them runners-up to Peter Charles and Murkas Pall Mall H.

By 2010, Corlato had been forced into retirement, so Tim brought forward the inexperienced Kalico Bay, who was facing his biggest test to date. The pair navigated a hair-raising first round, where the nine-year-old banked an oxer and Tim was nearly thrown out of the plate at the notorious double of ditches.

Yet the jump-off delivered the ultimate redemption arc. Tim found himself in an identical position to 12 months earlier – drawn last and chasing down a target, this time set by Robert Smith and Talan.

Refusing to repeat his mistake, he took a crucial check to the last, still crossing the line a massive 1.88sec clear to trigger an epic standing ovation.

“When I was 12, I watched Mike Saywell win this on Chainbridge [1976] and said, ‘One day I am going to win that’ – and now I’ve done it,” Tim said in his post-victory interview.

What’s on this year at Royal International?

• The Agria Nations Cup of Great Britain, the JCL Insurance Brokers Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the Al Shira’aa King George V Gold Cup are just three highlights from the showjumping ring.
• There are showing championships galore across the six days, with the best of these competing in the Barberstown Castle supreme ridden horse and the Supreme Products supreme pony championships on the final Sunday.
• Plus there’s arena eventing, scurry driving, cross-pole jumping and a shopping village, bars, restaurants, children’s entertainment and hospitality options to enjoy, with “Style Saturday” a hugely popular competition for anyone who likes to dress up.

How to follow the action

The Agria Royal International takes place at The All England Jumping Course at Hickstead in West Sussex from 21–26 July. For more information on Royal International tickets, visit hickstead.co.uk

Horse & Hound will be creating extensive online coverage including breaking news, exclusive interviews and expert insight, in addition to what will be included in the magazine report (on sale 30 July).

• To stay up to date with the latest news and reports throughout Royal International Horse Show, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

With top-notch showing on offer in one of the nation’s most beloved arenas, there have been some cracking moments and great memories at the Agria Royal International Horse Show.

Epic moments at Royal International

In no particular order, here are a few of my favourites to whet your appetite ahead of this year’s fixture.

“A super show combination”

With two contenders – the mountain and moorland (M&M) and show pony champions – on the same marks, it was all to play for in the 2018 pony supreme.

In a nail-biting ride-off, Melanie Stanford and her daughter Gemma’s Highland stallion Benbreac Of Croila and Matt Cooper rose to the occasion, and remain the only M&M champions to lift the title.

Matt and the then 11-year-old gave a stunning performance to demonstrate Benbreac’s impeccable manners despite torrential rain and soggy ground conditions.

“He’s a dream ride and I think the weather and the occasion helped us as he just ploughed on regardless and he loves a big atmosphere,” said Matt at the time.

Looking back, Gemma agrees. “That ring and that atmosphere was made for Benbreac, and the ride-off really played to our strengths. Matt is so competitive and the more people cheered the more Benbreac loved it. Together the pair of them were a super show combination.

“I remember that week so clearly. There was a heatwave at the beginning and we were working so hard to keep him comfortable with ice packs and so on. Then it poured for the supreme – two extremes.”

“A magical day”

The poignant moment that the late legendary showman Allister Hood retired from the arena hand-in-hand with his wife Anne marked the end of an era for showing.

Earlier, he had been presented with his ninth supreme trophy aboard the twice-supreme Our Cashel Blue after the pair scored a perfect 30/30 for their sparkling individual performance.

Once crowned, Blue was led from the ring and show director Lizzie Bunn presented Allister with an engraved crystal, he removed his jacket and left the arena through a guard of honour.

“Allister loved Hickstead – that main ring is so special to ride in – so early in the year he formed a plan to retire there,” said Anne.

“We took Blue to one local show to qualify and it worked out so well. He was champion coloured on the Tuesday – Allister’s dialysis days were Monday, Wednesday and Friday – and returned for the supreme.

“Hickstead and Lizzie went above and beyond. It was a magical day. A day we never thought would happen so it was extremely special and very emotional.”

Cob’s prime ministerial moment

Winston Churchill took time out from his second term to visit the show then known as the International Horse Show. He’s photographed with multigarlanded Alexander, who was champion cob thrice on the trot.

Churchill was a famously keen horseman, and his name remains synonymous with the crème de la crème at the show as his eponymous trophy is still presented to the supreme champion horse, making it one of the most coveted of the fixture.

It’s believed it was first presented by Mr Holland Martin in Churchill’s honour in 1949 to the famous hack combination, Liberty Light and Count Orssich, who “entranced the public” according to a H&H report of the event. In those days, the supreme was judged “entirely by the acclamation of the onlookers”, at the time and he “received the greatest number of claps.”

“A flag-flying moment”

Now, pony champions vie for the Dick Saunders trophy, presented in honour of the late legendary figure in their own supreme. But once upon a time, they were pitted against the horses.

Dick was judging alongside Nick Skelton and Sarah Sutton in 1993 when show pony champion Royal Bronze became the first pony to outshine the horses. The Team Hollings-produced 148cm was ridden to glory by owner Anna Evans.

“The atmosphere was electric,” recalls Stuart Hollings. “Royal and legendary cob Super Ted were on equal points after their individual shows and had to go again. Royal ended his show with a great gallop to capture the title after gaining two 10s and a nine compared to Super Ted’s one 10 and two nines.”

Six-time Royal International and four-time Horse of the Year Show champion Super Ted had already cemented his place in history at this point, so “that day was a flag-flying moment for pony showing”, adds Stuart.

What’s on this year at Royal International?

• There are showing championships galore across the six days, with the best of these competing in the Barberstown Castle supreme ridden horse and the Supreme Products supreme pony championships on the final Sunday.
• The Agria Nations Cup of Great Britain, the JCL Insurance Brokers Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the Al Shira’aa King George V Gold Cup are just three highlights from the showjumping ring.
• Plus there’s arena eventing, scurry driving, cross-pole jumping and a shopping village, bars, restaurants, children’s entertainment and hospitality options to enjoy, with “Style Saturday” a hugely popular competition for anyone who likes to dress up.

How to follow the action

The Agria Royal International takes place at The All England Jumping Course at Hickstead in West Sussex from 21–26 July. For more information on Royal International tickets, visit hickstead.co.uk

Horse & Hound will be creating extensive online coverage including breaking news, exclusive interviews and expert insight, in addition to what will be included in the magazine report (on sale 30 July).

• To stay up to date with the latest news and reports throughout Royal International Horse Show, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

With just a month to go before the World Championships, Frank Rothenberger tells H&H how his career in course-designing took off, and why Aachen is like his own Olympics.

In Frank’s words

I originally wanted to be an architect, but started building courses when I was 16. I was showjumping at the time and didn’t have jumps at home, so I built them for myself. My grandfather was a carpenter, who taught me how to work timber, and my father ran a manufacturing company, so I bought machines to make the jumps.

I had water, ditches, hedges, walls, banks, gates – everything. Then people started asking me to use my field, so I would keep building new courses for them.

I competed in three German young rider championships – but in 1980 I stopped riding for three years to set up my own business manufacturing jumps as I had so much work. I was 22. I had a couple of good horses, and was competing alongside Otto Becker. I intended to go back to riding, but I found out I was more successful at designing.

The company is called isiTrade, after my daughter Isabel – Isi. She runs it with my son, who does the 3D design. Isabel is also an FEI level three course-designer and is assisting me in Aachen. I support them but they are running the business now.

I’ve been involved in six Olympic Games so far, as a technical delegate and assistant course-designer. I was shortlisted as designer for London 2012 with Bob Ellis and wrote out a 100-page concept. Bob just told the team what he planned to do and he got the job! I did the same for Rio 2016 but they took on my former assistant Guilherme Jorge, a Brazilian.

But I have my Olympics every year in Aachen – and in some years, like 2026, two big shows with the CSI5* and a championship.

The 2006 grand prix at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen was probably the best course I’ve ever built. We had 25 horses in the final round and there were faults at every fence: planks, walls, bush oxer, skinny gate – these are the courses I like. One of the most spectacular rounds I’ve ever seen over one of my courses was Scott Brash winning the Rolex grand prix on Hello Sanctos in 2015.

A course-designer should have his own “handwriting”. It’s like with artists – they have their signature style. Take Picasso and Rubens – Picasso paints in straight lines and Rubens paints voluptuous women. If you give Picasso a blank canvas, he’d paint straight lines, never anything like Rubens. But within that they can both do so many different things and they are both successful.

Twenty years ago, I would know who the course-designer was just by looking at the course – that’s not so easy now because everything is so unified.

Variety is so important. Nowadays the fences might be beautiful but it’s all poles and planks. We should not bore horses; we need new stimuli for them. I like to see bush oxers, a double of Liverpools, water jumps, skinny gates. Horses come from the landscape, from hunting and they should be brave – but poles and planks don’t require bravery.

Likewise, riders need to be able to react in the moment. I may be old-fashioned but I believe if you create variety, interrupt the rhythm, speed and breathing, asking horses to collect, you challenge the partnership more.

I fought against the proposal to cancel the open water. I said, “It’s natural, it’s only 5cm deep, not dangerous and it’s attractive for the spectator.” It tests how the rider can collect their horse, get him on the hindleg and accelerate. For me it’s not about forcing faults, but breaking the rhythm.

But I would change the faults system because how can you train a horse that landing on the plasticine is a mistake? He thinks he did everything right. So I would say if the hoof makes a mark on the plasticine, that should be counted as landing on dry land.

At recent international championships we’ve had brand new showgrounds and so all the fences were new designs. However, Aachen is the oldest show in Germany, so I will be keeping all the traditional Aachen jumps that everyone knows, like the Barbarossa Wall and the Globe, as well as producing some new fences. Otherwise it would be like designing a course at Hickstead without all the beautiful, world-famous jumps people want to see.

I love a big grass arena – like Dublin, Calgary, Falsterbo and Aachen – as the more space you have, the more opportunity there is to be creative. Aachen is challenging to design because the arena is so big – with a dressage arena in the middle for this year’s World Championships – and there are 40,000 spectators. The course has to go into each corner or fans will complain they didn’t see the riders.

The challenge is to cover the whole arena in the jump-off without turning it into a flat race.

At the World Championships we might have over 100 horses and the standard will vary. However, the aim is not to punish the weaker riders by just building for the 20 top ones. I’d finalised my courses three months before the championships and I won’t feel nervous.

You’re under pressure, but I’ve done so many courses in my life – over 100 Nations Cups, seven European Championships, six World Cup Finals. I have good assistants around me and we discuss everything.

Course-designing is my hobby, the other one being sailing. After Aachen I’m booked on a catamaran in Sicily – and when that’s over I’m designing a two-star in Sicily.

• To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news in the run up to the World Championships, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Martin Jones has been tasked with officiating two sections at this year’s Royal International Horse Show: the jump phase of the mountain and moorland (M&M) working hunter pony finals, and the conformation phase of the mini M&Ms.

Martin’s co-judges are Sara Hird and Emma Hector respectively. With just days to go, Martin shares an insight into what he will be looking for in the ring.

Martin Jones’ background in horses

Martin has been involved with ponies all of his life.

“As children, my sister and I had our own ponies, which we enjoyed taking to Pony Club, riding club, gymkhanas and hunting. We were very much grassroots competitors, attending local agricultural shows, and so I didn’t really get into showing properly until I was in my twenties and began keeping my own broodmares and so on,” says Martin.

After leaving school, Martin went to Millfields in Newmarket, and under the tutorship of Anne Rolinson, he gained both his British Horse Society intermediate instructor’s certificate (BHSII) and National Pony Society diploma in stud management (NPS Dip).

“While working in Newmarket, I had the fortune to visit and work at some of the major thoroughbred studs and benefited from the teaching of both the renowned vet, Peter Rossdale, as well as the late Colonel Gray, director of the National Stud,” says Martin

His first love has always been the British Riding Pony though, and he “was fortunate enough” to work for Liz Mansfield-Parnell at her Rotherwood Stud.

“I learnt so much about the successful production, breeding and showing of world class ponies, where standards were always the highest and only perfection would do,” he recalls.

Latterly, Martin worked in the banking industry, breeding British Riding Ponies under the Landemann prefix, with a small, select number of mares, chosen for their bloodlines as well as their pony characteristics, movement and good temperaments.

Several of his mares enjoyed successful ridden careers previous to motherhood, and their progeny have continued to shine under saddle.

Landemann Peony, for example, is a former supreme champion at the BSPS championships, and Landemann Bird Of Paradise claimed the show pony championship at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in 2024.

“I’m delighted to have bred show ponies to win at HOYS and the RIHS,” says Martin. “But being presented with the Bwlch Valentino trophy – a beautiful bronze first presented by the Eckley family in 1968 – for breeding the champion show pony at HOYS was a bit of a dream come true. If you breed show ponies, it’s the trophy you want to win, so to have it on my dining room table for a year was a real thrill.”

Since his semi-retirement, Martin has been more heavily involved with the NPS, having served many terms as a council member over the past 30 years or so. He is currently the vice-chair of the society, having held the chairman’s role for three years previously. He’s also an active member of his own area – NPS Area 29.

Martin Jones’ judging experience

Martin sits on a whole host of panels covering a vast array of types, including the British Show Pony Society (BSPS), National Pony Society (NPS), British Show Horse Association (BSHA), British Connemara Pony Society, Coloured Horse and Pony Society (CHAPS UK), Sport Horse Breeding GB (SHB GB), The Showing Register and the British Miniature Horse Society.

As well as judging at many of the UK’s leading county shows, he’s had the pleasure of judging in Europe, New Zealand and Australia, and considers officiating at the latter two some of his judging highlights.

“The judging systems are different over there and it was a real learning experience to see their ways. Ponies and horses are produced and ridden to the highest standards, and I particularly enjoyed judging the young rider classes, which are really popular in Australia and New Zealand.

“Over here, we don’t really have similar classes at the same level, where the children are judged primarily on their riding abilities. The standard of riding in these classes is so high and they’re fantastic to judge because of it.”

Of course, he also considers previous appointments at HOYS and RIHS to be some other highlights.

What will Martin be looking for in the M&M workers?

“I’m looking for what I would describe as a balanced and fluid round with ponies moving through the track in a good forward rhythm, in a way that is appropriate for their breed,” he says.

“In the plaited workers, I would look for a more bold and enthusiastic round, but some mountain and moorland breeds are not necessarily built to gallop around a worker track, so I’ll want to see these ponies working in balance and covering the ground in a forward rhythm.”

Martin has words to the wise for competitors.

“I’ve watched these working hunter pony classes for many years and so know it to be a long track in a big ring, with up-to-height fences and on an incline. I’ve noticed that a lot of ponies demonstrate a lack of fitness and start to tire and sound ‘breathy’ in the latter half, losing their rhythm and forwardness as a result.

“So I would say, make sure that you and your pony are of the appropriate condition and fitness to jump around a long, testing track. The course at the Royal International finals is very different to the courses that many will have qualified on, which in many cases is likely to have been on a flat surface in a small arena.

“I’ve also noticed that the bogey fence is often the open ditch or water tray, so practice that in advance if you can. It catches some of the most seasoned campaigners out.

“In short, be prepared. Be prepared for a long, varied and testing track, and for undulating ground.

“I would also advise competitors that it’s always a good idea to take some coaching, on a regular basis if you can. Even Olympic riders have coaches on the ground. It’s a good thing to have someone helping you and your pony improve your technique and the investment will help you be fully prepared.”

Martin Jones’ pet hates

“Having been so involved in the NPS and its welfare remit over the past few years, I’m very aware of welfare as I’m judging, too. No matter how frustrated you may feel if things aren’t going to plan during your round, inappropriate use of the whip is not acceptable.

“I also get a little bit frustrated by the number of people walking the course. It’s not a family day out, so I prefer to see competitors accompanied by one other person. Walking round chatting to your friends is not an effective way to walk the course!

“And I may sound a bit of a ‘fuddy-duddy’, but those walking the course should also be dressed appropriately for the occasion, and in a way that is respectful to the show, its officials, sponsors and fellow competitors. The weather may be hot, but that’s not an excuse to walk the course in beach wear.”

What will Martin be looking for in the M&M mini classes?

As well as the M&M working hunter ponies, Martin will also be assessing the mini classes, which naturally have very different requirements.

“These classes are always a joy to officiate,” he says, “though it’s easy for the grandness of the occasion to unsettle some young riders, whose mental and physical ability can be so different, even though of similar ages.

“I do love to see a pony with a good walk, and an animal that marches into the ring, tracking up, ears pricked and looking through its bridle – rather than down at the ground – will catch my attention. A pony that carries its jockey forward, in a safe and steady manner, without having to be encouraged forward every stride, is always more enjoyable to watch, and more comfortable to ride.

“During conversations I hear, my experiences of judging and comments on social media, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the ridden classes are judged solely on way of going. Please remember that 50 marks are for conformation and freedom of action, so it’s important as much time and effort is put into this phase, too. It makes the judge’s job much easier, and shows the pony off to its best advantage if it is correctly presented to the conformation judge – which means an adjustment by the rider/ handler as the judge walks round the pony.

“You can’t change the pony’s conformation, but presenting your pony correctly will give you the best chance. Again, practice at home so that this phase comes naturally and is easy on the day. A pony reluctant to trot up, with its ears back and tail swishing, is not going to show itself off in the best way, and can easily lose marks as a result. Don’t let the conformation phase be an afterthought.”

Martin’s tips for major final first-timers

“Planning is everything. If you’ve not competed at the Royal International Horse Show before, you are in for a treat, as it’s a wonderful venue. But it can be a long walk to the ring, and a long way back to the stable area if you realise you’ve forgotten something just minutes before you’re due to enter the ring.

“It takes a lot of time, effort, energy and money to qualify, so you want to give you and your pony the best chance. Ask someone experienced before the show for their advice.

“Most judges would be happy to help if asked in the right way and at a suitable time. Often, it’s the attention to detail that makes the difference, and shortening a pony’s tail an inch or two, or suggesting a rider try their stirrups a hole longer, can make all the difference to the overall look and impression.

“Practise at home, but not so much that your pony becomes disinterested. And remember, though everyone wants to do well and get a rosette, there’s only one winner on the day. Win or lose, there’s always another show, but your pony’s trust and happiness are the real prize worth taking home.”

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Adult riding camps – have you ever thought about attending one?

Perhaps you went to Pony Club camp when you were younger or maybe you fancy a UK horse riding holiday with some added dressage training. Or is going to camp on your horsey bucket list?

Whether you’re thinking of some horsey time away to help smash training goals or simply a break with like-minded people, adult riding camps offer many possibilities.

Jump to...

• What are adult riding camps?
• Who are adult riding camps for?
• Do I need to have my own horse?
• What to expect
• Packing checklist

What are adult riding camps?

Adult riding camps are residential trips with your horse and last anywhere from a couple of days to a week or more.

They usually take place at an equestrian centre that has facilities beyond simply an arena and jumps on offer. These facilities might include a horse simulator, cross-country course or gallops. Alternatively, the centre might have great things on offer locally, like beach riding or a forest with extensive off-road hacking.

Depending on where the camp is and how much it costs, accommodation might be provided or there might be a field for camping. Meals are usually included in the price.

Who are adult riding camps for?

Simply put, they are for everyone. However, it’s definitely worth finding the right one for you with a bit of research.

For example, you can find camps geared towards:

• confidence and mindset
• general training
• discipline-specific training
• new skills, such as groundwork or liberty
• Western equestrian sports

Do I need to have my own horse?

In short, no! Adult riding camps based at riding schools frequently have horses available for those who don’t have one.

Depending on where you’d like to go and your experience level, there are options available for anyone from a beginner to someone ready to take on high-level dressage movements with a schoolmaster.

If you do have a horse, however, there is plenty of choice when it comes to adult riding camps.

What to expect at an adult riding camp

Jessica Jackson and her 19-year-old Irish sports pony, Bonnie, are riding camp veterans.

“I typically attend one or two a year all over the country,” she tells H&H. “For some I went with friends; others I braved alone.”

Jessica says camps are a great way to bond with your horse, meet like-minded people and challenge yourself.

“You become completely consumed by horses while gaining invaluable knowledge from experienced coaches in a supportive environment.”

In addition, camps offer Jessica a way to switch off.

“My favourite thing about them is the mental escape they gives me, with uninterrupted time to focus on myself, my riding and to strengthen my partnership with Bonnie.”

Jessica also tells us how riding camps have evolved over the years.

“They’re no longer just about time in the saddle, but improving from a more holistic standpoint. Nowadays, many camps often incorporate activities such as Pilates, mindfulness talks, wellbeing sessions, team-building games, sports massages and even mechanical horse sessions.”

Some camps also have talks and demos from equine professionals, such as nutritionists who might bring a weigh bridge to weigh your horse, for example.

Jessica’s advice for would-be adult riding camp attendees is to do your research before booking. “Start by looking at the venue’s location and facilities. Do they suit your requirements, goals and expectations?

“Check out the camp itinerary and ensure it is appropriate. Are you looking to improve a particular discipline? Enjoy a relaxing getaway? Or set a challenge in a new environment?”

Jessica also suggests looking into the coaches. “Their experience, teaching style and areas of expertise should align with what you want to achieve.”

Finally, Jessica suggests making sure the facilities are suitable for you and your horse.

“Do they provide turnout? Stabling options? Check out what accommodation and amenities are available for riders too. Some camps offer an all-inclusive package, while others will require you to bring your own bedding, for example, more like DIY.”

Preparing for your first camp

“At your first riding camp, expect to challenge yourself, learn a lot and have plenty of fun!” says Jessica. “From experience, they all offer a supportive, friendly and relaxed environment where riders and horses are encouraged to develop and progress at their own pace.”

Jessica adds that camps can be physically demanding with multiple sessions each day. “Make sure you and your horse are fit enough to make the most of the experience.”

Jessica also states the importance of going with an open mind. “Be willing to step out of your comfort zone, embrace the opportunity to learn, make new friends and try new things. Book the camp – you won’t regret it!”

Horse camp checklist

Wondering what you might need for a camp? Here is what you should consider:

For your horse

• passport
• tack – saddle, bridle, martingale or breastplate (if you need one) and his girth
• a saddle pad, plus spares so you always have a dry clean one
• protective boots, such as brushing boots or overreach boots
• hi-vis for hacking
• headcollar and leadrope
• any rugs currently in use
• a fly mask (if using)
• enough forage (unless supplied), feed and supplements for the duration
• bedding (if stabling and not supplied)
• water carrier (like this one, for the journey and to put in your wheelbarrow to save lugging buckets)
• feed and wash-down buckets
• haynets
• any licks or treats you use daily
• grooming kit
• first-aid kits, including relevant medication, creams and ointments
• everything on your normal travel kit checklist

For you

• riding hat
• riding boots
• body protector
• air jacket (if you have one)
• riding tights and/or breeches
• riding tops, with extras so you always have clean, dry one
• long riding socks
• lightweight waterproof jacket
• warm layers or a riding robe
• enough pairs of underwear
• toiletries
• a torch
• towels
• your phone charger
• a power bank
• personal first aid/medication

If you’re camping, you’ll also need:

• tent
• sleeping bag
• sleeping mat
• pillow
• camping light
• portable camping fan (if it is likely to be hot)
• plastic crockery and cutlery
• sit mat or picnic blanket
• camping table and chair
• camping stove, kettle and cooking implements (depending on your camp setup)

• For unlimited access to advice on how best to care for your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Small but mighty, miniature horse breeds pack a large punch in a diminutive body. In fact, the world’s smallest horse is a miniature horse breed.

But what is a miniature horse? Aren’t we just talking ponies here?

Is a miniature horse a pony?

Crucially, no. There’s a horse fact for you to break out at parties!

Miniature horses and ponies are two different classifications of equine – it’s all to do with conformation.

Hundreds of years of selective breeding give us the miniature horses we recognise today. Stand a miniature horse next to a pony of the same height, and you’ll soon see the difference.

In general, ponies have short, stocky legs and thicker necks. They usually have a wider barrel compared to horses and have proportionally shorter bodies, too.

In contrast, a miniature horse looks just like a scaled down sport or competition horse. They have proportionally longer bodies and legs, slender necks and elegant heads.

Can you ride miniature horses?

Miniature horse breeds are not commonly used for riding – only a very young child would be small and light enough to do so. They would still need to be backed, trained and selected for an appropriate career like a regular-sized horse.

Many minis are used in driving, showing, and agility, and are also bred as pets and used as therapy animals.

Miniature horse breeds

1. Falabella

Height: 24–28 inches

Weight: 50–80kg

Country of origin: Argentina

This tiny rare horse breed is the world’s smallest, and quite possibly the hardiest because they can withstand extreme temperatures and unforgiving landscapes.

Spanish horses brought to South America from the 16th century represent this breed’s origins. After some of them ended up getting loose and turning feral – even wild – they carved a path to some of the most hard-to-reach areas, such as isolated places outside Buenos Aires. Some of this equine population joined the indigenous Mapuche people.

How did the breed become so small? Generation upon generation was exposed to harsh climates, limited food and scarce water. The Falabella grew smaller and smaller to adapt to these conditions. And, because finding food and water was so tough, they became more intelligent over time in order to survive.

Falabellas were noticed by outsiders in 1845, when Irish settler Patrick Newell observed the remarkably small horses were kept alongside the Mapuche’s riding horses. He and his family took to keeping Falabellas and breeding them. His son-in-law, Juan Falabella, took up the mantle and gave the breed his name.

Juan brought Shetland pony and English thoroughbred blood into the breed to refine the Falabella into what we know today.

2. American Miniature

Height: Less than 34 inches

Weight: 68–136kg

Country of origin: USA

According to the American Miniature Horse Society, American Miniatures are the result of nearly 400 years of selective breeding, with the earliest record of a small horse arriving in the country from overseas appearing in 1888. However, mini horses didn’t land in the wider public consciousness until as late as 1960.

The breed is understood to have been cultivated from the blood of English and Dutch working horses, particularly those put to work in mines (no prizes for guessing why!). These horses arrived in the US in the 19th century and went into the Appalachian Mountains to mine.

There is some evidence that the Shetland pony was also introduced to help achieve the desired miniature stature.

3. Dutch Miniature

Height: 42 inches or less

Weight: 68–159kg

Country of origin: Netherlands

In Dutch, this tiny horse’s name is the Nederlands Minipaard.

With a studbook established in 1993, the original rules for registration with the breed society (Nederlandse Mini Paarden Registratie Stamboek) allowed any horse under 42 inches (106cm) to register. This allowed the inclusion of greater genetic diversity when establishing this miniature horse breed.

Today, foals hoping to enter the stud book must follow much more stringent criteria. This includes having registered parents.

The breed society hosts an annual summer show for all mini breeds in July. There are no ridden classes on the schedule, but participants compete in competitions like showing, jumping and driving.

• For unlimited access to advice on how best to care for your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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What goes into training a World Cup Dressage Finals champion? Becky Moody talks us through how she primes Jagerbomb to perform at his peak while enjoying the balance of turnout, hacking, fitness with perfecting his grand prix moves.

Becky doesn’t drill Jagerbomb (Bomb) in the school. He typically works specifically on dressage training two to three times a week.

These sessions are usually 40–45min, always starting with “an easy warm-up”.

“It’s less than I used to do because it’s not about how much I want to do, it’s about the horse,” she says.

“One of the most important things I do is transitions, hundreds of transitions. It doesn’t matter whether you’re riding a baby or a grand prix horse, transitions are key to good training, for adjustability and rideability.

“That fancy trot Bomb can do comes from a good walk–halt transition.”

It’s rare that Becky would ride all the grand prix moves in training; it’s more about working on the adjustability, suppleness and straightness.

“For instance, rather than riding my test pirouettes, I’d do a lot more working pirouettes, training the adjustability within it, on a bigger shape,” she explains.

“So I would make him more collected, then more forward – and ride only a couple of test ones. I also practise zig-zags a lot as they’re our weak point.”

To hone the flying changes, Becky has another tip.

“I do a lot of changes up the wall to really help me to be aware of my straightness – I wouldn’t so often do them across the school on the diagonal,” she says.

Becky estimates she’d put all the moves together to ride the full test every other week in the six-week run-up to an event.

Becky Moody on Jagerbomb’s non-schooling days

Other days are spent hacking, doing fitness work and stretching.

“Sometimes in the school, he would be in a snaffle, doing basic stretching and transitions,” says Becky, who says Bomb wears a snaffle “half the time”.

“He loves hacking so he does a lot of that. The girls hack him, but I also love hacking him, so sometimes I go off on a wander because he’s such a good boy.”

Although Bomb’s hacks involve hillwork, stomping up and down the Yorkshire hills, their location means they are limited to roadwork so he does additional fitness sessions in the outdoor school.

“He’s so big and he has to watch his weight, so we have to be really conscious of the fitness side to keep him at a good weight, fit and strong enough,” Becky says.

“There’s nowhere we can go fast on a hack, so he does his fast work in the outdoor school. We do interval training round our 20x60m.”

Becky uses her voice as a training aid, and welcomes the change in British Dressage ruling that riders can use their voice within reason.

“With young horses I always use my voice,” she says. “Especially in my downward transitions, saying ‘woah’, anything that makes it easier for them to understand without having to use as much rein. It’s a useful tool.”

“My bad habit is that I click,” she adds. “I train with Carl Hester and he says, ‘you’re not training b****y dolphins’, in his terrible Yorkshire accent!”

Stable management

In summertime, Bomb enjoy time in the field every day.

“In winter, as we live on clay it’s horrific ground so we don’t turn out on the grass,” Becky explains. “We have four sand paddocks and a horse walker, so all the horses are out of their stable three times a day.”

At over 17.3hh, Bomb is entitled to the biggest stable in the yard.

Feeding-wise, Bomb’s diet is quite simple. He’s on Saracen’s Competition Fit Mix, with alfalfa. He also has a basic joint supplement and electrolytes when he’s in work, plus salt.

At shows, Bomb “goes on hunger strike” – “it’s quite tricky when you’re away for two weeks,” says Becky.

“He likes a veteran mash – more than a recovery mash – and so has that to help him eat up,” she adds. “He’s getting better the more he does.”

And not just in terms of appetite, because when it comes to results in the ring, Becky Moody and Jagerbomb are still on an upward trajectory.

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

The aim of the trot-up is to allow the observer a clear view of the horse moving in a straight line and in balance, so that the gait can be assessed.

Horses are trotted up primarily to check for soundness. The trot is an even gait, with legs moving in diagonal pairs, so it is the easiest in which to spot lameness or uneven loading of the limbs. A horse may also be trotted up in-hand as part of a sale, to show off his movement.

FEI competitions for all disciplines will include a trot-up (otherwise known as the horse inspection) to check the horses are fit to compete. At three-day events, an initial trot-up takes place prior to competition. A second trot-up the morning after cross-country then follows to check the horses have recovered and are fit to continue to the final showjumping phase.

A trot-up in a straight line as part of a lameness examination allows the vet to make an initial assessment of the horse’s soundness. Further tests, such as flexion tests, lungeing and a ridden exam, may be necessary for the vet to gain more information.

At a pre-purchase exam, the vet is making a full assessment of the horse on behalf of a client. A trot-up is part of the examination, to identify any lameness issues that may prevent the horse being suitable for the buyer’s needs.

In all cases, a good, level surface that is not too loose, slippery or stony will help the horse trot confidently and offer the truest indication of his soundness.

A closer look

It is useful to know what the vet is looking for in these different trot-up circumstances.

As a spectator at a competition trot-up, it may be puzzling as to why some horses pass the trot-up while others are sent to an area called the holding box and occasionally eliminated.

The ground jury and veterinary delegate will assess each horse visually as he stands in front of them, before seeing him trot to evaluate his soundness. Any horse they have concerns about will be sent to the holding box for further assessment.

The vet in the holding box will be able to do a more thorough examination, including palpation and assessment of the horse’s limbs, to help identify any injuries — such as tendon or ligament injuries — which would prevent him from continuing in the competition.

A horse who has sustained a small overreach during the cross-country, for example, or who has pulled a shoe off, may appear slightly unlevel. After veterinary assessment, however, he may be deemed fit to complete a round of showjumping.

There may be horses competing that are poor movers, without having any specific injury that would be exacerbated by competition. At the second trot-up, on the final day, the ground jury will have benefited from seeing competitors at the first trot-up and in the dressage, so will have a clearer view of how each horse normally moves.

Taking the lead

Trotting up a horse correctly is an important skill to learn. The horse should be wearing a bridle for control and be led from the left side. Start by standing him up square so the vet or ground jury can examine him from all sides.

At an event trot-up, you will be expected to walk the horse for a few steps before trotting him away and then back towards the vet and ground jury. When examining a lame horse, or a horse for purchase, I ask to see him walked away and back and then trotted away and back. There is value in seeing the horse moving away and back towards you in both gaits.

The horse needs to be able to move his head freely without being held on a tight rein. The aim is to keep him moving in a straight line and at an even pace.

Stay by his shoulder and walk in a straight line by looking ahead, not at the horse. In trot, it is best to set off at a steady run with an even rhythm — remaining at his shoulder. If you run ahead or turn around to look at him, he may well back off and drag behind you.

It is important to keep the horse’s head and neck straight. If he curls towards you, this can make the gait look uneven and the right hindquarter can swing out and appear to drop away.

Experienced riders will have different ways of presenting a horse well, but I advise people to hold the reins in the right hand, as if you were riding one-handed, with your palm downwards and the reins separated by your hand. You can then place your arm across the horse’s chest so your hand is central, directly below the base of the neck.

With the reins in this position, you can encourage the horse to relax and take a contact with the bridle. He should then drop his head and lift over his shoulders and back, trotting with an even, powerful hindlimb gait.

If you are holding the reins together, in a fist, it is difficult to have much influence on a horse who sticks his head in the air and swings about. You can only apply downward force and he may react against this by putting his head up and hollowing through his back and neck, compromising the way he uses his body and hindlegs.

The horse needs to be able to trot in his own balance and rhythm, so find the pace or speed that suits him — which may mean adjusting your running speed. Don’t worry about your footsteps being in time with his. It’s great if they do match, but you may trip if your legs aren’t the same length as the horse’s and you try too hard.

Return to walk a few strides before the end of the straight and turn the horse away from you by moving his shoulder. This avoids being trodden on or tripped up, which can happen if you turn him towards you.

It is worth practising at home so both horse and rider learn to trot correctly. A horse who is poorly presented may look uneven, even if he isn’t.

Ref Horse & Hound; 17 October 2019

What happens when you pair a world-class showjumper with a top-flight dressage horse? Martha Terry finds out as Jack Whitaker picks up the reins on Jagerbomb

The Whitakers have ice in their veins. They’ll gallop at a 7ft wall, jump-off for their country in front of a 50,000-strong crowd and shimmy down the Hickstead bank. But when it came to the coveted offer of riding on Olympic dressage bronze medallist and reigning World Cup Final winner Jagerbomb – arguably the sweetest, kindest horse in the world – Jack Whitaker admits he was “nervous, very nervous”.

He was given the opportunity to “have a sit” on Jagerbomb as part of a demo at Sheffield Equine Clinic’s opening day. Jack was doing a showjumping session, Becky Moody a dressage display.

When Becky finishes showing off “Bomb’s” moves, she calls over to Jack: “Let’s do this!”

“I didn’t know I was going to be riding him until just before,” says Jack. “He’s such a famous dressage horse, he’s just won the World Cup Finals and suddenly I’m stood next to him and he’s so big! So impressive.

“I was very nervous,” Jack adds. “You don’t get to ride that kind of horse every day and it’s a completely different way of riding and feeling to what I’m used to – so I just didn’t want to mess him up. Luckily, Becky is so laid-back – I couldn’t believe it.”

Jack Whitaker riding Jagerbomb: “It’s a really cool feeling”

Jack is legged up into Becky’s Childéric dressage saddle, a very different sitting position to his usual CWD jump saddle. This proves the least of his concerns.

“The saddle actually felt a lot comfier – it’s a lot bigger,” he says. “Apart from when you set off and you’re doing sitting trot and then everything’s uncomfortable!”

Jack’s day-to-day training involves plenty of sitting trot, but Bomb’s movement presents an unfamiliar challenge.

“We’d do a lot of riding without stirrups as it’s just good training for everything,” he says. “But when I tried to sit to Bomb’s trot and then his extended trot, it was like riding a different animal – he gave a completely different feeling. Even though I’m used to doing sitting trot, I was feeling it after one lap round.”

Once Jack has trotted through a few changes of rein and checked out Bomb’s extended trot – with a big smile – Becky suggests he try passage, a movement that would not feature in a showjumper’s regular vocabulary. Within five minutes of being legged up, Jack is performing a pretty impressive passage.

“That thing where you go up and down on the spot?” Jack laughs. “That was the easiest! Bomb just did it. I kept half-halting with my leg on and he trotted on the spot and it felt seriously cool. That’s not something my horses can do.

“It feels like you’re floating, but hopping and floating. You don’t move, but everything happens underneath you – it’s a really cool feeling.”

Becky is impressed, too.

“Cracking passage, brilliant, way better than I was riding him,” she laughs. “I love watching other people ride Bomb. It does make me really proud of him – he’s such a diamond, such a legend and it’s good for people to see that.

“All my girls hack him out at home and if I want someone to feel a change or passage, it’s Bomb they get on because he’s very good for people to learn on.

“I try not to be too precious about my horses, which some people would say is mad, but it’s good for them. And sometimes I learn things about what I need to make better. It tells me how good my training is. If other people can get on and it’s easy, that tells me I’m doing a good job. If they can’t get that easy feeling, that tells me there’s still a missing link in that horse’s education and I need to keep working on it.”

Jack Whitaker: “It’s a different kind of power”

Passage nailed, Becky tells Jack to “play with the canter”.

“This is where you really see the crossover,” she says. “In dressage, we want the same adjustability in our horses as a showjumper does. Yes, you’re in a slightly different frame and balance, but when training any horse, it comes back to transitions, adjustability and rideability.

“It doesn’t matter whether Jack’s shortening or lengthening the pace to come into a jump, or I’m shortening for a pirouette, you still need your horse on the aid and listening. That’s cool.”

Bomb looks to be having a lovely time cantering freely down the long side and Becky shouts out, “shorten your reins! No chance of you ever being done for rollkur!”

Says Jack: “The canter actually didn’t feel very different to what I’m used to. We ride very powerful animals, but it’s a different kind of power.

“The dressage horses have to be so strong in their core and body to move and hold themselves in the way they do, whereas our horses are probably lighter and more agile to be able to turn so quickly on the spot – less pure muscle and power.”

Jack’s next challenge is to tackle flying changes. This would be his bread-and-butter as a showjumper, but Bomb’s mighty movement complicates matters. It takes a few goes until they click into place.

“The hardest thing was the flying changes,” Jack says. “I felt like an idiot not to be able to do a flying change on a horse who’s a total professional, known for his changes! I didn’t think that would feel so different. If it’s not actually a different language, maybe it’s a different accent.”

For Becky, this is important insight.

“Jack’s incredibly experienced and monumentally skilled at what he does – but he found the changes one way much easier than the other, so that made me think, ‘OK, I need to work more on that alignment and straightness,’ even if I can get them both ways,” she says.

“There’s obviously something there that made it harder for him. It’s a learning curve for me as well.”

True horsemanship

The session is short albeit sweet, with Jack needing to wrap up before his showjumping demo, leaving us wondering how much more Bomb could teach him.

It highlights true horsemanship – both on Becky’s part in training her world-class champion to perform with a totally new rider, and Jack’s soft hands and natural seat translating instantly to whatever discipline he turns to.

Will more dressage be on the cards?

“Probably should do, after that performance!” he jokes. “Though at home we are mainly doing flatwork training at home; we don’t jump much at all. But although you’d call it dressage, it’s not that kind of dressage – it’s ‘showjumping dressage’.

“Bomb felt like riding a completely different animal to what I’m used to,” he adds. “You can feel the muscle he has. Even when he first set off in walk, I could feel every movement – right from that first step from behind, the power was incredible. It was an amazing feeling and I’m very thankful I got to have a go.”

• For more exclusive insight from top riders, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

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Jagerbomb – Becky Moody’s home-bred ‘total legend’ who stole the spotlight on the world stage

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

A quality and jolly cob is always a pleasure to watch going about its work in the ring; this year, Jackie Beatham and Leon King have the tough task of sorting through the lightweight and heavyweight combinations at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS).

Jackie will assess each horse’s conformation, and Leon will put each one through its paces in the saddle. So who is Leon King, and what are his preferences when judging?

Leon’s background in horses

Leon isn’t from a horsey background, but started riding aged six.

“I was very lucky to have opportunities when I was younger,” says Leon. “I showjumped in junior classes up to JA level with ponies that we had bought from Reading Market.

“Then at 12 years old, I was lucky to have the opportunity to help and ride for a lady called Vicki McRae. She had vast experience and she taught me an ‘old-school’ way of doing horses.”

Vicki introduced Leon to showing, too.

“She had bred some lovely young horses that I was fortunate enough to ride, two of which got me a ride at Wembley when I was 16; one in the working hunter pony section and one in the riding horses.”

From there, Leon spent 14 years producing show horses for the Underwood family, with a host of wins and championships at the country’s most prestigious shows.

These days, you can find Leon working for Yorkshire-based Susan Tennant and the Tennant family, where he produces show horses from their home.

“Susan breeds full and part-bred Irish Draughts,” he explains. “We have four home-breds out this season.”

With a career that’s reached enviable heights in showing, Leon thinks hard on his showing highlights.

“I’m lucky there are so many to mention, but I would have to say winning hunter champion and riding horse champion in the same year at Horse of the Year Show on Loch Royal and Tattigare Watch This Space owned by the lovely Underwood family.”

Leon’s judging experience

Leon sits on the British Show Horse Association (BSHA), Sports Horse Breeding (GB), the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) and the Retraining of Racehorses judging panels and has a broad range of experience judging.

“I have been lucky enough to have judged some lovely shows,” he says, “and I have judged in Australia three times; I judged their Horse of the Year Show, which was an experience I will never forget. But judging the Royal International Horse Show is a highlight; it’s one of the best shows in the UK for horses.”

How to impress Leon King in the ring

“When I judge, I love a horse that walks with a free step, relaxed outlook and stays in a balanced and rhythmic outline,” says Leon. “A show horse should have the ‘look at me’ attitude, and type is so important – the horse must match its category.

“As a ride judge, I think a good, fitting saddle that doesn’t move with leathers that aren’t new and stretch as you rise up in trot. You also need big enough stirrup irons and worn in reins with some thickness.

“If I’m judging a show, I like to see a well thought out show with flow. Part of the show must show some walk and of course, a good show of lengthening.

“Pet hates of mine are when competitors push their horses or ponies out of their natural rhythm. Going faster doesn’t make the animal move better; it looks untidy. I also dislike short jackets and massive scrunchie! These aren’t going to lose you the class, but it’s just my preference.”

Leon’s advice for Hickstead first-timers

“The work is done at home; prepare properly. Know your horse – how much work they need and so on, so you have plenty of time to plait, turn out and get everything perfect for your class. Write a check list so nothing is forgotten. Stud holes are a must in my experience.

“Do this and you will enjoy yourself.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Off to jump the RIHS workers at Hickstead? Here’s one expert’s insight into the course and how to train for success

‘I like to see the horse is actually enjoying itself’: Royal International judge Margaret Hopkins shares her advice for competitors

‘It’s all about confidence and harmony’: tips for success from Royal International judge Polly Eddis

‘Go find a space where you stand out’: meet Royal International coloured ponies’ judge Nathan Arnold

Tickets for the 2026 Royal International Horse Show have been released

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Do you have a handle on the world’s rare horse breeds?

All over the world lie elusive and rare breeds that you should definitely know about, many of which are British native breeds. Organisations such as the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) and individual breed societies oversee populations and campaign for the breeds’ conservation.

Here, we bring you a selection of rare horse breeds from across the globe, and some interesting facts about them…

Rare British horse breeds

1. The Dales pony

• Height: 14hh–14.2hh
• Colour(s): black, brown, grey, bay and roan
• Place of origin: the Pennines region
• RBST status: Priority breed

The Dales pony is native to the upper dales of the eastern slopes of the Pennine range, from the High Peak in Derbyshire to the Cheviot Hills near the Scottish Border.

The breed originates from the crossing of Scotch Galloways used for pack work in the 17th Century, and native mares. According to the Dales Pony Society: “it was that the black Galloways of the mixed herds eventually superseded the Scotch Galloway, and eventually became the Dales Pony through a series of improvements from several sources.”

Bloodlines from the now extinct regional trotter (or roadster) breeds also helped develop the Dales pony we know and love today.

According to the Dales Pony Society: “the combination of strength, agility, thrift, hardiness and high courage, with good conformation and a calm, intelligent nature, makes the Dales Pony a first-class riding and driving pony with all the abilities of a true all-rounder.”

2. The Cleveland Bay

• Height: 16hh–16.2hh
• Colour(s): traditionally bay with black points, with a small white star the only permitted white marking
• Place of origin: the Cleveland Hills, Yorkshire
• RBST status: Priority breed

The Cleveland Bay horse can be traced back to the Chapman horse of the 17th century. According to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, it is the oldest established native British breed.

In former times, the only acceptable colour was solid bay in colour with no white with the possible exception of a very small star. Nowadays, horses with white hairs exceeding this breed standard can still be registered to protect their genetic value to the breed. However, their passport/studbook will note the deviation.

Initially bred in the Cleveland Hills, farmers used Cleveland Bays on the land, for riding and as pack animals.

The Cleveland Bay Horse Society acts as guardian of the breed. Formed in 1884 to preserve and promote the breed, it continues its role today.

The Royal family have given the breed a great boost. The late Queen’s grandfather had been a breeder of Cleveland bays in the 1920’s, and The late Queen purchased a Cleveland Bay colt named Mulgrave Supreme. They have been known to pull Royal carriages.

3. The Exmoor pony

• Height: 12hh–13.2hh
• Colour(s): bay, brown or black, typically with pale points (mealy markings) on the face, especially around the eyes, flanks and inside the legs
• Place of origin: Exmoor, Devon
• RBST status: Priority breed

Ponies have been on Exmoor since ancient times, and this environment shaped their size, characteristic hardiness, independent spirit and native intelligence. Many consider Exmoor ponies one of the country’s oldest pony breeds, roaming the land for approximately the last 5,000 years.

In 1818, the crown sold the Royal Forest of Exmoor to industrialist John Knight. The outgoing Warden, Sir Thomas Acland, took 30 of the ponies and founded the Acland herd (now known as the Anchor herd) running on Winsford Hill. Farmers from Withypool and Hawkridge, who had worked for the warden, also bought stock at the dispersal sale and founded several herds which still exist.

Although some breed Exmoor ponies on studs throughout the country, herds of semi-feral free-ranging ponies still run on the moor.

The late 1940s nearly saw the demise of the Exmoor pony.

Today, while still a rare breed, they are a popular riding pony for children and small adults.

4. The Eriskay pony

• Height: 12hh–13.2hh
• Colour(s): grey, occasionally black or bay
• Place of origin: Eriskay, Outer Hebrides
• RBST status: Priority breed

The Eriskay pony is among the last surviving remnants of the original native ponies of the Western Isles of Scotland.

Essential to the crofting community, this breed was instrumental in the retrieval of seaweed and peat for fertiliser and fires. People also used them for transport and all kinds of farm work.

Unfortunately, like many rare horse breeds, the Eriskay declined in the 19th century due to the advent of farm machinery. By the early 1970s, there were only 20 pure-breds on the remote island of Eriskay, so a dedicated group of people got together in an attempt to increase numbers. The Eriskay Pony Society was founded in 1995.

According to the breed society, there are around 420 Eriskays left in the world.

5. The Suffolk Horse

• Height: 16.1hh–17.2hh
• Colour(s): chestnut, from dark liver to light red
• Place of origin: Suffolk, England
• RBST status: Priority breed

The Suffolk horse is the oldest breed of heavy horse to exist in its present form. They are also known as the Suffolk Punch. In local Suffolk dialect, their chestnut colour is called ‘chesnut’ without the ‘t’.

The earliest stud book of any heavy horse breed, and all modern Suffolks, are descended from just one horse, Crisp’s Horse of Ufford, which was born in 1768.

During the First World War, the strong horse was a popular working animal. Consequently, there were 1000s of Suffolks residing throughout East Anglia. They were known for their ability to be used for draught work and forestry

The rare breed declined rapidly when farmers swapped horses for tractors and machinery, and in 1966 there were only nine Suffolk foals registered.

Today, they are a popular cross to produce heavy sports and show horses, and they are being increasingly seen in ridden heavy horse classes.

6. The Hackney

• Height: 12.2hh–14hh (pony), 14hh–16.2hh (horse)
• Colour(s): solid colours, such as black, bay and chestnut, with white markings
• Place of origin: Norfolk and Suffolk
• RBST status: Priority breed

The Hackney had its origins in the Norfolk and Yorkshire Roadsters (trotting horses) of the 18th and 19th centuries, but is first mentioned in medieval times.

Early thoroughbred stallions had a great influence on the breed. According to the RBST: “Following improvements in the roads during the 16th and 17th century there was an increased demand for carriage horses and the highest status symbol was to be seen out in a stylish equipage with proud high-stepping horses.”

Known to trot at high speed for extended periods, these slender, muscular and elegant animals were perfect for the job. In 1883, the Hackney Horse Society and Stud Book was formed.

The signature high-stepping action characterises both the horse and pony versions of the breed. Efforts to preserve the breed include highlighting its versatility as a driving, riding and show horse.

Rare horse breeds from around the world

7. The Sorraia

• Height: 13.3hh–14.4hh
• Colour(s): dun of all kinds with primitive markings
• Place of origin: Portugal

Sorraia horses are a remnant population of an indigenous, South Iberian wild horse, which survived in the formerly inaccessible lowlands of the river Sorraia in Portugal until the early 1900s.

The Iberian scientist and horse expert Dr Ruy d’Andrade discovered these horses in 1920 and is responsible for their preservation.

Occasionally, locals caught the horses to train for herding and farming. However, the population is largely feral.

Today, there are only 200–300 Sorraias. Private owners hold most of this population.

All Sorraias descend from only 11 or 12 animals that d’Andrade secured in the 1930s, and in-breeding is therefore incredibly high.

8. The American Cream Draft Horse

• Height: 13.5hh–16.3hh
• Colour(s): pale cream to gold with a white mane and tail
• Place of origin: Iowa, US

The American Cream Draft is a relatively new breed and is the only draft breed to have originated in the United States. Varying reports say there are between 250 and 400 in the world.

Many believe that the Cream traces its roots back to a draft-type mare named Old Granny. She is believed to have been foaled around the turn of the last century in Iowa and was cream in colour.

Gaining popularity in the 1930s, an owner called Clarence T Rieson was especially proactive in breeding Creams. Sadly, they became popular just as mechanisation began making working horses obsolete.

The American Cream Draft Horse was recommended for recognition by the National Stallion Enrolment Board in 1948. In 1950 they were recognised as standard by the Iowa Board of Agriculture.

9. The Curly Horse (American Bashkir Curly Horse)

• Height: 14hh–16hh
• Colour(s): any
• Place of origin: Nevada, US

While there is no real limit to a Curly Horse’s size, colour and type, all carry a gene for a unique curly coat of hair.

Curlies are claimed to be the only hypoallergenic horse breed. They originated in North America with less than 1000 in the world today. Some say that a man named Peter Damele discovered them at the turn of the 20th century. He spotted curly-coated horses while riding out in the Nevada desert.

The American Bashkir Curly Registry, the first breed registry, formed in 1971.

Most of today’s curly horses have ancestry to one or more of the three stallions Copper D, Curly Jim or Eli Bad Warrior’s sire (name unknown).

The British Curly Horse and Pony society was founded in 2010.

10. The Marwari Horse

• Height: 14hh–15.1hh
• Colour(s): any
• Place of origin: Marwari (Jodhpur)

The Marwari Horse descends from the mounts of the Rajput warriors. A slender, elegant horse, it is recognisable for its inward-turned ear tips, which sometimes touch. With their lineage traced back to Arabian and Mongolian horses, this detail could link them to the Kathiawari horse.

The breed sadly fell out of favour with British colonisers, who preferred the thoroughbred.

Because the breed was rare and faced extinction, an export ban was placed in the 1930s and no Marwari horses were able to leave India. In 2000, Francesca Kelly in the United States received the first shipment of six horses.

Today, the breed is still rare with fewer than 5,000 purebred horses in the entire world.

11. German Black Forest Horse

• Height: 14.2hh–16hh
• Colour(s): chestnut (any shade) with a flaxen mane and tail
• Place of origin: The Black Forest, southern Germany

This striking, cold-blooded, light draft horse originates from the Black Forest of southern Germany, where breeding dates back to the 15th century. The records of the Abbey of Saint Peter in the Black Forest.

A versatile breed, they were originally used for farm work and forestry. Today, many people ride and drive them.

The rare German Black Forest Horse has many names. These include Schwarzwälder Füchs, Schwarzwälder Kaltblut, Wälder Horse, and Saint Märgener.

As of 2017, it was recorded that there was a population of 88 stallions and 1,077 mares, and one of the key breeding programmes is at the Marbuch Stud horse farm in Germany.

12. The Canadian Horse

• Height: 14hh–16hh
• Colour(s): most commonly black, but other colours appear
• Place of origin: Quebec, Canada

The Canadian Horse became the country’s national horse in 2002 and is registered as ‘at risk’ by Heritage Livestock Canada due to dwindling numbers. There are around 6,000 animals globally.

Canadian horses descend from a load of Spanish, Norman and Breton-bred horses sent to Canada in 1665 by King Louis XIV to his subjects in New France. From those foundation horses, a distinct breed of horse emerged, and became known as ‘Le Petit Cheval de Fer’ or ‘The Little Iron Horse’.

The Canadian Horse Breeders Association says the breed is known for “its calm and willing disposition, excellent feet, stamina and strength”. Additionally, the breed is understood to have influenced the Morgan horse.

13. The Caspian Horse

• Height: 10hh–12hh
• Colour(s): any solid colour
• Place of origin: ancient Persia (modern day Iran)

Caspian horses average only 11.2hh but despite their height, they considered horses rather than ponies due to their conformation.

The rare horse breed dates back to ancient Persia, at least as far as 3,000 B.C. Experts now believe the Caspian to be the forerunner to the Arab horse and therefore to most of the hot-blooded horses in existence today.

Caspians have spectacular action as well as speed. The breed underwent a resurgence when native Virginian Louise Firouz and her Iranian husband Narcy began a breeding programme, hearing the Caspian was an ideal horse for children.

In the 1970s, the late Prince Philip received a breeding pair of Caspians and conservation developed in the UK. There are fewer than 500 in Britain, and around 2,000 worldwide.

14. The Newfoundland Pony

• Height: 11–14hh
• Colour(s): bay, black, brown, chestnut, dun, grey, roan and white only
• Place of origin: Newfoundland, Canada

According to the Newfoundland Pony Society: “The Newfoundland Pony is known for its strength, courage, intelligence, obedience, and common sense.”

During the later part of the 20th century, the estimated population of 12,000 (1970s) dropped to fewer than 100 in the 1980s.

In 1997, the provincial government of Newfoundland passed the Heritage Animals Act of Newfoundland and Labrador. This Act provided legal protection to the Newfoundland Pony by making it illegal to transport Newfoundland Ponies off the Island without export permits. The Act also designated the Newfoundland Pony Society as the public group responsible for registering, promoting and protecting the Newfoundland Pony.

Truly one of the most rare horse breeds, there are an estimated 500–600 animals in Canada and the US.

15. Akhal-Teke

• Height: 14.2hh–16hh
• Colour(s): any colour with a metallic sheen, but frequently palamino, cremello and perlino with pale eyes
• Place of origin: Karakum desert, Turkmenistan

Developed for endurance and speed, the Akhal-Teke is one of the oldest domesticated horse breeds, with links as far back as a 6th-century Siberian burial site. Here, archaeologists discovered equine remains similar to the Akhal-Teke. According to legend, Macedonian King Alexander the Great once rode them.

In 1881, Turkmenistan became a part of the Russian Empire and the first official breeding farms of Akhal-Tekes were established. Numbers declined due to the turmoil that marked the early days of Soviet Russia.

The breed came to the United States in 1972. In the same year, the breed registry began with the founding of the Akhal-Teke Association of America.

This rare horse breed possesses great athletic ability and crossing with thoroughbreds and sport horses is common. There are an estimated 6,600 in the world.

• Enjoyed reading this? To unlock access to all kinds of equestrian knowledge, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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On the latest episode of The Horse & Hound Podcast, World Cup winner Becky Moody lifts the lid on what it really takes to fly a horse across the Atlantic – from crates and zip lifts to a sleepless night tracking the flight to Texas.

Becky’s World Cup win on Jagerbomb was one of the standout British performances of the season so far. But as she explains, getting Jagerbomb to the venue in Fort Worth, Texas, was an enormous undertaking in itself – and one she had never attempted before.

“It’s a really big deal to put your horse on a plane and fly it all the way over there,” Becky says. She admits she “ummed and ahhed” over whether to commit at all, weighing the cost and the stress against the experience. But with the Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon in 2028, she ultimately decided it was worth doing.

“I’ve never flown a horse before. He’s never flown before,” she says. “At least I know that he has now flown, and he flew really well. He coped with that side of it brilliantly.”

How does flying a horse abroad actually work?

The journey began with Becky’s long-time groom, Kim Masson, driving Jagerbomb in their 4.5t lorry to Dover for an overnight stop, before a transporter took them on to Liège in Belgium, where most equestrian flights depart Europe – and where the European contingent of World Cup-bound horses were travelling from.

The shipping agent Peden Bloodstock organised the flight itself, quizzing the team in advance on Jagerbomb’s size and how he likes to travel.

“Knowing that Bomb is so big, we made sure he had plenty of room in his crate – extra length compared to some, and plenty of width,” Becky says.

The crates, she adds, are effectively like trailers, taking one, two or three horses apiece: “It’s your first, business, economy kind of thing.” Jagerbomb shared his with just one other horse, and “loaded like a pro”.

Loading and unloading were the most stressful parts, with the horses lifted onto the aircraft using zip lifts. Watching from home as the videos came in from Kim, Becky says she was “biting my nails away”.

“I know showjumpers who are flying their horses all the time, and it’s just normal,” she adds. “But when you haven’t done it before, it’s this enormously big deal.”

She spent much of that first night tracking the flight: “I spent most of the night on Flightradar, just watching Bomb and Kim’s plane as it went all the way up to Greenland and back down again. I didn’t sleep a huge amount!”

At the other end, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport hadn’t received flying horses in some time, so the incoming flight had to bring the zip lift they used to load the horses with them on the aeroplane to unload.

From there it was a 40-minute drive in “huge, super-cool American trucks” to the venue, where – crucially – Jagerbomb could complete his 48 hours of quarantine on-site, with Kim still able to muck out, feed and hand-walk him.

Kim, who had never flown with horses either, made such an impression that she was asked to take charge of the dressage horses on the journey home.

To hear more from Becky on the World Cup win, the spectacle of Fort Worth and her hopes for the World Championships in Aachen, listen to episode 178 of The Horse & Hound Podcast here, or search “The Horse & Hound Podcast” in your favourite podcast app.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking equestrian news throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in…

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We expect to hear that many riders, producers, horses and even stewards have busy schedules at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS), but perhaps we don’t expect that some of the judges do, too. One such judge is Margaret Hopkins, who will officiate in four sections. She will assess the ride element in the amateur maxi cobs, the hacks and the working show horses, and will be judging the conformation phase in the intermediate working hunter pony.

Margaret Hopkins’ background in horses

“I’m not from a particularly horsey family,” says Margaret. “But I was brought up in Gloucestershire in a very horsey area.

“I’m the eldest of three sisters, and we bullied our parents into getting us a pony. We were very lucky that we had people around us who encouraged us to have a go at everything.”

As a result of this encouragement, the sisters attended Pony Club and from there, showjumped, evented, and rode in point-to-points among other things.

“And I was lucky enough to have hunted with many packs all over the country from an early age.

“I was competitive, but now I prefer the training and producing of young horses to make them become the best horses they can be in whatever field they are in.”

Margaret’s job – stable manager on the Badminton Estate – has her engage in a host of equestrian activities.

“Anything horsey that happens on the estate is in my remit,” explains Margaret.

Consequently, there’s never a dull moment in this varied role, from preparing the family’s hunters in winter, to the Badminton Horse Trials, a host of Pony Club and other events and rallies.

She also keeps her own band of broodmares, aiming to breed quality all rounders.

Margaret’s judging experience

“I was persuaded to go on the old HIS panel by some eminent judges of the day and from there I went onto the British Show Horse Association panel, and more recently, the British Show Pony Society panel.

“I enjoy being able to ride others’ horses – it’s a privilege – and it’s a pleasure going to shows and looking at some lovely horses and seeing what’s out there.”

When it comes to judging highlights, Margaret says that she’s always enjoyed officiating at the Great Yorkshire Show.

“It attracts some of the best producers and horses, and the rings are amazing,” explains Margaret, “and you’re taken care of with some good Yorkshire hospitality.”

What will Margaret be looking for as a judge?

“The last thing I look at is whether a horse is on the bit as so many are over bridled and behind the bit,” she says.

When it comes to the hacks, Margaret says that a hack must have abundant presence.

“They need to draw the eye; they are the Kate Moss of the showing world. They need to have a good and supple walk, be light in the hand and have a soft, supple way of going and appear to give a comfortable ride.”

Margaret will expect to find a maxi cob that has a “purposeful and workmanlike” way of going.

“You granny, grandad or anybody should be able to ride them and them remain the same – going forwards, looking through the bridle with active paces.

“I don’t like roly cobs. They tend not to move as well the heavier they are, but they should nevertheless sit up and go through the bridle and travel forward without being on the forehand.”

Despite a cob’s heavier build, Margaret expects that they are “not on the forehand – they should be uphill and not heavy through the shoulder; the power should still come from behind.”

Once on board, Margaret expects that whatever she is riding, the horse should take her forwards and be well balanced, and quick off her aids, both upwards and downwards through the gears.

She also explains that ordinarily, she would “forgive a wrong leg once on a young or novice horse, providing it comes back to trot and strikes off again correctly.”

However, in a hack, this is unacceptable.

“I would penalise that in a hack class,” she says. “I feel a hack, you should just sit and think canter, and it should take you. You shouldn’t need to position a hack too much.”

In the working show horse class, Margaret and her co-judge Sarah Coward will assess each combination’s jumping round together, before she assesses the ride and Sarah casts an eye over each exhibit’s conformation.

“In these classes, we tend to see a mixed bunch in terms of the types of horses, and you have to be careful that you award style marks fairly and accordingly. For example, a riding horse type might be able to jump the fences naturally and show a lot of scope. On the other hand, it’s not often that you see a cob that jumps with a lot of scope, but a cob that jumps with a correct jump and a good technique deserves to be scored highly.

“The style marks here are where there is the greatest room for difference.”

As combinations tackle the course Margaret expects: “A forward rhythm and a good canter, and that the horse should be able to keep coming to the fence in that rhythm and canter.

“And I like to see the horse is actually enjoying itself, too – especially with the cobs as when they come in and give it their best shot, they put a smile on your face.”

Finally, Margaret will be taking a close look at the conformation of the intermediate working hunter ponies.

“In this class, I’ll be looking for something that is not too light in its frame with good quality limbs, not too closed behind, and a straight mover. I also don’t want to see too many lumps and bumps. That said, I’ll forgive a small splint in a working hunter pony and wouldn’t expect that limbs are as clean as a hacks due to their job.

“For me, curbs are a ‘no-no’ as you assume if a horse has a curb, then it’s weak in its hindleg. I also don’t want to see a horse that is too straight in its hindleg as the hindleg is vital to get them off the ground. I want rounded hindquarters with power in them.”

• For more expert training advice and to keep up to date with major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘It’s all about confidence and harmony’: tips for success from Royal International judge Polly Eddis

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

It’s 50 days until riders jump the World Championships cross-country course, on Saturday 15 August. The showground at Aachen will be alive with the bustle of spectators waving flags and in the stables, the nerves will be buzzing.

What can riders expect from the track? And what has it been like putting it together? We caught up with the course-designer, Italy’s Giuseppe della Chiesa, to find out.

The numbers tell a large part of the story in terms of the specific challenges of designing championship track. Those who take every direct route will tackle 42 jumping efforts, but there are 74 fences in the course.

“That tells you something about how many alternatives there are,” says Giuseppe. “When you come to a championship, you have even more variety of expertise and experience than at other events.

“We have minimum eligibility requirements – people call them qualifications, but that is the wrong name for them because if you pass one, you are not qualified. They happen all over the world and some are probably not really the right level, but in the end, we want to have everybody there.

“So you have established five-star horses and riders and pairs that maybe never saw a real four-star in their life. The challenge is to produce a course that allows the best to be sorted out and the others to finish. Not everybody will do so, but I start with the idea that everybody should have a way to come home, if they use their brain.

“Anybody can design for good riders because if you make a mistake, they will solve it. Designing for average riders is more difficult.”

Are there any particular themes or pointers riders must keep in mind on the course?

“If they ride well and they engage their brain, they will be fine – and, as I say, there is a route for everybody,” says Giuseppe. “The rules say the cross-country at the World Championships is four-star with a special distance of 10 minutes. I think 42 efforts over 10 minutes is a good balance, it creates a good competition.

“If you go all the direct routes, you will have jumped a ‘four-star plus’, but you can also find a ‘three-and-a-half-star’ to get around.”

That optimum time, of approximately 10 minutes, will be tight, Giuseppe predicts.

“I tried, without stressing them too much, to keep control of the horses’ speed so that we can have some interest with the time,” he says. “And then they need to pay attention because it’s easy to have a glance-off, especially if you’re going for the time.”

World Championships cross-country: Aachen’s history

Giuseppe says a huge plus of working at at Aachen is the “fantastic” organising committee.

“They are completely dedicated, they followed me on anything I asked of them,” he said, citing the fact the site is very flat as something of a challenge compared to Pratoni del Vivaro, where he designed the course for the 2022 World Championships.

Eventing first came to Aachen in 2005, in a test event for the 2006 World Equestrian Games (WEG). Giuseppe explains that there was no intention for eventing to be part of the programme at the venue after that WEG.

“They prepared all the footing for the track, spending a huge amount of money because it’s very difficult to prepare there; because it’s very wet, the soil is not good,” he says.

After WEG, the organisers wanted to keep eventing as part of their showcase summer event every year, but designer Rüdiger Schwarz was left with the challenge of creating a four-star short using parts of the track that had been designed for the WEG.

“He had to be really creative,” says Giuseppe, explaining that in putting together the route for this year’s World Championships cross-country course and going to the expense of preparing new areas of ground, he has also tried to leave a site where it will be easier to produce different types of track in the future.

The alternatives required at a championship also need space and careful thought so that they are not too twisty and don’t require too much turning back.

In some places, Giuseppe has given riders choices that are only two to seven seconds more time-consuming, so they are not true direct and long routes, but genuine alternatives where riders will have to make a decision.

A team effort

Giuseppe says the course-designer should never work alone. Poland’s Marcin Konarski was the technical delegate at the Pratoni worlds and Giuseppe found he worked well with him, so when Rüdiger decided, for health reasons, to step back from Aachen and ask Giuseppe to design the worlds, Giuseppe asked Marcin to be his assistant.

“And I told Rüdiger, ‘I will accept to take over from you, but you mustn’t disappear’, so Marcin, Rüdiger and I have worked as a team, and the course-builder James Willis is part of the team too,” he says, adding that he worked with the Willis brothers as course-designer at Badminton Horse Trials from 2014 to 2016.

The technical delegate, Britain’s Philip Surl, has already visited Aachen too.

And how will Giuseppe know he has done a good job? Giuseppe was pleased that in Pratoni, there were no horse falls, something he aims for again, but knows is partly down to luck. However, he says the acid test is to watch horses jumping, both on screen for an overall view and on the ground at the fences.

“Live gives you more the feeling of what is actually happening in a horse that is moving at 570 meters per minute or more – how they are working on the terrain, the strength they’re putting in, how they understand the fence, how they are turning, how quick things happen. Everything on video is always a bit more slow motion, it all always looks nicer on video than in reality, so you must go and see the real thing,” he says.

“Looking at horses jumping is the most important thing that a course-designer should do because they tell you everything. You must be on your own, not chatting.

“The big satisfaction is when I see that horses jump well, produce a good picture. Maybe sometimes they have a mistake, but the mistake is understandable. Maybe the riding was not so accurate. But when the riding is good they must produce a nice job – if everything is good and they don’t produce a nice picture, there is something that is not working.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Eventing legend Ginny Elliot shared memories of her Defender Burghley Horse Trials wins when she and Ros Canter met at the venue earlier this month. Ros was there to unveil her new plinth, for her win last year with Lordships Graffalo, on Winners’ Avenue.

Every winning horse and rider at Burghley since its inception in 1961 are commemorated along the famous avenue of lime trees, in a series of plinths that are the brainchild of former event director Bill Henson.

More recently, the event has started inviting the reigning champion to view their plinth and this year the Burghley team invited Lordships Graffalo’s owners, Michele and Archie Saul, to join Ros, along with five-time Burghley winner Ginny.

“When I was growing up, I was in awe of all these names,” said Ros, who was meeting Ginny properly for the first time and added she loved watching videos of the legend when she was growing up.

The sport was quite different when Ginny was in her heyday and she shared memories from the days when Saturday involved roads and tracks and steeplechase and horses had to carry a minimum weight.

“I think I had to carry two stones of lead,” she said.

Fan favourite names such as Night Cap and Master Craftsman were in the air. Ginny said Night Cap crammed a stride into a bounce of bullfinches en route to his 1984 win and discussed forgetting the showjumping course in 1986 on Master Craftsman.

“He was really difficult showjumping; I was concentrating so hard on all the bits I had to do to help the situation and I went completely blank. But a guardian angel tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Turn right, you fool!’” she said.

Ginny later passed the grey to Ian Stark as he was too strong for her.

“I literally had no control,” remembered Ginny. “I had to wrap the reins around my hand but he kept pulling and pulling. But had he not taken off, we’d never have got inside the time and won.

“I’ve had so many hiccups; you never seem to have a hiccup… you’re just a joy to watch.”

Ros said people don’t notice that there’s always a moment of panic during every competition.

“Last year’s Burghley came with extra pressures because I was nearly five months pregnant… there is always a story behind a win and that’s what makes each one very special. It is a constant juggling act but having the children and all those extra dimensions makes me a little bit more resilient,” said Ros, who had her baby, Seneh, with her on the day.

Ginny concluded: “Ros is an extraordinary competitor and rider – one of the best I’ve seen for a very long time. The fact she thinks I might have had an influence is very nice for me, but she is extraordinary, and she’ll be there for a long time to come.”

Event director Martyn Johnson added: “Winners’ Avenue is synonymous with Burghley’s history and unique within our sport. It was very special to bring together past and present Burghley champions to reflect on how becoming a Burghley champion changes your life, and to be joined by Lordships Graffalo’s owners Archie and Michele Saul, who, like Ros, are Lincolnshire-based.

“As Ginny said, the heart always beats a little faster when you arrive at Burghley. It’s truly a special place for any equestrian fan and particularly special for those who have won here.”

• To book Burghley Horse Trials tickets, visit burghley-horse.co.uk/tickets
• Read more about Ros’s competition mindset and how she overcame a confidence crisis in our upcoming exclusive interview in 16 July issue of Horse & Hound magazine. To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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In this episode of the Horse & Hound podcast, which is sponsored by Saracen Horse Feeds, top British dressage rider Becky Moody talks to H&H dressage editor Oscar Williams about her success at the FEI World Cup dressage final in Texas, the pressures of Jagerbomb’s first international flight, and what she’s learnt from tracking his sleep patterns.

Episode 178 of our popular audio service The Horse & Hound Podcast, which is sponsored this month by Saracen Horse Feeds, is now live and features the reigning dressage World Cup champion, Becky Moody.

Each episode is available for H&H fans to listen to via your favourite podcast app, as well as here on the website. Search for “The Horse & Hound Podcast” in your preferred podcast app and click subscribe to be notified about each new episode.

• View all episodes of The Horse & Hound Podcast

On this episode, H&H’s dressage editor Oscar Williams caught up with Becky while she was out competing in Rotterdam. Among the topics they discussed was Becky’s experiences at the FEI World Cup Final in America.

Becky explained the big learning curve involved with flying Jagerbomb overseas for the first time – “I didn’t take my eyes off flight radar” – and how she felt coming into the competition as the favourite, rather than the underdog.

She also shared her views on ways she think AI could be used in dressage judging, how she tracks Jagerbomb’s sleep patterns and what she’s learnt from doing so, and much more.

Whether you’re an avid dressage fan or not, there is so much to enjoy listening to in this podcast. We love to hear your feedback on all our podcasts, so please do send your thoughts to pippa.roome@futurenet.com

Horse & Hound Podcast: episode 178

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Read more about Becky Moody:

From hurtling round fields on ponies to Olympic glory: Becky Moody shares her incredible journey

How to ride accurate circles for higher marks – with advice from self-confessed ‘circles geek’ Becky Moody

Becky Moody and Jagerbomb strike a chord with World Cup harmony and fairness award

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H&H’s dressage editor rounds up how things stand on British selection for the World Championships, with the team to be named in mid-July

British selection for the dressage at the 2026 World Championships in Aachen in August will come into focus over the next few weeks, with a team announcement expected in mid-July. The selectors – Judy Harvey, Jenny Ward and Anne Keen – have watched the contenders across a season of internationals, and with the major trials now behind us, Hartpury CDI3* (1–5 July) will be a last chance to shift the margins rather than being where this gets decided.

On paper, it’s a more settled picture than my colleague Pippa Roome found in the eventing: three combinations look certain of their places, leaving a single spot up for a real scrap. Not that certainty is ever quite that – as Charlotte Dujardin’s withdrawal days before the Paris Olympics reminded us, a team can be reshaped overnight – but you would be brave to bet against the top three.

Those three are Carl Hester on Fame, Lottie Fry on Glamourdale and Becky Moody on Jagerbomb. They’ve been the core of the team at the past two championships, and no one expects that to change.

The only doubt after last summer’s Europeans would’ve been whether Carl would go for another season on Fame. But they allayed those concerns early in the season, winning convincingly in Doha in February. Since then, they’ve competed on the Nations Cup team at Fontainebleau and last time out, at Wellington CDI3*, the now 16-year-old stallion produced within 0.2% of his best-ever scores in both the grand prix and freestyle, which he posted at the Riesenbeck Europeans in 2023. They’re a shoo-in.

As are Lottie and Glamourdale. Little doubt there, of course – though some had wondered whether the 15-year-old stallion was a fraction past his best, with the piaffe a worry; actively breeding stallions tend to peak early in their grand prix career and struggle to hold it into their later teens. But Lottie and Glamourdale put that debate to rest in December, winning the London World Cup qualifier on 89.17% – “one of the best tests he’s ever done”, according to Lottie – then backing it up at Amsterdam and ’s-Hertogenbosch.

The run brought successive 80%+ grands prix for the first time since 2022, a striking turnaround from his sub-76% at the Europeans, and the only pair to beat them all season has been world number ones Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus – by margins as fine as 0.2% and 0.4%. Whisper it, but a few in ’s-Hertogenbosch felt Glamourdale shaded it on the day. Another 80%+ grand prix outdoors at the Fontainebleau Nations Cup leaves little doubt the pair are in career-best form.

Becky and Jagerbomb have been cutting their own path, including a three-show outing on the World Cup qualifier circuit, which ultimately bagged their place at the Texas final, where they won on a new personal best of 88.33%. That was in April; since then, Becky has taken Jagerbomb’s recovery from his trans-Atlantic trip very seriously (she talks us through it on the upcoming episode of the H&H podcast). But after a couple of weeks off in the field and a couple of weeks hacking, he was back out last week at Rotterdam CDI4* (June 18–20), and despite a couple of mistakes in the grand prix costing him another win, he looked in great condition.

Who’s in contention for the fourth spot?

So that’s the core trio of the team – but the fourth spot has been up for grabs all season. Andrew Gould and Indigro filled it at last summer’s Europeans but were eliminated in the grand prix and haven’t competed since. Charlotte Dujardin and Alive And Kicking would, I think, have taken it on the strength of a hugely impressive 76.54% grand prix at the London International Horse Show last December – but the mare was sold in April.

That left a host of options, most clustered in the low 70s: national champions Sadie Smith and Swanmore Dantina, my early favourites; championship stalwarts Gareth Hughes and Laura Tomlinson on up-and-coming rides Mowgli-Olympia MC and Full Moon II; Lewis Carrier and the experienced Diego V; or German-based Susan Pape on Harmony’s Giulilanta; even Annabella Pidgley on former Olympic medallist Gio, since selected for the under-25 European squad instead.

But the two pairs averaging the highest grand prix marks in the chasing pack have been Charlotte, on Ellie McCarthy’s 12-year-old gelding Brave Heart II, and Fiona Bigwood on her own 10-year-old mare Donna Bella X.

Donna Bella X is bred in the purple, and homebred: she is out of Atterupgaards Orthilia, Fiona’s former ride on the British team that took silver at both the 2015 Europeans in Aachen and the Rio Olympics the following year.

But ask me last summer, and neither would have been on my radar – Charlotte wasn’t on Brave Heart yet, and Donna Bella had only a couple of green grands prix to her name.

Donna Bella’s rise has been rapid. Runner-up on 70.62% at Vale View Premier League at the turn of the year, she announced herself at Hartpury CDI3* in March, taking the grand prix on 72.22% to beat Gareth and Mowgli. That earned a Nations Cup call-up at Fontainebleau alongside Carl and Lottie – a clear signal she was in the frame – and the bigger atmosphere didn’t faze her, the pair scoring a solid 71.63%.

Charlotte, meanwhile, hadn’t run Brave Heart since Kronenberg the previous November (72.8%), and it was unclear whether they’d put themselves forward – though grand prix wins of 76.85% and 74.13% on low-key local March outings raised the possibility. She still had Alive And Kicking then though, so that would’ve been her expected route onto the team. But as the key trials at Hickstead and Wellington approached in May and June, it had begun to look like a two-horse race.

Across both shows, most contenders were in action, and at each, Fiona and Charlotte went head to head. At Hickstead, Fiona and Donna Bella edged it, winning on 73.13% to Charlotte and Brave Heart’s 72.8% in second – close enough that much still rested on Wellington CDI3* earlier this month.

There, Fiona and Donna Bella climbed higher still, scoring 74.6% to finish behind winners Carl and Fame, with Charlotte and Brave Heart third on 71.87%, Sadie and Swanmore Dantina fourth (71.44%), and Gareth and Mowgli fifth (71.39%).

That makes Fiona and Donna Bella the clear favourites for the fourth spot, and I’d be all but certain the team will be Fame, Glamourdale, Jagerbomb and Donna Bella. But the real headline is how far Britain has come: that we can leave a pool of reserves this strong on the sidelines – enough to field a B team, maybe even a C, to rival most other nations – says everything about the strength in depth we now have.

Who do you think should make the British selection for the dressage World Championships? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com for your views to be considered for publication in a future issue of the magazine or online. Please include your postal address (only town and county will be printed). Letters may be edited for clarity and length. 

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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When charismatic 18hh “gentle giant” showjumping horse Flamboyant III won the 2026 Al Shira’aa Derby at Hickstead with William Whitaker in the saddle, he captured our hearts once again. Not only has the puissance hero wowed the crowds with his high-jump antics, the 16-year-old gelding has now thrilled us all with a string of gallant Hickstead Derby efforts, twice finishing runner-up – in 2024 and 2025 – before finally landing the historic showpiece with a spectacular double clear.

“He deserved this win,” said William after the fairytale success.

But what a journey the brilliant “Banksy” has been on, particularly with owners Vicky Smith and her son Elliott, the gelding’s regular rider.

“We’re so proud of all he has achieved, but Elliott needs to write a book about all the ups and downs of his life story!” says Vicky Smith.

Flamboyant III: “Strong, difficult, a bit unmanageable”

Flamboyant III, a son of VDL Cardento 933 out of Amarenz (by Niveau) was bred in the Netherlands by Anrike Trip-van Ijzeren, who travelled from Holland to watch her home-bred win the Hickstead Derby this year. Anrike sold him at auction as a three-year-old for little over £1,000 before Vicky Smith and her then teenage son Elliott bought him as an unbroken youngster.

“When we viewed Flamboyant loose jumping as a three-year-old, he jumped a massive gate and we thought, ‘He’s going to be good!’” explains Elliott.

But, as Vicky explains, it certainly wasn’t all plain-sailing.

“We sent him to Sammie-Jo Coffin to back and she described him as one of the worst she’d ever had,” says Vicky. “He was strong, difficult, a bit unmanageable and was always shooting off. It turned out he had terrible kissing spines.

“He was operated on, but could barely put one foot in front of the other so I didn’t think he’d ever do anything again. It took two years of rehab, but we had so much belief in him.

“We’ve had to be very, very patient and spent many hours with him. He had to learn to realise that it didn’t hurt when he jumped anymore. He still takes a lot of patience and calming, he’s definitely unique!”

Why Flamboyant’s first puissance attempt was “an afterthought”

Elliott describes the early years with Banksy as “a learning curve”.

“We progressed together – when I was going through my teenage years, he was doing the same sort of thing – but we took things slowly to make sure he had longevity because he was always a horse we were going to keep,” he reveals.

“He’s big and strong, so he makes the distances a bit too easily – as a six-year-old at Addington, he put in one stride at a two-stride double, so that was something we had to work on. But he made up for it with his jump,” he says.

“We jumped our first puissance more as an afterthought. I’d never jumped higher than 1.80m and that was the wall’s starting height, but we went the full five rounds and cleared 2.20m, which was a shock! But it felt so easy.”

Elliott and Flamboyant had found their forté and finished equal first in the Bolesworth puissance in 2019, 2021 and 2024 and they were placed at both Horse of the Year Show and the London International in 2022.

Hickstead Derby dreams and downfalls

“I always had aspirations to jump in the Hickstead Derby,” says Elliott. “Then in 2022 I fell off him after crossing the finish line in the Derby trial, breaking my leg. Lizzie Bunn said, ‘You’ve qualified, so who would you like to ride him, William Whitaker or another rider?’

“William has always been a big idol to me, so it was the perfect match. I had surgery on my leg the following day, then watched them jump an amazing 12-fault round from my bed on Sunday. Flamboyant proved he suited Derby classes and we’ve never looked back.”

William Whitaker takes up the story, saying: “It was very unfortunate what happened to Elliott in the Derby trial, but I said I’d give the Derby a go! I popped a few fences and tried to get a feel for him. He’s such a big horse, but he’s really sensitive. His adrenaline gets going, he starts running with his big stride and everything gets a bit short.

“He had three down that first year, but he did a lot of things well. He came home with me and stayed until the following Derby while Elliott was off, but the past two years I’ve only ridden him at Hickstead. It’s just a question of trying to remember what buttons I pressed last time!”

All in the preparation

Flamboyant lives with the Smiths in Devon for the majority of the year.

“We do lots of hillwork to keep him fit,” says Elliott. “I get to jump some bigger classes with him, then William takes him for the Derby shows, so it works out well.”

William was back in the saddle for last month’s Hamburg Derby, jumping a super round but just falling victim to the tricky double of single poles to finish sixth.

“He was very unlucky not to jump clear with the effort he put in,” says William. “There’s not much to back them off the double of rails where he faulted, especially after you’ve jumped the big oxer before, and he has such a big stride that he almost jumped in too well and made up too much ground.

“But from the moment he trotted in the ring, I felt him take a breath and relax and I thought that’s a good start, because it’s so different on Derby day with all the photographers in the ring and thousands of spectators. Then I just got him in a lovely rhythm and tried to make it as easy as possible for him.

“But I was glad for the two qualifiers in Hamburg, I felt like I needed them! Sunday was the most relaxed he’d been all week, he had definitely settled a bit by then.

“His best attribute is that he could jump a house and the Derby obstacles don’t faze him,” continues William.

Flamboyant’s only flaw? “You can’t catch him!” says William of the “gentle giant”.

“The first time we turned him out, it took six hours to get him in – in the end, I rang Elliott and said, ‘How do you catch this bloody horse, because in a minute he’s going to be staying out for the night!’ Eventually, when it was on his terms, he decided to come in,” he says.

A fairytale finish in this year’s Hickstead Derby

William finished second to his cousin Robert Whitaker (Getlemen VH Veldhof) after a three-way jump-off for last year’s Hickstead Derby, having jumped an elusive first clear in the opening round. The previous year he missed out to William Funnell and Dublon in a similar jump-off decider after three horses completed on four faults apiece.

This year, he went head-to-head with 2023 winners David Simpson and Pjotr Van De Kruishoeve in another epic jump-off after both jumped clear in round one.

“Having jumped clear last year and come so close to winning, you do feel Flamboyant deserved to have the Derby on his résumé,” says William, who watched past videos of Flamboyant’s Derby rounds in preparation “to look for anything in particular we need to work on”.

“My 2016 Hickstead Derby winner Max, Glenavadra Brilliant, was in a similar bracket – he deserved everything to come right for him on the day and eventually it did.”

Much of the credit for the final preparations go to William’s wife Elisabeth, who has been riding Flamboyant at home since the Hamburg Derby.

“I was lucky enough to get selected to go to St Gallen,” explains William. “Then I went to Poland for two weeks with Millfield Quickstep on Nations Cups, and Elisabeth said, because he’s a bit of a strong horse, ‘Who’s going to be riding Flamboyant?’ I said, ‘You are!’ You’ve done a fantastic job, love, well done.” 

Vicky sums up: “William Whitaker, with his wealth of experience, manages Banksy brilliantly. Because he’s still a very tricky ride, he requires a lot of patience and calming, and the way William reads how to jump each fence on him is incredible. I can’t watch, though! I’m hiding.

“He’s taught Elliott so much about the journey of life – it’s not just about the winning, it’s the maintenance and the looking after and as long as he comes back safe, sound and happy, that’s all that matters. He’s the horse of a lifetime, we’re so lucky to have him.”

Congratulations to the whole team behind the magnificent Flamboyant III – the Hickstead fairytale finally happened.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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When Hickstead director Lizzie Bunn brought the famous Boomerang trophy to William Whitaker yesterday (21 June), he said: “Make sure you put a helmet on it this year!”

William and Vicky Smith’s fabulous Flamboyant III won the Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby yesterday, in a jump-off with 2023 winners David Simpson and Pjotr Van De Kruishoeve, having come second in the class two years running.

And after his victory, William revealed things had not gone entirely to plan the first time he won the Derby, with Glenavadra Brilliant in 2016.

‘I forgot to say,” Hickstead director Edward Bunn said in the post-Derby press conference. “I checked the trophy and it’s got two ears.”

William explained the story, which most of those present would not have heard before.

“Last time I won the Derby with Glenavadra Brilliant, we had a big party, believe it or not, that evening,” he said. “When I woke up in the morning, I was at Daisy [Bunn’s] house, and I woke up with a great feeling.

“I walked into the kitchen and the trophy was there on the table. And I thought ‘that’s a bit like in a movie’, looking at the trophy. And I looked, and I looked again, and I thought, ‘Oh no’. One of the ears had been knocked off. I immediately went to Daisy and said ‘Who’s going to tell Lizzie [Bunn]?!’ But anyway, she took it very well.”

Commentator John Stokes said he thought Daisy was planning a party again that evening.

“But hopefully we’ll keep the trophy safe,” he said.

“Keep it well away from me, anyway!” William said.

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Fifty-five years on, we are still talking about Harvey Smith’s V-sign during the 1971 Hickstead Derby at the All England Jumping Course.

For those who would benefit from a reminder of what happened, here’s an extract from the H&H report, published 20 August 1971, by Pamela Macgregor-Morris.

“There have only been a dozen clear rounds in the history of the competition, and this time there was none,” Pamela writes.

“First outstanding round was jumped by Stephen Hadley on Prospero, who came down the bank so fast that he had no chance at the post and rails at its foot and had a time-fault as well as three for a stop. But this held the lead until the last but one to jump, the defending champions, Harvey Smith and Mattie Brown, drew level to dispute the lead.

“Mattie Brown went on to win the barrage with eight faults to 12, and third place was shared by four eight-faulters.

“Harvey Smith was presented by Mr John Wilson, managing director of WD & HO Wills, with the golden horse (arrived from Yorkshire the previous day), and to all intents and purposes he and Mattie Brown had joined the other dual winners, Seamus Hayes with Goodbye and Nelson Pessoa with Gran Geste, in the British Derby’s annals.”

But this glorious double had a twist.

A box on the report adds: “Some hours after Harvey Smith had received the Wills Jumping Derby Trophy last Sunday, Mr Douglas Bunn, owner of Hickstead, sent him a telegram saying that ‘because of your disgusting gesture the directors and I have disqualified you’ and telling him that all prize money was forfeited.

“The ‘gesture’ referred to – a two-fingered one – was delivered, apparently towards the directors’ box, after Harvey had completed his winning round on Mattie Brown.

“The incident has now been referred to the stewards of the British Show Jumping Association (BSJA).”

The V-sign story, according to Harvey Smith

In 2022, Harvey shared his side of the story in a video interview with the Hickstead team.

He relates how, on returning to Hickstead the year after his 1970 Derby win on Mattie Brown, Douglas Bunn asked him if he’d brought back the trophy.

He hadn’t (although the H&H report implies that the trophy was recuperated from Yorkshire in time) but retorted: “It doesn’t matter, I’m going to win it again!”

There followed, according to Harvey, a good deal of negative banter about the wellbeing of his horse. When he knocked a fence down in the first round, he remembers huge cheers from the directors’ box. It clearly riled him.

“I thought, you bas***ds!”

When he ultimately did recapture the title, he stuck two fingers up at the directors.

“It’s life, it happened, it’s what live television is all about – life,” he says. “It’s the best publicity stunt that Hickstead has ever had.”

Reactions to the V-sign

While the tabloids lapped it up, the equestrian press weren’t so sure. Horse & Hound distanced themselves from the confusing situation of the disqualification, putting the Derby Trial winners Ann Moore and Psalm on the cover that week, rather than the more traditional British Derby winner.

Dorian Williams – under the pen name “Observer” – wrote: “Though the commercially minded may well avow that any publicity is good publicity, I cannot help feeling that showjumping in general would have been better off without the spotlight glare attracted by last Sunday’s events at Hickstead.

“I cannot recall any incident in the history of the sport that has drawn so much public attention to it, in the National Press and on TV, as the dispute between Harvey Smith and the directors of Hickstead. And with all the discussion and arguments on the subject, only one thing seems to be certain: at 5.15pm last Sunday afternoon Harvey won the Jumping Derby on Mattie Brown without any shadow of doubt. For that I say, “Well done, Harvey!”

“For the rest, the ‘incident’ of the two-finger exercise is being referred to the stewards of the BSJA, who will shortly hear evidence from all parties concerned and any other witnesses. I doubt whether the stewards will consider it within their province to adjudicate on the destiny of the Derby prize money of £2,000.”

H&H also published a lawyer’s opinion on whether the disqualification should stand. The lawyer concluded that the rules of the competition did not apply to any “conduct of objectionable nature” that happened after Harvey had produced a winning round – because it did not relate to his “manner of riding while negotiating the course”.

As history relates, Harvey Smith and Mattie Brown were indeed reinstated after the infamous V-sign to confirm their second Derby victory. But when H&H went to press soon after Douglas Bunn’s telegram, the result was still in the balance.

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Polly Eddis and Judy Bradwell will be sorting through the plaited working hunter pony contenders at this year’s Royal International Horse Show (RIHS). The tracks these contenders face at Hickstead are arguably the toughest of the season. Polly will assess each combination as they negotiate the jump phase, and Judy will cast a careful eye over their shows and conformation phases.

For many working hunter buffs, Hickstead is the ultimate place to win! That’s because the meaty courses are built in a ring that has an incline, with the kinds of natural obstacles that most ponies won’t encounter in their qualifying rounds. To help you prepare, Polly has given us some insight into what she’ll be looking for on the day.

What is Polly Eddis’s background in horses?

“I’ve been obsessed with horses since I was about three,” says Polly. “I can still remember the first time I sat on a pony as if it was today. He was a little pony called Ali Baba. And growing up, I just adored working hunter ponies. I used to read magazines and look at the ponies, then Mary Rimell said she would take me to a competition.

“I had an ordinary pony, but he went very nicely, and Mrs Rimell took us to the NPS championships at Malvern, which was near where we lived.

“I did the working hunter pony and I won it. And I just couldn’t believe it,” she recalls.

Polly later evented, but her affiliation with the working hunter ponies remained strong.

“My eldest daughter Lucy wanted to have a go, and I just loved watching my girls coming through the workers. We had some gorgeous ponies and some lovely times.”

Polly’s showing highlight

As well as lots of fun on the circuit, the Eddis family enjoyed some extremely successful days showing, with high-profile wins and championships including in the tough Desert Orchid ranks, and seven wins at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

Yard stars include Kyregate Peter Pan, Nobel Sir Prize and the inimitable Cashel Bay JJ, who was champion worker RIHS. Polly’s younger daughter Susie was supreme at the Royal International having claimed the working hunter pony championship aboard Beat The Boss, so Polly will understand just how combinations are feeling as they negotiate a day’s competition at Hickstead in these classes.

“We also had some fantastic days at Burghley for the sports pony competition – a fabulous competition; everyone loves the atmosphere there,” adds Polly.

“And we had some brilliant days when the girls were on the working hunter pony teams, too. That was great fun.”

Polly is a member of the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) council, and sits on their working hunter pony panel.

“My business – Parasol UK – is extremely busy and time consuming, but I wanted to give something back, so I only sit on the workers panel,” she explains.

What will Polly be looking for at Hickstead?

“A lot of my thoughts as a judge are based on what I used to teach my girls, Susie and Lucy, who did quite a lot of workers. I think we used to do more of our training in the kitchen than we did in the arena – we would think about previous rounds, and imagine future rounds,” says Polly.

“It was just a family chat, but we really used to sort of put our heads together and make a plan of how to improve their performances.

“We were always searching for that one extra mark. As a judge I’m so aware that that one mark really matters, so I am very careful when assigning marks.

“Overall, I want to see a combination who exude quiet confidence, harmony and a pony who looks as if he’s loving his job and leaves me with a smile on my face.”

How can riders achieve this?

“I would hope that my lineup will all show measured confidence as they go round. I’ll be looking out for combinations that are purposeful and positive, but that are never careless – it should never feel out of control. It’s all about confidence. I want to see a very confident pony and a cool, calm rider. The combination should make it look effortless. I used to say to my children, ‘make it look as if anyone could ride this pony round; make it look effortless.’

“I also want to see that the riders have a plan to negotiate the course. I’d like to see them set up a good round. One thing that I always used to say to my girls is ‘ride in between the fences and the fences will look after themselves’. Rhythm and balance are hugely important to me.

“I don’t want to see a rider who just thinks that it’s all about the fence; it’s everything that happens between the fences. If you approach the fence in a balanced and forward rhythm, you’ll almost certainly get a very nice jump.

“It’s not the end of the world to me if a smaller pony goes around a corner on the wrong leg providing they are in absolute balance. I’d rather that than see them repeatedly break the rhythm and concentration. However, I would hope that the older riders in the 143cm and 153cm combinations will have sufficient experience and skill to anticipate corners and ensure the right leads as they land from the fences.”

In a similar vein, Polly says: “I don’t mind if, for example, a rider is on a smaller pony with a short stride, they go through a one-stride double in two strides. I’m happy with that as long as it’s planned that way with two even strides. To me, that’s intelligent riding and it’s working as a partnership.”

That said, Polly is careful to remind riders that the “best round isn’t necessarily one that everything goes perfectly”. Instead, she explains that “it will often be a round where something needs a quiet adjustment from a rider. But the pony stays in rhythm and it’s enjoyable to watch.”

Polly’s pet hates

“I don’t want to see a pony being kicked along or gagged,” says Polly. “I want them in their rider’s hand and off their leg. I also don’t want to see ‘willy-nilly’ slapping on takeoff. One tap in an emergency, I can live with, but sometimes I think it has become an absolute habit.

“And I don’t want to hear any parents giving any outside assistance – I will mark it down. At this level, riders should be confident.

“I also can’t stand too much use of the voice. I don’t want to hear a running commentary as a combination goes around. It’s thankfully very rare at this level.”

As a parent who has prepared ponies for these classes, what are Polly’s tips?

“We would always go cross-country schooling before RIHS,” says Polly. “We went regularly anyway, but made sure we’d always go before Hickstead to prepare for the ground and the type of obstacles there.

“We also always built a flimsy, wispy bullfinch, rather than a big, thick, bushy one so that it’s encouraging for them to go through.

“Beat The Boss was deeply suspicious of anything where he couldn’t see his landing and 10 strides behind it, so we only ever did a thin bullfinch to practice so that he just got the impression it’s a lovely feeling going through and to have Susie being pleased with him the other side at home. On the day at Hickstead, the bullfinch was stiffer than he was expecting so we’d then go back to the wispy one at home to re-establish his confidence.

“The other thing that riders and parents should be aware of, it’s a long way around the course compared with one on a surface. Make sure the ponies are fit. If I hear a pony huffing and puffing and breathing heavily, that’s something I would mark down.”

Polly’s advice for someone making their Royal International debut

“Enjoy it. You’ve earned your place there; you deserve to be there,” she says. “Don’t be over-awed by the occasion.

“Lots of people lose their class in the warm-up because they’re worried about it. Don’t over warm up. You have a warm-up plan that you use at every competition so follow exactly the same routine. Don’t change it just because it’s the Royal International – your pony doesn’t know that. Then ride with a plan, not panic.”

• For more expert training advice and to keep up to date with major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Meet Night Prowler, a little horse with a heart of a lion and all the scope in the world – who likes to enjoy a floral snack while going across country.

1st Class Images caught the moment Weasel, as he’s known to his friends, took advantage of his approach to the combination at fence 18abc of the Defender Bramham Horse Trials CCI4*-L last weekend to take a mouthful of the flowers dressing the fence.

Yvette Wheeler, who owns the 11-year-old ridden by Jack Mantel, told H&H that if ever there were a horse to be caught on camera like this, Weasel is the one.

“We didn’t realise how good the pictures were till we zoomed in,” she said. “David, Jack’s groom, said ‘I’m buying both those photos and framing them’, and we looked, and started laughing and said ‘Yes, that’s so Weasel’.”

Yvette said she bought the Irish-bred gelding for herself and another rider to share, a few years ago.

“I was going to do fun stuff and he was going to event him,” she said. “But the other person injured himself and couldn’t event him. And the fitter and weller Weasel got, the cheekier he got. I’m 57, 58 and he got to the point I’d come back from riding thinking ‘I’m glad I’m still on top’! He can spin, he can rear; he’d be ‘You’re not concentrating on me – wham’.

“I know Jack really well, I’ve had horses with him, so I asked if he’d take the ride and he said yes.”

Jack and Night Prowler started at BE100 level and worked their way up, completing their first four-star short at the end of last season. This was their first CCI4*-L, and they cleared all the cross-country jumps on the course – although the results don’t show this.

“He finished and we were washing him off and Jack wondered whether he’d caught a flag at the second-last fence,” Yvette said. “But it turned out there was a big bit in the middle of the fence that was about six feet high, and he’d jumped that, rather than the bit he was supposed to jump.

“The horse just locked on to that bit so we went from running to the finish saying ‘He’s just gone clear in his first four-star long’, ecstatic, to realising it was technical elimination. Jack had always said it’s a big ask for a little horse, but he just flew round.

“So we were gutted, walking round with sad faces, then we saw this picture and it just made us laugh, it couldn’t have been better in that situation.”

Yvette added that she and Jack were both delighted that Weasel did jump clear, albeit over a higher fence than he was supposed to.

“He’s so brave, he will take anything on, you just have to be careful where you aim him!” she said.

“He’s one of those horses when you’re at a competition everyone knows his name within three hours as it’s all ‘Weasel, can you not…?’!” she said. “He wants to grab your hood and pull you around; there’s no malice or nastiness, we all just laugh at him. It’s nice when they’ve got so much character.”

Yvette said she hopes the incident will have been caught on the official video, which she has ordered, and that a spectator might also possibly have caught it, as she would love to see that too.

The fence at which the photos were taken caused some issues and was removed late on cross-country day after the ground on take-off deteriorated, but Jack told H&H Night Prowler had no difficulty with it.

“It was the big skinny after the drop and a lot of horses made mistakes but he was super bold, stood off the skinny and went through the brush element,” he said. “The picture looks like he’s bitten a mouthful of flowers off as he went through.

“He’s orange, the flowers are orange and we had a Hyco numnah, a new sponsor to me, and their brand is orange as well, so it was all quite fitting!”

Jack said he and Weasel had a great round other than the second-last fence.

“Being very bold, he jumped the middle bit,” he said. “We were a bit gutted not to get the qualification but the horse is none the wiser – in his mind he jumped clear – and it did give us a smile to see those pictures as he’s quite a character.”

Jack said the horse was “a bit troubled” three years ago when he arrived.

“Yvette’s been brilliant and we’ve got him right,” he said. “He was doing one-stars less than three years ago and now he’s jumping round four-star long.

“He’s only 16.1hh and has always just done enough but the bigger and wider [it gets], he just keeps on going and he gave me a really good feeling. He’s jumped double clear all season and he’s only 11 so hopefully we can keep going up the grades.”

Jack said Weasel is also a very good showjumper; his plan for the immediate future is to compete in pure dressage.

“He is a little bit exuberant in his changes,” he said. “On Thursday, he was doing a lovely test, then he did do three large bucks, which was interesting! So, there’s a bit of homework to do on that, but he enjoys a party. Then we’ll probably do an OI somewhere, and then Burgham four-star, and probably the Scone four-star long, potentially Blenheim.”

“We’re thrilled with him,” Jack added. “And we’ve got the pictures for the wall.”

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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The Hickstead Derby course remains the same year after year, and is much longer than your average showjumping course at 1,195m, with 21 jumping efforts.

Since the master of Hickstead Douglas Bunn held the first Hickstead Derby in 1961, the class has attracted a succession of the world’s leading athletes and horses ready to bravely tackle its notorious fences, from the fiendishly difficult Devil’s Dyke to the world renowned 10ft6in Bank.

Clear rounds are remarkably hard to achieve, so what does it take? Winner of the 2022 Hickstead Derby Shane Breen shares his insight.

“There’s nothing quite like trotting into the International Arena at Hickstead to compete in this special class,” says Shane, who won the Hickstead Derby with the sole clear that year on Can Ya Makan.

“Many of the experienced horses rise to the occasion, but when the crowd applauds it’s natural for them to get a bit anxious – they know it’s show time. From a rider’s point of view, you’re therefore trying to get them settled and relaxed before the bell rings for you to start.”

How to ride the Hickstead Derby course, fence by fence

Fence 1: The Cornishman

Height: 4ft 8in/1.42m

“Horses don’t normally spook at a fence like this; even Hickstead Derby newcomers will have jumped a similar brick wall. Never dismiss it though – one year John Ledingham and Kilbaha did a funny slip coming into it in the jump-off and knocked the rustic pole off the top. You can’t take anything for granted around the Hickstead Derby.”

Fence 2: white oxer

Height: 4ft 3in/1.30m

Width: 6ft 6in/1.98m

“You have to steer around the Irish bank to get to this oxer of white poles, so the horses don’t see it until quite late. It’s not that high but it is very wide, so you can’t just waltz round the corner under-paced and expect them to clear it.

“Some horses can get a bit high over it because they’re not used to seeing Christmas trees in a jump like that, but again it’s Derby day so people have schooled and prepared – the course hasn’t changed for more than 60 years so you can do your homework.”

Fence 3a and b: double of water ditches

Height: 5ft/1.52m (3a), 5ft 2in/1.57m (3b)

“These are all about straightness, the approach and good rhythm. The fences are very tall and if it’s a sunny day you can get glare off the water underneath, so with that, the blue of the water and the white rails, you do have to focus to see the poles. The ground is running downhill, so you need to keep your leg on but sit tall.

“You land and you’ve one stride before the second obstacle, which is exactly like the first but even bigger. They’re a bit like jumping two triple bars because from take-off to clearing the top rail is such a stretch. You need to meet the first fence on a good stride with good pace so the second one comes easy – miss it and the second one feels twice as big and wide!”

Fence 4: black gate

Height: 5ft 3in/1.60m

“The Hickstead Derby’s time allowed is generous, but almost everyone turns inside the balustrade to get to the gate because you’re giving yourself a bit of extra time if you need to be patient later on, at the Bank, say. So you swing left, then you keep straight before you do a nice flying change to the right.

“The gate is maximum height and falls easily, so it takes precision, but it’s also placed beside the pond, which doesn’t seem to give the horses any problems but it’s down to the rider to get a nice rhythm, very balanced and a good stride. You rarely see gates in jumping tracks nowadays but it does jump well.”

Fence 5: wall

Height: 5ft 3in/1.60m

“Similarly the wall is one of the tallest on course, with an arch underneath, but very rarely do you see a horse take a brick off. The fence is lighter than years before when it was chunkier and wider.”

Fence 6: privet hedge oxer

Height: 4ft 11in/1.50m

Width: 6ft 6in/1.98m

“It’s wide and those poles are about 16 ft long, which is remarkable. You’re coming away from the in-gate, so again you need to make sure your rhythm is correct and you’re on a good stride to make it easy for the horse to clear it – there’s still a long way to go, so you don’t want them having to overexert themselves at this stage.”

Fence 7a and b: road fence

Height: 5ft/1.52m (7a), 5ft 2in/1.57m (7b)

“You’re drawn here nicely on a line from the hedge and again the poles here are so long that every horse seems to hit it in the middle. You jump onto the higher ground, then there are three strides across the top before you jump out, and you can really feel the drop.”

Fence 8: Derby bank

Rail height: 3ft 5in/1.04m

Drop: 10ft 6in/3.20m

“You’ve a bit of time now to fix your hat or give your horse a reassuring pat on the neck. You’re in your own little world, but you can feel the hush of the crowd waiting to see how you’ll execute the Bank. You canter up and ideally you just pop over the fence at the top to give you time to steady up before the drop – the fence is small in comparison with everything else, but it’s still big enough, especially situated up there, to warrant respect.

“Obviously you won’t have schooled over a bank with those kind of dimensions but everybody will have prepared down a bank of some description because you want your horse to be really confident so that when you’ve come to a standstill at the top, there’s no risk of them stepping back, or even putting too much pressure on and going down too quick.

“When he makes the initial descent with his front legs, he should know to gently follow on until halfway down before he pops off the side of it. I’ve ridden it the same way every year – pop the fence, steady up, talk to the horse, let them do their thing.”

Fence 9: white rails

Height: 5ft 3in/1.60m

“It doesn’t always go smoothly, of course, but the perfect descent allows you two very nice normal strides to the rails, which are tall. If you’re clear over them, it’s a very welcome round of applause! But you have to block that out because this is where you need to steer your route carefully to the Devil’s Dyke.”

Fence 10a, b and c: Devil’s Dyke

Height: 4ft 9in/1.45m (10a), 4ft 9in/1.45m (10b), 4ft 8in/1.42m (10c)

“Opinion is divided here, some go to the left of the road jump, some go to the right but keep away from the crowds, but in the last few years I’ve come to the right of the road jump and cantered all the way up along the rail. I try to go far enough along that when I come off the fence, I’ve four strides.

“Horses tend to drift right through the Dyke because of the camber, so I jump the opening fence slightly left of centre, so they’ll hit the B part in the middle, hoping they’ll only be slightly right of centre for the C element. It’s also quite a steep drop from take-off to landing over fence A, which catches the horse’s eye, taking their attention away from the pole and that’s when you can have a fault. It really is a combination like no other.”

Fence 11: open water

Height: 15ft/5.6m wide

“By this point, horses have had two out-of-the-ordinary experiences with the Bank and Devil’s Dyke so it’s time for you both to take a deep breath, especially if you’re still clear. There’s a 3m rise in gradient from the bottom of the arena to the Master’s Box – you’re travelling uphill at this point so you don’t want to set off at the water too early.

“I find you’re better off to get up the hill, then when you turn for the water, pick up the distance you want and kick on! Water jumps can cause horses to spook and wobble in normal jumping classes, but interestingly in the Derby the water doesn’t seem to cause any trouble.”

Fence 12: Derby rails

Height: 5ft 3in/1.60m

“After the water you have 10 or 11 strides to the very tall Derby rails – most people seem to jump it on the right hand side of its five sections because it’s then a tight enough turn back to the dry ditch.”

Fence 13: dry ditch

Height: 5ft 1in/1.55m

Ditch width: 6ft/1.8m

“Dimension-wise, this is quite similar to fence three, the double of water ditches – it’s quite a stretch but if the horses are confident about jumping the dry ditch, they normally clear it well.”

Fence 14: balustrades

Height: 5ft 3in/1.60m

“Seven or eight strides later – which is purely down to the rider’s discretion and I’ve done both, but eight strides is my preference as it keeps you more balanced – the balustrades normally jump well. However, you’re travelling downhill again and if the horses are getting a bit tired, they can land over the dry ditch on their forehand.”

Fence 15a and b: double of gates

Height: 4ft 10in/1.47m (15a, 15b)

Width: 5ft 6in/1.68m (15b)

“You’re turning left-handed to go back up the arena, so you want to try to get a tired horse nicely collected, with good power in the hindlegs, to jump the first gate, then it’s one stride and a stretch over the second gate with a pole out the back. It’s wide, and horses tend to back off the gates, so it’s quite an effort for a horse who has made a lot of effort already in the last 85 seconds!”

Fence 16: rustic oxer

Height: 4ft 10in/1.47m

Width: 6ft 6in/1.98m wide

“I wouldn’t go looking at the time here, but depending on your horse or whether you’ve had a delay earlier on, you might check it as you reach the home straight. It takes time to get to the final big, brown oxer with Christmas trees in the middle, because you’re coming round the water jump, making it easier to find your line.

“There are four sections and it’s quite long, which is good because it means you can ride at it a bit – but you also have to keep your cool and ride it like it’s fence two, not like you’re about to win the Derby! It ain’t over till the fat lady sings and that big oxer requires your full attention. Your horse has helped you over the previous 15 fences and you’re a partnership so don’t let your guard down here – it’s your turn to support him and help the horse jump it.

“Riders tend to pick one of the uprights to aim at because the poles are flush with the uprights, which encourages a horse to jump a bit higher. If you land and you’re clear, there’s a great cheer from the packed stands – there really is no better feeling.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Britain’s Emma Thomas spoke about the emotional journey to five-star for her former Pony Club champion The Buzz Factor after her Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials dressage today (18 June).

Emma and 15-year-old “Buzz”, who is owned by Emma’s mother Rebecca Velarde, her brother Arthur Thomas, and Zoe Bardey, were second down the centre line and scored 38 to sit in seventh overnight. Although Emma has a number of five-star completions under her belt already, stepping Buzz up to five-star means the world to her.

“He’s a really special horse to me,” she told H&H. “I’ve had him for 10 years and won the Pony Club open championships with him eight years ago.

“He’s really made my entire career, so it’s so special to have him at a five-star. He is my best pal; he’s the friendliest, cuddliest creature, and he loves a big proper stage to show off.”

Emma, who studied biology at the Royal Veterinary College, said she didn’t originally plan to become a professional rider but it was Buzz that changed her mind.

“I got him with the hopes of maybe doing an intermediate at some point. We’ve come up the levels together, sort of the blind leading the blind, and it’s been the most incredible journey,” she said.

“He’s the most generous creature that I think has ever lived and he’s put up with a lot of learning mistakes. I graduated university a few years ago and he was suddenly at four-star, life was getting really exciting and I just decided to give it a go professionally. I really wouldn’t be here as a professional event rider without him.

“I’ve got another horse as well, Icarus. I am really lucky that the first two horses I’ve produced have both gone up to top level. The pair of them have made my career, but especially Buzz. He was the first and had to put up with me as a teenager making lots of mistakes.”

Horse and rider returning from injury

Emma and Buzz were U25 national champions at Defender Bramham in 2024, but he sustained a field injury and needed some time off to recover.

“He had a bit of time coming back from that, and then he picked up another little injury at the beginning of last year, so he’s had almost a year and a half away from the sport,” said Emma.

“He’s come back in the best form of his life. It’s been really special.”

Emma Thomas has also been nursing an injury, having had an accident cross-country schooling a horse a few weeks ago – but she came up with an unusual way to ride her Luhmühlen Horse Trials dressage test to accommodate that.

“I injured my finger; it wasn’t serious but more annoying and it meant I didn’t have the prep for coming to Luhmühlen that I was hoping to have,” she said.

“In the test I was holding my reins upside down like a beginner. It worked out really well because I think I’m much softer holding the reins that way and it’s been really helpful riding like that the past few weeks. You’ve got to take silver linings from these things.”

Emma was “thrilled” with her test.

“He’s not a very conventional shape, so we have to work really hard to condition him and muscle him up over his top line correctly. I just thought he tried so hard, he really stayed with me,” she said.

“Two of his changes, or certainly one of them, was really fluffed which was annoying because they’re usually really good, but overall I was so thrilled with him. He can get a little bit excited in an atmosphere, but I thought he was fantastic.”

Emma is looking forward to tackling the cross-country on Saturday (20 June).

“I haven’t been here before and haven’t been over to Europe much, it’s very different. I got lost on my first course walk twice because I just didn’t have my bearings, it crosses over itself a few times,” she said.

“I think it’s a great track. The intensity actually happens after halfway, but there are questions in the beginning and there’s a section two thirds of the way around that’s really intense.

“It’s quite a small field, although it’s a real quality field. I think the course will cause silly run-outs, maybe more than people think, because of where on the track the questions are – some are quite near the end. But it’s great and I think if you go out there and get stuck in you’ll be rewarded, which is how you want to feel about cross-country.”

Emma Thomas: “I gave myself a little moment”

Buzz making his five-star debut carries an emotional tie for Emma and his owners.

“I gave myself a little moment before I went in today, just to make sure I was really appreciating how special it was that he was here,” said Emma.

“His owner Pippa Williams died at the beginning of March last year and I’d been based with her for near enough 10 years. He was her favourite horse too, so it’s just really special. Her daughter Zoe now owns him and there’s a very big emotional connection.

“I also used to train with Caroline Moore and she had a soft spot for him. I always think when I’m on him they’re both up there somewhere watching him.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:’

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H&H eventing editor Pippa Roome rounds up what last week’s Yorkshire showcase means for the British and others hoping for a ticket to Aachen

And so, with Defender Bramham Horse Trials over, we take stock again on where we are with regards to eventing World Championship selection.

Let’s start with the easy part. Tom McEwen and JL Dublin’s win in the CCI4*-S surely confirms their place in the British team. They are unbeaten in their four runs this year, two of them at CCI4*-S in competitive company, and those results added to their championship record over the past two years must be enough to put them on the lorry to Aachen.

Beyond that, it’s more complicated and the question for many nations will have to be, “What are selectors willing to forgive?” Few combinations offer perfect form so it’s all about what errors can be overlooked or what known weaknesses they would prefer to take on.

Britain’s Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time were very impressive winning the CCI4*-L. A year ago, their victory gave them a straight path to the Europeans. But from there, it all went pear-shaped, with three falls. Bubby talked brilliantly at Bramham about reassessing, starting training with Andrew Nicholson and putting a new system into action. And she put the talk into action.

One good result doesn’t wipe out past problems. The selectors will have to decide if that’s really behind this pair and if they’re willing for the World Championships to be the next testing ground for that.

Bubby and “Finn” offer the ability to win an individual medal on their best form and that has to be attractive. The selection policy says places “may be used to provide championship experience”, which plays in their favour – both horse and rider are young and Bubby is a serious, well-supported professional with more young horses coming through and potentially decades of British team service ahead of her.

My hunch? I think Bubby has a real chance of a spot.

I don’t think CCI4*-L runner-up Selina Milnes is in the running; she is not on the World Class programme and, while she and Cooley Snapchat have had other good results, they don’t have a consistent body of form.

Yasmin Ingham and Gypsie Du Loir, who were fifth? I think the 10-year-old mare is quite likely Yasmin’s next British team horse – and her great first-phase performance would be valuable at a championship – but I also think she’s still inexperienced and her few time-faults and single fence down at Bramham confirm that. They may well be among the nominated entries (nations can submit up to 15 at this first entry stage) but I don’t think they’ll be selected.

I didn’t mention Katie Magee, fifth at Badminton on Treworra, in my last selection piece and perhaps I should have. That result has to put her somewhere on the British selection radar, but she isn’t on the World Class programme and, much as eventing is a sport where athletes have longevity, as a rider who has come to five-star later (she’s 44), it’s harder to reconcile a rider with Katie’s profile with the “experience for the future” aspect of selection. Her seventh at Bramham on the beautiful Cushlas Indigo adds weight to Katie as a true top-level rider, but I don’t think she’s going to Aachen.

Ultimately, the Brits are lucky – there were no serious disappointments at Bramham from those in the running and with those who have played their hand already this spring, those who were at Bramham and Caroline Harris at Luhmühlen Horse Trials this week with D. Day, they are probably spoilt for choice.

If I’m forced to choose, I think the British squad will be Laura Collett (London 52), Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo), Tom McEwen (JL Dublin), Gemma Stevens (Flash Cooley) and Bubby Upton (Its Cooley Time), with Tom Jackson (United 36) and Harry Meade (Annaghmore Valoner) as first reserves.

Eventing World Championship selection: beyond the Brits

Bramham was more interesting for some other nations.

For Ireland, Aoife Clark was extremely impressive with her dressage score finish for fourth in the CCI4*-L on Full Monty De Lacense. They were a relatively new combination when they fell at the Europeans last year and this puts that firmly behind them.

Joseph Murphy has had three years away from the team scene, but Calmaro was 12th last time he made a squad appearance (2023 Europeans) and eighth in the huge CCI4*-S at Bramham must give him a chance.

Also for Ireland, Susie Berry looks to be building a good partnership with new ride Strangford (14th in the CCI4*-S) and Ian Cassells and Millridge Atlantis (17th in the CCI4*-S without being foot to the floor) consolidated their European team silver last year.

A run-out at the influential Defender combination for MGH Zabaione, the 2024 Blenheim eight- and nine-year-old champion, will have been frustrating for Padraig McCarthy. Would selectors prefer to take him on Pomp N Circumstance – who led last year’s team silver but had 20 jumping penalties across country at Kentucky Three-Day Event this spring – or will they pass him by completely?

New Zealand mixed good results – second in the CCI4*-S for Samantha Lissington, who bids for her championship debut on Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ, and fifth for Jonelle Price, who surely confirmed her spot with Millstreet CCI4*-S winner Senor Crocodillo – with the curveball of a dressage lead but cross-country run-out for Jesse Campbell and Speedwell. Again, what will selectors forgive?

For the USA, Tamie Smith was well up after dressage in the CCI4*-S on Lillet 3, Kentucky winner at the same level, but misjudged her line to a corner and fell across country. Can the selectors look past that? Maybe. None of the USA’s developing riders were outstanding at Bramham to elbow her out and Wiltshire-based Tiana Coudray, third in the CCI4*-L on D’Artagnan, hasn’t been to a championship since London 2012 and isn’t part of their performance structure.

What’s next on eventing World Championship selection? Nations have to put in their nominated entries – up to 15 combinations – by 6 July and then their definite entries (the actual squad, bar injury or illness) by 27 July. While we expect some nations to announce squads before that deadline, there’s another month of speculation ahead…

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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‘I never lost faith in him’: emotional Bubby Upton keeps her Bramham title after turbulent year

Tom McEwen cements his bid for World Championship selection with Bramham win

‘The track was challenging enough without that curve ball’: Bubby Upton holds Bramham lead despite tack malfunction

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British five-star event rider Bubby Upton suffered serious spinal injuries in a fall in August 2023, an accident which could have left her unable to ride or even walk, and she had her third back surgery as a result last autumn.

Still only 27 years old, she has made an incredible comeback to the top-level of eventing – but few people see what goes into keeping her body functioning to allow her continued success.

During Defender Bramham Horse Trials last week, where Bubby Upton won the CCI4*-L for the second year in a row, she talked about having a third back surgery in November last year.

“The rod in my back had snapped in half in July,” she said, adding this didn’t make the second half of the season easy. “But it was almost a relief finding that out, because we couldn’t get on top of the pain and the symptoms that I was struggling with for a long time and that explained them.

“I’m so grateful to my incredible surgeon Dr Ivan Timofeev, who’s done all three surgeries. We didn’t actually want to do this surgery, but we weren’t left with a choice, because that was two consecutive years where the rod had snapped in half, despite having shortened it for the second year, because of just the sheer force that goes through it, I guess, with what we do as event riders.

“I basically don’t have the structures any more to hold up my spinal column – without the metal, I was never meant to be able to function. So we’re now relying on full muscle strength. So it’s pilates and the gym to focus in on those muscles that will hopefully allow me to do this for longer.”

Bubby’s surgery at the end of 2024 – her comeback season – set her well back and necessitated a long recovery period. This time, the surgery was quickly a positive for her.

“I have genuinely felt like a new person since my last surgery,” she said. “I feel nearly back to the Bubby that I was pre-accident. I’m now riding nine, 10, 11 horses a day, pain-free, and it’s the first time in two-and-a-half years that I’m on no painkillers, so it’s amazing.”

Bubby Upton on her recovery: the mental game

Unsurprisingly, talking about her accident and comeback is emotional for Bubby.

“It’s been a hell of a journey,” she said. “The horses are what got me through it. There was a long period where riding was out the picture, we were focusing on walking again and getting basic life back, but I guess probably subconsciously I never lost hope and faith in getting back on a horse again and that gave me more strength than I can ever do justice to in words.

“I never thought I’d be back competing at the top of the sport and I’d accepted that, but riding again was enough for me at that point. And then I guess when I got back on the goalposts just kept moving and before I knew it, I was starting the season at Poplar Park, and then I was back at Badminton eight months after the accident.

“It was just truly the most humbling experience of my life. It put everything into perspective, or a totally different perspective. How I see things now is totally different. I always thought I was pretty tough and strong, but you realise what you’re capable of in those moments when you’ve got to fight that extra bit.”

The fact the injury happened in a freak accident away from a competition has helped Bubby mentally with getting back to eventing.

“If it had been competing, it probably would have been a totally different challenge to overcome, but I was able to separate it from the sport in terms of the competing,” she said.

“I’m nowhere near as brave on young ones as I used to be anymore. I used to get on any horse and think that I was pretty invincible, which I proved I am not, so I’m much more careful on quirky youngsters now, but apart from that, it hasn’t affected me at all.

“It’s just demonstrated to me that inner strength that I have and reaffirmed – not that I needed it reaffirmed – the love that I have for what I do.”

Bubby also talked about how her horses helped her when she was first home after her accident.

“When I came to see them in my electric scooter, they were just so gentle with me. They kind of balanced their heads on me and I just felt like they knew and they were just that crutch that I needed at that time,” she said.

“Just seeing them gave me that strength to fight and be back for them. Horses are just there for you whenever you need them and they’re not judgmental and are loyal as hell.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘I never lost faith in him’: emotional Bubby Upton keeps her Bramham title after turbulent year

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Hickstead is one of the most famous showjumping venues in the world, and we’ve uncovered some facts about the course and arena that will interest, intrigue and impress any showjumping fan.

Hickstead directors Lizzie and Edward Bunn had an email recently from someone keen to know the dates of the 2027 Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting. The concerned spectator said her son had just confirmed his wedding date for next summer and she wanted to make sure there wasn’t a clash as “I have a horrible feeling I might have to miss the wedding”.

A fair point, but the good lady was reassured that she would indeed be able to enjoy a fabulous day – and also watch her son get married.

That’s how much the Derby means to people, and this year’s meeting is on the horizon; four days of top equestrian sport culminating in the main event on Sunday, 21 June. But of course preparations have been ongoing for the event since last summer specifically – and for decades. The International Arena may look like a nice grass ring but the work, and money, that goes into it is phenomenal.

Fascinating Hickstead facts

Here a few things you probably didn’t know about what goes on behind the scenes at the All England Jumping Course.

1. The International Arena is, Lizzie explains, “an all-weather arena with a grass top”. After some very wet summers, the Bunns took action, and spent almost £1m, in 2010. They dug about 18 inches down, across the whole ring, then put down 1,900 tonnes of shingle with drainage. A membrane went in on top, then the topsoil that had been taken out, 2,100 tonnes of drainage sand, and grass back on top. Last September, when it rained so much the back arenas were puddling, the going in the main ring was just about perfect.

2. Three types of grass seed are blended to create the famous emerald sward; one for thickness, one for root depth and one for colour. Watering is of course key, and at the right times; the grass has to be a bit “thirsty” early on so the roots go deep enough. This root depth – about 12cm is perfect – is crucial as it is this depth that absorbs the weight of a half-tonne horse landing, releases it and springs back.

3. The Derby bank is the centrepiece of the arena. Used in only three classes each year – the Derby, the British Speed Derby and the Ashby Underwriting Eventers’ Challenge – it still needs more maintenance than probably everything else.

It’s built of a U-shaped blockwork wall, filled with rubble, covered in clay and turfed.

It spends most of the year tucked up in an astroturf jacket paid for by Netflix’s The Crown, which filmed at Hickstead some years ago; this comes off at Easter, then the old turf is stripped off and the face rebuilt if the old clay has gone brittle.

Then the bank’s checked daily. Grass doesn’t like growing on the side of a hill so it’s a tricky job; it has to be covered if the weather gets too wet, naked if it’s hot so the turf doesn’t sweat, kept moist enough for the grass to grow and dry enough to suit the clay – and an eye has to be kept for any ants that might feel like nesting in the turf.

4. After the Derby meeting, there’s only four and a half weeks until the Royal International Horse Show, so there’s a huge amount more work to be done. The ring is fertilised before each show, so it kicks in straight afterwards, and the seed is left in hessian sacks to pre-germinate so it hits the ground growing. Then there’s watering, decompacting and vertidraining to do, and mowing, ensuring the grass is short enough to thicken but not so short that the root depth is lost.

5. There are tricky bits of the course to deal with; the Devil’s Dyke was returfed in mid-May, timed to perfection six weeks before the Derby. The road crossing had been regraded and scarified; removing the top layer of dead matter and reshaping and levelling the soil, then reseeded. Even the Cornishman, the 4ft8in wall that’s the first fence in the Derby, had had its modest turf topping renewed. It’s the original wall that’s featured in every Derby for the past six decades, and needs less maintenance than some areas – although there has probably been some repointing done.

6. Someone is out in the main ring every day, checking and assessing; not just the look and feel of the ground but to check for issues such as any enterprising badger who might have come in to dig for worms.

“It’s a haven for wildlife!” Lizzie says. “We used to have great crested newts in the water jump and because you’re not allowed to handle them, a man used to come out from the Sussex Amphibian and Reptile Group and rehome them. We had ducklings on the lake once in the Derby and had to stop the jumping while they crossed the ring.”

7. The water in the Devil’s Dyke ditches is dyed blue, to help horses judge it; the surface here is concrete, which is cleaned and repainted every year, then a new layer of rubber on top. The open water was renovated a few years ago; it was shortened to 15ft to comply with FEI rules.

“You used to be able to swim a width underwater,” Edward says. “It was three feet deep.”

Now it’s only inches deep, and lined with rubber matting, but it’s still, with its presentation and dressing, as imposing a fence as you’ll find.

Hickstead in numbers

1.8ha: the size of the International Arena

2m difference in gradient from left to right

60 acres of lorry parking and stabling

100,000 litres: the Hickstead water storing tanks’ capacity

5,484 horses competed at the All England Jumping Course in 2025

1,538 showjumping horses were at last year’s Derby meeting

Almost £2m: the cost of the new stable facilities

300 rolls of turf used annually in the International Arena

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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I know first-hand how hard it is to find qualifier details and keep on top of entries, so I’ve collated your need-to-know information for all the 2026 HOYS M&M qualifiers, from minis to workers. From the Royal Highland to the New Forest, working out where to go to attempt to secure Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifications for you or your child’s mountain and moorland (M&M) ponies is no mean feat.

While the HOYS qualifiers list has been announced for 2026, the some fixtures are still confirming their judges. I’m frequently updating this page with all the new details as they are released so it can be your one-stop-shop for planning your qualification.

2026 HOYS M&M qualifiers

• Thor Atkinson Steel Fabrications Ltd Junior M&M Ridden Pony of the Year
• Colne, Sweet Dreams Show Confectioners & Westown Stud M&M Mini Pony of the Year
• NPS/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Connemara of the Year
• NPS/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Dales of the Year
• NPS/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Dartmoor of the Year
• NPS/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Exmoor/Shetland of the Year
• NPS/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Fell of the Year
• NPS/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Highland of the Year
• NPS/Supreme Products M&M Ridden New Forest of the Year
• NPS/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Welsh Section A & B of the Year
• NPS/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Welsh Section C & D of the Year
• Jacksons of Yorkshire M&M Working Hunter Pony of the Year

HOYS qualifiers for native ponies 2026

Thor Atkinson Steel Fabrications Ltd Junior M&M Ridden Pony of the Year

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Colne, Sweet Dreams Show Confectioners & Westown Stud M&M Mini Pony of the Year

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National Pony Society/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Connemara of the Year

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National Pony Society/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Dales of the Year

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National Pony Society/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Dartmoor of the Year

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National Pony Society/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Exmoor/Shetland of the Year

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National Pony Society/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Fell of the Year

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National Pony Society/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Highland of the Year

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National Pony Society/Supreme Products M&M Ridden New Forest of the Year

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National Pony Society/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Welsh Section A & B of the Year

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National Pony Society/Supreme Products M&M Ridden Welsh Section C & D of the Year

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Jacksons of Yorkshire M&M Working Hunter Pony of the Year

Below are the details of all the M&M working hunter pony classes that can lead to HOYS qualification.

• For all your need-to-know information for other 2026 HOYS qualifiers, plus more expert showing advice from top riders and updates on shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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I’ve collated your need-to-know information for all the HOYS 2026 plaited pony qualifiers all in one place because I know that working out where to go to attempt to secure Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifications for you or your child’s ponies is no mean feat.

While the HOYS qualifiers list has been announced for 2026, some fixtures are still confirming their judges. I’m frequently updating this page with all the new details as they are released so it can be your one-stop-shop for planning your qualification. This list covers show ponies, show hunter ponies, intermediates, minis and workers.

HOYS 2026 plaited pony qualifiers

• Annabel’s Deliciously British Mini Show Pony of the Year
• The BSPS Children’s Riding Pony of the Year
• Lead Rein Pony of Hunter Type of the Year
• The de la Hay Family Ridden Partbred Pony of the Year
• The Honourable Stud Intermediate Show Horse of the Year
• Shine Source Footwear Ltd Show Hunter Pony of the Year
• The Smith Family Intermediate Show Hunter of the Year
• NPS/Mole Valley Farmers Working Hunter Pony of the Year

HOYS qualifiers for plaited ponies 2026

Annabel’s Deliciously British Mini Show Pony of the Year

These qualifiers are applicable to both the lead-rein and first ridden British Mini Show Pony of the Year classes.

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The BSPS Children’s Riding Pony of the Year

These qualifiers are applicable to the 128cm, 138cm and 148cm classes. Some qualifiers will be holding mixed classes for all heights together.

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Lead Rein Pony of Hunter Type of the Year

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The de la Hey Family Partbred Pony of the Year Championship

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The Honourable Stud Intermediate Show Horse of the Year Championship

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Shine Source Footwear Ltd Show Hunter Pony of the Year

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The Smith Family Intermediate Show Hunter of the Year

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NPS/Mole Valley Farmers Working Hunter Pony of the Year

These qualifiers are for all four sections of working hunter ponies.

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• For all your need-to-know information for other 2026 HOYS qualifiers, plus more expert showing advice from top riders and updates on shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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I’ve collated your need-to-know information for the 2026 HOYS show horse qualifiers, which includes hunters, hacks, riding horses, cobs, and working hunters in one place.

Negotiating where to go to secure Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifications for your horses is no mean feat, and I know first-hand how hard it is to find qualifier details and keep on top of planning your season, so this should help make it easier.

While the HOYS showing qualifiers list has been announced for 2026, the some fixtures are still confirming their judges. So I’m frequently updating this page with all the new details as they are released so it can be your one-stop-shop for planning your qualification.

2026 HOYS show horse qualifiers

• The Harrod & Coles Family Cob of the Year
• The Andrews Family Hack of the Year
• The Leeman Family Maxi Cob of the Year
• NeedleSmart, John Illingworth and Cliff Kirby Ridden Purebred Arab of the Year
• Alan Marnie & Family Riding Horse of the Year
• The Mears-Wood Family Ladies’ Side Saddle Horse of the Year
• Hamilton Tarmac Small Show Hunter of the Year
• Catplant Group of Companies Ltd. Show Hunter of the Year
• Alan Marnie & Family (Meta Lounge Limited and SHB (GB)) Working Hunter of the Year

The Harrod & Coles Family Cob of the Year

These qualifiers are for both the lightweight and heavyweight cob sections.

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The Andrews Family Hack of the Year

These qualifiers for the hack classes are for both small and large sections.

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The Leeman Family Maxi Cob of the Year

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NeedleSmart, John Illingworth and Cliff Kirby Ridden Purebred Arab of the Year

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Alan Marnie & Family Riding Horse of the Year

These qualifiers are for both sections of riding horse.

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The Mears-Wood Family Ladies’ Side Saddle Horse of the Year

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Hamilton Tarmac Small Show Hunter of the Year

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Catplant Group of Companies Ltd. Show Hunter of the Year

These qualifiers are for all three weights sections of show hunter.

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