Latest from Horse & Hound in Andrew-hoy

Eight-time Olympian Andrew Hoy returns to Australian eventing team for World Championships

Lucy Elder — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:35:28 +0000

Olympic medallists Andrew Hoy and Vassily De Lassos return to the Australian eventing team for the 2026 World Championships in Aachen, after missing selection for Paris 2024.

Andrew and the then 12-year-old gelding won individual bronze and helped the Aussie side to team silver in Tokyo five years ago. They also have a superb record at Aachen, jumping double clear to be placed on all three visits, including finishing second in 2022.

When they were on the bench for the last Olympics – which would have been Andrew’s ninth – Andrew said the “chapter of ‘Paris 2024’ may be closing but the book isn’t finished”. This year is their 10th season together and Aachen will be their third World Championships. Vassily is an incredibly consistent competitor; he has kept a clean jumping sheet at 36 of his 44 international eventing starts, and he and Andrew have been in the top 10 at 28 out of their 35 runs together.

Their dressage marks tend to be slightly adrift of the likely favourites for these World Championships, but their experience, consistency in the jumping phases and course form are three strong aces coming into Aachen – they will be ones to watch.

A fresh look for the Australian eventing team

The Aussie squad has a fresh feel for these championships. Former squad stalwart Virgil, ridden by Shane Rose, retired in 2024; Shadow Man, Chris Burton’s individual silver medal-winning ride at Paris, is back with regular rider Ben Hobday and Kevin McNab’s Olympic and worlds ride Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam last competed at Paris.

With the exception of Andrew and Vassily, Aachen will be the first senior championships for the other four combinations.

Sophia Hill and former racehorse Humble Glory bring global five-star experience, most recently finishing 10th at Kentucky. The pair have also completed Burghley and been placed at Adelaide and Maryland. This is a pair who are likely to climb after the first phase.

This will be the first time we see 2026 Adelaide winner Oliver Barrett (Sandhills Briar) and runner-up Sam Woods (SS Eight Count) compete in the northern hemisphere. Both have strong jumping records – a real theme of this Aussie squad – down under, so it will be exciting to see them now go up against the cream of the rest of the world.

Belgium-based Olivia Barton completes the five-strong squad with rising home-bred star APH Sodoku, with whom she has a wealth of four-star form.

Olympic qualification and gaining valuable championship experience will surely be the target for the Australians, but a medal would be the icing on the cake.

Australian eventing team for the 2026 Aachen World Championships

The full squad, in alphabetical order by athlete surname, is:

Oliver Barrett with 10-year-old gelding Sandhills Briar

Owner: Craig and Prue Barrett

Breeder: Craig, Prue and Jesper Barrett

Breeding: by Christian 25

Olivia Barton with 10-year-old gelding APH Sodoku

Owner: Carlene Barton

Breeder: APH Sporthorses

Breeding: by APH Rocardo, out of a mare by APH Coriandus

Sophia Hill with 15-year-old gelding Humble Glory

Owner: Rider, Caroline Duddy, Olivia Greenwood, Andrew Hill, Michelle and Ted Landy

Breeder: Emerald Thoroughbreds

Breeding: by Bernardini, out of a mare by Shovhog

Andrew Hoy with 17-year-old gelding Vassily De Lassos

Owner: Linda Mars, Pat Harris and rider

Breeder: Jérôme Bergès, Sonia Eyraud and Jean-Louis Beth

Breeding: by Jaguar Mail, out of a mare by Jalienny

Samuel Woods with 13-year-old gelding SS Eight Count

Owner: rider

Breeding: by Hamlet

Australian eventing squad reserves for Aachen 2026 World Championships

Isabel English with nine-year-old gelding Cil Dara Bombay S

Owner: Sarah English, Sofia von Moltke, Jenny and John Curtis

Breeder: Nicholas and Sarah English

Breeding: Balout Du Rouet, out of a mare by Diarado

Sophia Hill with 11-year-old gelding Tulara Baltango

Owner: rider, Caroline Duddy, Olivia Greenwood, Michelle and Ted Landy

Breeder: Tulara Warmbloods

Breeding: by Tulara Balouch

Sam Jeffree with 14-year-old gelding Santoro

Owner: rider

Breeder: Ryan’s Horses

Breeding: by Starnberg, out of a mare by Regardez Moi

Kevin McNab with 10-year-old gelding Faro Imp

Owner: James and Sofia von Moltke

Breeder: Martin Gronert

Breeding: by Wathnan F One USA, out of a mare by Master Imp

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World Championship selection plays on riders’ minds in influential Luhmühlen CCI4*-S cross-country

Becky Murray — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 17:19:06 +0000

Germany’s Julia Krajewski and Uelzener’s Nickel have maintained their lead following the CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy cross-country at Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials.

The defending champions are on track to retain their crown having jumped clear around course-designer Mike Etherington Smith’s track, adding just four time-penalties to their superb 22.9 dressage. Not only does this class decide the German national eventing champion, but team selectors have their eyes peeled ahead of the World Championships in August.

Julia described Bernd Heicke’s 12-year-old gelding’s round as “faultless”.

“He’s really pro at this level,” said Julia. “I was very happy that I didn’t take too many pulls and could really just ride him very fluent, which is how he can be quick.

“He doesn’t have the highest speed, but he’s really always on the lines. He’s just a very genuine horse.”

The withdrawal of Isabel English and Cil Dara Dallas before the Luhmühlen Horse Trials CCI4-S cross-country left 50 starters. Of these, 37 jumped clear but no one made the 6min 40sec optimum time, on what was a hot and humid day in Germany. Switzerland’s Nadja Minder and Top Job’s Jalisco were the closest, coming home a second over to incur .4 of a time-penalty – putting them into overnight fifth on 35.5.

Julia’s other ride Tullabeg Platinum, owned by Michael Sperl, had 7.2 time-penalties, which dropped them from third to overnight fourth.

“The time was very tight, it always is at Luhmühlen, so it didn’t surprise me that no one made it inside,” said Julia.

“Tullabeg is a bit less experienced at this level, and has a massive jump and stride, so needed a bit more adjustment and preparation here and there. He answered everything perfectly and felt very comfortable in the atmosphere. Both horses were phenomenal.”

“I’m aiming for Aachen”

Belgium’s Lara De Liedekerke-Meier stopped the clocked at 6min 50sec for four time-penalties on her home-bred Kiarado d’Arville. This boosted them from fourth after the dressage to second ahead of tomorrow’s final phase.

“I’m really happy. He’s a 10-year-old and although he’s done a lot already, he’s never come to an event like here at Luhmühlen,” said Lara.

“I’m aiming him for Aachen, if everything stays the way I hope. That’s why we came here, I think it’s a little bit similar. It’s a twisty track and it’s a bit like we’re going to have I think, so everything is in preparation for the next couple of weeks.”

Cross-country pathfinders Germany’s Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Bodil Ipsen’s 14-year-old Carlitos Quidditch K jumped clear with 6.8 time-faults. This dropped them from second after the dressage to provisional third ahead of the showjumping.

New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington had mixed fortunes across country. She opted to retire her first ride Delarado (owned by Rachel Bessell, Kate Maitland, the McGrigor family and Samantha), who had been lying in overnight sixth, after a miscommunication at fence 14a.

“I was just missing a little bit of match practice with Delarado and came a little too keen out of the start box so unfortunately she wasn’t quite with me,” Samantha told H&H.

“She’s been a little bit light on work the last month or so and probably missed a little bit of training, and I guess it showed today. We’ve got a little bit of homework to do before she comes out again.”

Later in the afternoon Samantha jumped a super clear with Lucas Stone, owned by Fiona Edwards, Neil Robertson, David Taylor, the Dubowskis and Samantha. The pair incurred 8.8 time-faults to move down the leaderboard from sixth after the dressage to 11th.

“Luca was great, there’s a fair amount of pressure in these last couple of events before the selection for the World Championships, so I think I probably just had that in the back of my mind,” said Samantha.

“It was a lot of pressure to cope with, but I’m really pleased to get the job done and come home safe, and hopefully post a good score on the board tomorrow.”

Eight-time Olympian Andrew Hoy on the Luhmühlen Horse Trials CCI4*-S cross-country

Australia’s Andrew Hoy is another rider bidding for World Championship selection, with the experienced double Olympic medallist Vassily De Lassos, owned by Dreams Come True V LLC-owned. They stopped the clock on 6min 52sec for 4.8 time-faults, having jumped all the obstacles clear.

Andrew told H&H it was “a very good course”.

“Mike Etherington-Smith’s courses always walk beautifully, and then when you come to ride them, they always ride a fraction stronger than they walk,” he said.

“It was a proper four-star course, no one got the time but if you rode well, the fences jumped well, so that was really good.”

Andrew gave full credit to 17-year-old Vassily De Lassos.

“He’s just an exceptional horse in all areas,” said Andrew. “I’m very privileged to ride a horse like that, who I’ve got a 10-year relationship with.”

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‘He feels amazing’: eight-time Olympian confirms he is aiming for World Championships with Tokyo medallist – as they hope to impress at Luhmühlen

Becky Murray — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:15:39 +0000

Andrew Hoy has confirmed that he has the World Championships in his sights as he hopes to impress Australian selectors with his Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials performance.

The eight-time Olympian is contesting the Luhmühlen CCI4*-S with his double Tokyo medallist 17-year-old Vassily De Lassos, who he owns with Dreams Come True V LLC.

The pair – who have a combined age of 84 – look on super form. They had small blip in the right counter canter transition in their dressage and finished on a score of 32.7, which puts them 16th going into the cross-country phase.

Andrew told H&H he was “really happy” with the test.

“I’ve had a 10-year relationship with Vassily, and with all the dressage training that I’ve done in that 10 years, the score is somewhere between a 27 on an absolutely fantastic day to a 33 or 34 – so I’m very happy,” he said.

Andrew Hoy confirmed that he has brought Vassily to Luhmühlen Horse Trials with the aim of selection for the World Championships in Aachen, having had discussions with the Australian team management. If selected, it will be their fourth championships together. They were last on the world stage at the 2022 World Championships, having won individual bronze and team silver at the Tokyo Olympics a year earlier.

“There have been many horses that have run at championship level at 17 years of age, and many horses at the top level at that age,” he said.

“With him being healthy and me being healthy, if he’s feeling well and got the performances, then that’s something we want to do. Vassily is a horse that just absolutely loves competition.”

Andrew Hoy: “He feels absolutely amazing”

Discussing how he’s preparing Vassily for Aachen, Andrew said a key part of that is “not running him at every show possible”.

“This is his third run this year. He’ll have another run before Aachen, should I be selected,” he said.

“He feels absolutely amazing; walking out of the main arena today all he wanted to do was buck and gallop out. He’s ready for the next phase.”

Andrew is another rider who believes time will be a big factor in tomorrow’s cross-country (20 June).

“I think the time is going to be a real challenge. Mike Etherington-Smith designs a very good course with the distance in combinations just a little bit wide, which means you need to slow down for them,” he said.

“There are many sectors in the course where you’re only going to be doing 400-450 metres a minute – and the areas that don’t have fences you can’t go really, really fast in all cases. Just in the last 40 seconds you’ve got six jumping efforts, so that’s not a quick part of the course.”

Luhmühlen Horse Trials CCI4*-S leaderboard

It’s a German top three in the CCI4*-S Meßser Trophy; Julia Krajewski and Bernd Heicke’s Uelzener’s Nickel are on top after posting a superb 22.9 dressage. Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Bodil Ipsen’s Carlitos Quidditch K are second on 27, and Julia is third with Tullabeg Platinum, with 27.2 on the scoreboard.

Cross-country day begins with the CCI5* in the morning at 9am UK time (10am local) with pathfinder Jonelle Price and Grappa Nera. The CCI4*-S gets under way at 1.26pm (2.26pm) and Germany’s Malin Hansen-Hotopp will be first out on her other ride, Callfield. Andrew and Vassily are on at 1.56pm UK time (2.56pm local).

Check out the cross-country times.

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You’re never too old! Meet the top riders still smashing it in their 60s

bethany.stone@futurenet.com (Bethany Stone) — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Both young and older horse riders alike could learn plenty from the equestrians who made it to the top – and stay there – well into their 60s.

Even as the world becomes more and more progressive, there are still few truly mixed-sex competitive sports. The fact that all genders compete on equal terms is just one of the many special qualities of horse sport.

Another thing that sets equestrian disciplines apart is the lack of an upper age limit. While many footballers hang up their boots before their 35th birthday, in horse sport you’re truly only as old as you feel. Across the disciplines and levels, from local shows to the very top, older horse riders compete against those who are many years their junior.

In fact, advancing years can be an elite equestrian’s secret weapon. The more horses you ride, hours of training you put in and top competitions you complete, the more experience you gain – giving you the edge at the highest level. If a rider manages to avoid injury, they can remain effective in the saddle over many decades and continue to scoop medals, titles and international appearances well after pensionable age.

Older horse riders still at the top of their game

Whether it’s performing a near-perfect grand prix freestyle or sailing around a five-star track, we’ve picked out some of the world-class older horse riders defying convention and showing no sign of slowing down in their 60s.

1. Juan Antonio Jiménez Cobo, 65

2XNDFXN Versailles, France. 31st July, 2024. Juan Antonio JIMENEZ COBO riding EUCLIDES MOR, Equestrian, Dressage Team and Individual Grand Prix during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on 31 July 2024 at Chateau de Versailles in Versailles, France - Photo Christophe Bricot/DPPI Media Credit: DPPI Media/Alamy Live News (Image credit: DPPI Media / Alamy Stock Photo)

The dressage rider became the country’s oldest ever Olympian at the Paris 2024 Games. He piloted striking grey Lusitano stallion Euclides MOR.

Born in Castro del Rio, Córdoba, in 1959, Juan Antonio is based in Madrid. His first Olympic appearance for Spain was in 2000 at the Sydney Games, where the dressage team came fifth overall. He represented Spain again in Athens 2004, where they earned the silver team medal.

Fresh off the back of his 2024 Olympic appearance for Spain, Juan Antonio headed to South Africa in early September to compete in the CDI3* at Ermelo with bright bay stallion Quartar. He finished sixth in the grand prix freestyle.

2. Phillip Dutton, 60

Phillip Dutton USA riding Mighty Nice, during the Team Show Jumping Phase of the Eventing Competition at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Deodoro near Rio, Brazil on 9th August 2016 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Born in 1963 in New South Wales, Australia, Phillip Dutton’s illustrious eventing career has included representing two nations across seven Olympic Games.

He appeared at three Games for Australia, where he helped the eventing team top the podium on two consecutive occasions, in 1996 in Atlanta and in the 2000 home Games.

Phillip became a US citizen in 2006 and earned his first individual bronze medal at Rio 2016 on board Mighty Nice.

Phillip has enjoyed success on the US eventing circuit and has placed in the top 10 at both Burghley and Badminton. He has won once at the top level, taking the 2008 Kentucky Three-Day Event crown with Irish Sports Horse gelding Connaught.

This year, Phillip had two rides at Kentucky. He finished 15th on second ride Azure, while his first ride Quasi Cool fell at the final fence on cross-country day. Phillip later released an update to say the gelding was “resting comfortably in his stall”.

3. Michael Whitaker, 64

2F2N4XF Michael Whitaker riding For Fun during the 2019 Longines Global Champions Tour of Chantilly on July 13, 2019 in Chantilly, France - Photo Christophe Bricot / DPPI (Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

Born in 1960 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, Michael Whitaker is one of the founding members of the enormously successful Whitaker showjumping dynasty.

He has represented Great Britain in five Olympic Games. He first appeared at the LA Games in 1984, where he helped the showjumping team clinch the silver medal.

Michael’s numerous successes over the decades are too many to name, but include team gold and individual silver medals at the 1989 European Championships in Rotterdam with horse of a lifetime Monsanta. He also came third in the Netherlands World Cup final in 1994 atop Everest Midnight Madness.

In May 2024, Michael piloted Equine America Q Paravatti N – a ride he shares with his son Jack – to victory in the Longines Whitsun Tournament in Wiesbaden, a CSI4* competition.

4. Jill Irving, 61

Degas 12 Jill Irving during the Grand Prix at the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018 at Tryon International Equestrian Centre, near Tryon North Carolina in the USA between 11th-23rd September 2018 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The Ontarian was set to make her Olympic debut for Canada with top dressage mount Delacroix 11 this year, but she ended up travelling to Paris as the alternate with chestnut KWPN stallion Genesis.

Born in 1963, Jill began her career on Canada’s hunter jumper circuit before switching to dressage. She made her FEI debut in 2013, aged 50. She helped Canada top the podium at the Pan American Games in Lima in 2019 on Degas 12, a year after her first World Equestrian Games appearance.

In July this year, she competed at Hartpury CDI3* and finished eighth in the grand prix special with Genesis.

5. Rolf Göran-Bengsston, 62

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The showjumper was the oldest in the discipline at Paris 2024. Competing for Sweden with 12-year-old stallion Zuccero HV, he helped earn a qualification for the team final. Sweden went on to finish sixth in the team jumping.

Paris marked Rolf-Göran Bengsston’s sixth Olympic appearance. He has earned a brace of Olympic silvers in his career: one team medal at Athens 2004 and one individual in Hong Kong at the Beijing 2008 Games.

Notable achievements include a spate of top-three placings in the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) in 2014 and 2015 with Caretino stallion Casall ASK, including wins in Doha, Chantilly, London and Rome. He was the LGCT Champion of Champions bronze medallist in 2015.

6. Andrew Hoy, 65

Andrew Hoy ( AUS) riding Vassily De Lassos during the cross country phase for the Olympic Eventing Competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games held at Equestrian Park in Setagaya-ku in Tokyo in Japan between the 23rd July and 8th August 2021 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

A stalwart of the international eventing scene, Aussie rider Andrew Hoy has clocked up an impressive eight Olympic appearances for his country – the most ever for a member of team Australia. His six Olympic medals include three team golds won at back-to-back Games from Barcelona 1992 to Sydney 2000.

In 2006, Andrew came within touching distance of landing the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. He finished in pole position at Kentucky on Master Monarch and repeated this feat at Badminton atop Moonfleet. At Burghley in the same year, leaders Andrew and Moonfleet could afford to knock one fence in the final phase. Sadly, the combination rolled two poles and so the 2006 title went to fellow Australian Lucinda Fredericks and Headley Britannia.

Andrew missed out on his ninth Olympic appearance at Paris this year, but it doesn’t mark the end of an era for this older horse rider, who said: “This chapter of ‘Paris 2024’ may be closing, but the book isn’t finished. We are excited to see what the future holds for us!”

7. John Whitaker, 69

John Whitaker riding Sharid, winner of THE SIX BAR during The London International Horse Show at ExCel in London between 13-18th December 2023 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

This living legend needs no introduction. Five years older than his brother Michael, John Whitaker has represented Great Britain at six Olympic Games. He has won too many accolades to name, but has earned 24 Olympic, World and European Championship medals to date.

Synonymous with John is his world-famous and beloved mount Milton. The legendary grey gelding was the first showjumper to earn £1m in prize money and had a fan base to rival contemporary film stars in the 1980s and early 90s. The pair’s crowning achievement was double gold at the 1989 Europeans in Rotterdam.

Recent success for John includes a win in the Global Champions League of Madrid in May this year. Along with teammate Gilles Thomas and representing Valkenswaard United, John finished top with gelding Equine America Unick de Francport. While John recently said “holding my own against good young riders” was one of his proudest achievements, everyone knows this older horse rider is not to be under estimated in any type of jumping competition.

8. Mary Hanna, 69

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

This dressage rider is set to celebrate her 70th birthday in December this year. The Australian has represented her country at five WEGs and six Olympics, debuting at Atlanta 1996.

Mary took a break from competition in 2019 to be with her daughter while she recovered from a serious fall. The following year, she became the first Australian rider ever to score above 80% in a grand prix freestyle competition.

She travelled to Paris 2024 with stallion Ivanhoe as team Australia’s dressage alternate. After the competition, she took to Instagram to say: “I thought afterwards I might be announcing my retirement from the sport. However it is quite the opposite. I feel so inspired and motivated by the outstanding performance of everyone involved, that I plan to continue to follow my dreams.”

Have we missed any older horse riders worth of inclusion in this article? Let us know about your favourite older equestrian athlete by email at hhletters@futurenet.com including your name, nearest town and county for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future edition of Horse & Hound magazine

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Andrew Hoy misses ninth Olympics as Australian eventing team named

Lucy Elder — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 16:28:47 +0000

Andrew Hoy will not contest his ninth Olympic Games at Paris 2024 – and two comeback stars have been named on the Australian eventing team.

The team comprises Christopher Burton (Shadow Man), Kevin McNab (Don Quidam) and Shane Rose (Virgil). Shenae Lowings and former racehorse Bold Venture are the alternate combination. Shane and Virgil, and Kevin with Don Quidam, were on the Australian team that won eventing Olympic silver in Tokyo.

Shane sustained serious injuries in a fall in March, for which he required surgery. He returned to the saddle in May.

“For me, it has been a rough and rocky road to get to this point. It is a huge relief to gain selection,” said Shane, adding that “so many people have contributed to having me 100% and ready to perform”.

“Our eventing team is strong and together if we all perform at our best we have a great chance of standing on that podium. I look forward to the challenge and hope to make everyone who has supported me on this journey proud.”

Christopher took a step away from eventing in 2021 and returned this year, with the target of campaigning for Olympic selection in both eventing and showjumping.

He has temporarily taken on Shadow Man from British rider Ben Hobday, who produced the horse to top level. Chris was also named on the Australian showjumping entries with Hazy Toulana, but is not in the team.

‘Grateful for every moment’

In Tokyo, Andrew extended his record for the Australian athlete who had competed at the most Olympic Games, taking his tally to eight and securing individual bronze and team silver with Vassily De Lassos in the process.

“Over all these years in our beloved sport, I have experienced incredible highs and devastating lows and I would not be the competitive athlete that I am if I wasn’t disappointed about my non-selection for the Australian team heading to Paris,” said Andrew, thanking all his friends, followers and supporters for their messages.

He added that the journey from his first Olympic selection to the campaign for Paris 2024 had been the “ride of my life”.

“In numbers this means eight Olympic Games, three gold, two silver and one bronze medal – on a personal note, my pages are filled with friendships in every part of the globe, the honour to have partnered with the most outstanding horses and respect for the wonderful people I have been lucky to work with,” he said.

“For now, I will be focusing on my competition at CHIO Aachen this weekend as part of the Australian Nations Cup team.

“On Monday, I will be back home to continue Vassily’s training. His record of 25 top-10 placings in our 26 completed runs is unrivalled – and we will do everything to be in the best possible shape to support the Australian team in our ‘extended reserves’ position, should we be needed.

“Until then, I would like to thank my team, owners and partners for their outstanding support, passion and dedication. Together we work every day to make a positive impact – for the benefit of our beloved horses as our equal partners on this journey.

“I am wishing the selected combinations all the best for their ongoing preparations and for a successful Olympic campaign to make Australia proud.

“It has been – and still is – an incredible journey and I am grateful for every moment. This chapter of ‘Paris 2024’ may be closing, but the book isn’t finished. We are excited to see what the future holds for us!”

The full Australian Olympic eventing team is as follows:

Chris Burton with 14-year-old Shadow Man

Owner: Rider and Guy Bloodstock Ltd

Breeding: by Fidjy Of Colours, out of a mare by Winningmood Van De Arenberg

Kevin McNab with 16-year-old Don Quidam

Owner: Scuderia 1918 Capital srl and Emma McNab

Breeder: J.M. Schurink

Breeding: by Quidam, out of a mare by Amethist

Shane Rose with 19-year-old Virgil

Owner: Niki Rose, rider and Michelle Hasibar

Breeder: Michelle Hasibar

Breeding: by Vivant, out of a mare by Distinctly North XX

Alternate:

Shenae Lowings with 14-year-old Bold Venture

Owner: Leanne Lowings, Mark Lowings and rider

Breeding: by Devaraja, out of a mare by Zamoff

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‘A genius and a lunatic’: Andrew Hoy says farewell to top horse who was ‘a member of our family’

Lucy Elder — Wed, 22 May 2024 16:03:16 +0000

Andrew Hoy has paid tribute to advanced event horse Cheeky Calimbo, who has died aged 22.

The gelding, who Andrew owned with Christiane Classen, was a prolific three-star (now four-star) campaigner, and a multiple international winner. His biggest victories include the long-format CCI3* (now CCI4*-L) at Montelibretti in 2016, and the CIC3* (now CCI4*-S) at Luhmühlen in 2014.

The pair competed across Europe in their many years together, taking in major British events including Bramham, Blenheim, Gatcombe and Blair Castle, as well as numerous top four-stars on the Continent.

Cheeky Calimbo had his final run at Kelsall Hill in spring 2019 and has enjoyed his later years in “happy retirement” with the Hoys, where he spend his days “playing in the field, enjoying the sunshine” and “loving massage treatments” while still having his “beloved human and equine friends around”.

“We knew for a long time that this day was coming – and I knew that you would let me know when you were ready for it. This morning you crossed the rainbow bridge – and I am glad I could be by your side right until the end,” said Andrew yesterday (21 May), adding that everyone had come to say goodbye over Cheeky’s final days.

“In you, I certainly found my master – you were a genius and lunatic at the same time, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – and we often had to define whether it was a ‘Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde kind of day’. Your talent in all phases was certainly without limits – and so was your mental strength – and we all admired you for it.

“Above all of this – you were a member of our family.”

He added: “I am so grateful to Cheeky’s owner, Ms Christiane Classen, for her support through all of our highs and all of our lows – and for letting Cheeky retire with us at Somerby Stables.

“Today, we are all crying. From tomorrow on, we will be so very grateful that we have had you in our lives. Thank you, Cheeky.”

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Eye-catching ride switches from one sporting legend to another: ‘The sky is the limit’

Lucy Elder — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 20:31:01 +0000

Andrew Hoy’s eye-catching ride Hasenacher Balou Couleur has moved to Germany’s Michael Jung, as the Australian rider ramps up his preparations to target his ninth Olympic Games.

The 11-year-old gelding, by Balou Du Rouet, was bred in Australia by Melissa Froesch, and started his competition as an event horse with Andrew before switching to showjumping.

“I can still vividly remember the day Balou arrived at my yard – it was Valentine’s Day, we had lots of snow and it was minus eight degrees,” said Andrew.

“Balou had just come out of quarantine in Australia and a summer of 40 degrees – and arrived here in the worst possible wintery conditions the UK has got on offer.”

He added that they “quickly discovered” that Balou’s “true love and true talent” was in the showjumping arena.

“He is an exceptional horse in so many ways – exceptional in his talent, exceptional in his character, exceptional in his looks,” said Andrew.

“I have loved our trips around the European showjumping tours – there is nothing that compares to the feeling of jumping a fence with him – the sky is the limit.

“The 2024 season is upon us and with it being an Olympic year I would like to direct all my focus and all my time on to my eventing horses, so it was time to work on a next chapter for Balou, together with his most wonderful owner and dear friend Barbara Keller and the Hasenacher Stud.”

Andrew, who has been a Hasenacher Stud rider since 2014, will continue his partnership with the stud’s event horses.

Michael was Andrew and Barbara’s “first choice” of rider and Balou will join the eventing Rolex Grand Slam winner’s string of showjumpers.

“Michael is an exceptional rider and horseman and we both have so much respect for him: As a rider, as a person and as a friend,” said Andrew.

“Everyone at the Hoy team will be missing seeing Balou´s cheeky little face over his stable door – but we all are excited to follow his journey and see what he and Michael can achieve together.”

‘The most wonderful memories’: Olympic eventer pays tribute to five-star ‘pocket rocket’

Becky Murray — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 17:30:59 +0000

Australian Olympic medallist Andrew Hoy has paid tribute to the “most amazing little horse” Algebra, who died on his 24th birthday.

Julia McLean and John Glenn’s 15.3hh gelding died at their farm in Australia on Tuesday (15 November).

“Sam” was produced from grassroots to four-star level (now five-star) level by Andrew’s pupil Natalie Blundell. The pair were based in Australia and completed the Adelaide CCI4* (now CCI5*) four times, including 2012 when they were runners-up. Natalie relocated to Andrew’s UK base and in 2014 she and Algebra were 13th at Luhmühlen.

Algebra had been due to start a second career as a schoolmaster, but John and Julia decided to give him a final year at the top of the sport, and Andrew took over the ride at the end of 2014. The pair won their first international event together, the Montelibretti CCI3-L (now CCI4) in April 2015. Two months later they won the Haras du Pin CCI3-L (now CCI4). The following year they were fourth at Haras Du Pin, third in the Ballindenisk CCI3* (now CCI4*) and in 2017 they were third at Montelibretti.

Andrew said 15 November marked a “memorable date” as it was “Mr Pocket Rocket’s” birthday and the date Algebra’s retirement party was held in 2017, when he was 20.

“On his 25th birthday is where the journey ended and he passed away at John and Julia’s beautiful farm, where he had been bossing around the young horses right until the end,” he said.

“He certainly was the most special character and I have so much to thank him for. We had an amazing time together and some pretty remarkable results. I was so lucky to take over the reins from my most wonderful student Natalie Blundell. 2015 was ‘our year’, winning at Montelibretti and Haras du Pin.”

Andrew added that on 15 November, he and his wife Stefanie had arranged to catch up with John and Julia, who also own Byebye Brisquenouille, an 11-year-old mare competing at two-star level with Andrew.

“Thank you Sam. You will always keep a very special place in my heart.”

‘It just proves horses are not machines’: two stops in otherwise ‘fantastic’ Pratoni round for Olympic medallists

Eleanor Jones — Sat, 17 Sep 2022 15:39:45 +0000

Olympic individual bronze and team silver medallists Andrew Hoy and Vassily De Lassos suffered the worst luck on the World Eventing Championships cross-country, with two problems on course.

They incurred a total of 40 jumping penalties for the mistakes at 7C, at the bottom of the Slide, and at element C of the Longines Hydroconquest Combinations at fence 24. They also clocked up 14.8 time-penalties, putting them on a final score of 82.9.

“It just proves horses are not machines,” Andrew said. “Vassily is an absolutely fantastic horse. He doesn’t lose any credibility, in my opinion, for what happened today; the rest of the round was absolutely fantastic, there were just two fences that weren’t and they were very costly.

“It’s all too sudden to try to analyse now as to what happened and what didn’t happen. He galloped and jumped really well, he pulled up really well and I just hope this isn’t too detrimental to the team.”

Andrew said the 13-year-old Jaguar Mail gelding was feeling as normal, and good, before his round.

“This is just a blip to a horse’s career that’s been absolutely fantastic,” he said.

Tim Price and Falco put in a superb round for New Zealand on the World Eventing Championships cross-country, finishing clear and within the time.

As the last combination to go for the team, Tim and the 13-year-old gelding crossed the line a second inside the time to leave them on their dressage score of 26.2, which moved them from 14th place this morning to fifth at that stage.

“He’s an out and out jumper; he’s learned the job of cross-country,” Tim said. “There were points when he was a novice and I’d be warming up with Andrew [Nicholson] and we’d both be ‘This horse is not going to be anything beyond a novice horse’, because he was the wrong type for the job.

“But he’s been very trainable, so he’s just got better and more honest and more clever as he’s gone on. So it was not just going out and relaxing on a cross-country horse, you’ve got to do a good job everywhere and ride a rhythm rather than pure speed and he was really good with everything.”

US rider Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg TSF finished bang on the time to stay on their dressage score, also 26.

“I was just going as fast as he goes so I thought I was right on the time, one second over, one second under so when I heard them announce that it was right on the time it was a big breath of relief,” Boyd said. “This track doesn’t suit him; he’s so suited to the five-stars that have long gallops and I can get him settled in. Here, it was sort of like Tokyo where it’s a bit turning and stopping and starting, and the sunlight was a bit weird by the end of the day, but I have to give the horse credit. He just tries and tries and tries – it’s his best attribute… he’s just a legend.”

Boyd and the American-bred 15-year-old have now contested four championships together, and Boyd said is testament to the horse’s character and soundness.

“When he came to my barn. I hardly rode him,” he added. “I got the kids to ride him because I just thought he was a fluffy little pony and to do what he’s done goes to show how much I know! I picked all these fancy, shiny, big-jumping, big-moving expensive horses and this is the guy that just keeps turning up. So it goes to show heart and a horse that tries counts for so much.”

Tim, Boyd and Ros Canter have all finished cross-country on 26.2. In cases of a tie, positions are decided on who is closest to the optimum time, putting Boyd ahead of Tim and then Ros.

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Keep up with all of the breaking news, behind the scenes insight and the best of the action throughout the World Eventing Championships with no limit on how much you can read from as little as £1 per week with a Horse & Hound unlimited website subscription. Sign up now. Plus enjoy our full 20-page magazine report (on sale 22 September) including opinion from Mark Phillips and ground jury president Christina Klingspor.

Boyd Martin boosts USA’s chances of a medal after the eventing World Championships dressage

Gemma Redrup — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 16:32:49 +0000

The USA’s Boyd Martin boosted his team’s chances of a medal after his smart eventing World Championships dressage test in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, today (16 September).

Riding the 15-year-old gelding Tsetserleg TSF, Boyd posted a score of 26.4 to sit in 14th going into tomorrow’s cross-country.

“He’s such a trier, this little horse, and he’s so reliable in there,” said Boyd. “He was a little bit quiet and backed off a little bit and maybe I should have done one less ride so he was a bit more excitable but that can backfire. All in all, I was pleased – it could always be better but it could always be worse too.”

The US team of Boyd, Tamie Smith (Mai Baum), Will Coleman (Off The Record) and Lauren Nicholson (Vermiculus) sit in bronze medal position on a score of 76.6.

“The team standings now don’t mean anything,” said Boyd. “I’ve been on so many teams where we’ve been sitting pretty after the first day but the competition really starts after the cross country.”

Britain are in gold medal position after the eventing World Championships dressage phase on a record-breaking score of 69.2, while the German squad are in silver on 76.1.

Belgium’s Karin Donckers was “very happy” with her test on the 17-year-old Fletcha Van’t Verahof. They scored 25.8 and sit in 10th going into the cross-country.

“I know my job and Fletcha knows his, but still, it’s a championship and the crowd are more excited and very positive and cheering, so you can never be certain of a good score,” she said.

New Zealand’s Tim Price also helped his team’s chances of a medal, posting a score of 26.2 aboard the talented Falco.

“I’m very pleased with him. He tried really hard, he was relaxed, settled, and just gave me everything I asked for,” said Tim. “Every horse has their talents, and then they’ve got their stage of training, and I believe he displayed his stage of training and his talents to the best of his ability.”

The New Zealand squad sit in fourth on a score of 77.9, while the Australian team are in fifth on 84.1, thanks in part to Andrew Hoy, who performed a solid test with Vassily De Lassos, for 28.1, to sit in 26th.

“I have to say I think Vassily’s trot work was the best that I’ve produced with him,” said Andrew. “I’ve been working very closely with Dolf Keller, who I worked with in early 2000s, and then the way things worked out, I moved away, but now I’m back training with him.

“Dolf is an absolute horseman and so he understands what the horse can do and I think there are a few little things just in the canter that I can improve on, so that’s good.”

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Keep up with all of the breaking news, behind the scenes insight and the best of the action throughout the World Eventing Championships with no limit on how much you can read from as little as £1 per week with a Horse & Hound unlimited website subscription. Sign up now. Plus enjoy our full 20-page magazine report (on sale 22 September) including opinion from Mark Phillips and ground jury president Christina Klingspor.

Australia heads to Pratoni with Olympic medallists aiming for more glory

Lucy Elder — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 15:13:40 +0000

The Australian Tokyo Olympic medal-winning team is among the squad that will contest the 2022 World Eventing Championships in Italy next month.

Equestrian Australia (EA) has revealed its squad of five, plus three reserves. Its selection panel, in consultation with the chef d’equipe, will select the team of four and one individual from the squad either at, or before, the first horse inspection in Pratoni (15 to 25 September).

Andrew Hoy (Vassily De Lassos), Kevin McNab (Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam) and Shane Rose (Virgil), who secured team silver at last year’s Olympics, are named as part of Australia’s World Championship squad for 2022.

The full squad, plus reserves, from which the Australian team and individual will be selected for the 2022 World Eventing Championships are as follows:

Andrew Hoy with 13-year-old gelding Vassily De Lassos

Owners: Paula and David Evans

Groom: Clémentine Girardeau

Shenae Lowings with 12-year-old gelding Bold VentureOwner: riderGroom: Olivia Barton

Kevin McNab with 14-year-old gelding Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam

Owners: Scuderia 1918 and Kevin’s wife, Emma McNab

Groom: Lucy Hartley

Kevin has also been selected with direct reserve ride, 15-year-old gelding WillungaOwners: Samia Murgian and Emma McNabGroom: Lucy Hartley

Shane Rose with 17-year-old gelding Virgil

Owner: Shane’s wife Niki Rose, and Michelle Hasibar

Groom: Jamie Atkinson

Hazel Shannon with 17-year-old gelding Willingapark CliffordOwner: Terry SnowGroom: Bronte Buttel

Reserves:

Sammi Birch with 12-year-old gelding Finduss PFBOwner: Parkfield BreedingGroom: Helen Tagg

Sam Lyle with 12-year-old gelding BF ValourOwner: Charlotte MavrisGroom: Natalya Bretherton

Jessica Rae with 14-year-old mare Fifth AvenueOwner: riderGroom: Laura Munt

Shane Rose with 10-year-old mare Easy TurnOwners: Angela Shacklady and Niki RoseGroom: Jamie Atkinson

It is 16 years since Australia won its last world eventing medals, when Clayton Fredericks took individual silver with Ben Along Time and the Australian team won bronze at Aachen in 2006.

Andrew Hoy, who is on this year’s squad with his Tokyo individual bronze and team silver medal-winning ride Vassily De Lassos, was part of the Australian team that won bronze in 1986 with Just James, and Master Monarch in 2006, where Australia again collected team bronze.

This will be a first senior championship for Hazel Shannon and Shenae Lowings.

EA high performance director Chris Webb said that the breadth of experience is an “indication of the strength of Australia’s developing talent”.

“It is fantastic to see not only our successful Tokyo 2020 eventing team medallists named, but also combinations who are making their FEI World Championships debut, demonstrating the depth of our eventing talent,” he said.

“Furthermore, Sam Lyle and Jessica Rae, who have been named on the reserves list, recently travelled overseas with the support of the EA high performance program and subsequently had the opportunity to compete on a Nations Cup team at Haras du Pin, providing them with valuable team experience that will benefit their future championship campaigns.”

Badminton cross-country course for 2022 five-star event unveiled: see exclusive taster photos, plus course map

Pippa Roome — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 16:30:38 +0000

The Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course, for the event presented by Mars Equestrian from 4-8 May, has been revealed.

The track runs anti-clockwise, as is traditional in an eventing World Championship year, so the first combination on course is the HorseQuest Quarry (fence 4abc).

Riders then continue through the Voltaire Design Huntsman’s Close (fence 6abc) to The Lake, which is fences nine and 10abc.

As has become customary, the most intense section of the course is around the Vicarage Ditch area, from the imposing Ford Broken Bridge (fence 13) to the Lightsource bp Solar Farm at fence 24abcd – where the direct route is out over a bounce, which is not often seen on modern cross-country courses.

The obstacles in this area include both the Holland Cooper Vicarage Vee (fence 23ab) and a similar angled rails over ditch question just before it at the Rolex Rails (fence 21/22).

Badminton final scores

The last combination on course is the Savills Hay Feeders (fence 29ab), although with three fences still to jump including a choice of skinny houses at the Joules Keepers Ditch (fence 30), riders certainly can’t relax until they are through the finish flags.

The optimum time is likely to be around 12 minutes.

Course-designer Eric Winter says: “It’s an attacking course and will suit bold horses with scope and agility, as there are a lot of big fences which befits a five-star competition. Badminton has always traditionally been the best preparation for the international championships and this year will be no exception.”

Read thoughts on the course from former Badminton winner and recent Tokyo Olympic double medallist Andrew Hoy in Horse & Hound’s Badminton preview issue – out Thursday 28 April.

A full gallery of the dressed fences will be available on our website on the evening of Wednesday 4 May.

H&H exclusive Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course taster photos

Eric Winter (Badminton Course Designer) and Andrew Hoy are previewing this years Badminton Horse Trials cross country course, presented by MARS Equestrian, at the HorseQuet Quarry (Fence 4 abc), held in the grounds of Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 12th April 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Course-designer Eric Winter and Andrew Hoy size up the big log into the HorseQuest Quarry at fence 4abc.

Eric Winter (Badminton Course Designer) and Andrew Hoy are previewing this years Badminton Horse Trials cross country course, presented by MARS Equestrian, at the RDA Fund Raiser (Fence 5), held in the grounds of Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 12th April 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Andrew checks out the line to the RDA Fund Raiser at fence five.

Andrew Hoy is previewing this years Badminton Horse Trials cross country course presented by MARS Equestrian, at the Voltaire Design Huntsman's Close (Fence 6abc), held in the grounds of Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 12th April 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Andrew Hoy strides towards the first of three brushes at the Voltaire Design Huntsman’s Close.

The brushes here have width as well as height, as Andrew demonstrates, which will affect how horses jump them.

Andrew Hoy previewing this years Badminton Horse Trials cross country course presented by MARS Equestrian, at the Badminton Lake (Fence 9 /10ab), held in the grounds of Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 12th April 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

It’s a long way down – Andrew peers over the log at fence nine, the start of the Badminton Lake question.

Riders can choose which of two narrow fences to jump in the water at fence 10a.

Ford Broken Bridge, Fence 13 on the 2022 Badminton Horse Trials cross country course, presented by MARS Equestrian, held in the grounds of Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 12th April 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The Ford Broken Bridge at fence 13 shouldn’t trouble horses…

… but will offer some exciting photo opportunities.

Andrew Hoy previewing this years Horse Trials cross country course presented by MARS Equestrian, at the KBIS Brush Village (Fence 14 abc), held in the grounds of Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 12th April 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Andrew sets off from the first element of the KBIS Brush Village towards the two big corners that follow. This is fence 14abc.

Eric Winter (Badminton Course Designer) and Andrew Hoy are previewing this years Badminton Horse Trials cross country course presented by MARS Equestrian, at the Le Mieux Leap (Fence 18 abc), held in the grounds of Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 12th April 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Andrew Hoy strides from the open ditch in the middle of the LeMieux Leap complex (fence 18abc) on to the narrow final element.

Andrew Hoy previewing this years Badminton Horse Trials cross country course presented by MARS Equestrian, at the Nyetimber Corbers (Fence 19 ab), held in the grounds of Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 12th April 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The Nyetimber Corners at fence 19ab.

Rolex Rails, Fence 21 / 22 on the 2022 Badminton Horse Trials cross country course, presented by MARS Equestrian, held in the grounds of Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 12th April 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Horses will need to be bold to take on the direct route at the Rolex Rails (fence 21/22).

HorseQuet Quarry, Fence 4 abc on the 2022 Badminton Horse Trials cross country course, presented by MARS Equestrian, held in the grounds of Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 12th April 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The bounce on the direct route out of the Lightsource bp Solar Farm can be seen in the background of this photo.

Andrew Hoy previewing this years Badminton Horse Trials cross country course presented by MARS Equestrian, at the Joules Keepers Ditch (Fence 30) held in the grounds of Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the UK on the 12th April 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Riders will want to keep their wits about them as they tackle one of these houses at the Joules Keepers Ditch (fence 30) on the way home.

Course map (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Pictures by Peter Nixon

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3 events to follow this week: Foxhunter qualifiers kick off and Vassily De Lassos’s first run since Tokyo

Pippa Roome — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 07:32:29 +0000

It feels like Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) has only just been, but Foxhunter qualifiers are kicking off again this week for this year’s big final, plus the curtain comes down on the winter jumps season.

1. Foxhunter qualifiers at Bishop Burton, Yorkshire

Dates: 23-24 April

More info: bishopburton.ac.uk/facilities-and-services/equine-centre/competitions-and-events

Get the H&H lowdown: full report in Horse & Hound magazine (28 April issue)

Why we’re excited about it: this year’s HOYS qualifiers are kicking off with Bishop Burton’s Foxhunter second round. Who will be on their way to Birmingham?

2. Bet365 Jump Finale at Sandown Racecourse, Esher, Surrey

Dates: 24 April

More info: thejockeyclub.co.uk/sandown/events-tickets/jump-finale/

Get the H&H lowdown: full report in Horse & Hound magazine (28 April issue)

Why we’re excited about it: the curtain comes down on the winter jumps season with plenty to celebrate and some top class racing too. Don’t miss this season’s champions – including returning champion jockey Brian Hughes – receiving their silverware throughout the course of the afternoon.

3. JCL Insurance Brokers Kelsall Hill Horse Trials, Cheshire

Dates: 22-24 April

More info: British Eventing schedule

Get the H&H lowdown: read about it in 5 May issue of the magazine

Why we’re excited about it: entrants in the showcase CCI3*-L include last year’s British seven-year-old champion Quidam De Lux, under Stephen Heal, and the on-form Sir Corcelot, who has won three intermediates this season with Victor Burtin, who is based with Oliver Townend. There are a number of Badminton Horse Trials horses in the open intermediate and advanced intermediate, perhaps planning a quiet run or riders may just use this as some extra dressage practice before withdrawing. Also, Andrew Hoy’s star Vassily De Lassos is entered for the open intermediate – it’ll be his first eventing run since he took individual bronze and led the Aussies to team silver at the Tokyo Olympics.

Who are the best event horses in the world right now? And why the Olympic champion isn’t on this list…

Pippa Roome — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 16:24:56 +0000

Who do you consider to be the best event horses in the world?

Equestrian data analytics company EquiRatings has released a list of the best event horses in the world, according to their Elo last month. The Elo is a ranking methodology originally developed for chess and now used in a number of sports.

The EquiRatings Elo is based on the principle of horses starting with 300 points. Every time a horse finishes ahead of other horses in a competition, it takes points from the horses it beat. This means successful horses which are consistently beating good horses will grow their ranking, while those who generally finish down the placings will lose points.

The nature of the Elo system is that change in the rankings is gradual and a horse won’t shoot to the top of the rankings by winning one big competition. Neither the current Olympic champion Amande De B’Neville nor the European champion JL Dublin appear in the top 10 by Elo. Both are younger horses who have not yet had time to build a really strong Elo ranking. All the horses who appear in this top 10 are at least 13 years old and have been competing at CCI4*-L level since 2018 or earlier.

So, let’s check out the current best event horses in the world by Elo…

1. FischerChipmunk FRH (pictured above, Elo 884)

FischerChipmunk FRH, who has been ridden by German supremo Michael Jung since 2019, won four of his five international eventing runs last year and finished eighth at the Olympics, denied an individual gold by a broken frangible device on the cross-country. He is also the 2019 European individual silver medallist. He belongs to Klaus and Savine Fischer, Hilmer Meyer-Kulenkampff and the German Olympic committee for equestrian sport.

2. SAP Hale Bob OLD (Elo 852)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Now 18 years old, SAP Hale Bob OLD is the winner of six championship medals for Germany with his owner Ingrid Klimke, including two European individual golds. He has had huge success during his long career, including landing a five-star title at Pau Horse Trials in 2014.

3. Ballaghmor Class (Elo 843)

Oliver TownendBALLAGHMOR CLASS (Image credit: Amy Katherine Dragoo)

The highest rated British-ridden horse on the list, Oliver Townend’s mount Ballaghmor Class is an Olympic team gold medallist and a double five-star winner, having triumphed at Burghley Horse Trials in 2017 and Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2021. He has run six times at five-star and never been out of the top six. Ballaghmor Class belongs to Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan.

4. Toledo De Kerser (Elo 827)

Tom McEwen ( GBR) riding Toledo De Kerser during the cross country phase for the Olympic Eventing Competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games held at Sea Forest Cross Country Course in Tokyo in Japan between the 23rd July and 8th August 2021 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Another member of Britain’s gold medal-winning team from the Tokyo Olympics and also the individual silver medallist, Toledo De Kerser landed his first medal when he took a world team gold medal at Tryon 2018. His five-star successes include winning at Pau Horse Trials in 2019. He is owned by Fred and Penny Barker, Jane Inns and Ali McEwen, mother of his rider Tom McEwen.

5. Vassily De Lassos (Elo 814)

Owned by Paula and David Evans and his rider, Australia’s Andrew Hoy, Vassily De Lassos claimed individual bronze and team silver at the Tokyo Olympics, where he was the only horse to finish on his dressage score.

6. Classic Moet (Elo 791)

Jonelle PriceCLASSIC MOET (Image credit: Amy Katherine Dragoo)

The 2018 Badminton Horse Trials winner, Classic Moet has also finished in the top 10 at four other five-stars and was fourth individually at the 2014 World Championships. She is the top mare on this list and is owned by Trisha Rickards, Jacky Green and her rider, New Zealand’s Jonelle Price.

7. Balmoral Sensation (Elo 788)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Balmoral Sensation was retired in May 2021, but appears on this list by virtue of his performances up to that point. Ridden by Clarke Johnstone, he represented New Zealand at the 2016 Olympics, finishing sixth individually, and his 16 international career wins included the five-star at Adelaide in 2017.

8. Vanir Kamira (Elo 778)

VANIR KAMIRA Piggy French (Image credit: Lucy Merrell)

Trevor Dickens’ five-star specialist won Badminton Horse Trials in 2019 with Piggy March and they have been in the top five at the top level on four other occasions, including most recently at the one-off five-star at Bicton Horse Trials in 2021.

9th equal. London 52 (Elo 774)

Tokyo , Japan - 1 August 2021; Laura Collett of Great Britain riding London 52 during the eventing cross country team and individual session at the Sea Forest Cross-Country Course during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images) (Image credit: Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Laura Collett and London 52 won Pau five-star in 2020 and went on to be members of Britain’s gold medal-winning team at the Tokyo Olympics the following season. The horse belongs to Keith Scott, Karen Bartlett and his rider.

9th equal. Virgil (Elo 774)

Shane Rose ( AUS) riding Virgil during the cross country phase for the Olympic Eventing Competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games held at Equestrian Park in Setagaya-ku in Tokyo in Japan between the 23rd July and 8th August 2021 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Another Tokyo Olympic medallist, but this time for Australia. Virgil was on the team that took silver and has been in the top 10 at five-star three times. He is ridden by Shane Rose and owned by Shane, his wife Niki and Michelle Hasibar.

Pictures by Peter Nixon, Amy Katherine Dragoo, Lucy Merrell, Corbis via Getty Images, Alamy Stock Photo and Sportsfile via Getty Images

Who would you rate as number one in a list of best event horses in the world? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com and we might print your views in a future issue of the magazine. Please include your nearest town and county.

Olympic medal-winning horse’s next event delayed: ‘His health and well-being is our utmost priority’

Pippa Roome — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 19:03:39 +0000

Vassily De Lassos, who won individual bronze and team silver medals at the Olympics with Australia’s Andrew Hoy, will miss competing at Aachen owing to a hoof abscess.

Aachen would have been the chestnut’s first event since the Tokyo Games.

“Vassily has developed a foot abscess, which has thankfully been located and also cleared by our vets and farrier – but he won’t be ready in time for Aachen to return to the international competition stage,” said Andrew. “The horse’s health, well-being and best interest is always our upmost priority, so he will have to watch the Aachen cross-country from at home this year.”

Andrew said that he and Vassily’s owners, Paula and David Evans, are “looking at the schedule of the remaining 2021 season and will make a decision soon if we are going to re-route to another autumn event or if we will move straight onto our 2022 schedule”.

Andrew will still ride at Aachen despite news of Vassily De Lassos’s foot abscess, piloting Odaria Finemore’s Bloom Des Hauts Crets in the Ride N Drive competition, and said he is looking forward to taking part in the opening ceremony tonight.

“CHIO Aachen always brings the best of equestrian sports from around the world together and I am looking forward to being a small part of it,” he said.

One horse who competed in Tokyo will start in Aachen, with Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa bringing forward Calle 44, who was eliminated across country at the Olympics due to a rider fall.

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum, who were the alternate combination for the US in Tokyo, also start at the German event. And Cathal Daniels will pilot Rioghan Rua, who was swapped into the alternate spot in the Irish team at the last minute in Tokyo so did not end up competing.

Additionally, Tom Carlile is on the start list for the French team for Aachen with Birmane, who was withdrawn from the Olympics when she showed signs of tying up after arriving in Tokyo.

‘He helps keep me young’: Andrew Hoy wins individual Olympic bronze at his eighth Olympics, aged 62

Gemma Redrup — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 14:27:40 +0000

“Andrew Hoy, Olympic bronze medal” sounds pretty good to the British-based Australian rider and today, (2 August) he proved that age is just a number in equestrian sport when appearing at his eighth Olympic eventing competition, and claiming individual bronze and leading his team to silver at the Tokyo Games.

Aged 62, Andrew was riding the super-smart 12-year-old Vassily De Lassos, who is owned by Paula and David Evans, Andrew himself and his wife Stefanie. The pair produced a faultless performance throughout the competition to complete on their 29.6 dressage score.

Andrew Hoy on winning the Olympic eventing individual bronze medal

“It’s just extraordinary,” Andrew said. “This morning we had a little team meeting, and I didn’t realise that videos were sent through from the people that are at home and our two children, Philippa and Oscar, are at home with our nanny. Philippa, who turns four tomorrow, sent a message this morning saying, ‘Daddy, well done – you rode really good yesterday and I want you to bring home another medal’.

“I can’t say I did it for Philippa because the passion comes from within me, but I just have to appreciate David and Paula Evans for having the faith in me to work with us Vassilly De Lassos and we’ve just got the most wonderful relationship with the horse and myself.”

Andrew admitted that Vassily De Lassos was very fresh prior to the final showjumping phase, and not acting like he went across country yesterday.

“He was having a little buck in the warm-up, it’s like it’s as if I did dressage schooling exercise with him yesterday – he’s unbelievable.”

Andrew got the ride on Vassily De Lassos after Paula went for a Wobbleberry training day at Andrew’s yard in March 2017. Prior to that training day, where Paula actually ended up suffering a fall and breaking her arm, she and Andrew had never met.

“We got Vassily De Lassos on 13 May 2017 – the day that Stephanie and I got married,” explained Andrew. “I got him from [French rider] Tom Carlile, and it’s been an absolute joy for me to work with this horse every day – every day when I finish working with him, I have a smile on my face.”

Andrew said it was hard for him to pick a favourite from all of the great horses he has ridden over his lengthy and successful career, during which he has picked up three gold medals and one silver medal at Olympic level, but that Vassily De Lassos is “so special”.

“He’s very clever, he’s very quick and he’s got a very calm mind – I ride him with exactly the same bit and bridle for the dressage, the cross-country, in the showjumping, with no running martingale and we’ve just got this wonderful relationship. He’s got Anglo Arab in him and so he just runs and jumps, which definitely helps him and he helps keep me young.”

Andrew said that he isn’t bothered about people focusing on his age.

“I’m actually grateful people can still say how old I am, because when I started in the sport, I used to be really proud of being the youngest competitor or the youngest person in the team. And now, to be the oldest member of our team gives me absolute joy that I’m still so healthy. When people meet me in the Olympic village they say ‘so, what do you do? Are you an official?’, so it’s good to be able to say I’m an athlete.”

Brits in contention for individual glory ahead of final Olympic eventing showjumping round: German rider leads the way

Gemma Redrup — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 11:14:41 +0000

All three British event riders are in contention for individual medals after the first team round of the Olympic eventing showjumping phase at the Tokyo Games.

Olympic eventing showjumping: individual standings going into the final round

After collecting four penalties for lowering a pole in the first round team competition, Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class have dropped one position, from individual gold to silver.

Their score is now 27.6, just two penalties behind Germany’s Julia Krajewski and Amande De B’Neville (pictured), who jumped a clear round, so rose from individual silver into the gold medal spot. The final round of showjumping, which will decide the individual medals, gets underway at 12.45pm BST.

A beautiful clear round of jumping from Britain’s Tom McEwen and Toledo De Kerser means that they have risen from sixth after the cross-country to individual bronze at this stage of the competition. They remain on their 28.9 dressage score.

Britain’s Laura Collett and London 52 have slipped from bronze to fifth after they had a fence down in the first round, while Australia’s Andrew Hoy and Vassily De Lassos have capitalised on jumping a clear showjumping round to move from seventh to fourth on their 29.6 dressage.

Tim Price and Vitali, who had been in fourth after the cross-country for New Zealand, have dropped out of individual medal contention after they collected 12 penalties in the first round of showjumping. Their score is now 38.8 and they are in 16th.

Dressage leader, Michael Jung, put the disappointment of incurring 11 penalties for activating a pin on the cross-country, to jump a clear showjumping round with Chipmunk FRH. This means that they have risen four places into sixth going into the final round.

The top 25 riders will return to jump a second showjumping round for individual honours.

‘He’s just the most phenomenal horse’: Andrew Hoy boosts Australia into team silver after Olympic cross-country

Becky Murray — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 04:28:26 +0000

The leaderboard faced a major shake-up in the final stages of the Olympic eventing cross-country, as big names like Andrew Hoy, Tim Price and Michael Jung influenced the order, with double Olympic champion Michael Jung clipping a frangible fence.

Australia’s highest placed rider after the dressage, Andrew Hoy, had a “really nice” ride in the Olympic eventing cross-country on Vassily De Lassos. The pair were stopped on the course due to Swiss rider Robin Godel falling with Jet Set, but Andrew went on to finish on his dressage score of 29.6, firing the combination into the top 10. Andrew, here competing at his eighth Games, produced Australia’s second clear round of the day, following Shane Rose’s clear earlier.

“He’s just the most phenomenal horse across country,” Andrew said of the 12-year-old Jaguar Mail son. “Right up until the time I was stopped it was really good. I ride him in the same bridle and bit in all three phases, and he’s so on the ball and focused.

“When I was stopped, the cooling system was absolutely excellent – until I got under the tent I could feel the temperature rising all the time. It’s a very good barometer for me as to what the horse is doing, when you are galloping you have wind on your face and body so you stay very cool. As soon as you stop you don’t have that wind and so your temperature rises.”

Olympic eventing cross-country: shocks and leaderboard shuffles

New Zealand’s Tim Price climbed a place into the individual fourth spot after jumping clear, but taking home 1.2 time penalties.

“It felt fast and furious with lots of big jumps just around the corner,” said Tim Price following his round with 11-year-old gelding Vitali.

“It just hits them in the face, which is why it was always a bit of a risk for a young horse because they come up the hill and even though you’ve warmed up over some fences it sort of dawns on them this is actually cross-country day – it’s not another training day – and it looks like a pretty serious day at the office.”

One of the biggest shocks of the day came when Germany’s Michael Jung, who sat in provisional individual gold with Chipmunk FRH on a dressage score of 21.1, picked up a frustrating 11 penalties after activating the frangible device at 14c, Lone Tree Moguls. He had an otherwise clear round inside the optimum time – but the penalty drops him to 10th place individually.

“I’m very happy about Chipmunk,” he said, adding he had not initially realised the safety device had been triggered. “As I galloped away from the fence I heard a sound and it was quite a surprise for me but everything else was really nice.”

Sarah Ennis and Woodcourt Garrison rounded off proceedings for Ireland with an expensive 37.6 penalties to add to their dressage score.

Sarah said she found it “tight” in the warm-up for the 12-year-old gelding ahead of her round.

“I’m not saying that’s an excuse. He’s just quite a buzzy horse. He headed out good, he jumped the first few really well,” she said, adding he became strong at the first water.

“He jumped well again but after fence 13 I thought he got a bit tired and he was getting longer and heavier. I was cantering up to the drop and I had it in my head I probably should go long but I was really struggling to turn him. We got to the top of the drop, and I kind of loosened his jaw and he came back to me, popped off, and he just locked the jaw and for all of my life I could not turn him. I would have had to be 20 stone heavier!”

Team Ireland finishes on a score of 161 for eighth place ahead of the showjumping, with Austin O’Connor producing the only clear on Colorado Blue.

6 things you need to know about today’s Olympic eventing dressage: from Michael Jung and his golden quest to the Brits on pole

Martha Terry — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 04:18:56 +0000

The Olympic eventing dressage phase of the competition in Tokyo is now complete. At the end of day two, here are six things you need to know about how today’s action unfolded…

Olympic eventing dressage news and results

Two-time Olympic champion Michael Jung took the lead for Germany at the Tokyo Olympics today (31 July). He posted a fabulous score of 21.1, riding Chipmunk FRH (pictured). Few would bet against him adding a third consecutive gold to his haul. But remember, the last dressage leader to hold onto their lead was back in Sydney, 21 years ago.

Hear what Michael had to say about his partnership with Chipmunk

Oliver Townend, the long-time leader, is still in touch of the lead. He holds the silver-medal position on Ballaghmor Class, just 2.5 penalties behind Michael Jung. Tom McEwen rode today and boosted the team’s chances with Britain’s third sub-30 test. Tom is lying 12th with Laura Collett sixth.

Hear Tom’s thoughts on finishing his test

The British team are still holding on to the gold spot as they head into cross-country, but Germany have moved up to second position. New Zealand are third and the hosts Japan in fourth.

Check out the team standings, and where the individual Brits are placed

Eight-time Olympian Andrew Hoy posted a sub-30 score with Vassily De Lassos. He was thrilled with what he believed was the “maximum he could have achieved”. This brilliant jumper now has it all to play for.

Find out why Andrew was so thrilled with his horse’s performance

Horse & Hound’s horse of the day is the feisty mare Quefira De L’Ormeau, who is competing at her second Olympics at the age of 17. Today was not her day in the dressage phase, but her longevity is remarkable.

Read about Arianna Schivo’s tough championship mare

Our rider of the day is the Thailand’s Korntawat Samran, also known as “Nut”, who produced a great score for his country.

Hear from Nut and his thoughts on his “cute horse”

Roll on the cross-country phase…

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Five things you need to know about the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The fences that will decide the eventing medals: analysing the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Olympic eventing teams: who’s heading to Tokyo?

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The Horse & Hound Podcast: Daily Tokyo Special – episode five

‘The joy that I get riding this horse is just unbelievable’: Andrew Hoy sets good score at his eighth Olympic Games

Gemma Redrup — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 02:28:27 +0000

The highest placed Australian combination of the Olympic eventing dressage is Andrew Hoy and Vassily De Lassos (pictured). Andrew scored 29.6 with the Jaguar Mail gelding owned by David and Paula Evans.

“I believe that was the maximum that we could have achieved on the day,” Andrew Hoy said after the conclusion of the Olympic eventing dressage. “There were tiny little things that I can always improve, but the joy that I get riding this horse is just unbelievable.

“I use one word to describe what I’m trying to achieve and that word is harmony, and that’s what I’m working towards – it doesn’t matter whether it’s the dressage, cross-country, or the showjumping – when you see the great riders and there’s harmony, it’s just poetry in motion.”

At 62, Andrew is the oldest equestrian athlete competing at the Tokyo Olympics.

The USA’s Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg TSF also scored well in this third session of Olympic eventing dressage, posting 31.1, but it was not their best performance.

“To be honest, I’m quite disappointed,” Boyd admitted.

“There was one moment in the rein-back where he fell behind and we had a misunderstanding and he cantered out and then spooked at the camera. There were some great moments and some disastrous moments too. You come here hoping for a personal best, but the cross-country is so difficult and the time is likely to be tight, so I think we’re in with a chance still if we can deliver three good rounds across country.”

Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa and Calle 44 scored 31.5 to sit just behind Boyd.

“I wish we could have contributed more to the team in terms of the score, but what’s done is done,” Yoshi said afterwards.”

Rider selected for eighth Olympics, plus horse injury plays a part in team selection

Pippa Roome — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 10:01:36 +0000

Andrew Hoy is set to extend his own record for Olympic appearances, having been selected for the Tokyo Games this summer.

The 62-year-old rider was the only Australian to have competed at seven Olympics after he rode at London 2012 and he has now been chosen for the team for Tokyo, with the reliable Vassily De Lassos.

Andrew said he is looking forward to representing Australia at his first Olympic Games since becoming a father to daughter Philippa, three, and one-year-old son Oscar, as well as riding a horse he believes may be one of the best of his career.

“To represent Australia at international level over so many years has been the greatest privilege and honour of my life,” he said. “I have never set out to break records on my number of Olympic Games participations – I am just a country boy from Culcairn, who loves his horses, has a huge passion for our sport and thrives on being competitive at the top end.

“I have been fortunate to have had wonderful support from so many people over the years, as you can never do this alone. It is a huge team effort and I am so grateful for everyone’s support.

“There is nothing that beats the feeling of wearing the green and gold and being part of a team of incredible athletes – going on to the biggest sporting stage in the world – and all wanting to make Australia proud. In Vassily De Lassos, owned by David and Paula Evans, I have got one of the best horses I have had in my whole career – so let’s hope the best is yet to come.”

The full Australian Olympic eventing team for the Tokyo eventing is:

Chris Burton on Claire Poole’s Quality Purdey (groom Coriander Cousins)
Andrew Hoy on David and Paula Evans’ Vassily De Lassos (groom Clémentine Giradeau)
Shane Rose on his own, his wife Niki and Michelle Hasibar’s Virgil (groom Rachel Watts)

The alternate rider is:

Stuart Tinney on his own and his wife Karen’s Leporis (groom Karen Tinney)

Article continues below…

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(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Irish Olympic eventing squad named for Tokyo

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Changes to Britain’s nominated eventing entries for Tokyo Olympics

The selectors have made several changes to the British Olympic eventing entries following recent competitions

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Stuart had been considered a favourite for the team with Elisabeth Brinton’s Celebration, but announced this week that an “unforeseen paddock injury” had ruled the horse out.

Stuart said this was “unimaginable news” in a “very tough few days” for him and the owners.

“‘Charlie’ has an amazing future, he is still young, so we consider this only to be a minor timing setback and we are looking forward to his return immensely,” he said, adding that he looks forward to supporting the team in his role as alternate and wishes them luck.

As is traditional, the Australian Olympic eventing team mixes riders based in Britain (Andrew and Chris) with those based Down Under (Shane and Stuart).

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find out more about getting the magazine delivered to your door every week.

Hero to Hero: Olympic eventer Andrew Hoy chats to Team GB track cyclist Katy Marchant H&H Plus

Pippa Roome — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 11:35:14 +0000

The seven-time eventing Olympian met the Team GB track cyclist to talk about training, competing in the heat and hopes for Tokyo

Katy: Covid’s been a funny one – I’ve tried to make the best of a bad situation. We were at the World Championships in March 2020, the last qualification event for the Olympics, as Covid kicked in. That was a really stressful period because it was a struggle for me to get qualified as a rider without a strong team, even though I was finishing in the top five. But thankfully we got qualified, because then we came home and went into lockdown.

I was one of those people who said, “They’re never going to cancel the Olympic Games.” But actually, not travelling for a year and having 12 months’ stress-free training has been amazing and I’ve never felt better. What about you?

Andrew: My horse, Vassily De Lassos, is young in terms of the years left in front of him, so for me I felt it worked to my advantage. It’s given me the opportunity not to be pressured to try to get to a target point as quickly, and time to train step by step in a logical manner.

Katy: I’ve actually ridden horses all my life, my family have horses and my sister Amy Sherrard does a little bit of British Eventing. So to a certain extent, I understand the difference between riding a bike and a horse – I appreciate the bike always does as it’s told and the horse doesn’t always! So did Covid get in the way of your preparations?

Andrew: Covid combined with Brexit have been challenges. We’ve made many plans throughout the year, then 24 hours before we’re about to execute them, something has changed and we’ve had to cancel. It’s equally difficult for selectors and the high performance team – they have a structure they’d like everyone to follow to prove their point in selection, but that hasn’t happened.

Katy: We had no competitions for 12 months, since we went to the World Championships. We actually had a competition in Belgium five weeks ago, but somebody on the plane home tested positive so we all had to self isolate. After that, we decided not to travel before the Olympics, because it’s just too risky. We can’t afford to have two weeks off training.

Andrew: Have you been vaccinated?

Katy: Yes, but not through the sport – through the job of a family member.

Andrew: I’m 61 – I was almost in the first round!

Katy: I’m 28 and I’m one of the senior members of the team. There’s a couple of people who are in their thirties and are travelling to their fourth or fifth Olympics. You won’t find any cyclists doing seven Olympics!

Andrew: What would be the average age of your team?

Katy: Probably around 25. They say you peak around 30 but it’s not necessarily age, but how many years of full-time training you’ve done. I was a heptathlete and I only started cycling when I was 21, so I started my sport really late compared to a lot of people. Many cyclists are born into cycling families. It’s not a really accessible sport, particularly on the track side.

Now I’ve been training for six years and one of the biggest hurdles I’ve faced with the postponement is keeping my body in one piece. My knees hurt when I get out of bed! It’s a low impact sport so you’d think your body would be OK but because I’m a sprinter, 70% of my training is done pumping iron in the gym. I lift a lot of heavy weights and females tend to get back injuries, knee injuries. The training on the bike is dead easy; it’s the stuff that comes with it that’s really hard.

Andrew: This is where I’m so fortunate with the sport I’m in – I rode my first championship 43 years ago.

Katy: That is crazy.

Andrew: I’ve got fantastic horsepower at the moment and in any sport there’s the balance between knowhow and physical ability. I feel that physically I’m still in very good shape, but I’ve now got a lot more wisdom.

Coaches and support teams

Andrew: How many coaches do you have?

Katy: My main trainer, Jan van Eijden, was a rider himself, so his expertise comes from his track craft, his technical skills on the bike. We have another coach who manages our strength and conditioning, and then we also have a physiologist who works with my wellbeing. But it’s led by my track coach, he’s the boss.

How about you? Are you your own boss?

Andrew: Unfortunately, yes! I have a jumping coach, Nelson Pessoa; a cross-country coach, Mark Phillips; and two dressage coaches, Dolf-Dietram Keller and Peter Storr. It’s comforting to me that all except Peter are older than me – for example, Nelson is 85 and his horsemanship skills, his understanding of viewing what the athlete is doing, what the horse is doing, are just incredible.

Katy: My coach is deemed quite old and he’s 44, whereas my strength and conditioning coach and physiologist are in their early thirties. In our sport, we have scientists, people studying for PhDs, whereas in yours it sounds more like people who have years of experience, as you say, in horsemanship, craft and relationships with horses?

Andrew: We also have strong contributors to the team such as vets and nutritionists and I have a personal trainer. Plus my equipment has all been biomechanically tested and proven to make a difference and assist the horse.

Katy: Do you have a nutritionist for yourself and the horse?

Andrew: Separate people!

Katy: Other than the manufacturer of my bike, it needs nothing – it just needs me to get on it. Whereas obviously your horse requires a lot more, so everything is essentially doubled, I guess.

The importance of conditions

Andrew: In Formula One, there’s a big difference between the tyres in different conditions – are you in the same situation?

Katy: It’s massive for us and a lot of Formula One guys are involved in our aerodynamic work. A lot of it is done behind the scenes and we then get given the kit. The optimum conditions in the velodrome would be as hot as possible, but just after a storm because then the air pressure drops really low and that means we can travel through the air faster.

We’ve been doing a lot of acclimatisation in heat chambers, because the humidity is high in Tokyo, and we also travelled out there to a competition in 2019 at the same time of year.

Andrew: I grew up in Australia, so I’m used to very warm temperatures, and I also took a horse to the Tokyo test event in 2019. Also being bald, I let the heat out through my head!

Katy: And what about horses? My bike is always fine whatever the temperature.

Andrew: It depends on breed – Vassily De Lassos has Anglo Arab in him and the Anglo Arabs and Arabs are very good in heat. If we have a warm day we work the horses and don’t think, “It’s too hot, I don’t want to do this,” so you start to acclimatise them.

Life in the Olympic Village

Katy: I remember being in Rio in the Athletes’ Village and my team-mate and I, both first-timers, thought it was incredible. But about 80% of the team had been in London, and said it was nothing compared to that.

The cycling in Tokyo is four hours away from the main hub so we were never going to be in the Village. Part of me was like, “I don’t know if it’s going to feel like an Olympics, we’re not going to be getting up and having breakfast with other sports,” but then obviously Covid hit and it’s not going to be like that any more.

Andrew: Every Olympics I’ve been to, I’ve always stayed in the Village. The great thing about that is I always know that the dining hall is open if I need something, I always know that there’s going to be buses that have the correct accreditation and right of way, there’s not going to be a disruption with getting into a venue.

Our sport has generally been early on, so then if there are certain things you’d personally like to do it’s easy to do them.

Katy: We’re right at the end – the last few days. We stayed in the Village for Rio and were there for 10 days pre-competition, then competed for four days, then flew home the day after. I’ve never experienced letting my hair down in the Village or watching other sports.

In Rio, we were miles from the dining hall but we just used to ride our bikes there every day. The first day, we rode the 5km down the road to the track, but we couldn’t get into the Olympic Park – we couldn’t find the entrance because we weren’t on an accredited bus.

Hopes for Tokyo

Andrew: What are you hoping for at this Games?

Katy: A gold medal! Going to Rio I’d only been in the sport two-and-a-half or three years, so it was a massive shock. Everything was towards Tokyo 2020 and getting selected for Rio was a golden opportunity to experience the Olympics before Tokyo.

When I came away with a bronze medal, the expectation changed quickly. The cycling team are very successful, I almost felt inferior for winning bronze because everyone else took gold medals home. The goal is definitely to win one, if not two, gold medals this year. What about you?

Andrew: I always find it a very difficult question because you have to go there with good ability and then everything needs to go right on the day. In our sport, as far an individual medal is concerned, I think you could name eight to 10 people who could win gold.

I hate to use the word luck because I think the more you train, the more you practise, the more you think about it, the more you dream about it, the less luck you need, but things do have to go right on the day.

I’ve been really privileged. I’ve been on three teams that have won gold medals. I’ve also won an individual silver medal and on that day, I could have easily won gold but I believe a bit of luck went the other way round.

Katy: I do find it a hard question if people say what are you expecting, because I think if you say you’re not going to win, that’s not very ambitious. I do think you’ve got to wake up that day feeling your best, everything has got to swing your way. I am capable of winning two gold medals, but like you said it’s all got to come together on the day.

A lack of spectators

Katy: Do you think it’ll make a difference having no international spectators?

Andrew: Spectators don’t inspire me. If you’re doing a victory lap and you’re aware of the crowd applauding, then it’s wonderful to share it with them and you try to thank them in the appropriate ways, but the inspiration comes from within and so spectators or no spectators, it’s still the same drive from me.

Katy: I feel the same – so many people have said it’s going to be rubbish, but I can’t tell you whether there are two spectators or 10,002 spectators when I’m racing.

Andrew: You just look a bit stupid when you wave to the crowd and there’s no one there!

Katy: I’m not very good at that bit anyway, I always feel embarrassed! I’d rather just celebrate when I get home.

Andrew: My parents only came to two of my Olympics. I told them, “If you want to meet the other athletes and see me, don’t come to the Olympics – I can’t get to you, you can’t get to me. Come to a small event in the UK, you’ll meet all the same guys.”

I’m sure we could stay talking all evening, but I’ve got another two horses to ride.

Katy: Wednesday is my day off training – I just have an easy session, one hour on the road this morning. I’m going to Pilates later on.

Andrew: I might change sports – I might try cycling, then I can take a day off each week! I might be just over the age limit…

Katy: I reckon we might make an exception – we could swap for a bit. Your knees are probably healthier than mine, but I’m not sure I could ride that many horses in a day…

This exclusive feature can also be read in H&H magazine, on sale Thursday 17 June

Royal Ascot partners with military charities, plus the latest equestrian partnership news

Lucy Elder — Sun, 23 May 2021 16:03:47 +0000

Three armed forces charities have been chosen as the official nominated charity partners for Royal Ascot 2021.

The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and the RAF Benevolent Fund are the official partners for the 2021 meeting.

Brigadier Peter Walker OBE, chairman of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity in Berkshire, said the three charities have been working with the racecourse at Royal Ascot since 2013 and it is “great pleasure we are able to continue and strengthen our relationship this year”.

“The members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and RAF who will be at Royal Ascot are very much looking forward to the event, and the three charities would like to thank everyone involved for their support, which helps to assist armed forces personnel, both past and present, in times of need,” he added.

The charities have traditionally been supported and promoted on the Friday of Royal Ascot, with more than £20,000 normally raised from bucket collections alone on the day.

This year they will have an extended presence across the five days of the Royal Meeting to help them raise funds, which have been affected by the pandemic.

Ascot racecourse will raise awareness of the work the charities do, by promoting the personal stories of their servicemen and women.

Donations from the sale of certain food and beverages, including its hampers as well as 1% of sales by its concessionaires on the Friday of the Royal Meeting, will also be made to the charities.

“We are delighted to confirm this charity partnership with the armed forces charities for Royal Ascot this year,” said Nick Smith, Ascot racecourse’s director of racing and public affairs.

“Typically, racegoers really engage with the three charities on the Friday and it will be fantastic to see some of the military personnel and volunteers back on site through the week.

“Having been unable to welcome them last year due to the pandemic, we are really pleased to extend our relationship across all five days and look forward to helping them raise much needed funds and awareness of the work they do.”

Schweizer-Effax

Seven-time Australian Olympic eventer Andrew Hoy has joined the Schweizer-Effax team of sponsored riders.

“My father taught me ‘If you want to be successful, place good people around you’ – and through the experience of 42 years in the international equestrian industry, I couldn’t agree more,” said Andrew.

“Competitions are won and lost at home – my time spent riding and training the horses is only a small part of our success. The care for our horses by our fabulous home team of grooms, work riders, physiotherapists, vets, farriers, nutritionists, biomechanic experts – and many more are the ones who make it all happen.

“At Somerby Stables, we only use products we believe in -and we have been using the Effol and Effax products for a long time – so it ́s wonderful to be able to turn our long-term association into a partnership. Since adding our children into the mix, the Effol kids range has entered the yard – with plenty of glitter and glamour for pony-mad little girls!”

Jörg Stegemann, business director equestrian at Schweizer-Effax, added: “Friendship needs care. This is not only a proven wisdom of life, but also our understanding of the relationship between man and horse. For us, friendship means responsibility, care, trust and appreciation. Effol puts the friendship to the horse in the centre, because cultivating [that] is not a chore, but a gladly practised friendship service. For over 100 years, we have

been committed to the vitality, performance and health of your horse – and we are delighted to now be taking care of all horses at Andrew Hoy ́s yard, too.”

KBIS

The equestrian insurance company has added Horse Events Hub to its list of sponsored associations.

The Horse Events Hub (HEHUB) allows anyone to sign up, with or without a horse for £20 per year, with the aim of bringing the national eventing community together across all areas, including riders, horses, owners and organisers.

The HEHUB includes the KBIS National Eventing League and the KBIS National Arena Eventing League. Riders will earn points from their one-day event and arena eventing results to be entered into these leagues.

“We are so excited to have partnered with KBIS for the launch of the Horse Events Hub,” said founder Fran Corkhill. “There is currently nothing like this on the market and we hope to bring all unaffiliated events across our platform together, allowing the eventing community to gain more from going eventing. We have lots of great prizes to be won throughout the year and very generously KBIS will be donating a ‘win an entry’ every fortnight to one of our lucky members.”

Markel

The global insurer and official partner of the Qatar Goodwood Festival will sponsor the Magnolia Cup charity race for the next three years.

The 2021 renewal marks the 10th running of the race, which has raised more than £1.6 million for multiple charities.

“Markel has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Goodwood and we have watched the Magnolia Cup go from strength to strength,” said Markel International president William Stovin.

“The values that the Magnolia Cup is built upon mirror the values that we hold as an organisation, so this partnership seemed like a natural evolution of our relationship with Goodwood.”

He added: “We hope that across the next three years we can raise awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion across all industries and the opportunities that it presents, along with being able to support some very worthy causes.”

Charlie Longsdon Racing

International breeding and racing operation Merriebelle Stable has signed a sponsorship agreement with Charlie Longsdon.

Meriebelle Stable is based in the US and Ireland and was founded by John Moores and Charles Noell in 2013.

Charles Noell, who is heading the sponsorship, has long been a keen horseman and has owned jumps horses for many years, including Moon King, who is currently in training at the Longsdon yard.

Charlie said: “It’s wonderful to form a new partnership with Merriebelle Stable. We hope to do them proud and celebrate many winners together.”

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Al Shira’aa

The Al Shira’aa stables has resumed its title sponsorship of the Bolesworth Young Horse Championships (18-22 August).

The fixture includes the British Showjumping Young Horse Championships, plus qualifiers for the World Breeding Championships in Lanaken.

As part of Al Shira’aa’s season-wide commitment, the company will also be supporting the young horse classes at the Dodson & Horrell Bolesworth International Horse Show (7-11 July).

“We are delighted to be continuing our sponsorship of the Al Shira’aa Bolesworth Young Horse Championships,” said Sami Kettle, sponsorship co-ordinator of Al Shira’aa Stables.

“The show very much aligns with our ethos and Sheikha Fatima Bint Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s vision of producing young horses correctly to produce them for the global stage later in their career. By joining up with Bolesworth, it’s so unique and exciting not only for British breeders but to help promote the sport throughout the UK.”

Bolesworth managing director Nina Barbour added: “We have a fantastic year of sport planned at Bolesworth this year and we’re delighted that Al Shira’aa Stables will be returning as title sponsors of the Bolesworth Young Horse Championships.

“Our combined vision is to deliver the very best in elite sport horse breeding and a highly competitive stage for emerging young talent.”

Balanced

The equine supplement company has signed a sponsorship agreement with five-star event rider Kirsty Chabert.

“Our event horses are high-level athletes so we routinely supplement their diet to support them in giving their very best performances. With our exciting new partnership, we are looking forward to improving our own performance and competitive edge with Balanced,” said Robin Holiday, horse owner and managing director of CLF Distribution, which owns the Balanced brand.

“We are very excited to support the team for their nutritional needs and hope to see our Balanced range of products contribute to some great results.”

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

9 young event horse world champions who’ve made a big impact

Pippa Roome — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 11:24:58 +0000

This week, the best six- and seven-year-olds in eventing from around the world converge on Le Lion d’Angers in France to fight it out for the prestigious young horse World Championship titles.

These championships often throw up serious horses to watch in the future, such as these previous winners…

The wonderful grey Darien Powers (above) was a winner at Le Lion in 1994 and went on to scale the heights of eventing with Australia’s Andrew Hoy. He won Olympic team gold medals in 1996 and 2000 and claimed the British open title in 1997 at Gatcombe.

WILLIAM FOX-PITT riding OSLO (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Oslo won the six-year-old class at Le Lion in 2008 with William Fox-Pitt. The French-bred horse went on to claim a four-star (now five-star) title at Pau in 2011 when he was just nine, as well as winning the CCI3* (now CCI4*-L) at Tattersalls and the eight- and nine-year-old class at Blenheim in the same year.

Ingrid Klimke and Sleep Late (Image credit: www.trevor-meeks-photography.co.uk)

Ingrid Klimke’s ride Sleep Late won at Le Lion in 1998. He went on to win an individual bronze medal at the 2005 European Championships at Blenheim and contest the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympics for Germany. He was also a team gold medal winner at the 2006 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen.

Michael Jung (GER)&fischerRocana FST - Cross Country - CCI4* - Luhmuhlen 2014 - Salzhausen, Germany - 14 June 2014 (Image credit: Jon Stroud Media)

FischerRocana FST took the six-year-old title at Le Lion in 2011 with Michael Jung. Since then, she has won the premier US event at Kentucky three times and been a team gold and individual silver medallist at the 2014 WEG in Caen, as well as taking individual silver at the 2017 European Championships in Strzegom.

France's Nicolas Touzaint in action onboard Galan De Sauvagere. (Image credit: TT News Agency/Press Association)

The great grey Galan De Sauvagère is one of Le Lion’s greatest success stories. He won both the six- (2000) and seven-year-old (2001) classes with Nicolas Touzaint and went on to win the individual European gold medal twice, in 2003 at Punchestown and 2007 at Pratoni. He was also a team gold medallist at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Great Britain's Pippa Funnell on Primmore's Pride during the Cross Country at the Burghley Horse Trials, Stamford. (Image credit: PA Archive/PA Images)

2000 was a vintage year for Le Lion. Not only did the six-year-old class launch Galan De Sauvagere’s career, but Primmore’s Pride won the seven-year-old class. With Pippa Funnell, he went on to win Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley — the only horse to achieve a career grand slam in the roads and tracks and steeplechase days — and take a team silver and individual bronze at the 2004 Olympics.

E53H01 Aachen, Germany. 19th July, 2014. Swedish rider Niklas Lindbaeck on his horse Mister Pooh in action during the cross-country discipline of the eventing event of the CHIO in Aachen, Germany, 19 July 2014. Photo: ROLF VENNENBERND/DPA/Alamy Live News (Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

Mister Pooh, the 2006 six-year-old Le Lion winner, was a perennial championship campaigner for Sweden with Niklas Lindbäck. He ran at the 2009 Fontainebleau Europeans, the 2010 WEG in Kentucky, the 2012 London Olympics and crowned his career with team silver at the 2013 Malmö Europeans. He was also fifth at Badminton 2011. It’s worth noting, too, that the runner-up to him at Le Lion was none other than the double Olympic champion La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, who was also second in the seven-year-old championship a year later.

Sara ALGOTSSON OSTHOLT (SWE) riding REALITY 39 during the cross country phase of the FEI European Championships at Strzegom in Poland between 15 - 20th August 2017 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Sara Algotsson-Ostholt’s Mrs Medicott — later renamed Reality 39 — took Le Lion’s six-year-old class in 2010. She too was a great championship horse for Sweden, with team silvers at the Europeans at Malmo (2013) and Strzegom (2017) and runs at the Blair European Championships in 2015 and the Rio Olympics in 2016.

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Cross Country . Nicolas Touzaint and Hildago De L'Ile . (Image credit: Phil Mingo)

France’s Nicolas Touzaint piloted Hildago De L’Ile to take the seven-year-old title at Le Lion in 2002. The pair went on to win the first Pau CCI4* (now CCI5*) in 2007 and Badminton 2008. He collected team silver at the Blenheim Europeans in 2005 and contested the 2006 WEG and the 2012 Olympics.

Full report from this year’s Le Lion in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (dated 22 October).

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Is this the most ‘extra’ horsebox you’ve ever seen?

Gemma Redrup — Sat, 25 Jul 2020 15:24:17 +0000

On 6 July, British-based Australian event rider Andrew Hoy picked up his brand new horsebox and its accompanying trailer, and we think it’s one of the most jaw-dropping bits of kit we’ve seen.

This truck and trailer was built in close collaboration with Stefanie and Andrew Hoy, German company Roelofsen, for Hoy Eventing.

The horsebox with pop-up and pop-out offers sleeping space for five people and can travel up to five horses, with the trailer offering transport for a further three horses and has a separate room for the grooms too.

Now it’s time to bring our precious new ‘Team Member’ home! ?Now it’s time to bring our precious new ‘Team Member’ home! ?A very big ‘Thank you!’ to everyone at @RoelofsenRaalte for all your support – from the planning to the completion, it has been a delight! ???#HoyteamOnTour #roelofsenhorsetrucks #AnEyeForDetailIsASignOfVictory pic.twitter.com/yT1q15a6yMA very big ‘Thank you!’ to everyone at @RoelofsenRaalte for all your support – from the planning to the completion, it has been a delight! ???#HoyteamOnTour #roelofsenhorsetrucks #AnEyeForDetailIsASignOfVictory pic.twitter.com/yT1q15a6yM— Andrew Hoy (@HoyEventing) July 6, 2020— Andrew Hoy (@HoyEventing) July 6, 2020

The images on the horsebox are of some of Andrew’s eventing stars in action. These are Vassily de Lassos, Basmati and Bloom des Hauts Crets and the photos were captured by Jason Bax at EquuisImages, who said he was “thrilled to be asked to provide images for Andrew Hoy’s new lorry”.

Wow! Today this beautiful (right hand drive) RR6 and Profiliner trailer has been delivered to Hoy Team.Andrew and…Posted by Roelofsen Horsetrucks on Monday, July 6, 2020

The RR6 Top Class Line model from Roelofsen provides all the luxury that riders, their horses and support team might require. The slide-out extension means that the living area can be substantially enlarged.

The living features a colour screen with remote control, automatic satellite dish and a home cinema system with DVD and CD player. The living area is also stylishly furnished and upholstered, with a parquet floor and insulated walls.

The kitchen is complete and equipped with all the appliances you can think of: a spacious fridge, a combination oven/microwave, a ceramic hot plate, an extraction hood, an espresso machine for delicious coffee and a dishwasher. The truck is equipped with a diesel-fired central heating boiler for all your heating and hot water needs.

The shower and toilet area has fixtures and fittings including a shower cabin with a thermostatic tap, a sliding shower door and a porcelain flushing toilet.

Above the shower area are two comfortable sleeping berths, equipped with a pop-up roof in order to provide more space and comfort.

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The horses also have everything they need to travel in safety and comfort. Features include rubber matting throughout, with a rubber ramp and rubber walls too. Partitions are adjustable to as little as 10cm increments and there are electric fans for air extraction too. Sizeable water tanks mean that you don’t need to worry about running out of water while using the lorry’s built-in washdown facilities.

Even the trailer offers a small luxurious living area complete with bathroom with toilet and shower, a bed above the bathroom, an LED TV with DVD player, sink in the kitchen, refrigerator and microwave, air conditioning and heating, clean water and waste water tank.

Now, we just need to win the Lottery…

We are continuing to produce Horse & Hound as a weekly magazine during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as to keep our website at horseandhound.co.uk up to date with breaking news, features and more. Click here for info about magazine subscriptions and access to our premium H&H Plus content online.

Andrew Hoy’s Olympic memories: ‘You had to ride him like a champion or he would stop’

Carol Phillips — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 11:30:13 +0000

To mark what should have been the start of this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, three-time Olympic team gold medallist, Olympic individual silver medallist and the only Australian in any sport to have competed at seven Games, Andrew Hoy joined us on episode eight of The Horse & Hound Podcast to reflect on his favourite Olympic memories and some of the special horses he’s partnered along the way.

Andrew made his Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 1984 riding Davey, an incredible little horse who failed on the racetrack before coming to Andrew as his Pony Club mount.

“I was 15 when I went to look at him with my parents,” says Andrew. “Four years later in 1978 we were selected for the World Championships in Kentucky and then 1984 was the Los Angeles Olympics. My Pony Club horse took me to an alternative Olympics, an Olympic Games, won Burghley, and went to two World Championships – I was very, very priviliged. And it all started with the relationship we developed at Pony Club through doing the egg-and-spoon race, the barrel race, the sack race and all the things you do at Pony Club – little did I realise then he was going to be the horse that would take me around the world.”

Bred on a cattle station in Queensland, the little Australian thoroughbred proved not fast enough for racing and so was shipped by train to a cattle market sale yard, where he was bought by a dairy farmer called Dave. He was then sold to a lady, who took him to two shows before selling him to Andrew.

“At that time he was called Dave, after the diary farmer,” explains Andrew. “I didn’t think ‘here comes Andrew Hoy riding Dave’ sounded too good, so I changed his name to Davey. At the age of 15 I had no idea the career he was going to give me – he was only a small horse, but a very special horse.”

Davey was just the start of Andrew’s Olympic success. With seven Games to choose from, you might expect it to be difficult for him to select a favourite, but not so.

“Every Olympics is very special, but for me the most special had to be Sydney,” says Andrew. “Not only because it was in my home town, not just because I won a third team gold medal plus individual silver – the thing that made Sydney really special was that it brought the best out of the country and the best out of the Australian people. The Australian volunteers embraced having the world come to them to be part of the Olympic Games – they just wanted everyone to enjoy the Olympics. Being in my home country and having the success I had there made it very, very special.”

That success was in the form of team gold with Darien Powers and individual silver riding Swizzle In – Sydney was an Olympics where the individual and team competitions were run seperately with different horse and rider combinations in each. So how did Andrew’s two Sydney rides compare?

“Swizzle In was a very special horse. He was very different to my team horse Darien Powers. Darien Powers was a wonderful grey horse. I would describe him as a very charismatic horse, he was very attractive and elegant in the way he moved. Swizzle In was smaller, a little brown horse – a real fighter in the right way.”

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Owned by Gina Flood, from Bermuda, the US thoroughbred was named after a pub in Gina’s native country – the Swizzle Inn. Andrew first took the ride on him at Bramham, in the days when you could pick up a catch ride at that level – and they won. That was the start of a very successful partnership at top level, but he was a horse that required Andrew to be at the top of his riding game at all times.

“If I had to put a ride down as what I would consider to be my perfect ride, it was with Swizzle In around the Sydney Olympic Games. That was because if I didn’t have the correct rhythm at the correct speed to the correct take off spot at every fence, he would have stopped.

“The last fence I went to jump in the warm-up before the showjumping, it was about 1m/1.05m and not very wide. I cantered in and he stopped – that was the best thing that could have happened because it reminded me just how positive and accurate I had to be. So I jumped one fence, went in and he jumped clear.

“He was a very special horse as long as you rode like an Olympic champion.”

If you’d like to enjoy more Olympic memories from Andrew, and hear him talking about the horses he is aiming for Tokyo, listen here to episode eight of The Horse & Hound podcast or search “The Horse & Hound Podcast” in your favourite podcast app.

The Horse & Hound Podcast: episode eight – Andrew Hoy’s Olympic memories | Pre-purchase vettings | News round-up

Carol Phillips — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 05:32:07 +0000

Welcome to the eighth weekly episode of The Horse & Hound Podcast, in which we chat to seven-time Olympian Andrew Hoy about his Olympic memories, his special horses and his current rides that he is aiming for Tokyo; our news team talk about steps being taken to reinstate championship show, the return of spectators and new initiatives to help businesses; and vet Ricky Farr MRCVS explains all you need to know about pre-purchase vettings.

Episode eight of The Horse & Hound Podcast, our exciting new audio service available exclusively every Thursday morning for our H&H Plus subscribers, is now live. We would love to hear your feedback on this week’s episode, so please do send your thoughts to pippa.roome@futurenet.com

In an exciting development, we have decided, for a limited time, to make each episode available for all H&H fans to listen to 24hrs after its early release to our H&H Plus members. Search for “The Horse & Hound Podcast” in your prefered podcast app and click subscribe to be notified about each new episode. This will allow more listeners to make The Horse & Hound Podcast an essential part of their week on Friday morning.

In episode eight, seven-time Olympian Andrew Hoy shares his special Olympic memories with our podcast host H&H’s magazine editor Pippa Roome. Andrew looks back at some of the very special partnerships he’s built with horses along the way, which cross-country ride he would describe as his very best and why he’s excited about the horses he will be aiming at Tokyo next year.

“For my Pony Club horse to take me to an alternative Olympics, the Olympic Games, win Burghley and two World Championships – I was very, very privileged” – Andrew Hoy

Pippa is joined by news editor Eleanor Jones and senior news writer Lucy Elder to chat about this week’s top stories including work being done to reinstate championship shows, the racing industry’s pilot for the return of crowds to sporting eventing, pointing’s plans for a return ‘behind closed car doors’ if needed, and new measures from the Government to help support businesses.

“Everyone is just really, really grateful to Show Direct, Hartpury and British Dressage that the Winter Championships and Area Festival Finals are going to happen at all” – Lucy Elder

We also hear from equine vet Ricky Farr MRCVS of Farr & Pursey Equine, who this week is talking about what’s involved in a pre-purchase vetting and why vets are under intense pressure during the process.

“It’s one of the most stressful things we do as vets – there is pressure from the client, who is buying the horse, and pressure from the vendor, who’s selling it. Everyone wants that horse to pass – we want the horse to ‘pass’ or be suitable for purpose too. Vets aren’t in the business of making sure horses don’t, but there will always be something if you look hard enough.” – Ricky Farr, MRCVS

We hope you will enjoy it.

H&H Plus podcast: episode eight

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What did you think of this week’s podcast? Let us know by emailing pippa.roome@futurenet.com

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NEW We can’t wait to see: Australian eventer Vassily De Lassos H&H Plus

Pippa Roome — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 14:00:15 +0000

We miss watching our favourite horses during the Covid-19 lockdown, so we’re finding out more about some of the equine stars we can’t wait to see once competition returns. To kick off, Pippa Roome profiles this consistent Australian team eventer

Vassily De Lassos

Age: 11

Breeding: Jaguar Mail x Jalienny X

Owners: David and Paula Evans

Rider: Andrew Hoy

Breeder: Jerome Berges, Jean-Louis Beth and Sonia Eyraud

Greatest achievements: eighth Blenheim eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S 2017; fourth Tattersalls CCI4*-L 2018; fourth Aachen CCIO4*-L 2018; fourth Tryon World Equestrian Games 2018; fifth Luhmühlen CCI4*-S 2019; fifth Aachen CCIO4*-S 2019; second Strzegom CCI4*-L 2019 (all class names updated to current format).

Rider Andrew Hoy

“When I tried Vassily in France when he was with Tom Carlile, he didn’t give me an exceptional feeling, but I liked his results sheet so much I decided to get him vetted. Now that I have spent time working with him, he gives me more of a wow feeling and I smile inwardly every time I sit on him.

“Vassily is exceptional at finishing on his dressage score, so if we can get his first phase stronger, he’ll be further up the line. He’s never going to trot like Totilas, but there’s definitely a big improvement in his way of going as we work with Gareth Hughes and Ton de Ridder.

“At the World Equestrian Games in 2018, not many people knew Vassily because I hadn’t competed him much in the UK.

“When he ran round the cross-country so comfortably early on, people thought the course was absolutely fine. But some later combinations found challenges that his round didn’t show.”

Andrew Hoy’s head competition groom Katie Dutton

“Vassily is just a lovely horse. He’s not picky, he’s kind to deal with and just a very happy horse. He loves attention at a competition, whether that’s me sitting by his stable eating breakfast or taking him out hand walking or for grass, his favourite activity.

“He’s very much at home when he has my undivided attention and knows you are there for his needs, but he also likes to have his own space if he’s having a rest.

“I get very nervous at a competition, particularly if a horse is in a nice position going into the showjumping. You just want them to go out there and pull off a good result. But Vassily is Mr Consistent and makes me proud every time I take him somewhere.”

Owner Paula Evans

“I met Andrew when I did a Wobbleberry Challenge clinic at his yard in 2017. My horse bucked and I fell off and shattered my collarbone. It wasn’t Andrew’s fault, but he and his wife Steffi were so nice it was unreal, sending flowers and phoning afterwards.

“My husband David and I wanted to get into owning an event horse and Andrew already had Vassily on his radar. There was quite a difference between his price and our budget, but while we were on holiday, we phoned Andrew to say we’d buy him outright.

“Vassily makes cross-country look so easy; he was born to do it. At Aachen 2018, I was in tears when he finished. I’m so proud of the combination, of the horse looking after Andrew and the emotion runs away with you. I can’t explain it, it’s like seeing your own baby for the first time.”

Ref Horse & Hound; 23 April 2020

Five-star winner dies: ‘A hyperactive little horse, who loved to run and jump’

Pippa Roome — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 10:04:06 +0000

Master Monarch, who won Kentucky in 2006 and was a world team bronze medallist with Andrew Hoy, has died, aged 29.

“‘Ben’ gave us enormous pleasure and owed us nothing,” said horse’s owner, Tom Attwood. “For the last five years he has lived two miles from home, where he was very well looked after and cuddled. In his late 20s he was known to jump the local Pony Club jumps with my daughter and cart off my wife at will.”

Master Monarch first came to prominence when ridden by Brook Staples, with whom he contested the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Although he tied up after the journey and so was not on his best form, he finished 16th individually there.

Andrew Hoy took on the ride on Master Monarch in 2003 and the pair achieved an extraordinary run of good results, with some 20 top-12 placings at three- and four-star level (now four- and five-star). As well as their Kentucky 2006 win, they won three-stars at Marbach and Fontainebleau and finished third at Burghley (2007) and Badminton (2005).

In his later years, Master Monarch gave experience to young rider Georgie Strang, with whom he finished ninth in the under-25s at Bramham in 2010.

Andrew told H&H he remembered the Kentucky win as his particular highlight with Master Monarch: “Dressage was not his strongest phase, so it was important for me just to try and produce a very accurate test, for it to be as even as it could throughout and in good balance.

“He was an exceptional horse cross-country. I had to be careful how I rode him, giving him good distances into fences as he was not a big horse and needed really good speed so he didn’t have to make a huge effort.

“Going into showjumping we were sixth or seventh, but we were the last ones to jump a clear round. The leader had three fences in hand, but I ended up winning. It was a very special moment.”

Andrew returned to Britain and rode Moonfleet to win Badminton the week after Kentucky.

“It was an exceptional period in my career,” he said.

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Andrew remembered Master Monarch as a “very hyperactive little horse”.

He said: “He always wanted to do things very quickly and you had to try to milk every movement for the best possible mark in the dressage, so that was what we worked on the most, to try to find the best formula.

“He loved to run and jump. At five-star, you had to be very precise in your take-off speed and the correct rhythm, as if you got those things wrong he wasn’t able to do it – there wasn’t much margin for error, but if you got it right, he was exceptional. He was a very quick-thinking horse and wonderful to work with.”

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London 2012 Olympic partnership to reunite for one-off competition

Lucy Elder — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 17:44:37 +0000

Andrew Hoy will be reunited with his London 2012 Olympic ride Rutherglen for a one-off competition.

The pair are among the entries at the inaugural LiftMaster eventers’ grand prix at Bruce’s Field in South Carolina on 1-2 March.

The 16-year-old gelding is enjoying life as a schoolmaster for US teenager Isabel Finemore, who won the CCI* (now CCI2*-L) championship for juniors and young riders at Virginia Horse Trials in November.

Andrew was full of praise for Isabel’s riding and care of the veteran star.

“I was out there in January and she is doing an absolutely fantastic job,” he told H&H.

“It is really nice as she rides him in exactly the same bridle I had him in, just a normal snaffle, and when I first saw him it was as if he was still in my own stable.

“I rode him and it was as if I had schooled him the day before — it is brilliant that this young girl is able to ride him as she is and is doing an excellent job.”

He also paid credit to the horse, who he competed at numerous CCI4*s (now CCI5*s), and said Rutherglen has “fitted into this new role perfectly”.

The competition, which is recognised by US Equestrian, will run at advanced, with dressage and showjumping taking place on the first day. The 2,000m cross-country phase will feature 20 jumping efforts, including a water complex and banks, and will be designed by Captain Mark Phillips.

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“It is going to be good,” said Andrew. “I don’t want to change him from where he is because his partnership with Isabel is great and I don’t want to go in and disrupt that at all.

“It will be a bit of fun for me and for Isabel, who is going to be there, and I hope she gets some joy out of watching him.”

Also on the entries list is William Fox-Pitt, Clayton Fredericks, Liz Halliday-Sharp, Lauren Kieffer and Will Coleman.

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

Secrets of success: 8 things you didn’t know about Olympic gold medallist Andrew Hoy

Pippa Roome — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 07:24:55 +0000

Andrew Hoy recently finished fourth individually at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Tryon, riding Vassily De Lassos. The event marked 40 years since his championship debut at the 1978 World Championships in Kentucky and Andrew is aiming for his eighth Olympics at Tokyo 2020.

We caught up with Andrew to find out a few things you didn’t know about this 59-year-old star and some secrets of his success and you can read the full interview with him in this week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine, out today (11 October)…

1. He is conscious of his horses’ weight. Andrew says Vassily De Lassos went into WEG 20kg lighter than he wanted him to be, having lost weight due to the travel involved in the final few weeks of his build-up. He didn’t ride the horse on the day he came out of quarantine at Tryon, conscious that he didn’t want him to tie up, but also that he didn’t want him to lose more weight.

2. Andrew doesn’t believe in humanising the horses. He says: “People say, ‘Well, the horses really know you, you’ve got such good experience, they know what you do.’ But I say, ‘There’s not a horse in my stable that knows what I’ve done with my life so that’s why I don’t humanise them — there’s no horse that reads Horse & Hound or goes on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook. They only ever treat me the way I treat them.’ I think that’s something that a lot of the lower level riders try to do — humanise their horses, thinking we’ve got a wonderful relationship. We have, but it’s a professional relationship, it’s not a spiritual relationship.”

3. Andrew says Vassily is at his best at the big events — and so is his rider. He says: “The bigger the event, the more calm I am. I’m just focused on that one horse and that one event, and not going to a one-day event where you’ve got four rides and you’re trying to do so much and think of each horse individually.”

4. And he really, really enjoys those major competitions: “I get so much joy and thrill from riding around something like WEG or Aachen, where there are beautifully built fences and the ground is good. I just want to be somewhere where it brings the best out of the horses.”

5. He has some smart young horses coming along behind Vassily. Basmati, another nine-year-old, was 11th at Millstreet CCI3* in August. Others to watch out for include a pair of seven-year-old mares — Byebye Brisquenouille and Bloom Des Hauts Crets — and a seven-year-old gelding called Brigant, as well as a five-year-old named Flipper De Ravelle.

6. Andrew has had some of his greatest rides going early in the competition, so he wasn’t fazed when he was told he was the pathfinder for the Aussie team at WEG. For example, at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Andrew was the pathfinder for the Australian team which won gold and in the individual event — a separate competition at that time — he went second on Swizzle In and ended up taking silver.

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7. Andrew trains for cross-country with Mark Phillips, who is an old friend from the days when he was based at Gatcombe. “Good coaches are psychologists — they have the ability to say the right thing at the right time,” says Andrew. “On Friday evening at WEG, we were walking up the hill on the cross-country and Mark was in a golf buggy going as fast as he can in the opposite direction. I called out to him and stop him and I was just talking through the course. He just made one comment to me and it just actually stuck. He said, ‘Don’t do the Andrew Hoy where you see an absolutely flyer at a fence. If you get deep to the fences, that horse will jump all day, but if you have him away from the fences, it might come unstuck.’”

8. Andrew’s wife Stefanie used to event — she was based at the German national centre at Warendorf while she was at university. She doesn’t have much time to ride now as she runs her own communications company and the couple have a one-year-old daughter, Philippa, but she is aiming to get back into it and ride five times a week this winter.

Read our full interview with Andrew Hoy in today’s issue of H&H, dated 11 October.

Badminton winners head experienced Australian eventing squad for WEG

Lucy Elder — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 11:08:40 +0000

Sam Griffiths and his 2014 Badminton-winning super-mare Paulank Brockagh have been selected for their third back-to-back championship squad.

Sam and the 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse, who he co-owns with Steve and Dinah Posford and Jules Carter, won individual bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Equestrian Australia revealed its five-strong contingent for the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon (13 to 16 September).

Joining Sam on the squad is Chris Burton, riding Kate Walls’ Cooley Lands, with whom he won the 2017 Blenheim CIC3* for eight- and nine-year-olds.

Andrew Hoy will make his 12th senior championship appearance riding the nine-year-old Vassily De Lassos, who he co-owns with Paula and David Evans.

Bill Levett is named with the Irish Sport Horse gelding Lassban Diamond Lift, owned by Elisabeth Murdoch, who also co-owns British squad member Tina Cook’s ride Billy The Red.

Completing the squad is Shane Rose and Virgil, who has won seven international events during his career, including five CIC3*s.

The 13-year-old gelding, owned by Michelle Hasibar and Shane, has been campaigned in both hemispheres. He won Blair Castle’ Event Rider Masters leg last year, adding another three-star victory to his list of achievements at Camden in New South Wales in April.

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The three reserves are Emma McNab on Fernhill Tabasco, Robert Palm with Koko Story and Amanda Ross riding Koko Popping Candy.

“Congratulations to the five eventing combinations announced today going forward to WEG in Tryon in September,” said chef d’equipe Stuart Tinney.

“As a team we are looking forward to the challenge of the competition ahead, and to hopefully achieving our qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.”

The Aussie squad now head to a training camp at Hartpury in Gloucestershire before they fly out to the States.

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

Top names contest huge prize fund at new horse trials but entries lower than expected

Pippa Roome — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 06:04:16 +0000

Top names will line up to compete in the showcase horse trials at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight next week, but only 53 horses will start compared to the 80 which could have been accommodated.

The London Capital & Finance Osborne Horse Trials will host three open intermediate sections. Two classes of 15 horses, the Warrior Bowl and the Albert Bowl, will take place on Wednesday 25 July and one section of 23, the Victoria Bowl, will run on Thursday 26 July.

Horses have generally been allocated to classes depending on their British Eventing points, but this has not been strictly adhered to in some cases as riders’ availability also had to be taken into account.

Top British riders who will attend include Oliver Townend, Alex Bragg, Emily King, Izzy Taylor, Matt Heath, Nana Dalton and Holly Woodhead. Also riding will be Olympians Ludwig Svennerstal (Sweden), Austin O’Connor (Ireland), Andrew Hoy and Sam Griffiths (Australia).

The leading horses entered in the Victoria Bowl include Happy Times (third at both Badminton and Burghley with Sam Griffiths), Cillnabradden Evo (former British open champion with Oliver Townend), Black Tie II (Oliver’s 2014 World Equestrian Games ride) and Zagreb (recent winner of the Event Rider Masters at Jardy with Alex Bragg).

The event is the first affiliated horse trials to be run on the Isle of Wight and is designed as a showcase to take the sport to new audiences. The event is supported by British Eventing (BE) under the banner of a “special event” but is not fully affiliated because the competition will have a more condensed, spectator-friendly format.

A prize fund of more than £60,000 is on offer and it was originally planned to run four sections of 20 starters each. The entry fee is £840 per horse, which includes transport for horses to and from the Isle of Wight, entry, stabling, bedding and some hospitality for owner, groom and rider — organisers BEDE Events have taken inspiration from showjumping’s Global Champions Tour in bundling all the payments into a single fee.

Georgie Dickinson, daughter of organiser Stuart Buntine, said on his behalf: “We had a distinct limit on what we could run here for the first year. We have got some great names entered and for us it is all about showcasing the sport to a new audience, which is the whole reason we are running this event.

“I am sure once people have been in year one they will understand the amazing hospitality on offer and see the reason for the shortened format and want to come and compete here in years to come.”

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Full report from Osborne in H&H magazine on 2 August.

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

Andrew Hoy reveals his WEG prospect — an ‘extraordinary’ rascal, who made him think outside the box

Jennifer Donald — Sun, 01 Jul 2018 11:25:56 +0000

“What makes him so special? From 2015 to 2018 at FEI level he’s only had one rail down — and that was back in 2015,” says triple Olympic gold medallist Andrew Hoy.

The Australian eventer is talking about the enviable track record of his “extraordinary” nine-year-old Vassily De Lassos, whom Andrew has pinpointed as his WEG prospect for the championships in USA later this year.

“His dressage is improving all the time. He can run and jump — he’s just a very, very special horse,” he adds.

But it hasn’t all been plain sailing for this talented prospect, as he certainly comes with his quirks.

Andrew eventually took the ride 12 months ago from British-born Frenchman Thomas Carlile but was forced to “think outside the box” when all the gelding’s foibles were revealed.

“I’d been told about him about 15 months before we got him,” says Andrew of the French-bred Anglo-Arab by Jaguar Mail. “Tom told me what he’d done performance-wise but he said he needs a pony [companion] in the stable and to travel with, and he’s a weaver — I thought, I don’t need that!

“But I tried him and I thought he was just OK — I still wasn’t sure. But I kept going back and looking at his result sheet and I thought, if he’s got all these problems and yet he’s got all these good results, maybe I need to think outside the box here.”

When Vassily De Lassos arrived at Andrew’s Leicestershire stables they tried to accommodate the gelding’s quirks and put their miniature Shetland pony in with him.

“We stopped that pretty soon as he went for the little Shetland!” says Andrew, who co-owns the chestnut with Paula and David Evans. “He was absolutely fine, but that was the end of that and actually he settled down fine.

“Tom had a lot of horses on his yard — about 28 — and I’ve got a maximum of 15, some of which are just very young, so I think he preferred it.”

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Since the gelding’s arrival, he and Andrew have had two CCI3* starts, most recently taking fourth at Tattersalls in May, and they finished eighth in the eight- and nine-year-old class at Blenheim last year. The next stop on the road to WEG is the CICO3* at Aachen — “If the Australian team allow me”.

“I’ve got a new generation of horses coming through, who are just exceptional — I’m really fortunate to have great owners and super horses right now,” says 59-year-old Andrew, new father to daughter Philippa with wife Stefanie.

“I might be getting old, but I’m enjoying it as much as ever. Philippa has certainly given me a new lease of life.”

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

Olympic eventing multi-medallist wins class at Bolesworth CSI4*

Polly Bryan — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 12:10:29 +0000

Triple Olympic gold medallist Andrew Hoy cruised to victory in last night’s eventing grand prix at the Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show (15 June).

Riding his experienced three-star gelding Cheeky Calimbo, Andrew teamed up with showjumper Beth Vernon and Annbalou for the relay-style pairs competition. Despite only meeting for the first time in the warm-up arena after having been drawn as partners, the duo came home clear in the fastest time to take the title.

“It’s the first class I’ve ever won at a CSI competition!” laughed Andrew. “I had a great partner in Beth — when I met her out in the warm-up arena she said, ‘So, we’re going to win this’.”

Thirteen pairs took part in the competition, which involved the showjumper tackling a course in Bolesworth’s International Arena, before handing over to the eventer who jumped a series of cross-country fences out in the grounds of Bolesworth Castle, before returning to the arena to finish with a showjumping round and a joker fence. Three seconds were added for any rail down, but Andrew and Beth left all the fences standing to finish just ahead of Jamie Wingrove (Ephonie P) and Chris Burton (Polystar).

“Our plan was just to go fast,” Andrew revealed. “I got Beth to talk me through the course she was going to ride, and she did a great job. The cross-country came up very quickly; it was a really good size and a sensible course.

“From an eventing perspective it was difficult having the showjumping phase at the end of cross-country, and a lot of the other rounds showed that with lots of rails down.”

Beth admitted she hadn’t quite realized how decorated her partner actually was.

“I hadn’t realised he had won so many gold medals,” she said.

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“Some of the early eventers were making the course look hard, but I was watching Andrew’s round on the screen and thinking he was going so fast.”

Sadly the ride of Ivy Freemann-Attwood, Sligo Luckyvalier, had to be put down after a fall during the cross-country phase of the competition. Eventer Ivy, 19, who had teamed up with her sister Lily for the class, was unhurt.

Don’t miss our full report from Bolesworth in next week’s issue of Horse & Hound, out on 21 June.

Top eventer jumps clear despite loose dog at his heels

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 11:11:10 +0000

Andrew Hoy has praised the attitude of his ride Vassily De Lassos, who ignored a loose dog chasing him to showjump clear at Gatcombe on Saturday (24 March).

The clearly unflappable nine-year-old finished third in the advanced intermediate section, his first start of this season, adding only 6.4 cross-country time-faults to his dressage score.

Andrew told H&H the dog accompanied him for most of his showjumping round.

“As I jumped fence four, I heard a lady calling out to a dog, I think it was called Jasper,” he said.

“I heard her and thought there was only one thing she could be calling for – and then I heard the dog barking.”

The small terrier-type dog stayed at Vassily’s heels as he took on the rest of the course.

A photo posted by on

“I thought I’d just have to continue and stay focused, and [Vassily] was really focused,” Andrew said.

“But the dog was focused on him. It was right on his heels and the further we got round, the closer it got; I was thinking ‘I hope it doesn’t bite him’.

“The last line was a treble that a lot of people were having down and as I was coming to it, the dog was right with me. I couldn’t go any quicker as I had to have him balanced so I just tried to ride him in a really forward manner, and keep him focused, but he was doing that himself.”

After his round, Andrew, who also won the section on Cheeky Calimbo, thought he would carry on towards the sound of the owner’s voice, in order to return her dog.

“She stopped calling but I identified her; she was the one standing very anxiously by the side of the arena!” he said.

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“I didn’t say anything and she said ‘I’m so sorry’ but I said it wasn’t a problem. It was very fortunate as the ground was quite holding and the horses had to be really focused and trying hard. But he’s the most wonderful jumping horse and wasn’t fussed by anything; I’m lucky to have him.

“It was interesting for me to have that extra challenge, and that he coped with it. I’ve got enormous respect for him, that’s for sure; if he can cope with that, he can probably cope with anything! It was a great result.”

Andrew plans to take Vassily, with whom he finished eighth in the eight- and nine-year-olds’ CIC3* at Blenheim last year, to a CIC3* in Poland over Badminton weekend, to be followed by a CCI3* the following weekend, then “all being well”, he will aim for Luhmühlen, for either the three- or the four-star there.

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

From four-star to schoolmaster: Olympic eventer enjoys new career

Lucy Elder — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 14:03:35 +0000

Andrew Hoy’s four-star campaigner Rutherglen is enjoying his new career as a schoolmaster.

The German-bred gelding competed at 10 CCI4*s, finished 13th individually at London 2012 and has numerous top-10 placings at three-star.

The pair competed together at four of the world’s six four-star events, Kentucky, Luhmühlen, Badminton and Burghley.

Among their top results were a win at Le Pin au Haras CIC3* in 2015, sixth at Luhmühlen CCI4* in 2012 and third at Blair Castle CCI3* in 2011.

They also posted one of the best dressage marks in British Eventing (BE) history at a pre-Burghley run at Keysoe in 2016, where the pair posted a remarkable score of eight penalties (92%). Their test sheet featured six 10s.

Their last event together was the Millstreet CIC3* in August 2017, where they finished third.

Andrew, who bought Rutherglen as a four-year-old, explained he put “a lot of thought” into the horse’s step down from top-level competition.

“He has not only been a sporting partner, he has been — and will always be — a friend,” said Andrew.

“He was the first horse for our little daughter Philippa to sit on — because I trust him, impeccably, always.

“When I made the decision that at 15 years of age the time has come for him to take life a little slower, after so many years at the top level, I gave it a lot of thought.

“Selling him has never been an option – he is a member of the family.

“Retiring him to the field – he would just be bored.

“He has always been the ‘king of the castle’ and he still wants to be.”

Andrew added one of his students, Isabel Finemore, was looking for a schoolmaster for the transition for ponies to horses.

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“It seemed like a good idea in ‘theory’ – but how would our little ‘Formula 1 machine’ take to being a schoolmaster?” added Andrew.

“The answer is — like a fish to water. Isabel and Rutherglen have been getting on ‘like a match made in heaven’ and I have been delighted to see in our daily work how much he is supporting her, but at the same time requiring very correct riding and instructions.

“Isabel is one of the most talented young girls I have worked with, but also one of the most polite, most determined and most kind, so I am delighted to know Rutherglen in ‘safe hands’ with her and her family.

“I will continue to support their journey, alongside her home coach Barbara Selmayr, and I am looking forward to a very exciting time ahead.”

Isabel and Rutherglen had their first run together at Lincolnshire Horse Trials in the BE100open on 16 March.

They jumped a double clear to finish sixth, on their dressage mark of 31.8.

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‘I had the privilege of meeting Hannah’: legendary eventer becomes Wobbleberries patron

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Andrew said it was emotional to watch him in his new job.

“I was overwhelmed to see how much he enjoyed himself and how considerate and supportive he was towards his new pilot,” he added.

“Rutherglen and I have had the most wonderful partnership.

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“I bought him as a four-year-old in Germany and we have had a very special time together, with the biggest highlight surely being the 2012 London Olympic Games.

“Rutherglen, at just nine years of age, was one of the youngest horses at the Games and the youngest horse in the Australian team — for him to finish with the best result of any Australian combination in all three Olympic disciplines dressage, jumping and eventing was a fabulous result.”

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

‘I had the privilege of meeting Hannah’: legendary eventer becomes Wobbleberries patron

Rachael Turner — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 15:55:05 +0000

Andrew Hoy with Wobbleberry Sam Elms (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Olympic event rider Andrew Hoy has been named patron of the Wobbleberry Challenge.

The challenge supports Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony Charity, which was set up by the late Hannah Francis.

It is aimed at people aged over 25 who would like to step up to British Eventing and want to be involved in supporting the charity.

“Andrew was the obvious choice,” said Sam Elms, one of the founders of the challenge.

“He has been an active supporter of the Wobbleberry Challenge since the very beginning and is one of the nicest, most generous athletes you could ever wish to meet

“I remember asking on Twitter whether there were any professional eventers who would support the challenge and Andrew replied very quickly saying he wanted to help and he has been true to his word, helping out whenever and wherever he can.”

In March Andrew hosted a flatwork and jumping clinic for the Wobbleberries and also provided lunch and a tour of his stables.

By raffling places and rewarding Wobbleberries who raised the most sponsorship, the clinic raised over £10,000 and a date has been set for this to be repeated in 2018.

“My first contact with Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony Charity was at the Tattersalls event in May 2016, when I had the privilege of meeting Hannah,” said Andrew.

“She gave a very touching speech at an owners’ and riders’ dinner and we all were very emotional about the strength and courage of this wonderful young lady.

“On that day, I knew I wanted to do something to support the charity.

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“When I heard the Wobbleberries were looking for support, I felt it was the right time to ‘get active’ and support the charity in memory of Hannah.”

Wobbleberries co-founder Sally Barr added: “Andrew was the first rider to wear the new ‘Wobbling for Willberry’ armband as he rode around Blenheim carrying his Willberry Wonder Pony ‘Hoyberry’ on his back.

“He has also very generously agreed to front a series of training videos for Wobbleberries for 2017/18. He was the perfect choice for patron, he takes it very seriously and we can’t thank him enough.”

Feathers, capes and tassels: 14 fashion moments from the Burghley trot-up

Pippa Roome — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 17:41:50 +0000

We pick out the most stunning, outlandish and unusual looks from the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials first horse inspection. Which is your favourite?

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Sophie braved the cold when she matched a short skirt with her hat and her Chelsea Coat from Holland Cooper.

Georgie sported a stylish coat (the City Chelsea Coat from Holland Cooper) and white jeans.

What A Catch's white socks set off Libby's cape (Tweed and Fur Cape by Holland Cooper), white jeans and long boots, which are The Amira style, from Fairfax & Favor.

Piggy joined the cape trend, but hers was of a lighter material than most.

Andrew wore a matching orange hat, tie and loafers.

Sarah showed off the first hat on the runway and it was beautifully matched to her jacket, which carried metallic buttons.

Most riders opted for trousers today, but Emma sported a dress — does it have snaffle bits on it? We think so…

Toddy's chinos and blazer caught the eye of the judges of the Hiho Silver Jewellery fashion prize — and he took the men's award. His shoes are The Mayfair by Fairfax & Favor.

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The Irish pair also pleased the fashion police and Clare took the Hiho Silver Jewellery women's outfit prize.

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Red and black tassels on her boots were the highlight of Lynn's outfit.

Willa trotted up in an unusual green velvet jacket.

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Oliver Townend takes third at Jardy ERM for Britain: ‘My horse exceeded all expectations’

Pippa Roome — Sun, 16 Jul 2017 14:34:32 +0000

Oliver Townend took to the podium in the Event Rider Masters at Jardy this afternoon (16 July), finishing third with Angela Hislop’s Cooley Master Class.

The pair moved up from 10th after dressage with a rare clear showjumping in the time this morning and also stayed fault free this afternoon on the cross-country.

“He’s exceeded expectations all this weekend — we knew he’d be ring rusty as he’s come here with little preparation and it’s his first cross-country in four months, but he was very good,” said Oliver.

Oliver said the ERM series is “the biggest step forward in eventing ever”, adding that it changed his life for the better winning the series last year.

Oliver Townend and Cooley Master Class take third in the ERM at Jardy. Picture by Benjamin Clark/Event Rider Masters (Image credit: BENJAMIN CLARK)

The class winner was Germany’s double Olympic champion Michael Jung, riding the relatively inexperienced nine-year-old Star Connection. After fifth place in the dressage and a showjumping clear, he could afford his seven seconds over the cross-country optimum.

“Sometimes he needed help and I changed my plan in a few places, but he answered every question,” said Michael.

The home side’s Karim Florent Laghouag took second on the stallion Entebbe De Hus, who had one down this morning but was clear in the time across country.

Gemma Tattersall finished fourth with Chris Stone’s Chico Bella P, whose two time-faults across country cost her the win.

The time proved surprisingly achievable on Pierre Michelet’s cross-country course and 13 riders beat the clock.

By contrast, the time was an extremely influential factor in the morning’s showjumping session and only three riders managed clears inside the optimum — France’s Donatien Schauly (Pivoine Des Touches, seventh), Oliver and Michael. Three other competitors from the 39 starters came home inside the 68-second target, but these all had at least one pole down.

Dressage leader Bettina Hoy had five time-faults with Seigneur Medicott and took the front rail off the oxer over the water tray at fence 10, dropping to seventh before cross-country. She pulled back up to fifth with 0.8 of a cross-country time-fault.

Andrew Hoy, second overnight, incurred five faults for knocking the first part of the treble at fence six and a single second over the time, which resulted in him slipping to sixth. He and Cheeky Calimbo then had a run-out at the final combination across-country, a double of angled brushes on two strides, after three strides downhill from a spread fence.

Continued below…

More eventing news:

Jonty Evans ‘overwhelmed’ as fans donate £63k in first 24 hours

Popular horse trials at risk from major dual carriageway plans

Bettina Hoy leads Jardy Event Rider Masters dressage; three Brits in top 10

For Britain, Sarah Cohen (Treason) and Gemma Tattersall (Chico Bella P) both had two time-faults showjumping, but jumped clear — Gemma rose from sixth to third and Sarah from 16th to 11th in this phase. Sarah finished ninth, adding useful points on the ERM series leaderboard after her win at Wiesbaden.

Will Furlong lost his top-10 place at this stage with Livingstone as they faulted at the planks at fence five and the spread at fence 10, as well as incurring two time-penalties. Will jumped clear across country, with 17.2 time-faults.

Full report of Jardy’s Event Rider Masters in H&H this Thursday (issue dated 20 July).

Bettina Hoy leads Jardy Event Rider Masters dressage; three Brits in top 10

Pippa Roome — Sat, 15 Jul 2017 16:42:29 +0000

Germany’s Bettina Hoy leads after the dressage at the first leg of the Event Rider Masters (ERM) to be held in France, taking place at Haras de Jardy.

Bettina and Seigneur Medicott are on a remarkable streak, having won four three-star competitions in a row and they are looking to make it five this weekend.

“He felt quite lively in the warm-up and reacted to the applause for the competitor before, but he’s so reliable in the arena and always gives 150%,” said Bettina, whose score of 31.4 was not quite enough to set a new ERM dressage record as Tom Carlile and Upsilon scored 30.8 last weekend at Barbury.

Bettina herself scored 26.3 at Luhmühlen with Gerd-Hermann Horst’s 11-year-old, but said she agreed with the judges that her test here was not quite as good.

Bettina’s ex-husband, Australia’s Andrew Hoy, holds second on 34.4 with his own and Christiane Classen’s Cheeky Calimbo.

“We’ve been together since one-star and had some interesting moments, but he’s very secure now,” said Andrew.

Andrew Hoy and Cheeky Calimbo claim second in the dressage phase in the Jardy leg of the 2017 ERM series. Picture by Benjamin Clark/Event Rider Masters (Image credit: Benjamin Clark)

The crowd had the opportunity to contribute their thoughts on the judging through the spectator judging app, and perhaps unsurprisingly placed the home side’s Thibaut Vallette first. He actually finished the day in third with his Rio team gold medallist and European double bronze medallist Qing Du Briot ENE HN.

Replay the dressage

The high-quality of the field at this leg of the ERM — the high prize money series which started last year in Britain and has extended into Europe this season — was reflected in the fact 10 riders scored in the 30s. These included three Brits.

Gemma Tattersall holds sixth on Chico Bella P, who belongs to ERM chief executive Chris Stone.

“She’s a lovely horse to ride and moves beautifully — the highlights were her extended trot and canter,” said Gemma.

Will Furlong, who is in his first year in seniors after a successful under-21 career, holds seventh on his former young rider European champion Livingstone.

“This is a personal best at the level and to break the 40-barrier is fantastic,” said Will, whose mark was 38.6.

One mistake in the extended canter dropped Oliver Townend’s final marks down with Cooley Master Class and he sits 10th with 39.1.

Britain’s fourth rider, Sarah Cohen, also had an error in this movement when Wiesbaden ERM winner Treason changed legs, which was disappointing and left her 16th after the first phase.

“I didn’t quite have him where I wanted him coming in and then I must have shifted my weight or something in the extended canter as it’s not like him to make that mistake — we usually hope to get eight or nine for that movement,” she said.

Continued below…

More eventing news:

Jonty Evans ‘overwhelmed’ as fans donate £63k in first 24 hours

Event Rider Masters records broken at Barbury

Another rider to be disappointed was Alex Hua Tian, the winner of last year’s Bramham leg of the ERM. Don Geniro, who was also in the top 10 at the Olympics, was not on his side today.

“I’m pretty mad, pretty cross and very disappointed,” he admitted. “He’s 10 years old now and and has been to enough shows — going in there and dropping me is not on.”

Tomorrow riders will tackle the showjumping and then the cross-country course, designed by Pierre Michelet, which is expected to be influential.

Does the bullfinch have a place in eventing today? Badminton riders debate

Pippa Roome — Thu, 04 May 2017 17:06:05 +0000

Australian rider Andrew Hoy said today at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials that bullfinches — fences with soft brush which horses have to push through on top of the main jumpable obstacle — have no place in the modern sport of eventing.

His remarks were prompted by the fact Eric Winter has included a bullfinch out of water in his first cross-country course for the competition. The fence is number 22, named the Wadworth Lakeside.

“I don’t know that I’ve jumped a bullfinch since 2000,” said Andrew. “No horse currently competing has ever jumped a bullfinch. My feeling is it’s a very big question.

“I don’t think it’s right that horses are taught to push through fences, as they do at a bullfinch. Horses today jump fences cleanly and brushes are strong, so horses can’t push through them without getting a scratch.”

Fellow Australian Shane Rose said: “I think it’s a bit of an old-fashioned fence. The sport has changed a lot and the horse we’re trying to get is not an old-fashioned barging-through-bullfinch type of horse.”

Badminton final scores

Tina Cook and Andrew Nicholson both said they don’t have a problem with bullfinches, but that today’s lower-level courses don’t prepare horses for such a test.

“I can’t remember when I last jumped a bullfinch and then you get one at four-star,” said Tina. “If we’re looking at health and safety, and horses being confident, we should see smaller versions [throughout a horse’s career].

“I’m not criticising Eric — he’s been ballsy in what he’s put out there. But my concern is that horses need to be given opportunities to meet every variety of fence in a smaller form so that they know clearly what to do.”

Andrew Nicholson added: “The fence is fine, the only thing I’ve got against it is that a lot of horses will never have seen a bullfinch. That’s not Eric’s fault, it’s the way the sport has gone. Now it’s turning round again and these horses haven’t done it. But I think it’ll jump fine.”

Irishman Austin O’Connor said he didn’t foresee the fence causing problems.

“If you’re going well up to the bullfinch you won’t be that worried about it,” he said. “I’m old enough to have seen enough bullfinches before they were banished and I can’t see it causing much trouble.”

More Badminton news…

‘The biggest Badminton I’ve ever seen’: riders’ first reaction to the cross-country course

Would you jump these? Walk the 2017 Badminton cross-country course

New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell said that the fence should jump fine as the brush is “pretty soft”.

Don’t miss this week’s H&H (on sale tomorrow, Thursday 4 May), including a 16-page Badminton pull-out with full form guide, dressage test, judge’s analysis, course map and more.

Green shoes, no shoes, over-knee boots… Badminton trot-up fashion in pictures

Pippa Roome — Wed, 03 May 2017 21:58:05 +0000

As always, the first trot-up at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials provided a catwalk for riders to express their individual style — or show off their sponsors' kit. Check out some of the looks below…

Andrew wore a matching green tie and shoes — the rumour is his footwear is handmade in different colours for each event…

Hannah Sue and Harbour Pilot at the trot-up at Badminton this year. Picture by Peter Nixon

The London 2012 British team silver medallist sported a green leather jacket and matching two-tone shoes

Emily Gilruth and Topwood Beau at the trot-up

British rider Nicky looked stylish in a military-style jacket and long boots

Irish rider Camilla was rocking the bling on her outfit

We love a man in uniform…

A Hicks & Brown fedora trimmed with feathers was the statement item in the Canadian rider’s outfit

The young German rocked a bow tie

Gemma wore a tweed jacket and short skirt combo, with braided hair

Badminton debutante Becky mixed her colours with a pink jacket and green trousers

The German paired up a colourful skirt and purple tights

Lissa was brave with this glamorous wedding-style outfit in the chilly weather

Will Gatcombe crown a new British Open winner?

Pippa Roome — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 09:55:32 +0000

With many top riders away at the Rio Olympics this weekend, the time is ripe for a new British open champion to be crowned at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe (5-7 August).

Only two riders who have previously taken the open title contest the class this year — Australia’s Andrew Hoy (1997 champion on Darien Powers) and New Zealand’s Blyth Tait (1998 winner on Ready Teddy). Andrew rides Cheeky Calimbo this time and Blyth pilots Bear Necessity V.

Two further riders come forward who have previously won the national title, but were beaten on that occasion by a foreign rider. They are Oliver Townend (2013 national champion on Armada) and Nicola Wilson (last year’s national winner on Beltane Queen).

Oliver pilots Cillnabradden Evo in this year’s event, a very competitive horse on his day although he will need to lay to rest the ghosts of his fall here last year with Andrew Nicholson. Nicola is entered with last year’s Boekelo winner, Bulana (pictured top at Gatcombe last year).

Other favourites for the title include Sarah Cohen (Treason), Laura Collett (Pamero 4), Izzy Taylor (Briarlands Matilda) and France’s Maxime Livio (Pica D’Or) and Tom Carlile (Upsilon). No French rider has ever won the British open, so a win from one of these two would be a landmark in Festival history.

The British open is combined with the fourth leg of the Event Rider Masters this year, so spectators on the ground will be treated to the popular rolling podium and those at home can watch the event live online.

Up-and-coming stars

The Smith & Williamson intermediate championship and Dodson & Horrell novice championship often throw up stars of the future. Previous winners include Badminton and Burghley winner Tamarillo (intermediate, 2000), Badminton champion ODT Land Vision (intermediate 2007) and world silver medallist Cool Mountain (2007, novice).

Ones to watch in the intermediate this year include two offspring of the triple four-star winner Headley Britannia, Little Britannia and Britannia’s Mail, both ridden by Lucinda Fredericks.

Gatcombe also plays host to the TopSpec Corinthian Cup novice restricted championships, limited to riders who have not completed an intermediate class in the current or preceding five years or an advanced class in the current or preceding 10 years.

Full report of Gatcombe in H&H next week, out 12 August. H&H is published on a Friday next week to allow us to report the full Olympic evening competition, which finishes on Tuesday, 9 August.

12 of this year’s hairiest moments caught on camera

Horse & Hound — Sat, 26 Dec 2015 12:05:28 +0000

Don't miss these edge-of-your seat, hair-raising moments from across the disciplines that caught us (and those pictured) by surprise this year...

Barry Geraghty adopts an unorthdox position aboard Uxizandre at Newbury. (Image credit: racingfotos.com)

Taunton Vale amateur whip Sam Matthews earns top tumble of the season with this spectacular and gymnastic effort (Image credit: Picture attached is the winning)

An infrequent sight: an unscheduled dismount for Michael Jung as he and FischerRocana FST take too close a look at Burghley’s lake (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Michael Jung suffers a wardrobe malfunction at Burghley Horse Trials with La Biosthetique-Sam FBW (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Continued below…

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

15 riders reach the point of no return

We’ve all been there — one minute you’re enjoying the ride of your life and the next you experience that

‘Yippee, we won!’ — Maikel van der Vleuten’s VDL Groep Verdi TN NOP enjoys the moment as the Dutch showjumping team celebrate gold (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

‘I reckon we should try an alternative approach here, Mum’ — Katey Cuthbertson’s Imbroglio considers the options at Barbury CIC2* (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Making a splash: Gina Ruck and Rehy Too suffer a dunking at Burghley (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Poised for landing, if on the wrong set of feet: Ellen Whitaker and Le Beau at Hickstead (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Neat, but not right: hometime for Midnight Wispa and Caroline Harris (Image credit: Stephen Sparkes/Helen Revington)

Unex Billy Dream puts the brakes on, leaving Pieter Clemens hanging (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Those pristine breeches aren’t staying like that: David McPherson bids adieu to Gloria Van Zuuthoeve at the Hickstead Derby Meeting (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Not as planned: Andrew Hoy and Rutherglen provide not quite the drama they would have hoped for the crowd at Badminton (Image credit: Hamish Mitchell)

Back to front: a surprising moment for Jess Hawkins and Franklyns Ranger in the Pony Club Championships open showjumping (Image credit: Lucy Merrell)

Why does there have to be a photographer around when that happens? A member of the South Durham field attempts to hang on to the reins — and their dignity (Image credit: Trevor Meeks)

Ben Maher velcros himself to Diva II as she gets a bit overambitious (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Call this a jump? Tim Lips and Concrex Bayro take a sideways approach to a skinny at Aachen, Germany, in August thrills and spills (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Gravity is about to get the better of Lewis Ferguson after he parts company with Merrion Square and somersaults over the last at Wincanton (Image credit: RACINGFOTOS.COM)

William Fox-Pitt and Michael Jung equal first after Burghley Horse Trials dressage VIDEO

Pippa Roome — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 16:57:24 +0000

William Fox-Pitt’s young horse Fernhill Pimms performed brilliantly today at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials for equal first place after dressage.

The 11-year-old by Ard VDL Douglas, who belongs to Carol Gee and Catherine Witt, scored 34.2 and he is sharing pole position with last night’s leaders, Germany’s Michael Jung and the Kentucky winner FischerRocana FST.

Pimms’ scores were only marred by a mistake in the first flying change; otherwise his test was spot on.

“It’s his first time doing the four-star test in a competitive arena and it’s a big step up, so you have to admire a horse who takes that challenge and handles it so well,” said William.

William Fox-Pitt and Fernhill Pimms at Burghley 2015. Picture by Peter Nixon (Image credit: Trevor Meeks)

He added that he does not necessarily expect the horse to go clear inside the time over Mark Phillips’ cross-country course tomorrow.

“It’s a big step up and I think he is ready, but you never really know until you ask the question,” he said. “I just want him to go well and show me he’s a good horse for the future.”

William said course-designer Mark Phillips “has been very brave”.

“I’ve looked at all the long routes, but don’t plan to take any at the moment,” he said. “Pimms is a brave horse and very able, but he’s green and can be cheeky. The first three fences are the only nice ones as far as I’m concerned. If a tricky fence comes early, Pimms can be exuberant and have his own opinions.”

Australians hold third and fourth. Andrew Hoy, second last night on Rutherglen, now sits in fourth, while Sam Griffiths was the best rider in the final session today to claim third with the seasoned campaigner Happy Times on 36.8.

The 16-year-old happy Times, by Heraldik, belongs to Sam, Dinah Posford and Juliet Donald.

“He’s always been very consistent, but he really pulled out all the stops today,” said Sam. “I always knew he could get that sort of mark and I’m glad he was able to do it today.”

Sam Griffiths and Happy Times at Burghley 2015. Picture by Peter Nixon (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Sam agreed with William’s assessment that the course is difficult.

“It’s one of the toughest I’ve seen for a long time,” he said.

Oliver Townend has bagged another top-six place for Britain with equal fifth on Armada, whose marks only dropped down in the walk section.

Oliver shares the spot with New Zealand’s Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy, who presented an elegant test to be best of this morning’s combinations.

The top nine scores are all in the 30s. Michael Jung’s test today was not quite what he might have hoped for with La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, although he claimed to be pleased — the horse was late behind in the first flying change and seemed reluctant to rein-back.

He is equal seventh on 39.2, while fellow German Niklas Bschorer (Tom Tom Go 3), who was third overnight, shares that score.

France’s Cedric Lyard is ninth with Cadeau Du Roi, while Rosalind Canter sits 10th on Allstar B.

Coral Keen is winning the battle of the H&H bloggers, sitting 45th on 51.7. But she had a disappointing time when Wellshead Fare Opposition was tense in the arena and she couldn’t ride for the maximum marks they are capable of scoring.

By contrast Nana Dalton was over the moon with Elite Syncopation (51st on 53.6). Simon Grieve, who rode yesterday, now holds 60th on 55.4.

Tomorrow’s cross-country starts at 11am.

Set a reminder for H&H Live for tomorrow’s cross-country

Video interviews with riders about the course

Times and scores

Full report from Burghley in next week’s H&H, out Thursday, 10 September — 17 pages of photos and analysis, including columns from Ruth Edge, Lucy Wiegersma and Mark Phillips.

Michael Jung leads Burghley Horse Trials after first day of dressage VIDEO

Pippa Roome — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 16:36:39 +0000

Michael Jung leads after the first day of dressage at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

The German superstar scored 34.2 on his parents Brigitte and Joachim Jung’s FischerRocana FST, by Ituango.

“She’s not so experienced at doing dressage on grass and when you do perform on grass, it’s not often as good as today — it was soft, but with good grip,” he said.

“That was nearly the best test we can do on grass — she was relaxed and concentrating. I was able to do everything the way we worked on it beforehand.”

Michael Jung and FischerRocana FST at Burghley 2015. Picture by Peter Nixon (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Michael makes his Burghley debut on this mare — winner of Kentucky this spring and of the individual silver medal at last year’s World Equestrian Games — and on his 2012 Olympic champion La Biosthetique-Sam FBW. Sam performs at 3.25pm tomorrow.

Australia’s Andrew Hoy sits second on his own Rutherglen, on a mark of 37.8.

Andrew Hoy and Rutherglen at Burghley 2015. Picture by Peter Nixon (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Andrew compared the standard now to when he won in 2004 on Moonfleet and put the result down to a team effort.

“Moonfleet was an elegant thoroughbred, bred to race and I had to sit still and not throw him off balance in all phases,” he said. “The competition has moved on so far from what it was just 11 years ago. The quality of dressage has moved on enormously.

“I know the test I rode today is better than what I did in 2004. Part of that is about me being focused on my riding and improving. I’ve also started working with Fairfax with their saddles and bridles and that has helped my dressage performance with all my horses.

“I also have regular help from Gareth Hughes [British dressage rider and Australian eventing dressage team trainer]. The success of any horse and rider is about the complete support team — even the groom I have now, Avril Smith, didn’t know a lot when she joined me, but she has the best attitude of any groom I’ve ever had working for me.”

Andrew said he remembered sitting in the press conference when he came to his first Burghley with Davey in 1979, aged 20, and won it — he said it was a good omen as Niklas Bschorer, who sits third now, is also 20 and making his debut.

The German scored 39.2 with his father Tristan’s Tom Tom Go 3.

“I’m very pleased with him, although there are still a few mistakes which we hope to sort out over the winter,” said Niklas, who is the youngest rider competing.

“He knows all the movements, so we have mostly been working on keeping him relaxed, his outline, paces and submission. It’s a case of getting the best out of him on the day and I think we did that today.”

Niklas Bschorer and Tom Tom Go 3 at Burghley 2015. Picture by Peter Nixon (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Rosalind Canter is best of the Brits in fourth on Caroline Moore’s Allstar B. She scored 40.2.

Three more Aussies follow — Christopher Burton is fifth on Haruzac, with Sam Griffiths (Paulank Brockagh) and Paul Tapner (Vanir Kamira) equal sixth.

The next three places are in British hands. Pippa Funnell (Redesigned) holds eighth, Jodie Amos (Wise Crack) is ninth and Geogie Spence lies 10th on Wii Limbo.

Re-live today’s action with H&H Live

Full report from Burghley in next week’s H&H, out Thursday, 10 September — 17 pages of photos and analysis, including columns from Ruth Edge, Lucy Wiegersma and Mark Phillips.

Blair Europeans: Andrew Hoy reviews Ian Stark’s cross-country course VIDEO

Carol Phillips — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 06:34:03 +0000

The cross-country course at the Longines FEI European Eventing Championships at Blair Castle has been designed by five-time Olympian and former individual European champion, Ian Stark.

Ian led Britain to a clean sweep of European championship medals in 1991, taking the individual title on Glenburnie. He was a frequent member of the British eventing team from 1984-2000, winning numerous team medals, plus individual Olympic and world silvers, as well as taking the Badminton title three times

Ian started course designing at Chatsworth where the Duchess of Devonshire and his predecessor Mike Etherington-Smith invited him to “have a go at the novice track”. Ian admits in an interview on the official Blair 2015 website that “until then, I hadn’t thought about it as a career, but I really enjoyed it and it took off from there”.

Now his course designing skills are in considerable demand and he’s responsible for courses at Bramham, Chatsworth, Floors Castle, Tattersalls in Ireland and several events in the USA.

He admits that that watching his courses being ridden “gets his heart rate going”, but says that he “loves to set riders challenges”, while dreading that a horse won’t understand the questions. “Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night and change a fence,” says Ian.

So what challenges has Ian set for the riders hoping to follow in his footsteps to become European eventing champion? We sent Olympic medallist and four-star winner Andrew Hoy up to Scotland to have a look at the course.

Andrew says: “My feeling is that this is a true championship course. There is a lot of jumping out there. It’s not just the jumping of the fences, the rider has to know their horse and have a feeling of how it’s going to work, how the horse can run up and down the hills and cope across the contours. I believe Ian has done a fantastic job.”

Read Andrew’s thoughts and ratings of every fence on the course, plus his thoughts on the challenges posed by the terrain in Horse & Hound’s European eventing championships preview issue, on sale Thursday 3 September.

Lanfranco leaves Andrew Hoy’s yard for new owners

Amy Mathieson — Sun, 31 May 2015 06:25:49 +0000

Andrew Hoy’s Lanfranco has left his yard after being sold to unnamed owners.

The 15-year-old trakehner gelding by Bulrush XX, joined his new owners’ yard earlier this week.

Andrew and Lanfranco’s last outing was at Badminton earlier this month, where they parted company at the Gatehouse New Pond after the horse ran out.

Lanfranco then bolted off across the course, but was caught unharmed.

Earlier this season the combination finished ninth in an advanced section at Weston Park and second in at Burnham Market.

“I have very much enjoyed the past 15 months of working with this very talented horse and am very proud of his development and the great performances he achieved in this period with wins and placings up to advanced level,” said Andrew.

“I am grateful for all the very kind words and support I have received from so many fellow competitors, officials and friends of our wonderful sport who have been following his developments over the last year.

“Nevertheless coming such a long way since his arrival at Somerby Stables he has not been able to completely put previous experiences behind and in showing respect to this wonderful horse we have to accept that the big international competition stages of this world are not a happy place for him.

“We are very happy to have received a lot of interest in this experienced horse.

“We wish his new owners the best of luck and hope they will enjoy their time with this wonderful horse.”

The horse was previously competed by Andrew’s ex wife Bettina, but transferred to Andrew last March following the couple’s divorce.

Bettina and Lanfranco finished third at Blenheim CCI3* in 2011 and tenth at Burghley CCI4* the following year.

Their good form continued at CIC3* level last season, but Lanfranco became very upset in the dressage at four-star, scoring 80.8 at Luhmühlen and being retired in the first phase at Burghley.

Fans were therefore interested to see how the horse went Andrew.

At the time Bettina said: “He has not always been the easiest as he has struggled with his nerves at the big occasions but I have had some fabulous rides on him.”

Badminton Horse Trials entries released: Sam Griffiths among nine previous winners included in the line-up

Pippa Roome — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 17:28:07 +0000

Sam Griffiths and Paulank Brockagh (pictured) return to the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials this year (7-10 May) to defend their title.

Eight other riders who have previously won the event are also among the entries released today, but only one, Jock Paget, is riding the horse on which he won (Clifton Promise).

The other past winners entered are Mary King (Kings Temptress), Pippa Funnell (Redesigned and Second Supreme), Andrew Hoy (Rutherglen and Lanfranco), Mark Todd (Leonidas II and Oloa), Paul Tapner (Kilronan and Indian Mill), Oliver Townend (2014 runner-up Armada) and William Fox-Pitt.

William has four horses on the list, but his first choices are Parklane Hawk and Chilli Morning, who many will consider the ante-post favourite.

Parklane Hawk is one of 10 horses entered who have previously won four-stars. The others are Kings Temptress (2011 Kentucky), Clifton Promise (Badminton 2013), Wesko (Luhmühlen 2014), Nereo (Pau 2012), Avebury (Burghley 2012, 2013 and 2014), Cool Mountain (Kentucky 2010), TS Jamaimo (Adelaide 2013) and Paulank Brockagh (Badminton 2014).

Badminton final scores

Six British first-timers have thrown their hat in the ring: Rose Carnegie (Landine), Tom Crisp (Coolys Luxury), Nana Dalton (Absolut Opposition), Matthew Heath (The Lion), Michael Jackson (Kangasong) and Ben Way (Galley Light). Ben competed in the Grassroots Championship at Badminton in 2011.

Reigning Olympic champion Michael Jung — whose plans were up in the air between Kentucky and Badminton — has not entered. But four Germans do appear on the list, headed by Pau winners Ingrid Klimke and Horseware Hale Bob.

The following horses appear on the Badminton entries list, but are more likely to compete at Kentucky: Bay My Hero (William Fox-Pitt), High Kingdom (Zara Phillips), Wesko (Tim Price), Easy Target (Francis Whittington) and Annie Clover (Nicola Wilson).

Small entry

A total of 104 horses from 12 nationalities were entered for Badminton this year, considerably fewer than the 141 who were originally in the mix last year. This is Badminton’s smallest entry for some years, perhaps because the tough cross-country set last year by new course-designer Giuseppe della Chiesa has made riders consider whether they are really ready for the test.

Fourteen horses are on the wait list. 90 horses have been accepted, but a maximum of 85 will start — the extras take into account that four riders have more than two horses accepted, but they can only start on two.

Horses are accepted into Badminton on the basis of which have won the most FEI points at three- and four-star level in the past two years, so the horses with most points are accepted and then the others are wait listed in points order.

Since this system was brought in in 2008, between 15 (in 2013) and 43 horses (in 2009) have been accepted from the wait list into the competition, so it is likely that this year all those who have entered will be able to compete. Last year 19 horses made it into the event from the wait list.

Curiously, the 2011 Kentucky winner Kings Temptress is 13th on the wait-list initially as she has been out of the competitive fray due to injury. She had her first run since the middle of 2013 at Aldon last weekend, jumping a double clear.

The wait-listed entries will replace horses which are withdrawn up until 2pm on Sunday, 3 May.

View the full list of entries here: www.badminton-horse.co.uk/2015-entries/

Keep up-to-date with all of H&H’s Badminton news here: www.horseandhound/badminton

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A fresh look for the Australian eventing team

Australian eventing team for the 2026 Aachen World Championships

Australian eventing squad reserves for Aachen 2026 World Championships

World Championship selection plays on riders’ minds in influential Luhmühlen CCI4*-S cross-country

“I’m aiming for Aachen”

Eight-time Olympian Andrew Hoy on the Luhmühlen Horse Trials CCI4*-S cross-country

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‘He feels amazing’: eight-time Olympian confirms he is aiming for World Championships with Tokyo medallist – as they hope to impress at Luhmühlen

Andrew Hoy: “He feels absolutely amazing”

Luhmühlen Horse Trials CCI4*-S leaderboard

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You’re never too old! Meet the top riders still smashing it in their 60s

Older horse riders still at the top of their game

1. Juan Antonio Jiménez Cobo, 65

2. Phillip Dutton, 60

3. Michael Whitaker, 64

4. Jill Irving, 61

5. Rolf Göran-Bengsston, 62

6. Andrew Hoy, 65

7. John Whitaker, 69

8. Mary Hanna, 69

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Andrew Hoy misses ninth Olympics as Australian eventing team named

‘Grateful for every moment’

The full Australian Olympic eventing team is as follows:

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‘A genius and a lunatic’: Andrew Hoy says farewell to top horse who was ‘a member of our family’

The pair competed across Europe in their many years together, taking in major British events including Bramham, Blenheim, Gatcombe and Blair Castle, as well as numerous top four-stars on the Continent.

“Above all of this – you were a member of our family.”

He added: “I am so grateful to Cheeky’s owner, Ms Christiane Classen, for her support through all of our highs and all of our lows – and for letting Cheeky retire with us at Somerby Stables.

“Today, we are all crying. From tomorrow on, we will be so very grateful that we have had you in our lives. Thank you, Cheeky.”

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Eye-catching ride switches from one sporting legend to another: ‘The sky is the limit’

“I can still vividly remember the day Balou arrived at my yard – it was Valentine’s Day, we had lots of snow and it was minus eight degrees,” said Andrew.

“Balou had just come out of quarantine in Australia and a summer of 40 degrees – and arrived here in the worst possible wintery conditions the UK has got on offer.”

He added that they “quickly discovered” that Balou’s “true love and true talent” was in the showjumping arena.

“He is an exceptional horse in so many ways – exceptional in his talent, exceptional in his character, exceptional in his looks,” said Andrew.

“I have loved our trips around the European showjumping tours – there is nothing that compares to the feeling of jumping a fence with him – the sky is the limit.

“The 2024 season is upon us and with it being an Olympic year I would like to direct all my focus and all my time on to my eventing horses, so it was time to work on a next chapter for Balou, together with his most wonderful owner and dear friend Barbara Keller and the Hasenacher Stud.”

Andrew, who has been a Hasenacher Stud rider since 2014, will continue his partnership with the stud’s event horses.

Michael was Andrew and Barbara’s “first choice” of rider and Balou will join the eventing Rolex Grand Slam winner’s string of showjumpers.

“Michael is an exceptional rider and horseman and we both have so much respect for him: As a rider, as a person and as a friend,” said Andrew.

“Everyone at the Hoy team will be missing seeing Balou´s cheeky little face over his stable door – but we all are excited to follow his journey and see what he and Michael can achieve together.”

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‘The most wonderful memories’: Olympic eventer pays tribute to five-star ‘pocket rocket’

Andrew said 15 November marked a “memorable date” as it was “Mr Pocket Rocket’s” birthday and the date Algebra’s retirement party was held in 2017, when he was 20.

“On his 25th birthday is where the journey ended and he passed away at John and Julia’s beautiful farm, where he had been bossing around the young horses right until the end,” he said.

Andrew added that on 15 November, he and his wife Stefanie had arranged to catch up with John and Julia, who also own Byebye Brisquenouille, an 11-year-old mare competing at two-star level with Andrew.

“It was somehow fitting that we could be there to raise a glass with them and share memories of this most amazing little horse, who has touched all our hearts and given all of us the most wonderful experiences and memories,” he said.

“Thank you Sam. You will always keep a very special place in my heart.”

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‘It just proves horses are not machines’: two stops in otherwise ‘fantastic’ Pratoni round for Olympic medallists

“It just proves horses are not machines,” Andrew said. “Vassily is an absolutely fantastic horse. He doesn’t lose any credibility, in my opinion, for what happened today; the rest of the round was absolutely fantastic, there were just two fences that weren’t and they were very costly.

“It’s all too sudden to try to analyse now as to what happened and what didn’t happen. He galloped and jumped really well, he pulled up really well and I just hope this isn’t too detrimental to the team.”

Andrew said the 13-year-old Jaguar Mail gelding was feeling as normal, and good, before his round.

“This is just a blip to a horse’s career that’s been absolutely fantastic,” he said.

As the last combination to go for the team, Tim and the 13-year-old gelding crossed the line a second inside the time to leave them on their dressage score of 26.2, which moved them from 14th place this morning to fifth at that stage.

Boyd and the American-bred 15-year-old have now contested four championships together, and Boyd said is testament to the horse’s character and soundness.

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Boyd Martin boosts USA’s chances of a medal after the eventing World Championships dressage

The US team of Boyd, Tamie Smith (Mai Baum), Will Coleman (Off The Record) and Lauren Nicholson (Vermiculus) sit in bronze medal position on a score of 76.6.

“The team standings now don’t mean anything,” said Boyd. “I’ve been on so many teams where we’ve been sitting pretty after the first day but the competition really starts after the cross country.”

“I know my job and Fletcha knows his, but still, it’s a championship and the crowd are more excited and very positive and cheering, so you can never be certain of a good score,” she said.

“I have to say I think Vassily’s trot work was the best that I’ve produced with him,” said Andrew. “I’ve been working very closely with Dolf Keller, who I worked with in early 2000s, and then the way things worked out, I moved away, but now I’m back training with him.

“Dolf is an absolute horseman and so he understands what the horse can do and I think there are a few little things just in the canter that I can improve on, so that’s good.”

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Australia heads to Pratoni with Olympic medallists aiming for more glory

The full squad, plus reserves, from which the Australian team and individual will be selected for the 2022 World Eventing Championships are as follows:

Shenae Lowings with 12-year-old gelding Bold VentureOwner: riderGroom: Olivia Barton

Kevin has also been selected with direct reserve ride, 15-year-old gelding WillungaOwners: Samia Murgian and Emma McNabGroom: Lucy Hartley

Hazel Shannon with 17-year-old gelding Willingapark CliffordOwner: Terry SnowGroom: Bronte Buttel

Reserves:

Sammi Birch with 12-year-old gelding Finduss PFBOwner: Parkfield BreedingGroom: Helen Tagg

Sam Lyle with 12-year-old gelding BF ValourOwner: Charlotte MavrisGroom: Natalya Bretherton

Jessica Rae with 14-year-old mare Fifth AvenueOwner: riderGroom: Laura Munt

Shane Rose with 10-year-old mare Easy TurnOwners: Angela Shacklady and Niki RoseGroom: Jamie Atkinson

Andrew Hoy, who is on this year’s squad with his Tokyo individual bronze and team silver medal-winning ride Vassily De Lassos, was part of the Australian team that won bronze in 1986 with Just James, and Master Monarch in 2006, where Australia again collected team bronze.

This will be a first senior championship for Hazel Shannon and Shenae Lowings.

H&H exclusive Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course taster photos