Latest from Horse & Hound in London-horse-show

Rising equine stars to join glittering dressage line-up in London

Eleanor Jones — Sun, 13 Sep 2026 11:20:00 +0000

The chance to watch “the next generation of grand prix prospects” completes a “bumper year for dressage” at the 2026 London International Horse Show (16-21 December).

As well as the FEI dressage World Cup leg, this year’s event will feature new national classes, which will “showcase the rising talent of seven-year-old and nine- to 11-year-old dressage stars”.

The programme for the Thursday and Friday of the show will feature the World Cup grand prix and freestyle, the new classes, dressage sessions in the live zone and the Richard Davison masterclass.

“Further strengthening the show’s commitment to developing future champions, 2026 welcomes the introduction of new national classes in collaboration with British Dressage,” a London International spokesperson said.

“Designed to showcase the next generation of grand prix prospects, the classes will provide a prestigious platform for talented young horses to compete in front of an international audience. Spectators will have the opportunity to witness emerging equine stars perform at a pivotal stage in their careers, offering a fascinating glimpse into the future of top-level sport.”

The four national classes, one on each day for each age group, “promise to be a fascinating insight into up-and-coming talent in the dressage world and will provide the audience with another thrilling competition to enjoy during their visit”.

The World Cup competition starts on the Thursday with the grand prix, followed by the freestyle on the Friday

Show director Simon Brooks-Ward said: “As our British dressage riders continue to go from strength to strength on the world stage it is natural that we would grow the sport on offer at London, where we have a long history of top-flight competition.

“We are particularly excited about the Rising Talent competitions and giving our audiences the chance to see the equine stars of the future. The FEI Dressage World Cup qualifier, the highest level dressage competition in the UK, is always a huge show highlight and we are delighted that so many of the world's top riders choose to compete at London each year.”

The Richard Davison masterclass returns on the Thursday, “giving fans an unparalleled opportunity to gain insight into the training and development of elite dressage horses”.

London International Horse Show dressage classes

Thursday

National dressage seven-year-old horse competition

National dressage grand prix horses of the future

Dressage masterclass

The FEI dressage World Cup grand prix

Friday

National dressage seven-year-old horse competition

National dressage grand prix horses of the future

The FEI dressage World Cup grand prix freestyle

‘It’s about time!’ British world gold medallists in new arena eventing class at London International

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:29:57 +0000

Members of Britain’s world gold medal-winning team are among those who will take on a new arena eventing challenge at the London International Horse Show this year.

Ros Canter, Gemma Stevens and Tom McEwen have already been confirmed as competitors in the London International eventing challenge, which will be the highlight of the Friday evening performance (18 December).

“The challenge will bring together the speed, skill and excitement of eventing in an action-packed format designed especially for the unique indoor setting of London’s Excel venue,” a spokesperson for the show said. “The class has been developed in partnership with British Eventing, and will showcase one of equestrian sport’s most popular disciplines, while providing a spectacular platform for some of the sport’s leading riders and horses.”

The track, which will be at about three-star level, will comprise a mixture of coloured show jumps and cross-country obstacles, “creating a high-octane challenge that tests speed, accuracy and horsemanship in equal measure”.

The show has worked with British eventing performance manager Dickie Waygood and FEI level three course-designer Adrian Ditcham on the class, which will run in the main arena and part of the collecting ring.

Arena eventing at London International: “It’s about time!”

Announcing the new competition on her Talk Horse podcast, class ambassador Pippa Funnell said: “It’s about time!

“It’s brilliant as we’ll be bringing the eventing element to London International. I know we have great stars already signed up to it, including Ros, Gemma and Tom. I think it will be really, really exciting.”

More details on the format and entries will be confirmed in the run-up to the event.

Show director Simon Brooks-Ward said: “We are always looking for new ways to showcase the very best of equestrian sport to our audiences, and arena eventing is a fantastic addition to the programme.

“Bringing together the excitement of cross-country and showjumping in an indoor arena creates a truly engaging spectacle for spectators, whether they are long-time eventing fans or experiencing the discipline for the first time. We are delighted to be working with British Eventing and leading figures within the sport to make this happen.”

To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news in the run-up to and throughout the London International Horse Show, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

H&H’s guide to 2026 London International tickets, plus exclusive discount code

georgia.guerin@futurenet.com (Georgia Guerin) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:06:41 +0000

Tickets are now on sale for London International Horse Show. An absolute highlight of the festive season, London International is synonymous with Christmas for equestrians.

Whether you’re heading to London’s Excel for the showjumping, showing, dressage or even just the shopping, here’s everything you need to know about the ticket options before you book.

London International Horse Show tickets

The show will run from Thursday 17 December to Monday 21 December 2026 and there are a range of tickets available across the week.

General entry

These tickets are the cheapest option and give you access to the shopping village and the free standing area for The New Horizons Plastics Arena. You also have the option upgrade to unreserved seating access for the morning session in the The New Horizons Plastics Arena.

Entry from 8am. Prices are the same for each day of the show.

Show entry: From £36.20

Unreserved seat and show entry: From £40.95

View tickets at londoninternationalhorseshow.seetickets.com

Grandstand tickets

These tickets give you all-day access to the show, shopping village and Talk Horse Live Zone, unreserved seating in the New Horizons Plastics London Arena and a reserved seat in the International Arena during your chosen session.

Ticket prices vary throughout the week, depending on which session you attend and where you sit. There are four standard pricing tiers, plus two hospitality options and a limited view option.

Ticket prices (from cheapest full view) and session highlights are as follows:

Thursday afternoon: FEI Dressage World Cup grand prix (From £40)

Thursday evening: Puissance (From £73.95)

Friday afternoon: FEI Dressage World Cup freestyle (From £64.70)

Friday evening: Showjumping (From £64.70)

Saturday afternoon: Showjumping inc. Six Bar (From £73.25)

Saturday evening: Extreme Driving Challenge and showjumping (From £64.70)

Sunday afternoon: FEI Jumping World Cup (From £82.75)

Sunday evening: FEI Driving World Cup and showjumping (From £40)

Monday extended afternoon: FEI Driving World Cup and showjumping (From £64.70)

View ticket and seating options at londoninternationalhorseshow.seetickets.com

There’s nothing more exciting than London International at Christmas. (Image credit: Elli Birch/Boots And Hooves)

Season tickets

Season tickets for access and a reserved seat on all five days are available for £852.95.

Meet and greet tickets

To manage high demand, the incredibly popular meet and greets at the Live Zone will be ticketed this year. Tickets will be free of charge and can be booked here by anyone with a general admission ticket. The line-up will be announced later in the year.

London International Horse Show discount code

We have an exclusive H&H discount (HHLIHS26) that gives you 25% on 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier tickets for the following performances. Follow the links and enter the code at checkout – valid from 1 May 2026.

Group bookings can also receive a 25% discount – find more information and register interest at londoninternationalhorseshow.seetickets.com

London International hospitality tickets

Premium seats

Phoenix Club seats are a prime VIP seating option within the International Arena. You can order drinks to your seat via QR code or book a table in the Club Restaurant to enjoy behind-the scenes action.

View options at londonhorseshow.com

Private boxes

This is where world-class sport meets luxury and style. Entertain guests in an private box and enjoy buffet or waiter‑served dining, a champagne reception or an indulgent festive afternoon tea.

Private boxes give excellent elevated views of the international area, as well as access to VIP entrances and exclusive areas for their guests. Dining and drinks options can be tailored to each package, making it the perfect way to entertain clients, colleagues, family or friends.

View options at londonhorseshow.com

About London International Horse Show

The London International Horse Show feels quite settled into its new home at the Excel London in the Royal Docks area of Newham, East London, where it has been held since 2021.

London International signals the start of the festival period for equestrians and is the only UK show to host all three FEI World Cup qualifiers in dressage, showjumping and driving. It takes place from 17–21 December this year.

As well as the show’s traditional favourites, such as the Shetland Pony Grand National and the Christmas finale, the show also features top-class action from across the disciplines, including The London International Showing Series, supported by Horse & Hound.

There are also an array of shops located in the retail village and plenty of food and drink outlets for you to choose from.

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

New series with £1,000 top prize to reward consistent combinations

Bethan Simons — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 09:58:09 +0000

The British Show Pony Society (BSPS) and Marnie-Grange Stud have announced a new series to reward consistent combinations, sponsored by Alan Marnie.

New for 2026, the BSPS Marnie-Grange Stud leading pony of the year awards will allow combinations to make consistency count by accumulating points in their relevant sections over designated shows holding qualifying classes for the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) – including the final – and London International (LIHS) within an agreed timeframe throughout the season. Prizes of £50, £30 and £20 will be awarded in each class, and rosettes to sixth place.

Members will upload results after each show on a league table, providing an opportunity to monitor progress and position. The champion will receive £1,000, the reserve champion £750, third reserve £500, fourth £300, fifth £150 and finally sixth place will receive £100.

Between October and December, members will also be able to vote for their favourite leading pony from the top six in each championship, for a members’ award to be presented at the BSPS AGM.

The sponsorship announcement coincides with the launch of an equestrian partnership between Alan Marnie and respected horseman and decorated showman Jerome Harforth.

Alan Marnie said: “Supporting the sport is about more than visibility — it’s about backing the organisations and people who ensure a strong future. The BSPS plays a vital role within our industry, and Marnie-Grange reflects our belief in British breeding and the importance of investing for the long term.”

BSPS chairman Paul Cook added: “We are very grateful to the Marnie-Grange Stud in supporting this new initiative, with fabulous prizes. This new competition will reward the rider/pony combinations who achieve consistent results across a range of qualifying classes, culminating in fantastic championships, which will showcase the best ponies in each section.”

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

From STARS to HOYS: 13 show ring opportunities for amateurs in 2026

Bethan Simons — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 09:36:22 +0000

It can be difficult to stay motivated when riding before or after work means tacking up in darkness and your gateways are ankle-deep in mud, so to get you off the sofa and into the saddle, I’ve rounded up the amateur showing classes, championships and finals you can try this year.

Spring shows will soon be kicking off and with a summer season just around the corner, there are plenty of opportunities for amateurs to qualify for prestigious shows. Just remember, before you enter a show, you must make sure that you consult the rules on amateur status, as there are variations between societies.

Amateur showing opportunities 2026

Thistledown Alice is Search For A Star ridden champion at Your Horse Live. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

1. SEIB Search For A Star

SEIB’s Search for a Star (SFAS) series is a brilliant stepping stone between grassroots and affiliated competition for both in-hand and ridden competitors. To be eligible to compete at their series of qualifiers and their finals, you have to fit their strict amateur criteria.

If you’re lucky enough to win, then half their championships are hosted at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), and the other half hosted at Your Horse Live. As well as their own shows, the SFAS series has its own team of judges who are all super-experienced in the ring, and will offer showing tips and advice on how to make the best of your exhibit.

For more information, visit seib.co.uk

2. Show Teams And Rising Stars (STARS)

Offering an all-singing, all-dancing glitzy experience, STARS is a favourite on the grassroots and Riding Club showing enthusiast’s calendar. Quite literally thousands of Riding Club members attempt qualification for the November finals held at Aintree Equestrian Centre each year.

For your chance to compete, you’ll need to be a member of one of 60 affiliated riding clubs, and collect points at the relevant shows. As well as competing individually, members can accumulate points for their club’s team, too.

For more information, visit starschampionships.co.uk

3. The Showing Register’s amateur-only HOYS tickets

The Showing Register (TSR) offers unique tickets to HOYS. You can bag a ticket by winning an amateur-only HOYS qualifier at their summer show, or sign up for their amateur league for the chance to make consistency count. Competitors in the league earn points through the season, with winners from each division gaining a golden ticket.

For more information, visit theshowingregister.co.uk

Glenkeeran Dance In The Deep, champion hunter type at the TSR Amateur of the Year Championships. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

4. TSR Amateur of the Year Championships

TSR’s Amateur of the Year championships, run for the first time in 2025 at Stoneleigh Park, was a resounding success and is set to run again in late November this year. There you’ll find festive fun in abundance, and a HOYS-esque experience for home-produced amateurs only.

For more information, visit theshowingregister.co.uk

5. BSPS Pretty Polly

The British Show Pony Society’s (BSPS) Pretty Polly classes are for home-produced pony exhibitors and are an enduring favourite. The finals are held at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS), so they offer a second class for those competing at open level, as well as a chance for younger and less experienced combinations to compete alongside – rather than against – showing greats at one of our most iconic showgrounds.

For more information, visit bsps.com

6. UK P&H Amateur M&M final

Mountain and moorland exhibitors are lucky, because as well as the mixed-breed Pretty Polly final, they also have an amateur final hosted by the UK Ponies & Horses to contend at Hickstead.

For more information, visit ukponies.uk

7. BSHA Amateurs

Similarly, horse exhibitors have a range of amateur classes hosted at the RIHS, and governed by the British Show Horse Association (BSHA). Horses in these classes can be produced, offering riders whose circumstances mean they cannot keep a horse ticking-over themselves to compete against fellow amateurs.

There are, however, prizes for the highest placed home-produced combinations in each of these classes, and new for 2026 is a home-produced championship, where all of the highest placed home-produced horses will be pitted against each other.

For more information, visit bsha.online

Greenvale Don Legend tops the 2025 Rising Star hack and riding horse final (Image credit: creditUnknown)

8. BSHA Rising Star

Want strictly home-produced horse classes but still want to ride at one of the show season’s biggest events? Look to the BSHA’s range of Rising Star classes at the London International Horse Show (LIHS).

There are a range of classes for different types of horses, including working show horse classes, and Style and Performance classes that are judged entirely on performance with no conformation aspect, hopefully enticing owners of all types over 148cm. One benefit for those dipping a toe in showing for the first time is that there is no requirement for your horse to be ridden by a ride judge.

For more information, visit bsha.online

9. RoR Amateur Ridden Show Series

The Jockey Club’s Retraining of Racehorses have the RoR Amateur Ridden Show Series that culminates in a fabulous championship at the iconic Hickstead Derby Meeting in June. The top three from each qualifier go forwards to the final.

For more information, visit ror.org.uk

Grace Speak rides Mountain Gale to the oldest equine award and sixth place in the SSADL final at London International (Image credit: creditUnknown)

10. SSADL finals

If you’re home produced and have a veteran horse or pony, then look at the Senior Showing and Dressage Ltd’s offering. They run finals at both the RIHS and LIHS. Qualifiers are held at their championships and affiliated shows including Royal Windsor Horse Show.

For more information, visit seniorshowinganddressage.co.uk.

11. New VHS championship

The Veteran Horse Society (VHS) have announced that they have a brand new final hosted at HOYS. This newest championship for our treasured veteran horses is open to amateurs only.

For more information, visit veteran-horse-society.co.uk

12. BSPA home-produced championship

For coloured horses and ponies, there is a special championship for the highest placed home-produced exhibit in each of the British Skewbald and Piebald Association (BSPA) classes at the RIHS.

For more information, visit bspaonline.com

13. Your society championships

From the National Pony Society (NPS) to the Coloured Horse And Pony Society (CHAPS) and the Sport Horse Breeding GB (SHB (GB)), your society will play host to a plethora of amateur-only classes and finals at their shows and championships. Usually there are some you’ll need to qualify for beforehand, while others you can enter on the day.

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

Let’s make it a 2026 resolution to help at least one person get into the show ring, says H&H’s Bethan Simons

Bethan Simons — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 10:32:58 +0000

H&H’s showing editor Bethan Simons reflects on the showing classes at London and suggests a New Year’s resolution that everyone can get on board with

Though we’re toeing the starting line of a brand-new season it’s just a blink since the end of the last, London International, which was once again a festive triumph. For starters, watching younger competitors meeting Santa was heart-warming.

The British Show Horse Association’s (BSHA) rising stars series and Senior Showing and Dressage Ltd (SSADL) championships at London completed a trio of amateur-only home-produced finals in a month, alongside the Showing Teams And Rising Stars (STARS) championships and the new The Showing Register (TSR) Amateur of the Year.

All three held a joyous atmosphere. Competitors felt genuinely happy to be competing on stages with all the bright lights and ceremony that befit the graft, time and cash they put into their prep – regardless of their final placing. Some seasoned competitors would do well to channel this energy when they are standing further down the line than they’d wish at open finals.

The standard in London’s performance classes was outstanding; I particularly loved the two-minute bell that signalled time over in horse ranks, as it focused shows. Some shows in the pony ranks were a tad long.

Interviewing winners of the rising stars classes, several professed not to have purchased their mount for showing but rather had fallen into it. Some had qualified by dipping a toe at their local agricultural shows and, now hooked, they’re looking to further their ambitions. It’s safe to say then, the series is working as a stepping stone into affiliated showing.

Similarly, many grassroots showing enthusiasts found themselves competing at their first major fixture in the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) performance classes. I wonder if the “performance” label makes entering less daunting? There’s safety in knowing training will get you far, with reduced pressures on dress or etiquette.

There were fewer new faces at the top of the BSPS lines. I see why longer-term show riders who wouldn’t usually have a class in London are being drawn to its all-singing, all-dancing Christmassy allure. But I wonder whether we’ll lose some new members drawn to the BSPS to contend these classes, disillusioned with the prospect of “not a look in” against seasoned players or even professionals?

Hopefully, the festive magic at London will keep them coming – and I hope the BSHA maintain their strictly amateur and home-produced criteria. I know some professionals will argue there is no need for more amateur finals, but more on that another day.

Marriott-Payne’s milestone show

Katy Marriott-Payne’s achievements in London deserve a mention. Not only is she the first rider to have won the Heritage final four times, she produced three best of breeds, three in the top seven and the top junior.

I applaud the displaying of performance marks in real time for this championship. In the end here, my top two shows finished champion and reserve, and other excellent performances were rewarded with a top-10 spot. Ponies who made mistakes weren’t placed, which is positive news for showing.

Perhaps such a system at broader qualifying and final fixtures would force some judges to consider more carefully their decisions when allocating or changing marks, not to mention make it more interesting for spectators.

Anyway, any system that augments transparency is welcomed by me so I was pleased that the BSPS’s digital marking system was a triumph in ranking performance pony contenders. It also ran glitch-free with the marks from the Heritage championship’s four judges, and seems set to take over from paper here in 2026.

Finally, there were two professionals assigned to helping rising stars finalists with last-minute questions and jitters. Brilliant! If we all make it a 2026 resolution to help at least one person get into the ring, think how much better our numbers and stronger our memberships could be by 2027.

● How can we aid transparency in showing marks? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your thoughts to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events, as well as exclusive insights from top names, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

‘Some of the best horses were, quite frankly, underwhelming early on,’ says Anna Ross reflecting on how good training can pay off

Anna Ross — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 10:32:15 +0000

Anna Ross on the dressage at London International, young horses and why good training is rarely flashy or instagram worthy

As the horse world moves through the darkest, shortest days of the year and starts to seriously question its life choices, the perfectly timed glitz and glamour of the London International (LIHS) thankfully comes along to remind us why it’s all worth it.

Glamourdale and Lottie Fry appeared to have taken their fluency, power, and movie-star quality to a new level. “Glammy” has always been special, having won the dressage World Breeding Championships for Young Horses en route to grand prix greatness. But not all grand prix horses start out like that.

By their riders’ admissions, neither Swanmore Danitina nor Jagerbomb – the rides of Sadie Smith and Becky Moody – stood out as young horses. But with three solid paces and superb training, both have become megastars, inspiring in a different but equally compelling way.

Some of the best horses I’ve worked with were, quite frankly, underwhelming early on. They did, however, turn up every day, stay sound and quietly become very good while flashier horses were busy having “a few issues”.

Young horses can be a particular danger zone for human enthusiasm. “He finds it easy,” they say, but so does a child riding a bike downhill – it doesn’t mean we remove their brakes.

All our riders in London have worked the hard yards on their way to stardom. So it’s cheering to see that the best way to have top horses is still to be a very good rider.

It was great to see riders having fun with their music and the audience admiring Susan Pape’s classical elegant ride. We don’t get to see Team Pape much over here as they run a busy stud with many top stallions in Germany so tend to compete in Europe. They’re a force for good in dressage, sticking to classical values while still producing superstar horses that can compete in today’s climate.

Critical thinking

Of course, with LIHS comes opinion. David Sheerin, who is best known for running Wellington Riding, wrote a great post about critical thinking on his social media.

In critical thinking we ask awkward questions such as what happened before, what happened after, and whether the person watching might be missing information, enquiries that tend to be unpopular with those using the “town crier” approach to make their point.

Algorithms prefer emotion to accuracy so strong opinions travel further than careful ones. And ironically those eagle-eyed dressage enthusiasts who demand feel, timing and judgement in the saddle sometimes seem to abandon all three the moment they log on.

To suggest that a single clip may not represent an entire training system is to be accused of “normalising” something abhorrent. So where does that leave us? Possibly with a radical proposal: think before you react. If that sounds dangerous, don’t worry as it probably won’t start trending.

Meanwhile – in actual yards – training continues in its usual, unremarkable way. Riders try something, it doesn’t work, they adjust. Horses have opinions. Progress is incremental. None of these benefit from commentary.

In reality, most good training looks dull. Straight lines. Transitions. Circles. Not exciting or Instagrammable. But if your horse finishes a session thinking, “Well, that was quite reasonable,” you’ve probably done it right.

Depending on who you follow online, dressage is either in mortal danger or being saved by someone with a ring light and strong opinions.

“A blessed relief”

The new year brings new rules. I’m thoroughly looking forward to the introduction of the “use of voice” element. After years of honing the art of ventriloquism, it will be a blessed relief. But it raises questions. Are we working from the Oxford Dictionary, or is there a separate, more celestial glossary?

One rider’s perfectly innocent exclamation is another person’s blasphemy. Tone, of course, is everything. A cheerful “good girl” or an under-the-breath “really?” can all sound identical on paper, yet mean entirely different things in real life.

I look forward to discovering how these nuances will be officially classified.

Still, rules are rules. And if nothing else, the collective reduction in the rider’s facial contortions alone should be considered a Christmas welfare win, and those who can lip-read might have a jolly good chuckle!

● What is your best story of a horse who’s improved with time and training – and what do you make of online dressage commentary? We’d love to hear from you at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your thoughts to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events, as well as exclusive insights from top names, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

‘The crowd carried me round the course in the grand prix,’ says John Whitaker as he reflects on London International

John Whitaker — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 10:23:10 +0000

John Whitaker discusses a tight time allowed in the World Cup and a puzzling result that didn’t sit right with him during the fantastic festive show

The London International is always a good show; it would be whatever time of year it was, but Christmas makes it the icing on the cake. It would have been impossible to recreate Olympia at the Excel but the show works, they’ve kept the atmosphere the same, you get more people watching and you’re not unloading the horses on the street. Everything is easy.

Sunday’s World Cup was a good class. It was a big course and a tight time; for the size of the course, probably a bit too tight. Having said that, it’s difficult to get it perfect, and it was a good jump-off. If the time had been longer, there could easily have been 10 or 12 in the jump-off, instead of five. It’s a tough job to get right; you judge a course-builder on how often he gets it right, and Alan Wade doesn’t often get it wrong.

I knew the time was too tight for me, so I tried to get going early, then take it a bit easy nearer the end. The first three fences felt really good, then my first mistake was that we were going fast, jumped the triple bar and I just didn’t get Equine America Unick Du Francport back enough for fence four. That was tricky, and the other tricky line was the long five strides from eight to nine, going into the corner.

It goes against the grain for me to retire, but after I had the second fence down, I pulled up Unick to save him for the grand prix.

I thought my nephew Donald Whitaker had won it with his jump-off round; that mare’s naturally quick, and he went very fast, but Max Kühner took more chances and it paid off.

That put the pressure on and my son Robert was so unlucky, he was on the time and would have won it, but for having a rail down.

The result didn’t sit right with me

One thing that was odd this week was the six-bar. Sebastian Hughes and I both retired in the fourth round and Max pulled out before it, but they put us all equal first. I thought at first it must be a mistake but made enquiries and the powers that be said it’s a new FEI rule.

If two go for it and one pulls out, yet they’re all equal and share the same money, that doesn’t seem right to me.

The foreign riders were strong all week, even though some of the big names weren’t there this year due to the calendar being so busy. Victor Bettendorf is a very fast rider naturally, but put him on a fast horse and he’s practically unbeatable!

The crowd carried me round

The time allowed was a bit more forgiving for Monday’s grand prix, which worked in my favour – we just scraped through to the jump-off!

The atmosphere and the noise when I go in the ring is unbelievable, but I felt it more than ever this week. Luckily, it doesn’t bother Unick, although he’s quite a sensitive horse, and it’s really nice to hear. It’s just a pity when it goes wrong because everyone’s rooting for you!

But it really felt like the crowd carried me round the course in the grand prix. I knew the fence we had down in the jump-off would be my bogey fence and Unick just caught the wing as he turned. But to finish fourth and best of the Brits was a great way to end the year and hopefully it carries on in 2026!

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas.

● What was your experience of this year’s London International, either in person or from watching the live streaming? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your thoughts to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events, as well as exclusive insights from top names, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

‘As mad as it looks, there’s a strategy to it’: the story behind unorthodox puissance hero Luichew, who captivated the London crowd

Jennifer Donald — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 09:16:52 +0000

Andrew Hodgins and Shanaclough Luichew may not have been names you were familiar with before this year’s London International Horse Show. But after wowing the crowds with their courageous – and at times heartstopping – attempts at jumping the big, red wall in Thursday night’s puissance, the brilliant nine-year-old chestnut Luichew is now a horse that everyone is talking about.

Andrew’s unorthodox approach of turning up short to each fence and coming to a near-halt in each corner is something we’ve rarely seen before, but it resulted in a third-placed finish behind victor Rachel Proudley, much to the delight of the crowd.

So what’s the story of this electric duo? We caught up with the Irish rider to hear the remarkable story of a “near-unrideable” young horse who found his ideal human, learnt to trust him and has been taking the showjumping world by storm ever since.

Shanaclough Luichew: from “nearly unrideable” young eventer to puissance hero – a partnership built on trust and reassurance

Now nine, Irish Sport Horse Shanaclough Luichew was bred in Ireland by Jill Twomey. He is by the great stallion Luidam, out of Cailin Leathsli, a daughter of Coolcronan Wood. The gelding was destined for an early career in eventing before Andrew took the reins.

“I was told he was too careful for eventing and I think they made the right decision,” says Andrew. “In his five-year-old year, he went showjumping and he was in a number of yards before he came to me. They all added value, but they weren’t building the partnership he needed.

“I wouldn’t say he was completely unrideable at that stage, but he just used to jam up with people and it was a real issue – he wasn’t at all straightforward and that’s largely the reason I got him. A mutual friend recommended me to the owners John and Anne Glynn and I won’t give it the fairytale finish just yet, but it’s been pretty good since! We’ve been productive every year and he’s got way more rideable.

“I made a few alterations in terms of tack when I first got him – he was just so sensitive in the mouth. But essentially it all came down to him learning to trust me, which has been hugely rewarding. He’s just a sensitive horse and once he trusts you, I think you could do anything with him. So trust was the big thing we had to work on and thankfully things got much easier.

“I know Luichew inside out now – I can preempt anything that’s going to upset him and if he does get upset I know the dos and the don’ts of how to deal with it,” continues Andrew. “But every horse has an individual personality and he is very sensitive – you just have to be kind and caring to him and reassure him that it’s all ok. Then he’s very willing. We have a great bond now and he gives me the sensation that he thinks ‘If Andrew says it’s OK, we’ll do it’.”

An almost accidental first puissance attempt

Andrew Hodgins and Shanaclough Luichew were soon stepping up the levels in the ring and he’s developed into a “hugely consistent showjumping horse in any type of class”.

“He’s happily jumping 1.35m/1.45m now and we’re hoping to move up to 1.50m next year,” says Andrew.

Their first attempt at a puissance came about almost by accident while Andrew was making entries for a county show in Ireland.

“I always knew Luichew was extremely athletic and scope wasn’t a problem and I looked to see if there were any other classes other than the grand prix at this show,” says Andrew. “I had four minutes left to enter online, I spotted the puissance with very few entered and I thought, worst case scenario, we’ll get placed and we’ll have done something different! But before I knew it, he had finished second in his first ever puissance.”

Still unsure whether that was just “a one-off, a bit of beginners’ luck”, Andrew then entered him in a puissance at Cavan, where they again finished second.

“I knew then he had all the talent,” says Andrew.

Unfortunately Andrew picked up an injury earlier this year, but in August they returned to puissance action, making their five-star debut at Dublin Horse Show where they finished equal third – again behind victors Rachel Proudley with Easy Boy De Laubry Z. But that competition was a “massive learning curve” says Andrew as the “headstrong” Luichew launched full pelt towards the triple bar and straight on to the puissance wall in Dublin’s huge turf arena.

“I was really disappointed in myself that day – I felt I could have done more,” reflects Andrew. “When you take the long approach to the fence and you have any bit of pace, Luichew takes over and tries to get there too early, so you have very little say. Fortunately he got a half decent stride to the wall, but it could have been an unpleasant sight if he’d met it long and wrong.

“After talking with a few friends of mine and getting their opinions, I changed my strategy. The deal was that if Luichew didn’t fully know where the fence was or where he was going, he couldn’t attack it from a long way back. So the idea was to start turning him up shorter, not to let him get his eye on the fence, and stopping in the corners. It just gives you a bit more chance to get the striding right. I’m sure it looks like madness to spectators but there’s a strategy to it – it’s the key to getting Luichew there in a controlled manner.

“When you meet the wall right, he’ll put in 100% effort every time. Whatever outcome we get, it’s never going to be short of effort anyway. Cavan, where he won, was the first puissance we did after that change of strategy and it felt like it really worked.

“The long rein and the style I ride in where I sit back in the saddle, that’s what feels comfortable for me. It might not be the prettiest but I like to think it’s effective.”

“Luichew is very sensitive – you just have to be kind and caring to him and reassure him that it’s all ok. Then he’s very willing,” says Andrew Hodgins, pictured at the London International. (Image credit: elli birch)

Next stop, the London International Horse Show for Andrew Hodgins and Shanaclough Luichew

After winning the puissance at Cavan earlier this year, a friend of Andrew’s suggested he might have qualified to compete in the puissance at the CSI5* show in London.

“I rang HSI and they said that actually, although that used to be the case, it wasn’t a qualifier this year,” says Andrew. “Somebody very kindly said, ‘Why don’t you make an application anyway?’ Luichew was on a break back at his owners’ farm when I got the call up on 16 November, I picked him up on the 17th and we just got going from there.

“I’ve been showjumping since I was 14 when I just fell in love with the sport and competing in London was a real childhood dream from watching the show as a kid. It never dawned on me that I’d get to go as a rider, though. To ride in the beautiful arena, with the crowd right next to you, it’s proper stadium jumping.”

Luichew had remained relaxed in the warm-up during Thursday night’s contest, but as soon as he saw the wall, the adrenaline started pumping.

“In the second round, he went to do the same thing as in Dublin and charged at the triple bar, so I circled and thought ‘OK we need to to turn up as tight as we can’,” explains Andrew.

“Puissance jumping is a difficult job for most horses and he does get aware that this isn’t a grand prix, that we’re doing a different job today. He gets pumped up by the atmosphere but trust me, when you’re approaching the fence, he’s an absolute demon – it’s such a good feeling.”

The higher Andrew and Luichew jumped, the more the crowd got behind this dazzling duo, giving their full support to these unexpected heroes on a thrilling evening in London.

“I could hear the roars for every rider that was in there – was it any different for me? I couldn’t tell you, but the reception I got in there was very impressive, people really seemed to appreciate the efforts that Luichew and I gave – as they did for everyone else in the class,” says Andrew, who ended up jumping 2.10m on the night.

Andrew Hodgins and Shanaclough Luichew after finishing third in the puissance at the London International – he’s also an exceptional Derby horse, who can turn his hand to anything. (Image credit: Elli Birch)

“I’d love the opportunity to jump at Hickstead”

Andrew assures us that Shanaclough Luichew is much calmer when it comes to jumping coloured poles.

“He’s unique in that I think he could do nearly anything – he’s extremely fast if you want him to and he’s a very good grand prix horse. He jumped his first 1.45m in Millstreet this year for just one fence down. The owner is really supportive and gives me the green light to do whatever I want,” he says. “Luichew is also proven in Derbies – I think that would actually be his best class, he’s exceptional. I did my first Derby on him last year and I was very lucky to have a win that day.”

Andrew’s ultimate goal would be to jump at Hickstead, in either the speed Derby or the Hickstead Derby itself.

“I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but a couple of goals I’ve set for myself for next year are more puissances, naturally enough, then away from that the only class I’d really love to do if they’ll give me the invite is Hickstead. I’d love the opportunity to jump there. I believe Luichew could be competitive in either the speed Derby or the Derby.

“He is such a fighter and he’s 100% committed so, with a bit of luck, I really believe he could well pull it out the bag.

“London was my first show abroad, so, having been such a positive experience, hopefully more opportunities will present themselves to me,” says Andrew Hodgins, who is married to Aoife and runs Thornhill Sport Horses from his base in Tipperary, breeding, producing and dealing showjumping horses.

“We have a lot more horses of Luichew’s standard coming to me now but hopefully we can continue to build to better things. I can’t thank everyone enough who helps me in the background – my wife, Aoife, my mum and dad who work with me every day and the owners who do so much for me; so many people pull together to make moments like this happen and I’m so grateful to all of them, as well as the brilliant Luichew.”

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Special Dartmoor claims glory as natives go head to head for 2025 London International heritage champion crown

Bethan Simons — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 16:10:59 +0000

A producer makes a new mark on the history books, and first-timers impress as natives go head to head for 2025 London International heritage champion crown.

Katy Marriott-Payne made history on the final afternoon of the London International Horse Show (LIHS) astride Felicity Thompson’s home-bred Dartmoor Salcombe Starehole Bay (Cecil) as she became the first rider to win the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) heritage championship title four times.

“I always knew he had it in him,” said Katy. “We just needed to wait for everything to be right and go his way. Although I was beginning to think, ‘What if he doesn’t do it?’ And, ‘Does it matter?’ Because he’s had such an amazing career.”

She also worried that being in the first split of shows, she had played it “too safe”.

“I worried that maybe I’d not done enough – it’s hard to know whether to keep it simple or throw in fancy moves when you’re in the first split, but he has such a correct way of going.”

Eleven-year-old Cecil has been produced by Katy since the beginning of his career, and has more than earned his nickname “Special Cecil” over the years. The pair have proven ones to watch time and again, notching up championships at Royal Windsor and Royal International (RIHS), and a win at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS). He’s also twice stood best of breed here, and finished runner-up in 2021.

Felicity, who sustained a serious accident in 2022, was there ringside, and said that after her accident, he hadn’t covered many mares, but now that she is fully recovered, “he has some lovely ladies waiting for him in the field”.

Katy had more reason to celebrate, with a further two in the line-up of the class, which was sponsored by New Horizons Plastics.

Young team member Maisie Kerry-Oates and seven-year-old Cadlanvalley Royal Bronze finished fourth and added yet more titles to their tally: best junior, and best Welsh section B, having stood champion performance pony here last term. They have also been crowned champion junior at both HOYS and Hickstead.

Cadlanvalley Royal Bronze and Maisie Kerry-Oates finished fourth, best junior and best Welsh B. (Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

Finally, Kimberly Bates – Katy’s “chief pony stealer” – finished the best of the Welsh section Ds and seventh astride Chris Phillips and Charlotte Laurens’ Garthfach Classic Addition. Kimberly and the Ynyslyns Orlando daughter executed an effortless performance to gain the best of the ride marks, with 89.

Reserve for the 2025 London International heritage champion crown

Kimberly shared the top ride mark with London debutant Harriet Lawton, who rode Ellena Thomas’ New Forest best of breed Nutschullyng River Dance to reserve champion. Interestingly, Team Thomas also took the highest performance score in this championship last year.

London debutant Harriet and “Dancer” appeared to enjoy every minute in the arena and gave a sparkling performance here, her last show with him.

“He’s been sold now,” revealed Ellena, who was also riding in the championship, “so it’s extra emotional. I had my last show on him at Royal International where we were second, and now this is Harriet’s last show. She did so much for me at the beginning of the season when I had to have time out of the saddle and she loves him so much. I couldn’t be more pleased.”

Harriet Lawton and Nutschullyng River Dance finish reserve in the 2025 heritage championship at London International. (Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

Notching their best result yet of five appearances at London were third-placed Lucy Heygates and her partner of five years, Connemara gelding Inverin Paddy. They were the best of three Connemaras in the top 10.

Chelsea White’s reigning HOYS ridden Connemara and RIHS junior large breed King Bunowen Castle Ali and Chelsea’s daughter, influencer Harlow White, 14, took home fifth. An emotional Chloe Heathcote rode her mother Tammy’s former best of breed Eastlands Dunknowe to seventh place on their final show-ring appearance together.

Also ending their stunning run on a high were winners of the Fell best of breed sash, Aimee Devane and charming Greenholme Kate. This year, the pair were reserve champions at both Royal Windsor and HOYS, after lifting Aimee’s first-ever win there.

Owned by Chantelle Bryan, the nine-year-old is by Greenholme Warrior and out of Greenholme Bethany, who was struck by lightning just three weeks after Kate was born, leaving her orphaned. Luckily, Kate was successfully fostered by a coloured cob.

Ninth place headed home to Lilly Richardson and her mother Lucy’s Welsh section A Marsh Walk On By (Archie). Lucy and Archie are no strangers to the limelight. They are former winners of the open section A and the junior small breeds at HOYS, and were champion in the workers here last year having topped the nursery stakes final.

Megan Hewitt staged a successful comeback astride her own New Forest Berrywood Wind Dancer, a seven-year-old by Portmore Downpour out of Portmore Raspberry Ripple. The pair were 10th. Megan badly broke her leg 13 weeks ago, meaning she had to sit out HOYS. Luckily, Lucy Glover stepped in to ride him, and qualified for here at their practice run, the Heritage championships.

“I can’t believe I actually managed to pull it off; it was only my third time back in the saddle since the injury and first show since August,” said Megan. “It was also my first top-10 placing at London – I’ve been best of breed several times but never the top 10. I’m lucky to have a very genuine pony that looked after me today.”

While his rider Sam Roberts has plenty of London experience under her belt, her ride was also making a first appearance. This was Bradley Helyer and Cheryl Hillman’s Welsh section C Cnwch Carwyn. The six-year-old is in his first season under saddle, but has hit the ground running, qualifying for HOYS on his first attempt. He gave Sam a cracking birthday gift by qualifying for here and standing supreme at the BSPS Heritage championships.

Also at the Excel for the first time was Dales best of breed Cleatlam Calamity Jane, owned by Christopher Joseph and Kyle McClements, who was at the reins. The upstanding mare – who has previously bred a foal – and Kyle were runners-up at HOYS earlier this autumn.

Another London debutant, Alice Sheen, made the journey from the Isle of Wight worthwhile with her own Carlung Xephyr who stood best of the Highlands. The award topped a super year for Alice and Xephyr, who also finished seventh at HOYS.

Jade Pirie rode James Pirie’s Anchor Jaffa Cake – by Waltersgay Nightingale out of Anchor Earthworm – to the Exmoor spoils. Jade and the former HOYS contender qualified at the Heritage championships.

Finally, Julian Walters and Jessica Talbot’s “yard favourite” six-year-old Shetland stallion Sharptor Democrat (Dexter) was piloted by Megan Bullen to be best of his breed. London marked the end of Dexter’s first season under saddle, in which he’s proven one to watch, winning the prestigious Picton novice final at the National Pony Society championships and qualifying for HOYS and London on his first attempts.

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‘Stewards’ enquiry!’ Richie McLernon steals AP McCoy’s crown for most stylish dismount as jockeys jump to (somewhat controversial) London win

Jennifer Donald — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 07:55:44 +0000

The curtain came down on the final evening of the London International Horse Show on Monday (22 December) with one of the most entertaining classes of the week, the Tuffa Boots Jockeys Challenge Cup in aid of The Injured Jockeys Fund.

In an action-packed half hour of thrills – and one spill – the team of five female jockeys took on their male counterparts over a showjumping course and joker fence, under the guidance of team managers William and Pippa Funnell.

London Horse Show jockeys’ challenge: Stewards enquiry!

Earning weighing room bragging rights over the Festive period were the victorious quintet of male jockeys. Team captain and champion Flat jockey Oisin Murphy led former champion jump jockey Brian Hughes, Tristan Durell, Richie McLernon and Flat jockey Jason Hart to a Frankel-esque combined winning margin of over 20 seconds.

Former champion jump jockey Brian Hughes and his very own Nick Rockett scorch home with the fastest time of the evening. (Image credit: Elli Birch)

Oisin, who has also competed nationally and internationally in the showjumping ring, unsurprisingly produced an exhibition round over the coloured poles. But it was Brian Hughes – who had jetted in from riding three placed horses at Musselburgh racecourse earlier in the day – who stole the show, scorching round faster than London Horse Show grand prix winner Tom Wachman to post the quickest time of the evening (25.69sec) having also cleared the imposing joker fence.

“I’m just glad I didn’t make a fool of my horse,” said Brian, adding that being beaten by 0.02sec by Harry Skelton last year had spurred him on to warp speed this year. “Sometimes at the racecourse the crowd aren’t cheering for you, if they’ve bet on something you’ve got beaten on, so this was great fun.”

Without the legendary Sir Anthony “AP” McCoy in action in this year’s class, Richie McLernon took it upon himself to continue the 20-time champion’s Festive tradition of falling off. When Richie’s horse refused at one obstacle, Richie slipped gracefully out the side door but, to a huge cheer, he vaulted back on (albeit at the second attempt) and kicked on over the rest of the course, even flying effortlessly over the joker.

The dreaded “EL” appeared next to his name, but it didn’t seem to matter, the lads were smashing it.

“The boys fell off, got back on and were still faster than the girls!” quipped William Funnell, last seen stomping off to the stewards’ room to lodge an official objection to his rider’s elimination.

Champion Flat jockey and part-time showjumper Oisin Murphy produces an exhibition round of jumping in The Tuffa Jockeys Challenge in aid of The Injured Jockeys Fund,. (Image credit: Elli Birch)

Team captain Oisin Murphy: “A wonderful cause and a true privilege”

The female team of jockeys were equally determined, however, with team captain Megan Nicholls leading Lilly Pinchin, Joanna Mason, Gina Andrews and Alice Stevens to a slower, but arguably more stylish team result.

There was an anxious wait however while the stewards deliberated the scores and scoured their rulebooks, eventually deciding to drop Richie’s score alongside the highest scoring rider from Megan’s team and the male jockeys were announced as first past the post to conclude another brilliant, high-octane and entertaining evening, all for a fantastic cause.

“Christmas is coming so I want to stay in Pippa’s good books, but that was too easy!” said William Funnell about his wife’s opposing team.

“It’s a wonderful cause and we’re so lucky that we’re able to take part at London Horse Show – it’s a five-star show watched by people all around the world, so it’s a true privilege,” said Oisin Murphy.

Lilly Pinchin celebrates a clear in The Tuffa Jockeys Challenge in aid of The Injured Jockeys Fund at The London International Horse Show, Excel London, London. (Image credit: Elli Birch)

“This is my fourth year competing here and I still haven’t won it yet,” said Joanna Mason. “I need to keep coming back!

“But the IJF is an amazing charity, I’ve relied on them from a broken back to broken ankles – they’ve got me back quicker than I could ever have done, so I can’t thank them enough. So anything we can do for them is just amazing.”

Debutante team captain Megan Nicholls added: “We’re not giving up! We’re going to have a team talk and a regroup, then come back for more.

“It was so much fun and it’s for such an important cause. We’ve been so lucky to have great sponsors in Tuffa this year. Everyone behind the scenes who bring the ponies and horses for us to ride, too, thanks to the crowd for getting behind us because it’s such a cool atmosphere.”

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A 50-year age range in the jump-off: young Irishman wins London grand prix and John Whitaker fourth

Pippa Roome — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 21:48:34 +0000

Tom Wachman became the youngest winner of the London Horse Show grand prix, sponsored by Turkish Airlines, when he claimed the honours at just 20 years old this evening.

“It means a lot to win this – it’s obviously an amazing show here, very prestigious, a historic show over the years. I got a personal invitation from the show, so I’m very grateful to them,” said Tom. “There’s a big team around me – I’m sitting up top but it’s more down to them than me so I’m very lucky.”

The Irishman piloted the 12-year-old Do It Easy to victory in a five-horse jump-off. Do It Easy belongs to Coolmore Showjumping; Tom is from a family steeped in the thoroughbred side of equestrianism as his grandfather is John Magnier, owner of the enormous Coolmore breeding and racing operation.

Tom said of Do It Easy: “He’s a very versatile horse. You can do a grand prix or a speed class. Any day you want him, he’s so reliable. He’s had so many good results at big shows all around and he’s been my second horse all year, behind Tabasco [De Toxandria Z], so for him to get a win like today is brilliant. He’s such a trier in the ring.”

Thirty-five went to post in this final top-level class of the London show and of the 30 who faulted, 16 had at least one of their penalties in the line comprising the imposing red Turkish Airlines treble (fence 7abc) and the blue upright with a water tray under it at fence eight, which followed the treble on four short strides. Those caught out by this line included Saturday winners Matt Sampson and Balento C.S.

Other Brits suffered a bout of first fence-itis – Ben Maher (Faltic HB), Donald Whitaker (Ulania 3) and his cousin Robert Whitaker (Gentleman VH Veldhof) all touched off the back bar before further faults.

The line starting with fence nine, a candy striped oxer over a water tray off a turn, was also influential and the show’s leading rider Victor Bettendorf (Doha De Riverland) knocked both fence nine and the red plank off a forward five strides at fence 11.

London Horse Show grand prix: how it was won

Matt Sampson’s partner Kara Chad was first into the arena and then first to go in the jump-off, clocking a neat, accurate round with Igor GPH in 33.64sec.

“I think whenever a rider opens up the start list the night before, you’re like, ‘Please don’t go first’, but anyway, I was first, and you can’t change that,” said the Canadian rider, who has recently bought a base in Sussex with Matt after “seven or eight year living out of a suitcase” all over the world.

“But I know my horse very, very well – he and I have been partnered together for three years now, and he’s just incredible. He has this crazy fighting ability. We know each other inside out, so to be honest, going first didn’t bother me too much.”

Austria’s Max Kühner was next in with Greece 5, trying to make it a double after his World Cup qualifier victory the day before. The 11-year-old Mylord Carthago HN mare has only been with Max for about three months and the pair finished behind Kara in 34.14sec.

“She’s naturally a very fast horse, but the jump-off was technical with the turns in the beginning so I didn’t want to overdo it with her – I hoped to rely a little bit on natural speed but it was a bit too slow for the win,” said Max, who explained the mare has her own way of doing things and he needs to work on her ride-ability – “she needs to learn to understand and accept my support” – as well as making compromises in his own style to suit her.

Tom was next and executed to perfection a plan made with his trainer Cian O’Connor, with two early tight turnbacks and one stride fewer than the rest down the line to the upright over a water tray (fence eight in the first round). He finished 1.05sec faster than Kara to take the lead.

John Whitaker and Equine America Unick Du Francport take fourth in the grand prix at London International. (Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

The crowd favourite came next when John Whitaker – 50 years older than Tom at 70 – cantered in. He gave it a shot and looked like he too was going to take out a stride to the water tray upright, but he had to steady for the extra seventh stride and Equine America Unick Du Francport brought it and the wing down with his hind legs for eventual fourth.

Dutch Olympian Kim Emmen rounded out the jump-off with Helix Du Seigneur, but she was obviously slower than Tom as she approached the last and then had it down to finish fifth.

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Nineteen-year-old pony retires after London International win: ‘We’ll just have fun now’

Pippa Roome — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 17:37:08 +0000

A 19-year-old pony retired from competition on the biggest stage when Millcroft Gilgamesh, ridden by Olivia Eglise, won the Pony Club London Horse Show mini-major today, a class sponsored by Green Mile Bedding.

Olivia was paired with Italian rider Lorenzo de Luca, whose ride Mangoon shied away from the snowman fence, missing it twice. But only fences down were penalised in the adult riders’ rounds, so he didn’t kibosh Olivia’s chances and the 12-year-old piloted “Mole” to the fastest performance.

Asked if the crowd made her nervous in the London Horse Show mini-major, Olivia said: “No, it makes me excited – it revs me up.”

VWH Pony Club branch member Olivia has had Mole for six years; he initially joined her as a working hunter and then turned to showjumping.

“He is cheeky. He does what he wants and if you try to change that, then he doesn’t like you,” she said. “If you give him treats, he really likes you. He loves jumping, it’s so fun.”

Mole will stay with Olivia’s family in his retirement.

“I’ll just hack him and have fun with him,” said Olivia.

Pony team-mates vie for honours

Earlier today, Sophia Rogers took the honours in the mini stakes, for 148cm ponies – by 0.3 of a second. Sophia and her mother Nicola’s Neil 55 have had a stellar year, with a second European team gold and a victory at Horse of the Year Show.

Sophia Rogers and Neil 55 win the mini stakes at London International 2025. (Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

Sophia recorded one of seven initial clears, despite an unplanned extra stride in the three-stride distance from three to four.

“I got nervous and took a pull – I can almost adjust Neil too well and he helps me out so much,” she said.

But in the jump-off Sophia left out a stride in three lines, after watching the first in, Ireland’s pony European team silver medallist Sam Widger, who ended up third on Little Smithe.

“Sam didn’t take out any strides but made it to the fences quite deep, so my trainer Jason Moore said I could do it. Neil’s very horse shy — I can’t have people cantering at me in the warm-up, because he freaks out – but I can trust him in the ring,” said Sophia, whose sister Izabella also rode Neil to a pony team bronze.

Hollie Gerken and Galaxy V, Sophia’s team-mates in two European golds, took second.

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‘Words aren’t enough to thank him’: ‘Magical’ Olympic champion who changed lives and touched hearts bows out in London to standing ovation

Eleanor Jones — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 21:22:39 +0000

A “magical” horse who changed the face of showjumping and won grands prix and medals – and touched lives – across the world has been cheered into retirement with “the send-off he deserves”.

Ben Maher officially retired Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s legendary Olympic champion Explosion W in front of a sellout crowd – waving 6,000 glow sticks – at the London International Horse Show, in a celebration of his stellar career.

“There are no words to explain him,” Ben said, on a video featuring some of the Chacco-Blue gelding’s career highlights. “He touched so many lives, in so many ways. He helped me achieve my goals and dreams.”

Ben and Explosion won European team bronze and individual silver in 2019, after which Explosion was sold to Ben, Charlotte and Pamela. He and Ben were crowned individual Olympic champions at the Tokyo Games.

Ben Maher and Explosion W take the individual gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“When we first saw videos of him, we were super impressed,” Charlotte said. “He’s got this incredible personality; he’s an incredibly magnetising horse. You witness it, feel it, and it gives you goosebumps and makes you hold your breath – he’s a magical horse.”

Pamela added: “He’s incredible. He makes you feel like ‘I know you and love you and I’ll let you be part of my life’, he’s magical and he does things no other horse can do. You watch him and think ‘Oh my goodness’ – then he’s just a goofball, just a horse.”

Ben rode 16-year-old Explosion, plaited and turned out to perfection, wearing a Christmas garland decorated with plaques commemorating his major wins, through an elves’ guard of honour into the London arena.

“Where do I start?” Ben said. “Thank you all for coming; nine or ten thousand people. That’s very fitting as Explosion has always believed everyone is there for him, and he thinks you’ve all come for him today.

“There are so many people who make it possible for a horse like this to be as successful as he has been; too many to mention, but as Pam said, that’s the magnetising effect he had. He inspired many people, all over the world. I’ve never felt that with any other horse, and it will probably never happen again for me.”

Explosion W retirement at The London International Horse Show, Excel London, London, UK. December 21st 2025 (Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

Ben thanked his father-in-law Dan Carr, as “without him, I wouldn’t have had the connection to be able to keep him”, his wife Sophie, “for always being there for me”, and groom Cormac Kenny, who looked after Explosion W for most of his career.

“Cormac, remember when he kicked you in Tokyo?” Ben said. “I said then, ‘Remember which horse we’re tacking up, he knows what he’s here to do and we’ll never tack up or ride a horse like this again’. And he proved it, he won gold.

“Finally, Pamela and Charlotte, thank you for keeping us together. Without you, none of this would have been possible.”

Ben said Explosion W won 16 CSI5* grands prix, citing how hard it is to win one, let alone so many.

“But it’s not just the grands prix and medals he’s won, it’s the family and friendship he’s created,” he said. “He’s changed our lives and the words aren’t enough to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.

“And at the end, when the lights go down, he still gets ridden every day, he goes out, he enjoys his life – although he still enjoys this more – and we give him the home life he deserves.”

Ben and Explosion (Image credit: Lucy Merrell)

Ben rode to the centre of the arena, where there was a full box of carrots, and Explosion pulled some out, shaking them by the tops and tucking in.

“Thank you all for coming,” Ben said. “It’s a very emotional day for me and a very hard speech for me to make; I’m surprised I didn’t cry. I bought glow sticks for everyone – I never thought I’d buy 6,000 glow sticks – so let’s give him the party send-off he deserves.”

Explosion was given a standing ovation for his final laps of honour, glow sticks lighting up the arena, to Coldplay’s A Sky Full of Stars.

“Thank you, Explosion,” said commentator Steven Wilde. “A horse the like of which the sport will never see again.”

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The type of round riders dream of: Britain just pipped in superb London World Cup

Eleanor Jones — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 18:28:19 +0000

“In a jump-off like that, you listen to the horse and he tells you what’s possible.”

Max Kühner became only the second Austrian to win the London International Horse Show World Cup leg, and the first since 1989, when he and the spectacular Cooley Jump The Q triumphed over Donald Whitaker and Millfield Colette in a superb jump-off.

Second of five to go, Max and the 12-year-old he owns with Remo Baleri had one of the rounds riders dream of; everything coming as and when expected, every stride where it should be, and their names in the history books.

“It was a really good feeling today; it’s one of the few days we have in our careers when we’re so happy and proud,” Max said. “In a jump-off like that, you listen to the horse and they tell you what’s possible and what’s going on, and today we had very clear communication. I could really feel him telling me what to do and asking which kind of support, and it was a very smooth and good feeling.”

The course had proved tough, testing and technical, the faults coming throughout, as is expected in a World Cup leg. There were some bogey fences; the airy verticals at nine and four, each on a related distance from an oxer, caught plenty out, as did the triple combination, which had two one-stride distances.

But time penalties also played a part; Ben Maher (Enjeu De Grisien) was among five riders for whom time wouldn’t wait, and there were others who surely would have been clear had they not pushed to cross the line within the 73 seconds allowed.

So of 37 starters, only five contested the jump-off, and first in was Donald Whitaker and his fabulous European team silver medal-winning mare, who was flying from the start, spot-on for all the turns and showing her ground-covering stride to finish in 35.52sec.

Second place. Donald Whitaker (GBR) and Millfield Colette in The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup, presented by Agria at The London International Horse Show, Excel London, London, UK. December 21st 2025 (Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

The crowd gave a huge cheer, but Max and 12-year-old Cooley Jump The Q had something to say about the situation. The little Irish-bred gelding turned a shade tighter at every ask, adjusting and accelerating to cross the line a second and a half ahead.

Next in, Cian O’Connor, who has only been riding Chatolinue PS for a couple of months, elected not to ask the big questions too soon, and settled for a stylish clear a couple of seconds slower than Donald, for third place.

Robert Whitaker and his ultra-consistent star ride Vermento came in next, setting the surface on fire as they came flying to the last line ahead of Max but agonisingly clipped the penultimate fence for fourth place. And when last-in Penelope Leprevost and Baloubet de Talma also faulted, the title was heading to Austria, and Max to the top of the western European World Cup league.

“The World Cup wasn’t really my plan for this season,” Max said. “I haven’t done many legs, but I always get some points, so maybe I’ll have to review the plan now!

“For me, today was a good jump-off. I know Donald and his horse, and I know they’re very fast. And there wasn’t really one place where I could save time, but it all came in front of me very, very fluently, and Cooley was really with me.”

Max added that he has been riding Cooley – named because his owner jumped the queue of people wanting to buy him as a three-year-old – since he was six, so they have had time to build their partnership.

“When we saw him, we said ‘Okay, we need that horse’,” he said. “It took a while till we could make it happen but we’ve known since he was six years old that he’s a big talent.

“He has a lot of blood, and it doesn’t take a lot to make him very nervous – sometimes a fly is enough – but today he was really with me, and I could use all his big potential.”

Winner. Max Kühner (AUT) and EIC Cooley Jump the Q in The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup, presented by Agria at The London International Horse Show, Excel London, London, UK. December 21st 2025 (Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

Donald said that of course he would rather have had the win, but “I’m taking second place all day”.

“The World Cup at Olympia is a class I’ve always wanted to win, so it’s devastating but at the same time, amazing and I’m over the moon to come second,” he said.

“We’ve had an unbelievable year; she’s fantastic and has given me absolutely everything. I can’t be disappointed with second because she was amazing and tried her heart out, like she always does. She just gets better and better, every round, and she’s one in a million.

“The best horse in the world, in my mind, and without doubt my horse of a lifetime.”

Cian was delighted with Karlswood Partners’ 12-year-old Diablo Blanco gelding’s third place, after just a couple of shows together.

“The lads were very good and very quick, and I just don’t know him well enough yet,” he said. “When you have a new horse, you don’t want to ask the questions and maybe shock the horse, so that was the kind of round I was hoping for, and then we can build on that.”

Course-designer Alan Wade, who will be building for the 2028 Olympics, said he always builds for the best combinations in the class.

“I thought it was a bit strange there were so many different answers to some of the tests,” he said. “I saw people adding strides in places I didn’t think they would need to, but overall, we got an hour and a half of entertainment in the first round. It was top-level, five-star scores. There was no hiding place, but there were answers to every question.”

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‘The biggest bond’: tiny megastar pair complete championship clean sweep with London win

Eleanor Jones — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 14:39:57 +0000

Anya Dewey Clarke and Jim closed their outstanding 2025 season in stellar fashion, adding the London International Horse Show 128cm crown to complete a full set of national titles.

The young rider, who turns 11 tomorrow (22 December), and the incomparable Jim brought the crowd to its feet with a display of speed and power that none of their contenders could think of touching.

The win means Anya and the 17-year-old gelding have won every major 128cm final this year; the national championships, Royal International Horse Show, Horse of the Year Show, and London titles, as well as the Pony of the Year Show championship. It is thought to be the first time one combination has won them all in one year.

“Jim is the specialest pony ever,” Anya said. “He’s won every championship this year and is the most incredible pony; literally my heart pony.”

It may have seemed as though Anya, who was last in, had a tough job to beat the cracking round of Benjamin O’Connor, son of Irish Olympian Cian, who with The Million Dollar Baby had pulled off some audacious turns to finish in 29.60sec.

But in their customary warp-speed style, the pair did just that, turning effortlessly in jaw-dropping fashion to finish over two seconds faster, bellowed all the way down their final line.

at The London International Horse Show, Excel London, London, UK. December 21st 2025 (Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

“I think it’s about his big stride; he covers the ground,” Anya said. “And I trust him with my whole heart, that he can do the turns. We’ve got the biggest bond, we’ve got each other’s backs and he tries his heart out for me every time.”

This was Anya’s first win in the London final, and mum Anna Clarke said she could hardly watch.

“I was absolutely shaking because I wanted it so much for her,” she said. “She absolutely adores that pony, he’s her best friend. I’m so proud of them both.”

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‘We never in a million years were planning to show’: mother-daughter team and their ‘happy hacker’ take London title

Bethan Simons — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 13:23:24 +0000

Family teams came up trumps in the 2025 Rising Stars working show horse championship at London International Horse Show (LIHS), taking the top two spots then the overall spoils, warding off stiff competition from the working hunter ranks.

A nine-hour trip was made well worth it for south Pembrokeshire resident Grace Gibbon, who lifted the British Show Horse Association (BSHA) 2025 Rising Stars working show horse championship with her mother Heather Gibbon’s The Granite Way (Fern).

“We bought her two years ago from friends in Ireland,” explained Grace. “She’d done a little bit of jumping and eventing, but we just bought her to share and have some fun on after Mum decided she would quite like a happy hacker that we could share around working full time – I’m a chartered surveyor and Mum’s a nurse.”

Although the family used to show when Grace was a child, showing Fern wasn’t initially on the mother-daughter team’s agenda.

“We never in a million years were planning to show – it’s been such an unexpected joy to be able to. Mum takes her to riding club every week and does some dressage with her but the showing happened by accident really. We thought we would have a go and it’s escalated from there. With me working away, we just do what we can.”

Grace and Fern have had an excellent season, finishing runner up in the Search For A Star working hunter final at Horse of the Year Show this season.

“We’re very fortunate to have these opportunities such as here to compete as true amateurs and we’re really grateful to the organisers for these opportunities.”

Looking to the future, Grace is adamant that Fern has “a home for life” with her and Heather.

“She’s a horse we’re both so lucky to have and enjoy. We’ll just carry on enjoying her for as long as we can. As long as she’s happy and healthy, we’ll keep going with her.”

Sister act reserve in the 2025 Rising Stars working show horse championship

Warwickshire-based Anne Grindal rode her sister Helen Forster’s HS Queen Bea to the reserve spot, having come second in the working show horse class.

Helen bought the Rush On M daughter as a foal, and both sisters have since bought more youngsters by the KWPN stallion.

“She has this great, ‘come on, what are we going to do next?’ attitude, which is probably what gives her that bit of sparkle in the ring,” Anne said.

Initially, Helen – who had previously competed Bea at London – had qualified her for the 2025 final, but a scheduled knee operation meant that she would be unable to ride her at the final, and asked her sister to step in.

“She’s about 10 weeks post surgery now,” said Anne. “So she’s sat back on, but could never have competed. She’s been bringing her over for me to ride once, twice or three times a week – I have my own horses and children – so it’s been dependent on what we can do.”

Although it was only Anne’s second show in over 10 years, and she was “out of my comfort zone,” Anne and eight-year-old Bea gave a polished performance.

“I keep my own horses, and have team-chased and so on with my own, but showing is Helen’s thing,” said Anne.

Although the BSHA sanctioned a swap of riders, the sisters decided it would be nice for Anne to have a go at the qualifiers too. Bea and Anne clicked, and won a qualifier their first time out together.

Not to be left out of the action entirely, Helen was able to groom for Anne in the ring.

“She was there with us,” said Anne, “which was lovely – there were even tears.”

Grace and Anne fought off competition from Mia Jarrett who won the working hunter with her own Master Pocket Rocket, and second-placed combination Kate Ward and Leopold.

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‘She is sensitive but she knows I love her’: treasured maxi mare lands London title

Bethan Simons — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 13:18:05 +0000

It was a maxi-cob one-two coup in the 2025 Rising Stars cob championship at London International Horse Show (LIHS).

Jocelyn Cleveland was visibly stunned to land the maxi cob and the 2025 Rising Stars cob championship aboard her good friend Susanna O’Reilly Hyland’s maxi mare, De Kobdashian (Elsa).

“It’s just the most incredible feeling ever,” said Jocelyn. “I just wasn’t expecting this. I was so nervous beforehand about coming to London and the whole thing, and all I wanted was for her to go in and behave. I just couldn’t have been more proud of how she did cope with it all.”

Such was Jocelyn’s shock, she couldn’t even believe it when she was initially pulled top.

“I looked around me because I thought, ‘no, they’re not calling me’. But Vicky Smith was at the side stewarding and she told me to go into line.”

Susanna bought the eight-year-old 2019 Dublin Horse Show cob champion on Christmas Eve four years ago, from Kieran Price. He had had lightly campaigned her, having brought her here from Ireland where she was shown by Jodie Moran.

“My friend Russell Ingram originally found her for us. We went to see her and Russell actually did show her the first season we had her, but conceded that he looked too big on her. We’d taken her to Lynn Russell’s for lessons, so then Lynn did a bit on her.”

During this time, Jocelyn was gelling with Elsa at home.

“We just click. She is sensitive but I trust her and I think she trusts me; she knows I love her. She’s always given me such fun so I said to Susanna I would love to have a go showing her.”

The pair have had a super run this season, finishing eighth at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS), holding their own among the professionals, and second at Edenbridge and Oxted Show. They also won two London qualifiers.

Elsa and Jocelyn have also turned a hoof to the working show horse classes: “She does love her jumping, so we’ve just been just having fun and learning together. Then maybe we will try and do the Rising Star working show horse class.”

Style and performance

Taking the reserve spot were second-placed maxi contenders Samantha Hodgson-Clarke and her own Grane Valley Mr Newark (Yogi), a striking dapple grey big-moving part-bred Percheron x Gelderlander. Samantha has owned seven-year-old Yogi since a foal, having placed a deposit on him at just four days old. The versatile and mannerly Yogi also qualified for the style and performance under-25 class with 15-year-old Madison Slattery.

Also forward for the 2025 Rising Stars cob championship were the winners and runners up in the earlier lightweight or heavyweight cob class.

Kristiane Tobin and her own Brookdale Just In Time (Justin) were undaunted by the prospect of being first to give their individual show, landing the top spot ahead of Charlotte Butler and her own Cobpuccino.

Having not shown properly for 20 years, Kristiane explained that she wanted an experienced horse she could simply take to a show and enjoy.

“I was recommended Justin through a Facebook post and after going to view him, I fell in love with him,” said Kristiane. “He came home and settled straight away as a cheeky chap – he loves Guinness and demolishes Lickits.”

Kristiane and Justin also enjoy hacking and “popping a few jumps,” but Justin’s forte is showing. “He loves to show off – he knows his job and thoroughly enjoys himself.”

The pair qualified at the Royal Welsh Spring Festival and says that although she was “a nervous wreck in the ring here, she’d “love to give Horse of the Year Show a go”.

Kristiane is quick to credit her “amazing instructor”, Marina Evans, who also trains 2025 Rising Stars hack and riding horse champions, Rosa Cartwright and Greenvale Don Legend.

“None of this would’ve been possible without her,” said Kristiane, “she hasn’t only developed out partnership but has also put up with my anxiety.”

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‘I’ve only sat on him once or twice!’ London roof lifted as crowd favourite wins with borrowed horse

Eleanor Jones — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 17:24:10 +0000

The roof of the Excel must have been tugging at its moorings as London International Horse Show crowd favourite Matt Sampson won Saturday’s ranking class – with a horse he’d barely ridden before.

Matt and HMF Equestrian’s Balento CS put in a fabulous performance in the Snowball Stakes to pip Hickstead Derby winners Robert Whitaker and Gentlemen VH Veldhof by over a second.

After Donald Whitaker and the scopey Ulania 3 were unlucky to have four faults as first to go in the jump-off, Robert and Caroline Blatchford’s 19-year-old went round in polished, professional and super-speedy style to finish on 38.46sec.

But where Robert took out a stride on the long run from the first to the second, Matt did not, which meant he could come back tighter to the National Lottery vertical; instead taking one out to the last vertical, which no one else managed to do, finishing in 37.15sec to a huge roar from the crowd.

“I wasn’t sure about that last line!” Matt said. “I tried to go a bit wider to the oxer, then use his stride to maybe take one out, which I didn’t think many horses would be able to do. And luckily, it paid off.

“London is my favourite show, it’s amazing to win here and what we all want so to do it is a great feeling, and with a new horse like this, it’s great, for his owners and the whole team.”

Winner. Matt Sampson (GBR) and Balento C.S in The CSI 5* Mistetoe Stakes at The London International Horse Show, Excel London, London, UK. December 20th 2025 (Image credit: Elli Birch)

This is Matt’s first show with the 14-year-old Balou Du Rouet stallion, usually ridden by up-and-coming young Brit Amelie Gachoud who trains with Matt and his fianceé Kara Chad, but they also notched up sixth place in Friday’s ranking class.

“I’ve just borrowed him for this show,” he said. “I’ve not really ridden him, sat on him once or twice, but another horse I was going to bring wasn’t feeling great so I said [Balento] is fit and well, would they like him to come. They said yes, and luckily it’s gone so well.”

Matt paid tribute to Balento’s big stride and his want to do the job but must also take credit for his own skill and horsemanship as this already looks like an established, trusting partnership.

“He’s just a good horse, and good horses do special things,” Matt said. “And that shows what heart they have and how much they love doing what they do, when you challenge them like that and they just grab the bit and go for it. He was loving it.”

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‘It’s still a win!’ John Whitaker shares London spoils with Seb Hughes and his 18.2hh star – in unusual fashion

Eleanor Jones — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 15:03:31 +0000

John Whitaker and Sharid shared the London International Horse Show Cavago six-bar spoils with Seb Hughes and Colorado Volo – in slightly unusual fashion.

Both combinations had cleared 1.80m in the third round in effortless style, the two horses clearing the verticals with inches to spare. But as the only two, from 17 starters, to come back for round four, both had a run-out, Seb at the third vertical and John at the second.

John and Sultan Saud’s 16-year-old six-bar specialist came second here last year and won in 2023, and John said he was feeling confident as he came in for the last round.

“The first round wasn’t bad; he was a bit fresh and strong, and the second round was average but the third round was very, very good so I was feeling quite confident!” he said.

“I rode in thinking all I had to do was get through, and it would be good if we jumped them all. Maybe I sat a bit too quiet – but it’s still a win!”

John said the Toulon gelding is not the easiest to ride.

“The six-bars suit him really well and normally he gets better and better, which he did today,” he said. “He can be a bit awkward; going fast blows his brains a bit and I did go a bit fast yesterday, so maybe that’s what made him a bit sharp today.

“He’s been a really good horse for me, he’s got a lot of ability – he just sometimes gets a bit enthusiastic!”

= Winner. Sebastian Hughes (GBR) and Colorado Volo in The CSI 5* Cavago Six Bar at The London International Horse Show, Excel London, London, UK. December 20th 2025 (Image credit: Elli Birch)

Seb has been bringing his own “Chief” to London for four years, and every time has been in the money, but this was his first win.

“This year’s been fantastic as he won in Hong Kong, tied at Horse of the Year Show and has now won here, that was my personal goal,” he said.

“This is his speciality class; usually after the first round, he relaxes more and jumps better. He loves it. And just to come here; this is one of the best shows in the world so to be able to jump here is amazing.”

Straight after his round, Seb told the crowd Chief had been a fantastic horse for him.

“I’d have liked to go again but they’re not machines, and he’s done everything I asked,” he added.

Seb has produced Chief all the way, and as the Spartacus TN gelding is 18.2hh, he has always given him the time he needs.

“He’ll be 14 next year and he feels as good as he did when he was eight,” he said.

Max Kuhner and EIC Cooley Jump the Q had made it to the fourth round but withdrew before it.

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Becky Moody and Jagerbomb unwrap brand new festive freestyle to finish second at London International

Oscar Williams — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 18:13:28 +0000

After managing to keep their new freestyle under wraps for the last couple of months, Becky Moody and Jagerbomb debuted their Christmas-themed music in the freestyle, supported by Horse & Hound, at the London International Horse Show scoring 86.41% to finish second.

As Becky and Bomb came in straight after eventual winners Lottie Fry and Glamourdale and their innovative “Glamourdale Airlines” freestyle, it was refreshing to see two riders back to back pushing the boundaries of, and prioritising, the format.

Created by Tony Hobden of Equidance, Becky’s music delivered several standout moments, not least the opening sequence, which mimicked a radio scanning through stations. Snippets of Sex Bomb – for ever associated with Jagerbomb – and Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off set the tone before the test properly began.

Once under way, the soundtrack moved decisively into classic Christmas hits, while Becky retained the same floorplan as her Beatles routine. That meant an uncompromising opening, featuring two-time changes flowing into one-time changes on a curve – a demanding start, but they breezed through it.

“We just thought, let’s do something entertaining for the crowd and bring a bit of Christmas spirit,” said Becky, who was wearing a sparkling tailcoat and hat. “I’m dressed a bit like a Christmas bauble anyway, so I thought – why not go the whole hog?

“We’ve been through it a couple of times at home – once in a howling gale with the music playing out loud so Bomb could hear it. I don’t think either of us could actually hear it though, because it was so windy, so we just had to do what we can and trust it.

“I was really trying to keep it a surprise. Only my groom, Kim Masson, and I knew about it. She’s been trying to persuade me to do it for a while, and I’ve always said, ‘No, it’s too cheesy’ – like I always am with all her suggestions. But then I thought, you know what, sod it. I think the audience here deserves it.”

Thankfully, their preparation this time ran more smoothly than ahead of the grand prix, when a lost shoe just minutes before their start threatened to derail their plans.

Buoyed by a fuller crowd, Jagerbomb seemed add another couple of inches to his already impressive frame, and the pair delivered a mistake-free test, bringing that extra bit of energy to improve on their third-place finish in the grand prix.

“Of course, I still want things to be better,” Becky said. “The passage was maybe not quite sharp enough, but it was mistake-free, and I was super proud of him.

“He’ll have a couple of weeks’ hacking over Christmas now, and then I’m aiming for the World Cup qualifier in Amsterdam, so he’ll have a bit of chill time, then build back up to that.”

Having narrowly missed out on the World Cup Final last year – she completed three qualifiers while the system rewards a rider’s four best scores – Becky plans to take the same approach again, prioritising Jagerbomb’s condition as she builds towards next summer’s World Championships in Aachen.

“I’ve already done the qualifier in Lyon, and I’ll just do three again,” Becky explained. “If we qualify for the final, we qualify. If we don’t, we don’t — and that’s fine. Aachen is the big goal for next year. If we get to go to the World Cup Final in Texas, that’s a bonus, but if not, that’s okay too.”

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Glamourdale Airlines takes off: ‘It might have been one of the best tests he’s ever done’

Oscar Williams — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 17:42:07 +0000

Lottie Fry and Glamourdale lit up the London International Horse Show to win the World Cup qualifier, supported by Horse & Hound, with a commanding 89.17%.

Crowd favourites Becky Moody and Jagerbomb were second on 86.41%, and Norway’s Isabel Freese and Total Hope were third with 81.7%.

Charlotte Dujardin and Alive And Kicking, runners-up in the grand prix, slipped to fifth (79.23%) after mistakes in the piaffe, finishing behind Susan Pape and Harmony’s Giulilanta in fourth (79.81%).

Riding to their new Glamourdale Airlines freestyle, Lottie and Glamourdale delivered a performance that felt every inch the programme’s true arrival.

Although it was first seen at the European Dressage Championships this summer, spooks that night – caused by the volume being ramped up – meant this was the first time the hugely original routine was shown as intended: in front of a home crowd, under the lights, and with the atmosphere freestyle dressage deserves.

Built around a playful aviation theme, the floorplan featured music ranging from Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra to We’re Going to Ibiza by the Vengaboys, alongside airport-style announcements voiced by Lottie herself at the start and finish — a detail that delighted the packed arena.

“It was unreal,” Lottie said after her test. “It all came together at the right time. The music was perfect today.

“That feeling when the music started, when the crowd were giggling at my music, it was hilarious. I loved it in there. We had such a great ride. I think it might have been one of the best tests he’s ever done.”

She added: “That’s how it should have been at the Europeans! But never mind, I’m just glad we could deliver like that today in London.

“The support from the crowd here is amazing, and Glamourdale really rises to that.”

Presence and power

Some stallions fade later in their careers as stud duties begin to compete with top-level sport, but Glamourdale – who is 15 next year – silenced any suggestion of decline, entering the arena brimming with presence and power.

He had underlined that point in the grand prix the night before, which he won decisively, and he reinforced it in the freestyle. The piaffe, an occasional weak spot over the past couple of seasons, was markedly improved – something Lottie said has been a specific focus in training.

“The piaffe was amazing,” she said. “We’ve just been helping him gain his confidence with them, keeping them forward and keeping the rhythm.

“I could just feel in there that he felt much more secure in them – that was such a great feeling.

“I think we both really got that confidence back here. It hasn’t been the easiest year, but I think we finished on the highest of highs.”

Glamourdale will enjoy a Christmas break, but there’s no pause for Lottie, who heads back to the Netherlands tonight to ride four young horses at a stallion show tomorrow (20 December).

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Pony who cost £500 as a ‘feral’ yearling stands London champion for emotional owner

Bethan Simons — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 13:14:39 +0000

A “bargain pony” was crowned British Show Horse Association (BSHA) 2025 Rising Stars hack and riding horse champion at the London International Horse Show with his Cardiff-based owner.

There was rapturous applause from onlookers as a visibly shocked, and later teary, Rosa Cartwright and her 12-year-old Greenvale Don Legend (Donny) were called forwards as winners of the small division. They went on to land the 2025 Rising Stars hack and riding horse champion sash.

Rosa has owned Donny, by Don Perry out of a Welsh mare, since he was a yearling, having bought him from the Greenvale stud near Llanelli.

“I call him my bargain pony. He was advertised for £500, and he had good bloodlines. So we went to see him and found the reason he was £500 was because we couldn’t get near him — he was afraid of life. But we saw him move in the round pen and I decided to take a punt on him. We ushered him into the trailer using a Shetland to persuade him on board,” Rosa said.

“When we got home, we ushered him into a stable and it took me two weeks to catch him – he was feral, so I spent hours in the stable with him trying to persuade him to be brave.”

Initially, Rosa had intended to attempt eventing with Donny, but she found that although he was a “machine” across country, his tendency to be afraid of everything made the showjumping phase difficult. The pair did enjoy dressage, though, under the tutelage of Marina Evans, and attempted showing for the first time three years ago.

“The last couple of years, he’s really grown up, but I never would have thought he’d cope with a show of that calibre. He’s blown me away,” Rosa said.

“The only thing that could have possibly made it better would be to have my mum there. She passed away last year and used to love coming to watch me at all my shows. She was obviously with me every step and shining all the luck down on us, but made it super emotional for us.”

2025 Rising Stars hack and riding horse reserve champion

Second-placed small contender Alicia Matthews riding her own hack Sparkton Royal Fortune (Thumper) finished reserve champion. Bookkeeper Alicia and 10-year-old Thumper, who has been with Alicia for five years, have progressed together through the intermediate ranks and enjoyed a stellar season in amateur classes, securing the home-produced supreme sash at Equifest this summer. This was their first visit to London, and they will also compete in the style and performance final this week.

“I’ve waited 50 years for this”

Amanda Court and Jupiter C (Fletcher) landed the large spoils ahead of Annie McAndrew and her own Sky. Fletcher, 11, was initially bought by his owners, the Hoose family, as a showjumper, but it soon became apparent he would make a show horse. They offered the ride to Amanda, a family friend, who gladly took him on.

Amanda used to show, but gave way to her children’s showing ambitions and later, her grandchildren’s ponies, ensuring all are turned out immaculately. Fittingly, Amanda and Fletcher also took the best turned out award in the class.

“I’m 60 now, and I’ve probably waited 50 years for this,” she said in the ring.

Their path to London was not straightforward. They initially qualified at Kent County, but as Amanda did not have the correct registrations, they lost their ticket and had to reattempt qualification, which they secured at the BSHA championships.

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‘I just bought him because he was a lovely person’: ‘gentle giant’ stands champion in London

Bethan Simons — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 12:42:49 +0000

The first of the season’s British Show Horse Association (BSHA) Rising Stars championships heads north to Yorkshire as a racing head girl and her “pet” were crowned 2025 Rising Stars hunter champions at the London International Horse Show (LIHS).

An emotional Kaitlin Mason landed the BSHA Rising Stars small and heavyweight hunter title with her own Questiontime (Alfie) then landed the overall 2025 Rising Stars hunter champion spot.

Stokesley-based Kaitlin, who works at trainer Luci and Brian Hughes’ Tullyvalley Equine Services, has owned the upstanding 13-year-old Welsh part-bred, by Welsh cob stallion Lowhaygarth The Goldsmith out of a thoroughbred mare, since the 2020 lockdown. Kaitlin explained that when she bought Alfie from her then boss, riding school owner Jennifer Brookes, she didn’t intend to show him.

“I just bought him because he was a lovely person.,” she said. “He was the first horse I’d bought just for me as a pet and to hack about on; there was no end game in mind – just a bit of local dressage.”

But Alfie had different ideas.

“He’d done nothing and had never been away from home, but I quickly found that he really enjoys the limelight,” said Kaitlin. “He’s a gentle giant, though. He’s great with the children and being a part of family life. My parents aren’t horsey and they can easily manage him, and he adapts to whatever situation he’s in – a really genuine horse.”

It was a case of third time lucky for the pair here, who have also stood runners-up in the Search For A Star series at Horse of the Year Show and at STARS, and Kaitlin now intends to let Alfie enjoy a slower paced life:

“We may do some working hunter classes, but for now he’ll step down and have a bit of time away from the showing scene. He’s given me the most amazing three years, travelled up and down the country and never once given me a moment’s blip so I feel I owe it to him to let him be the family horse we always intended him to be.”

2025 Rising Stars hunter champion reserves

Sally Iggulden repeated her 2024 success to stand reserve. This time, she was riding her own Strinesdale Marksman (Oscar), who was placed second in the small/ lightweight final. The moment punctuated a brilliant season for Sally and her faithful Oscar, who scored six championships from six outings in the run-up to London, including at Midland Counties, Ashby and perhaps most notably, Driffield show, at which Sally had waited 25 years to lift the hunter spoils.

Also enjoying a win on their third attempt here were Katie Radcliffe and her own Kinsale Irish Emerald, winners of the middle and heavyweight final. The pair – who will also take a turn around the LIHS workers final – qualified at one of the earliest opportunities of the season, the Wiltshire Spring Show. Runner-up in the class was also an early ticket holder, Cwmmeudwy Spring Saalut and his south-Wales based owner-rider Lisa Jones, who qualified at the Royal Welsh Spring Festival in May. The pair were also bridesmaids at the recent The Showing Register Amateur of the Year hunter championship.

Bagging the best condition award in the small and lightweight division was 15-year-old London debutante Grace Morgan and her Connemara gelding Clooniereen Silver Knight, who will also compete in the Rising Stars style and performance final this week. The equivalent award in the middle and heavyweights division was Kate Over riding Birthday Blues, who also finished fourth.

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Puissance specialists clear new personal record height at London, plus drama for runner-up

Pippa Roome — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 23:20:26 +0000

Rachel Proudley repeated her win from 2024 in the London Horse Show puissance tonight – and went higher than she and class specialist Easy Boy De Laubry Z have ever jumped before when they cleared 2.21m (7ft 3in).

“He’s so brave. I can trust him so much and I think that’s all that matters, really,” said Britain’s 20-year-old young rider European champion after winning the LeMieux-sponsored class. “I didn’t have to put too much pressure on him and he was actually a little bit brave in the first few rounds. In the last round, he really listened to me and and that was definitely his best round.”

This was the pair’s sixth outright or shared puissance win, including starting the trend here last year.

“When you go in, you can’t even see over the wall, but when you’re sat on a horse like him, you feel like you could jump anything. That was our biggest jump yet there tonight and to be honest, it felt easy,” Rachel said.

It may have been easy for Rachel and Graham Ward’s 11-year-old, but the class had plenty of drama.

Thirteen started, which was whittled down to four who attempted the 2.18m fourth round.

First in, Derek McCoppin and Explosief’s Legacy just clipped off the top row of the wall bricks.

“This is our third puissance and she’s getting better every time. She’s got loads of power and she just needs to get a little bit clever at the really tall height. She’ll have her day yet,” said the Irishman.

Nathan Bull was next in with Casaltonia, another attempting her third puissance. The pair left the wall intact, but rocked it dramatically and the nine-year-old mare came down on her knees on landing, sending Nathan over her head.

However, because the pair had passed through the finish before parting company, they were unpenalised, though Nathan sensibly decided to settle for second and not return to jump off against Rachel.

“I’m just glad that she’s okay. She lost her footing when she landed and I went over the handlebars, it wasn’t her fault at all,” said Nathan.

Another Irish rider, Andrew Hodgins, had to display bravery and creativity to get Shanaclough Luichew through each London Horse Show puissance round as the chestnut was very keen, leaping and bounding and proving impossible to settle into any sort of rhythm. Flinging himself at the wall, he faulted in this fourth round to share third place with Derek and Explosief’s Legacy.

“He’s extremely keen, so it’s a reassuring feeling that he’s going to take you to it, but to get the stride right is sometimes maybe not as easy as you think,” said Andrew, who added the horse has a good record in 1.35/1.40m grands prix and also jumps derbies. He will tackle his first six-bar on Saturday here.

“He’s actually a lot of calmer when it comes to just pole jumping, a lot more controllable. The wall is a bit intimidating to him, that’s his response to it and it’s just his character. We just accept it, but we’re mad about him. We love him.”

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Interrupted warm-up foils last year’s London grand prix winners ‘but he was a good boy’

Pippa Roome — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 18:29:16 +0000

A lost shoe minutes before they were due to compete meant a tricky start to the London International Horse Show dressage today for last year’s grand prix winners Becky Moody and Jagerbomb, who eventually finished the class third.

“We didn’t have the easiest warm-up, because 15 minutes before I went he stood on himself and pulled a shoe off,” said Becky, who had to have the shoe refitted by the show farrier Mark Watson. “I literally only ended up with three or four minutes before I was going in so it wasn’t the best prep in the world, which impacted the test a little bit. But he was really cool, he was a good boy.”

Despite her interrupted preparation, Becky was edging eventual runner-up Charlotte Dujardin (Alive And Kicking) in the early part of her test for this World Cup dressage grand prix, supported by Horse & Hound.

But Jagerbomb, owned by his rider-breeder and Jo Cooper, had a costly error behind in the one-time changes and became a little stilted in the piaffes so the pair’s final score of 75.04% dropped them behind Charlotte and “Audrey”.

“He just wasn’t quite hot enough in front of me in the piaffes, so the first two in particular I just didn’t have enough easy rhythm. And then we had a little glitch in the one-time flying changes, which is really expensive, because all of those are double marked,” said Becky.

British Olympic team bronze and European team silver medallist Becky Moody will use her familiar floorplan for her London Horse Show dressage freestyle tomorrow, but with new music which is just for this event. She has managed to keep her music under wraps and wouldn’t reveal any more about it today.

Lottie Fry and Glamourdale, Becky’s team-mates at this summer’s Europeans and at Paris 2024, won the London Horse Show grand prix today with a clear margin of more than 4%.

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‘There wasn’t a low light today’ – Lottie Fry heads British top three in London dressage grand prix

Pippa Roome — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 18:06:39 +0000

Lottie Fry won the London Horse Show dressage grand prix, supported by Horse & Hound, today (18 December), ending the class more than 4% above her peers in a confident victory.

Last year Lottie and her own and Van Olst Horses’ Glamourdale won the freestyle at this show, having finished third in the grand prix. But today they started off as they mean to go on, with a virtually flawless test that showed off all the 14-year-old black stallion’s power and expression. They scored 80.78%.

“I don’t think there was a low light today,” said Lottie. “Everything just felt absolutely incredible. The trot transition after the canter pirouette could have been a little more precise, but he was amazing.”

Lottie said Glamourdale had a holiday after helping Britain to team silver at the European Championships in the summer.

“Since then we’ve just been really working on the self-carriage, the lightness, because he’s always been very light, but we have to make sure we’re showing it in the arena as well,” she said. “We’ve just done a lot of basic work, not too intense. And it seems to have really paid off, so I’m very happy.”

Tomorrow Lottie will ride her new freestyle for the second time – “it’s a really exciting freestyle, it’s all about flying because that’s what Glammy does in the arena” – and will hope to put behind her a bad experience when she first performed her new routine at the Europeans in Crozet in August.

She explained: “The music was a lot louder than we initially thought it was going to be and it was just too much. Even for me, I was sat there thinking ‘Ow.’ So it was a real shame. But we move on and I’m really excited to ride it tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll have a nice, confident round.”

Lottie Fry headed an all-British top three in today’s London Horse Show dressage grand prix; Charlotte Dujardin was second on her return to this show after a year away (76.54%) and Becky Moody third with Jagerbomb (75.04%).

Norway’s Isabel Freese and the Totilas son Total Hope OLD, who were second in both classes here last year, were fourth today, with two British London debutantes – Germany-based Susan Pape (Harmony’s Guililanta) and Sadie Smith (Swanmore Dantina) – in fifth and sixth.

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‘It gave me a real buzz to be back’ – Charlotte Dujardin makes emotional return to London International

Pippa Roome — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 17:22:31 +0000

Charlotte Dujardin made an emotional return to the London International Horse Show today, finishing second in the FEI Dressage World Cup grand prix, supported by Horse & Hound.

The British double Olympic champion last rode at Excel in 2023, before she was suspended for a year after a video of her striking a horse with a whip around its legs during a training session emerged just before last year’s Paris Olympics. This is by far her highest profile show since her return to competition in late July.

The crowd welcomed Charlotte back with a cheer as her name was announced before her test and she rode with her customary professionalism, finishing with her trademark double pat on the neck and wave to the spectators.

“I’m absolutely overwhelmed to be perfectly honest, going in there today,” said Charlotte. “Just going back in that arena, there’s something so incredibly special about riding here.

“Going round the edge and having so many people cheer me on and shout out ‘Go Charlotte’ was very, very emotional and just so good. It gave me a real buzz to be back and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Charlotte Dujardin and her London Horse Show ride, the 11-year-old mare Alive And Kicking — owned by her rider, Ulrike Bachinger and Carl Hester — put in a tidy test today without any major mistakes to score 76.54%.

“‘Audrey’ has done one show this year, which was in La Mans and she’s never been in a show with this atmosphere, this big, there’s so much going on,” said Charlotte, whose two children Isabella and William are with her at the show.

“She’s a very inexperienced grand prix horse – I think she’s only done five grands prix prior to this – so it was a really big ask coming here, but I know she’s a very honest horse.

“In terms of my test, I generally couldn’t have done any more with her, she did her absolute best. There are still green moments and there’s still so much more to come, but on the whole I can’t ask for more.”

Lottie Fry and Glamourdale won the grand prix on 80.78%, with Becky Moody and Jagerbomb third on 75.04% making it a British 1-2-3.

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

How to watch London International Horse Show: TV guide, live streaming, free BBC coverage

georgia.guerin@futurenet.com (Georgia Guerin) — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 09:48:57 +0000

Watch London International Horse Show on TV and get a front-row seat for the highlights, excitement, and stunning performances from this year’s iconic festive event, celebrating a wide range of equestrian sport.

Fans have two options to watch the London International Horse Show and enjoy the competition, displays and festivities from home.

At a glance

London International dates: 18–22 December 2025
TV coverage: BBC (UK, FREE)
Live stream: ClipMyHorse.TV (£207.99/$289.99 per year) or FEI.TV
Watch London International from anywhere: Use this NordVPN deal

How to watch London International Horse Show 2025

Selected classes from London International will be shown for free on the BBC in the UK, while other classes and displays will be live streamed by ClipMyHorse.TV (full streaming schedule below).

FEI TV’s YouTube channel will also be live streaming the dressage and driving FEI World Cup classes, and the CSI5* Longines Christmas Cracker.

How to watch for free on BBC

The BBC plan to broadcast from The London International Horse Show at the following times. Some broadcasts will feature on BBC1 or BBC2, while others will be on the BBC Sport website and the Red Button service. All BBC programmes will be available on the BBC iPlayer streaming service following the competition.

Thursday 18 December

21:00–22:15 | Live coverage of the puissance (Red Button)

Friday 19 December

13:35–16:30 | Live coverage of the FEI World Cup Freestyle (Red Button)

Sunday 21 December

14:15–16:40 | Live coverage of the The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup (BBC2)

20:45–22:10 | Live coverage of The CSI5* Christmas Challenge (Red Button)

Monday 22 December

18:10–22:25 | Live coverage of the evening performance, including the CSI5* Grand Prix (BBC1)

How to watch London International live from anywhere

Coverage on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website is geo-blocked outside the UK, while ClipMyHorse.TV will geo-restrict the classes being broadcast by the BBC. A VPN, though, will get you your usual coverage from anywhere in the world.

A Virtual Private Network can alter your device’s digital location, bypassing geo-restrictions and unlocking your equestrian streams wherever you happen to be. VPNs also work wonders for your internet security, encrypting your information to keep you safe online.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, where you can get 74% off, which offers a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

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London International streaming schedule

With so many classes to choose from, H&H editors have selected their highlights from the London International schedule to help you decide what to watch on ClipMyHorse.TV.

International Arena schedule

Thursday 18 December

9:00 | Services Jumping Championship

11:10 | The Kennel Club Medium Agility Stakes (Jumping)

11:30 | Spirit of the Horse display

11:45 | Presentation of Awards – Services Jumping Championship

11:50 | The Defender Shetland Pony Grand National

12:50 | CDI-W FEI Dressage World Cup Grand Prix, supported by Horse and Hound

15:20 | Presentation of Awards

17:40 | CSI5* Champagne Taittinger Speed Stakes

18:50 | The Kennel Club Medium Agility Stakes (Agility Final)

19:10 | Spirit of the Horse display

19:25 | The Defender Shetland Pony Grand National

20:10 | CSI5* Lemieux Puissance

21:10 | Christmas Prize Giving

Friday 19 December

9:10 | CSI5* Snowball Stakes

11:10 | The Kennel Club Intermediate ABC and Large ABC Stakes (Jumping)

11:35 | Spirit of the Horse display

11:50 | The Defender Shetland Pony Grand National

12:35 | CDI-W FEI Dressage World Cup (Freestyle To Music), supported by Horse and Hound

15:25 | Presentation of Awards

17:10 | The Extreme Driving Challenge

17:55 | The Kennel Club Intermediate ABC and Large ABC Stakes (Agility Final)

18:15 | Spirit of the Horse display

18:30 | The Defender Shetland Pony Grand National

19:25 | CSI5* Longines Christmas Cracker

21:05 | Christmas Prize Giving

23:25 | The Kennel Club Intermediate Agility Stakes (Semi-Final)

Saturday 20 December

8:10 | SSADL Grand Final

11:40 | CSI5* Cavago Six Bar

12:25 | The Kennel Club Intermediate Agility Stakes (Final)

12:45 | Spirit of the Horse display

13:00 | The Defender Shetland Pony Grand National

13:55 | Presentation of BEF Medals of Honour

14:00 | CSI5* Mistletoe Stakes

15:25 | Christmas Prize Giving

17:40 | FEI Driving World Cup – Opening Competition

18:35 | The Kennel Club Intermediate Agility Stakes (Final)

18:55 | Spirit of the Horse display

19:10 | The Defender Shetland Pony Grand National

19:55 | CSI5* Reindeer Speed Stakes

21:10 | Christmas Prize Giving

22:55 | The Kennel Club Large Agility Stakes (Semi-Final)

Sunday 21 December

8:00 | Evoke Under-25 British Championship

11:20 | The Agria 128cm Pony Championship

12:00 | The Kennel Club Large Agility Stakes (Jumping)

12:20 | Spirit of the Horse display

12:35 | The Defender Shetland Pony Grand National

13:35 | Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Presented By Agria

15:35 | Christmas Prize Giving

17:25 | FEI Driving World Cup

18:20 | The Kennel Club Large Agility Stakes (Final)

18:40 | Spirit of the Horse display

18:55 | The Defender Shetland Pony Grand National

19:45 | CSI5* Christmas Challenge

21:00 | Christmas Prize Giving

23:25 | BSPS Ridden Mountain and Moorland Championship (Preliminary)

Monday 22 December

9:50 | The Green Mile Bedding Mini Stakes (148cm)

11:40 | The Pony Club Mini-Major Relay

12:05 | BSPS Ridden Mountain and Moorland Championship (Final)

12:20 | The Kennel Club Small Agility Stakes (Jumping)

12:40 | Spirit of the Horse display

12:55 | The Defender Shetland Pony Grand National

13:50 | CSI5* Santa Speed Stakes

15:20 | Christmas Prize Giving

17:20 | CSI5* London Grand Prix

19:35 | The Kennel Club Small Agility Stakes (Final)

19:55 | Spirit of the Horse display

20:10 | The Defender Shetland Pony Grand National

20:50 | The Jockeys Challenge Cup

21:10 | Christmas Prize Giving

New Horizon Plastics London Arena schedule

Thursday 18 December

10:00 | Rising Star Small & Lightweight Hunter

11:05 | Rising Star Middleweight & Heavyweight Hunter

12:15 | Rising Star of Hunter Type Championship

12:30 | Rising Star of Small Hack & Riding Horse Type

13:55 | Rising Star of Large Hack & Riding Horse Type

15:05 | Rising Star of Hack & Riding Horse Type Championship

15:25 | The Kennel Club Small/Mixi Pairs (Agility)

16:05 | The Kennel Club Small/Mixi Pairs (Agility Final)

16:45 | The LeMieux Perfect Polework Masterclass

17:45 | The Brilliance Horse Auction Presentation & Trials

Friday 19 December

8:10 | The Kennel Club Crufts Small and Medium Novice Cup (Jumping Semi-Final)

9:05 | The Kennel Club Crufts Small and Medium Novice Cup (Agility Semi-Final)

9:45 | Rising Star of Cob Type

11:05 | The LeMieux Power & Precision Masterclass

11:45 | The Cavago Rising Star Performance Series Championship

12:05 | Rising Star Maxi Cob

13:10 | Rising Star of Cob Type Championship

14:15 | Rising Star Working Hunter Type

16:10 | Rising Star Working Show Horse

17:40 | Rising Star of Working Type Championship

17:55 | The Brilliance Horse Auction

Saturday 20 December

8:10 | The Cavago Rising Star Style & Performance Series Young Rider (15–25)

9:25 | The Cavago Rising Star Style & Performance Series (25+)

10:45 | The Cavago Rising Star Ladies Side Saddle Performance Series

12:00 | The LeMieux Driving Force Masterclass

12:45 | The Agria Rising Star Racehorse to Show Horse

14:10 | The Kennel Club Crufts Intermediate and Large Novice Cup (Jumping Semi-Final)

15:05 | The Kennel Club Crufts Intermediate and Large Novice Cup (Agility Semi-Final)

18:00 | The Brilliance Horse Auction

Sunday 21 December

8:30 | BSPS Heritage First Ridden Working Sports Pony

10:30 | BSPS Heritage Lead Rein Working Sports Pony

12:10 | BSPS Heritage Working Sports Pony Championship

13:15 | BSPS Open Cradle Stakes Class

15:10 | BSPS Open Nursery Stakes Class

16:40 | BSPS Worker Stakes Championship

16:55 | The LeMieux Pippa’s Pony Club Masterclass

17:50 | The Kennel Club Crufts Medium ABC (Jumping Semi-Final)

18:30 | The Kennel Club Crufts Medium ABC (Agility Semi-Final)

Monday 22 December

9:05 | The New Horizon Plastics BSPS Performance Coloured Native/Cob/Traditional Horse/Pony Class

10:20 | The New Horizon Plastics BSPS Performance Coloured Non Native Horse/Pony Class

11:35 | The New Horizon Plastics BSPS Performance Coloured Horse/Pony Championship

11:50 | BSPS Junior Performance Pony

13:05 | BSPS Performance Pony not exc 148cm

14:15 | BSPS Performance Pony not exc 158cm

15:30 | BSPS Performance Pony Championship

15:45 | The LeMieux Jumping Journeys Masterclass

16:55 | The Kennel Club Crufts Intermediate and Large ABC (Jumping Semi-Final)

17:45 | The Kennel Club Crufts Intermediate and Large ABC (Agility Semi-Final)

Follow the action at London International Horse Show with H&H

Our team of expert reporters will be at the show every day providing extensive up to the minute coverage (follow at H&H London International Horse Show), as well as in the 23 and 31 December issues of the magazine.

To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Relive the night Valegro and Charlotte Dujardin rewrote dressage history at Olympia

Oscar Williams — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 08:40:25 +0000

On the eve of the 2025 edition of the London International Horse Show, we relive the world record-breaking tests of Valegro and Charlotte Dujardin at Olympia in 2014.

The pair shattered both the grand prix and freestyle world records on successive nights, adding to the grand prix special record they set two years earlier. To this day, Valegro and Charlotte still hold all three world records.

Below is our original report from that electric evening at Olympia, written by then Horse & Hound dressage editor Alice Collins, along with footage of their iconic freestyle – a performance that helped redefine the sport.

The original report on Charlotte and Valegro’s world record performance

“I just don’t know what more you can ask,” said judge Isobel Wessels after the absolute masters of the dressage universe – Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro – broke a second world record in as many days at Olympia.

The world number ones produced two extraordinary, spellbinding performances to better their own records two nights on the bounce. The horse’s adjustability, willingness, athleticism and power were simply breathtaking.

As Charlotte planted her final halt in the freestyle, smack back on the music, the capacity crowd impulsively rose to their feet and showed their appreciation for the pair who have propelled the sport of dressage into the mainstream consciousness.

“They never missed a beat” is a hackneyed old phrase, but in this instance actually true.

Charlotte grinned and punched the air, struggling to rein in her emotion.

“In the last piaffe-passage I was nearly in tears,” she said.

“However much I want from this horse, he gives it to me – that’s what makes me so emotional. He just keeps on giving and giving, and it’s the most incredible feeling. When all those people stood up, I felt so proud.”

The pressures of the Olympia arena – with the crowds so close – are well documented. But Charlotte was hot off the red carpet from the Sports Personality of the Year award ceremony in Glasgow, where she was fourth with over 75,000 votes.

“Coming here and performing was the easiest thing in the world after standing in front of 12,000 people. This, riding, is what I do every day – but standing in front of people? No. In a dress? No! I was like a nappy horse when I went up on stage, I just wanted to turn and run. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it was going to come through my dress.”

She left behind all traces of those nerves for Olympia.

In the grand prix – where the top three were unchanged from 2013 – Charlotte “just rode a schooling round” as 12-year-old Valegro had not been to a show since the World Equestrian Games in Caen in August (where they also won everything – there’s a theme here).

“Win or lose, if he’s tried his hardest and I‘ve done my best, the score is irrelevant,” she shrugged. “The record’s just a bonus.”

The freestyle test was flawless, with not a single mis-step.

Judge Isobel Wessels said: “Everything was there in the test. The difficulty factor maybe didn‘t come across, but that’s because they made everything look so easy – even the canter half-passes were so steep. And Tom Hunt’s music was magical – like a story, not just belting sound out.”

Isobel awarded a remarkable artistic mark of 99%.

“I couldn’t give 100% as I thought the computer would blow up,” she joked. “I wasn’t sure it could take the extra digit. I thought it might be like the millennium bug all over again.”

Fellow judge Stephen Clarke added: “I honestly didn’t think we’d replicate the magic of the night back in 2009 when Edward Gal broke the world record on Totilas – but Charlotte doing this is out of this world. I don’t know what it is about this show, but the horses go amazingly here.”

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

I’ve got first-hand experience of competing at London International and these are my top tips for first-timers

Bethan Simons — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 08:30:57 +0000

Horse & Hound’s showing editor explains what to expect if you’re competing in London for the first time in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers...

If you’ve not competed at London before, then a show in “The Big Smoke” in the middle of winter can seem a lot to get your head around – and so you might be looking for some tips for competing at London International Horse Show. Especially if, like me, you’re part of a home-produced family team battling the weather and general Christmas prep to get there! But trust me, you are in for a treat.

Firstly, congratulations on qualifying for London. We first qualified as a family in 2010 and we’ve been extremely lucky as amateur sisters to have shared the ring, each with a ride, in the prestigious native final held on the show’s last day. Our uncle bred the first-ever Welsh cob to win the final, so it’s even more special to us as a family. So with a week to go, here are my tips for competing at London International for the first time…

Ballynacoy Prince and Bethan Simons finish Best of Breed and fourth overall in 2017. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Tips for traveling to London International

Unlike most other shows, just getting to London International does take a bit of negotiating. By now, you’ll have received your pack with all of your instructions. Having shown at the old Olympia site, I took this step a little for granted the first time I showed at the Excel.

I really recommend reading the pack carefully, even if only to book your arrival slot. Don’t worry if you haven’t already booked your slot – I was really last-minute on this, and it wasn’t a big problem. It just meant that we were arriving later than we’d hoped and that we had to negotiate the final (and most unknown) part of the journey in the dark.

Make sure to carefully read all of the information on London’s ULEZ charges as the last thing you want is a hefty fine marring a super experience.

Before the day, put your horse’s passport and your paperwork in your vehicle and triple check it’s there before departure.

Also remember to check what your ticket allows you to do. The New Horizons Plastics Arena exhibitor bands won’t get you into the International Arena’s seating, so if you want to watch some showjumping or other highlights on the schedule – I can never resist the mini-major relay myself – be organised with getting your London International tickets.

Even though I had travelled there many times as a passenger, the first time I drove to Olympia, the prospect of driving in London with my precious cargo on board terrified me. But it was absolutely fine and now that it’s outside the city centre, it’s really pretty simple.

Tips for arriving, unloading and stabling

Once you get to the Excel, you’ll be directed to wind up and up and up until you reach an unloading area. Listen carefully to the instructions here, too, as it can be slippery as you unload, and slipping is avoidable if you take heed.

Once unloaded, you won’t be allowed to access your stable until you’ve been vet-checked, so that’s your priority at this point. Take your passport and your paperwork with you so that it makes this process as swift as possible. If you feel confident – which you should be if your vaccinations are correct – and have a second pair of hands with you, send them to the stable manager’s office to get sorted while you stay with your horse, or visa versa.

Bedding is provided, so you don’t need to worry about lugging bales of shavings. Last time I showed there, the bed wasn’t quite as deep as I’d have liked as my mare digs a hole for herself in no time, and so paid for extra, which was delivered in a jiffy – so don’t stress if that happens to you, too.

What to pack for competing at London

I have only showed in the International Arena. The stabling for this side is blissfully warm and the temperature is controlled – I think we can thank the FEI stabling for this – so you won’t need lots of heavy rugs for when you’re in there. My mare wore a Lycra body suit and a Thermatex waffle-weave rug and was warm enough.

That said, we did once break down when the weather was atrocious, and once got caught out by a snow-storm and had to unload the pony on the side of the road and walk the last stretch home. At that point, we thanked our lucky stars we had extra rugs to keep them warm so it’s worth packing a separate, emergency bag that can stay on the lorry just in case.

As well as being unnecessary, you won’t have space for extras as it’s inconvenient to go back and forth to your lorry. We have always taken a tack locker on wheels packed to the rafters, and chained it – with a padlock – to the stable. In it we have tack, a spare numnah for working in, a spare Lycra suit and fleece, clean bandages, our essentials-only grooming and wash kit, a shallow feed bucket and pre-prepared feeds in freezer-bags. That’s it.

Carry your water bucket, your extra haynets, a skipping-out bucket and fork. Tie the spare nets outside with your padlocked tack-locker.

I like to take a suitcase with two separate sides that is, crucially, on wheels. In one side I put my showing gear and in the other, the rest of my “stuff” including my pjs, clothes and wash bag. This means I only need worry about wheeling one case to-and-from the hotel and it doesn’t take up masses of room in and around my stable. For ease, this is the one show of the season where I wear my “best” helmet and boots to work in.

Finally, pack Christmas decorations and a Christmas jumper. The magic of London International lies in the timing. Throw yourself into the spirit and enjoy the frivolity of festive attire and decorating your stable, and team Christmas jumpers are really helpful for lifting your mood if things don’t go to plan and for spotting your team if nothing else!

Embrace team jumpers with friends and family! (Image credit: Linda Atkinson)

Tips for working in and getting ready

You should have a working-in timetable in your pack – take a photo of it on your phone so that you always have it to hand.

As I said in my tips for competing at HOYS, we have taken ponies who don’t like to be surrounded by lots and lots of others so we’ve deliberately used only the latter half of our slots when it’s less busy.

At the end of each slot, it’s much, much quieter and a good opportunity to let your pony have a last look around if they need it, and a practice gallop without endangering others.

If you can’t avoid getting your horse or pony a bit sweaty, there is a wash bay available, but be mindful of timings. If you only have a short space of time until you are needed in the arena, you may be better off giving them a hot-cloth so their coat has time to dry.

To plug or not to plug?

The atmosphere during the morning judging of the M&Ms in the International Arena is fairly quiet, so when we’ve shown ponies who are experienced and not especially noise sensitive there, we haven’t bothered plugging ears until the afternoon’s prize-giving, when the atmosphere is truly electric. The prize-giving is an utterly brilliant experience and such fun if your pony is well behaved, but it’s very noisy with an enthusiastic crowd so we always plug for this and have never regretted it.

Personally, if ever we were to qualify for classes in the New Horizons Plastics Arena, I would plug there, as there is a lot to take in around the arena and noise is then one less thing to worry about. Obviously you know your pony best, but if in doubt, at least take some with you. You’re better off having to use more leg than sitting on a time bomb.

To prepare, you can use a radio in your stable, or when you’re working your horse – even out hacking.

If you’re jumping and are unsure whether to use them, we were once warned by a pro that she had found some horses can feel disconcerted by plugs when jumping, almost as if it unbalances them. I can’t tell you if it’s true or not, but it felt like good advice and something we are always mindful of now. If you’re in a similar quandary, take heed and practice with them in before you decide.

Will I need a rug down at the arena?

In short, no. The whole site is indoors and after weeks of preparation in the cold under multiple layers, it feels blissfully warm! The only times you’ll feel a wintery chill is going back and forth to your hotel.

What to wear

A friend of mine new to showing qualified for one of the BSHA Rising Stars cob classes last year, and intended to wear her normal showing gear, only to discover that navy championship attire was correct. A quick Facebook appeal and we soon had her togged up looking super. The moral of this story is, check what you should be wearing, and if you’ve overlooked this detail until now but don’t have the necessary in your kit bag – don’t worry, just borrow. Pros and fellow amateurs are usually only too happy to help. Incidentally, for more information on the etiquette of dressing for a championship, Katie Jerram-Hunnable explains some of the finer showing etiquette rules.

There is no set rule for the championships of the BSPS performance classes. In the past, some competitors have changed into evening attire – a navy jacket and a stock – but others haven’t changed. We have never packed one for HOYS from superstition, and have always had someone lend one (as have countless others) so if you make it to a championship and want to change, ask around and borrow. If in the event you can’t find one, worry not, plenty have come forward in their tweeds and not been penalised for it. You won’t be penalised either.

My “grandma” tip

However nervous you may feel, it’s important to eat as you need to be on top form.

There are lots of great options for eating inside the Excel, and there is a free tea and coffee station in the stabling area. But I would pop something in your suitcase that you can stomach for breakfast and a quick snack. If you’re in the arena early for your class, you may not have much time to go hunting for food.

My top tip: don’t be scared to ask

If you find that you are in a quandary, don’t stew on it, just ask for help. I promise you will find someone who knows the answer and is willing to help, from officials and stewards to your fellow competitors. London is such a fun experience that you don’t want to let the fear of asking for help mar it for you.

And enjoy!

This show is such fun — to a certain extent I have FOMO at the prospect of being sidelined even by my own doing! As I said before HOYS, the worst that can happen is you fall off or you have to leave the arena. In the highly unlikely event this happens, breathe and smile – you won’t be the first and you absolutely won’t be the last.

So, try to enjoy every minute of it in the arena, and throw yourself into the festive mood – decorate the stable, wear matching Christmas jumpers and buy lots of photos – after all, it’s Christmas.

Good luck!

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H&H’s editors share their highlights you won’t want to miss at London International

georgia.guerin@futurenet.com (Georgia Guerin) — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 11:54:57 +0000

For many equestrians, it doesn’t feel like Christmas has really started until they’ve visited the London International Horse Show. There’s so much to see and do and there are changes to the schedule every year, so to make sure you don’t miss the best bits, I’ve asked the team of editors at H&H (who all attend this show every year) for some insider info on what you should be making a beeline for.

I’ve also added some of my own highlights, as I’ve been to the show at least 10 times. Having looked at the full London International Horse Show schedule, if you’re heading to the show, I recommend giving yourself plenty of time to explore the show before or after your booked session as there is so much on!

The Shetland Grand National never fails to pull a crowd. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

What’s on the London International Horse Show schedule?

There are some real crowd pleasers that return year after year – and it really doesn’t matter how horsey you are to enjoy these. Everyone loves the Shetland Pony Grand National, which really needs no introduction, and the Kennel Club Dog Agility.

The Jockey Challenge Cup is crowd-favourite class that always promises thrills and spills. It sees two teams (boys vs girls for an extra competitive edge) of the country’s finest jockeys compete head-to-head over a course of showjumps, riding borrowed horses in a race against the clock. And it’s in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund, so all for a great cause, too!

This year’s display of the Hungarian Lipizzaners will take place daily. (Image credit: HPower)

There’s a fantastic display every year, and for 2025 we’re being treated to Spirit of the Horses, which will celebrate the talents of Lipizzaner horses. It has been billed as a blend of classical dressage, live stunts and costumed action – and it will take place during every performance session.

I enjoy all the equestrian sports on offer at London – and it’s great to have so many in one place – but I really love to watch the Extreme Driving Challenge. It’s not something you see very often and it never fails to be exciting, as well as incredibly impressive. Although the International Arena is big, when you’re watching fearless drivers guiding four galloping horses around a very technical course with countless tight turns, it suddenly looks a lot smaller!

Showing highlights

The majority of showing classes are held in the New Horizon Plastics London Arena, but showing editor Bethan Simons tips the BSPS heritage championship prize giving, which is held in the main arena on the Monday afternoon, as her highlight.

Birkett Bank Master John is BSPS supreme champion M&M at London International Horse Show in 2024. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

“I wouldn’t miss the BSPS Heritage Championship prize giving,” says Bethan. “Here you’ll see examples of each of our wonderful native breeds all in the arena together, from the Dartmoors and New Forests from the south to the Shetland and the Highland from the north. And as a bonus for fans of Harlow White, she will be there with her Connemara pony, King Bunowen Castle Ali.

“It’s the biggest and most brilliant showcase of our native breeds of all the year and the original championship for natives, which has been running since 1978.”

Showjumping highlights

There is a wealth of showjumping classes on offer every day at London International – and so much to choose from if you’ve not yet bought your ticket. Personal favourites of mine include the puissance and six-bar, which always have you on the edge of your seat. I wouldn’t miss the mini-major relay, either, as that’s not only great fun but a chance to see top riders working together with Pony Club members to take the win.

Lilly McBride tags in Matt Sampson to complete the mini-major relay at London International. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

And if you love to see the big names in action, showjumping editor Jennifer Donald says there will be plenty.

“World number two Scott Brash leads a dazzling selection of British entries. He’ll be joined by all three of his silver medal-winning team-mates from this year’s European Championships – Ben Maher, Donald Whitaker and Matt Sampson, as well as individual finalist Jessica Mendoza.

“John Whitaker will also be back, along with his son Robert and nephew Jack. And fans of Joe Stockdale will be pleased to see his name on the showjumping entries, too.”

Our H&H Young Rider of the Year 2025, Rachel Proudley, also returns this year to defend her puissance title at the age of 20.

Rachel Proudley and Easy Boy de Laubry Z scored their first puissance win at London in 2024. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Dressage highlights

This year’s Dressage World Cup, supported by Horse & Hound, in London is set to be one of the most exciting yet.

“Few years have felt as electric as this one,” says dressage editor Oscar Williams. “London is set for a true heavyweight clash!”

Lottie Fry returns with Glamourdale, one of the most decorated horses of all time. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

“Lottie Fry and Glamourdale return to defend their title; Becky Moody and Jagerbomb arrive in the form of their lives after topping the British scores at the Europeans (and they have an exciting new one-off freestyle to boot); and Charlotte Dujardin is back, determined to rewrite the script on dark horse Alive And Kicking.

“Three riders, three compelling stories – one stage. Your guess at the winner is as good as ours.”

LeMieux Masterclasses

A second arena was introduced in 2023, and it’s home to a selection of masterclasses throughout the week, alongside most of the showing finals. The masterclasses are free to watch from the standing viewing area of the New Horizon Plastics London Arena, but you can purchase a seat for the day of your choice if you prefer. These sessions are a great opportunity to hear from the legends of each sport and pick up some tips and nuggets of wisdom for your own training.

Richard Waygood returns for another masterclass in 2025. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Perfect Polework – Thursday

Hosted by British Equestrian’s eventing performance manager Richard Waygood and starring Laura Collett and Louise Bell, this session will explore the benefits of polework and cavalletti, which can enhances balance, coordination, suppleness, and engagement, while also improving the rider’s precision and communication.

Power & Precision – Friday

Hosted by Olympic dressage rider Richard Davison, with help from world-renowned judge Stephen Clarke and British U25 riders Harrison Ashton and Ruby Hughes, Richard will explain how to develop some of the key grand prix movements that require a high degree of collection, such as piaffe, passage and canter pirouettes.

Driving Force – Saturday

Starring equestrian influencer Esme Higgs and renowned trainer and acclaimed stunt actor Dan Naprous, this high-energy live demonstration will reveal the skill, strategy, and precision behind the sport of driving.

Pippa’s Pony Club Rally – Sunday

Eventing legend Pippa Funnell is hosting her own Pony Club rally, which will star four hand-picked members of The Pony Club who have been nominated by their branch or centre.

Jumping Journeys – Monday

British Equestrian’s showjumping performance manager Di Lampard will be sharing her wealth of knowledge with top puissance rider and individual European Young Rider Champion Rachel Proudley and amateur event rider and popular content creator, Meg Elphick. She’ll be focusing on jumping approaches, confidence-building techniques, and competition tips.

Talk Horse Live Zone

The Live Zone, which can be found in the shopping village, next to the Christmas market, will offer rider signings, meet and greets, panel discussions and Q&A sessions. The schedule is packed and you can download it at londonhorseshow.com

For the full London International schedule, with a breakdown by session, visit londonhorseshow.com

Planning your visit to London International

Feeling excited now you’ve seen our highlights of the London International Horse Show schedule? Get your London International Horse Show tickets here, and use our exclusive reader discount code.

There are numerous ways to travel to London International and we’ve rounded them up in our guide explaining how to get to Excel London. There are also several places to stay near by at a range of budgets – view our round up of hotels near Excel London – but you’ll be able to stay almost anywhere in the city if you’re travelling by public transport.

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

How to get to Excel for the London International Horse Show by rail, road, river –or cable car

Pippa Roome — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 13:26:40 +0000

Working out the best way to get to Excel London for the London International Horse Show? I’ve lived in London for 22 years and I’ve been reporting from the show for almost as long, so whether you’re heading to there for the first time or you want to take a fresh look at your choices this year, I’ve rounded up your best options below.

One of the great aspects of travelling in London is that there are always lots of different ways to get anywhere using public transport, which means you have options if there are delays or services are down on one route.

Download a Tube map to your phone if you’re not familiar with where you’re going (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to get to Excel London via rail

The closest stations are Custom House and Prince Regent. Trains pull up at a covered walkway and the walk to the entrance is less than two minutes.

You can get to Custom House on the Elizabeth Line or the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), and Prince Regent on the DLR.

If you’re looking at a standard tube map, the Elizabeth Line is shown by two purple lines and the DLR shown by two turquoise lines. You will find both Custom House and Prince Regent stations on the far right of the map in zone 3.

Below are the simplest routes from the major stations, but you can also use the Transport for London journey planner or Google Maps to help you find the best route. Download a tube map to your phone so that you can access it even when you’re out of signal on the underground.

From Waterloo

Take the Jubilee Line (silver) eastbound towards Stratford. Change at Canning Town onto the DLR (turquoise).

From Euston

Take the Northern Line (black) southwards on the Charing Cross branch. Change at Tottenham Court Road onto the Elizabeth Line (purple).

From King’s Cross/St Pancras

Take the Hammersmith & City (pink), Circle (yellow) or Metropolitan (maroon) line eastwards for one stop. Change at Farringdon onto the Elizabeth Line (purple).

From Paddington or Liverpool Street

Take the Elizabeth Line (purple).

How to pay

You can buy a paper ticket at the station or use an Oyster card, but contactless card payment is simplest. You can use this for both the tube and DLR – and London buses – simply tap in on the yellow validator at your first station and out at your final one on each journey. There is no need to tap in or out at stations in between.

Not all DLR stations have barriers, so if you use the DLR you need to remember to tap in and out – it’s more likely you’ll be overcharged than undercharged if you forget!

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to get to Excel London by car

Excel is in the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and you may need to pay to enter the zone. Check your vehicle registration number here to find out more.

The car parks at Excel have 1,200 spaces that must be booked in advance over the London International dates. It costs £50 for up to 24 hours. Some dates have already sold out.

For sat navs, use E16 1FR to navigate to the car parks. For What3words, use ///cheer.events.began.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The scenic route to Excel London

You can take a river boat to Excel – the route is serviced by Uber Boat by Thames Clippers. There are departures from major London piers every 20 minutes. Alight at the Royal Wharf Pier for a 20-minute walk through Britannia Village and over the Royal Victoria dock footbridge to Excel’s west entrance.

The IFS Cloud Cable Car connects Excel to North Greenwich tube station (on the Jubilee Line). A cabin arrives every 30 seconds and flights last approximately 10 minutes, except during peak commuter times when it runs a bit quicker.

All exhibitors and visitors to Excel are offered a 50% discount, which works out at £3.50 for a single fare. To redeem this offer, just present a confirmation email or your ticket.

To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout major shows such as London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

‘I don’t want a show that goes on and on’: find out what LIHS native performance judge Samantha Darlington will be looking for

Bethan Simons — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 08:25:46 +0000

Showing producer Samantha Darlington explains what she wants to see when judging the natives at London International in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

The championship for native ponies at London International Horse Show (LIHS) is one of the oldest and most prestigious on the mountain and moorland calendar. Now organised by the British Show Pony Society (BSPS), the judging format is unique, with four judges working together to find a champion. Two judges preside over performance, including Samantha Darlington this time, and two preside over conformation.

The scores for each show are displayed on the large screen above competitors, meaning sharp minds and keen onlookers can keep a tally of who’s in the lead for each section and breed. The final placings, however, remain a surprise as all four judges’ marks are totalled to reveal the top 10.

Ahead of the show, we’ve caught up with Samantha to get the lowdown on her background in showing, and what she will be looking for in the ring on the day.

Samantha Darlington’s equestrian background

Samantha’s parents weren’t horsey at all.

“But I just loved ponies, and they bought me one – I was very lucky – when I was about six or seven years old,” she says. “We kept the pony at a local riding school, and I went to Pony Club and did that kind of thing.”

Samantha’s journey into showing came via her instructor.

“A lady I was having lessons with was friends with Stella Harries,” she explains. “She told my parents I was worthy of a decent pony, and got me riding for Stella.”

The late Stella Harries was one of the most successful and influential of her time in showing.

“Riding for Stella was hard work, but it was also amazing and such a good grounding,” adds Samantha.

“When I was young, I had a scrapbook of people riding show ponies at the time – I was in awe of them and used to cut out photos from magazines. So when I started riding for Stella, and then had my own working hunter ponies, the people I became friends with used to be my idols in my scrapbook.”

Samantha Darlington rides Broekland Allessandro at London International. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Samantha Darlington’s showing success

After finishing school, Samantha began producing.

“I had some great times and great horses,” she recalls fondly. “My first horse I produced was my own – a small hunter called Oak Hills Aristocrat. He won the Royal International, and for someone coming off ponies, that was really good. I was in England hunter pony team myself, and then produced ponies to be on the team, which was great.

“In those days, we had such a good crowd of owners and riders, and we were like a big team. We had a big camp at the championships and it was such fun. We still keep in touch with people now that I had ponies for many years ago.”

Samantha’s daughter Georgia has had a superb run in pony classes and is now highly successful on the working hunter and working hunter pony scene. Earlier this year, she added a fifth Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) win and third championship to her repertoire, stepping up to the working hunter ranks with aplomb and taking the tricolour aboard her former intermediate working hunter pony of the year, Jara.

Samantha will know exactly how competitors in the ring at London International are feeling, having ridden there herself several times.

“The first time I rode at Olympia, I was about 18 years old. I was riding a Connemara I was producing called Grayswood Village Peregrine, and he was reserve champion – probably my best result there,” says Samantha.

“I’d been to watch at Olympia for years, but I just rode show and working hunter ponies at that point and didn’t have mountain and moorlands; they came when I started producing. So it was just amazing to ride there and so exciting. He qualified at the East Anglian Native Pony Show, and obviously back in those days you had to stand champion in order to qualify.

“The natives were the only showing class at the show back then, so it always felt like such a big thing to be competing there. And we were made so welcome, like they really wanted us there to show with all those people watching.”

Since then Samantha has taken several other breeds, including Welsh section As, Connemaras and Dartmoor ponies. Her daughter, Georgia, also rode a Shetland pony at Olympia.

Samantha and her daughter, Georgia, rode champion and reserve in the Grand Prix WHP Championship at the Ponies Association (UK) Supreme Championship in 2015. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

With such special memories of competing, it’s little wonder that Samantha is looking forwards to judging, and coins this show as a judging highlight.

“I haven’t judged much in the last few years because we’ve been so busy with showing ourselves – you can’t judge and show at the same time. I have been asked a number of times to judge at the Royal International, but because we live so close to the show, and because both myself and Georgia teach so much, I’ve never taken them up on the offers as it would affect our clients.”

She admits, though, that it’s “quite nerve-racking”.

“Your marks go up on the screen,” she explains, “so with two judges assessing performance, if the other judge is on a totally different page, then what must people think? But I can’t think like that and must judge what I see.

“Some people do mark higher than others; there are things that I might like that another judge might not. You can’t really expect two judges to have the exactly the same marks because everyone’s looking for something slightly different.”

What will Samantha be looking for as the native performance judge?

“I like something that’s forward; that’s sitting up in the bridle,” says Samantha. Her winner will “look light to the hand and look easy”.

While bearing in mind the different breed types and descriptions, Samantha will nevertheless want to see a pony that is moving forwards freely.

“Something that makes me think ‘I’d love to ride that,’” is ultimately what Samantha wants to see in the ring.

Samantha’s pet hates

“I don’t like to see ponies rushed,” she says. “I like something to have a natural rhythm and not be pushed out of its stride.

“I also like to see a nice walk at the start and finish of a show, and I like a good gallop, but it must be eased into – not fired off the corner.”

Anything else?

“I also don’t want to see a show that goes on and on.”

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

Two new performance showing classes added to London International for 2026

Bethan Simons — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 19:02:20 +0000

The British Show Pony Society (BSPS) is adding two new working sports pony performance classes to its London International Horse Show (LIHS) finals for the 2026 season.

The first will be for mares or geldings not exceeding 148cm with riders not to have attained their 18th birthday on the first of January. The second will be also be open to stallions, with an upper height limit of 158cm but no lower height. This class will be open to riders over the age of 16 but with no age limit. Fences will be set at a maximum of 85cm and 95cm respectively. In both classes, ponies and horses will need to be plaited.

“We are delighted to work with LIHS, to add these two new classes into London following the overwhelming success of other classes we introduced that have brought new riders into showing and supported our agricultural and county shows,” said Paul Cook, BSPS national chairman. “These performance-oriented classes offer more opportunities for riders to experience the thrill of competing at this world-renowned show.”

How London’s new showing classes will be judged

The judging format is also new with emphasis placed squarely on performance, as with the BSPS’s current offering at London, except for its heritage final.

While conformation is considered, ponies will not be stripped (trotted up in-hand without their saddle) – any assessment of conformation will be done with the rider on board.

Riders will enter the ring individually as in traditional working pony classes, but will be asked to present their pony to the judge, then walk away and trot back towards the judge before commencing their jumping round, with a mark of 10 allocated for this initial phase.

A further 30 marks will be available for style, technique and athleticism whilst jumping. At the end of their round, riders are asked to gallop their pony down the long side of the ring, for which a mark out of 10 will be awarded.

Riders will then canter, trot, walk and halt, demonstrating, manners, correct paces and training, for which a mark of 10 will be awarded.

A final mark of 10 will be awarded for the style, position and effectiveness of the rider.

In each class 50 marks will be allocated to a clear round, with 10 penalties deducted for each knockdown, 15 penalties for the first refusal, 20 penalties for the second refusal and a third refusal or fall or the rider or pony will result in disqualification.

This gives a possible total of 120 marks. In the event of a tie the total jumping mark takes precedence, followed by the effectiveness of the rider.

These new showing classes at LIHS will be in addition to the successfully established lead-rein and first-ridden working sports pony finals, and the cradle and nursery stakes classes.

There will be 15 opportunities to qualify for these classes, which will be open to members and non-members of the BSPS. Non-members will need to join to compete at the final.

Nick Brooks Ward, operations director at LIHS said: “Following the tremendous success of classes we have introduced in partnership with the BSPS, this was the next step to widen opportunities for riders to compete at London. We are delighted these new classes continue to focus on ponies’ performance and effectiveness of the rider.”

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

Scott Brash and Ben Maher spearhead a ‘dazzling’ line-up of London International Horse Show entries

Jennifer Donald — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:20:06 +0000

Showjumping fans will be in for a treat this year as a “dazzling” selection of riders have been revealed among the London International Horse Show entries. This year’s show takes place at the London ExCeL from 18-22 December.

The world number two and double Olympic gold medallist Scott Brash leads the British entries. He’ll be hoping to seal an astonishingly successful year with a few more big wins in front of his home crowd.

The Scotsman will be joined in London by all three of his silver medal-winning team-mates from this year’s European Championships – Ben Maher, Donald Whitaker and Matt Sampson, as well as individual finalist Jessica Mendoza.

Matt’s fiancee Kara Chad is also in action this year representing her native Canada. Donald brings crowd-favourite Millfield Colette to London while Jess will also line up on her Europeans hero In The Air. It looks set to be an emotional week for Ben as he retires Olympic hero Explosion W at the show.

London International Horse Show entries: John Whitaker is back!

Talking of crowd favourites, 70-year-old jumping legend John Whitaker will be back in action with Equine America Unick Du Francport, Sharid, plus a new ride for this year, the eight-year-old mare Hamstramgram.

John’s son Robert Whitaker and nephew Jack Whitaker will also represent the famous showjumping family and you’ll see them riding top horses Vermento and Valmy De La Lande respectively.

Completing the British entries in the CSI5* classes are Joe Stockdale and Adrian Whiteway, who have both been on exceptional form this year.

A young Irish sensation to look out for

For Ireland, leading showjumpers Cian O’Connor and Billy Twomey will both be returning to the annual equestrian extravaganza alongside young sensation Tom Wachman, who is definitely one to watch.

A total of 16 nations are represented in this year’s CSI5* classes, the highlights of which include the Longines FEI World Cup presented by Agria and the Turkish Airlines grand prix. Other big names to watch in London include Daniel Deusser, Gregory Wathelet, Julien Epaillard, Kevin Staut, Geir Gulliksen, Max Kuhner and all-round legend Marcus Ehning.

Puissance action at the London International

For high-jump fans, a classy field of horses and riders will be attempting the big red wall and six-bar contests, including the all-conquering newly crowned young rider European champion Rachel Proudley, Gemma Stevens and Joe Trunkfield.

“We can’t wait to welcome these fantastic riders to battle it out in London,” said London International Horse Show chairman Simon Brooks-Ward. “The line-up is as dazzling as ever, with a great breadth of rider talent and depth of horsepower, and promises a truly spectacular edition of the show.”

H&H will be previewing this year’s Christmas extravaganza in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (in the shops on Thursday 11 December) before bringing you all the action, exclusive interviews and insight from the London International Horse Show both online and Horse & Hound magazine.

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

Charlotte Dujardin to return to London showdown: star-studded World Cup field revealed

Oscar Williams — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 16:32:10 +0000

Charlotte Dujardin headlines the entries for the dressage World Cup leg, supported by Horse & Hound, at the 2025 London International Horse Show. She will be bringing her top ride, Alive And Kicking.

Since returning from her year-long suspension on 27 July, Charlotte has gone on an 11-test unbeaten run. She and Alive And Kicking scored CDI3* grand prix and special wins in Le Mans last month, but London will be by far the highest profile show she has contested since her return.

She will face strong home competition from Lottie Fry and Glamourdale, who are back to defend their title. The World Cup holder, world champion and triple Olympic bronze medallist is aiming to add a third London victory to her record after wins in 2022 and 2024.

Becky Moody and Jagerbomb will also be gunning for the title. They were Britain’s strongest performers at this summer’s European Championships in Crozet and won the grand prix here in 2024, slipping down the order in the freestyle.

Their confidence will be high after a strong runner-up finish at the Lyon World Cup leg in October, where they placed second to world number ones Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus.

Becky will also be debuting a new, one-off freestyle created specifically for London, which she has so far managed to keep firmly under wraps.

It is shaping up to be one of the most dramatic dressage events of 2025, even with a direct clash with the CDI5* in Frankfurt. Frankfurt will host the established invitation-only class for the world’s top 10-ranked riders, as well as the reported €300,000 prize pot previously offered in Stockholm, which could not find a sponsor for 2025.

Among those expected to compete in Frankfurt are Justin, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Isabell Werth.

Completing the British entries are two exciting new faces. Germany-based Susan Pape will bring Harmony’s Giulilanta, who has enjoyed a strong season, including a win in the CDI4* grand prix special at Hagen in April with a personal best of 73.04%. Joining them are national champions and rising stars Sadie Smith and Swanmore Dantina, who will be making their World Cup qualifier debut.

There is plenty of international firepower in the mix too. Norway’s Isabel Freese returns with Total Hope OLD, last year’s runners-up, and the Netherlands’ Marieke van der Putten brings the Glamourdale son Kuvasz RS2, a 10-year-old who has impressed throughout 2025.

France’s Morgan Barbançon heads to London straight after a World Cup qualifier win in Motešice with the ever-reliable Sir Donnerhall II OLD, who finished fifth here in 2023. Germany’s Moritz Treffinger is another to keep an eye on. He and his Hanoverian stallion Cadeau Noir claimed the European under-25 freestyle title in July and continue to look like a pair on the rise.

For a full list of entries, see the LIHS website.

“With Olympic medallists, World Cup finalists, and emerging stars of dressage all set to compete at London, the dressage World Cup qualifier supported by Horse & Hound promises to be an unmissable event for equestrian fans and the most exciting way to start the show,” said show director Simon Brooks-Ward.

“The blend of experience, talent and heart on display will ensure two days of unforgettable sport, celebrating the very best of international dressage.”

Tickets for the London International Horse Show are on sale online. To book and for more information about the full show timetable, visit the event website.

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

The horse of a lifetime: Olympic champion to bow out in London in front of home crowd

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 16:33:23 +0000

The 2021 Olympic showjumping champion Explosion W is to officially retire in front of a home crowd at the London International Horse Show.

The superstar 16-year-old gelding, who with Ben Maher won individual gold in Tokyo and European individual silver and team bronze in Rotterdam in 2019, will bow out on the Sunday evening of the show (21 December), in what show organisers said would be “an emotional farewell for the hugely popular horse”.

“The chestnut gelding, now 16, is one of the most successful and beloved showjumping horses in the world,” said a spokesperson for organisers HPower. “Together with Maher, Explosion W captured the hearts of fans around the world with his brilliance, power and remarkable consistency at the very highest level of competition. Their crowning moment came at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where they claimed individual gold.”

Chacco-Blue gelding Explosion was bred by small-time Dutch breeder Willy Wijnen, who has previously said he knew early on he had a “diamond in the rough”. He was spotted by a friend of Ben’s and bought for him to ride by Poden Farms. His early education came through Ben’s then stable riders, including Emily Mason and Carly Anthony, Ben took the reins in 2018 and they burst into five-star showjumping in a blaze of success. he was

Ben Maher and Explosion W win individual Olympic showjumping gold in Tokyo. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

After he won his European medals in 2019, Explosion was sold to Ben, Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright.

They won across the world, including the Madrid and Windsor grands prix, the Super Grand Prix in Prague and the International Jumping Riders Club top 10 final.

“Explosion has been the horse of a lifetime,” said Ben. “I always knew he had something special – an incredible will to win and a presence that captured everyone’s attention.

“We have shared unforgettable moments together, and it feels right to celebrate his retirement in front of a home crowd at London International Horse Show.”

Picture by Stefano Grasso / LGCT (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Show chairman Simon Brooks-Ward said Explosion is one of the greatest showjumpers in the world.

“His achievements with Ben have been a privilege for us all to witness on a global stage,” he said. “We are honoured that Ben, Charlotte and Pamela have chosen London International Horse Show as the place to celebrate this remarkable horse’s career. It promises to be an emotional and historic occasion for everyone who loves the sport.”

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Ben Maher ( GBR) riding Explosion W in the Jumping Individual Final for the Olympic Jumping 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: Lucy Merrell)

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‘Use your ringcraft’: find out what LIHS Rising Star judge Danielle Heath is looking for

Bethan Simons — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 13:10:25 +0000

If you’re competing in the British Show Horse Association (BSHA) Rising Star hack, riding horse or cob finals at the London International Horse Show (LIHS), then it’s time to grab a notebook. Rising Star hack, riding horse and cob judge Danielle Heath gives us insight into her background in horses, and tells us what she will be looking for when she is judging.

Who is LIHS Rising Star judge Danielle Heath?

Showing buffs and followers of horse classes will without doubt have heard of Danielle, who is currently one of our leading producers, particularly of hacks, riding horses, hunters, cobs, and ladies’ show horses. Just this year, we’ve seen Danielle lift notable championships including at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) where she was champion cob astride Mr Vincent, and lifted the riding horse title there with Times Square II for the third time. Other highlights you may have witnessed include partnering uber-successful hack Forgeland Hyde Park to stand reserve supreme at Hickstead in 2022, and 2023 supreme champion at Horse of the Year Show.

Mr Vincent and Danielle Heath head home with the 2025 Royal International cob championship. (Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

Danielle Heath’s equestrian background

“When my mother and father were in their thirties, they decided to learn to ride,” says Danielle. “They both went and had riding lessons, got the bug, and quite quickly, they got into hunting, and joined the Cheshire Forest hunt, and that was it. I was about four years old at the time, and so I grew up with horses around me.

“We moved to the property where I am now, which had stables, and so I had ponies around me from a young age. Mum would enjoy buying youngsters and all sorts that couldn’t have much done with them, especially from the Beeston sales. She would bring them home and we’d play around with them, and then Mum would sell them again. She really enjoyed a project.”

Danielle explains that she and her older sister Aysha started competing in showing at local level in the cradle stakes classes, before moving onto nursery stakes and moving up through the working hunter pony divisions.

“Aysha lost interest in showing and went eventing, but I stayed with it and grew to love it. Show hunter ponies were introduced when I was about 13 years old, and Mum found a pony called Morning Melody, a 143cm, at a local riding club show. She bought it, and we went on to win the Royal International with her. And that was it; then I really had the showing bug.”

Despite Danielle enjoying an early win at Hickstead, she had to wait 20 years longer for a win at HOYS.

“I was a latecomer,” she jokes. “I had to wait until I was 37 years old and then I won the middleweight hunters with Oathill Take The Biscuit, and went on to stand hunter champion.”

Danielle’s original career ambition was to become a graphic designer, but her life changed when her mother became unwell when she was just 17 years old, and she left school.

“That was my passion, and horses were my hobby. But then after I sadly lost my mum at 21, I was torn as to what to do. Horses became a kind of saviour through the grieving process, and I gained comfort from showing. When I went to shows, the showing community was like family to me, because they were people I’d grown up with. Showing was a comfort blanket.

“Still, there are certain shows such as Royal Windsor where we went as a family from when I was about nine years old, and the memories remind me of my mum every time I go to those showgrounds.

“In a way I fell into producing, as people asked me to carry on riding horses that they had bought from me. That’s how it all progressed.”

Forgeland Hyde Park and Danielle winning the hack championship at Royal Windsor in 2022. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Prior judging experience

Danielle started judging early in her career, having graduated to the Sport Horse Breeding (SHB GB) panel when she was just 22 years old.

“Royal Windsor was one of my early appointments; I was 23, and it was a huge thing for me, because again it’s such an important show to me, and to be judging was a massive honour,” she explains.

“The likes of David Tatlow, Robert Oliver, Bill Bryant, Jilly Tatlow, Ali Oliver and Guy Landau in the ring – people I really looked up to. And it was an honour to be riding horses that I’d admired and watched. There was a lightweight hunter called Finn McCool, who was a massive superstar in my eyes – I admired him a lot. I got to judge him there, and I think we had him champion, which was a really special moment for me.”

The other appointment that stands out in Danielle’s memory is her first appointment at HOYS.

“It was 2010 and I judged the ladies horses with John Newborough and that was a special time. He’s a very knowledgeable, kind man and that made the experience even better.”

This will be Danielle’s first appointment at London International.

“It’ll be fantastic to go to the London show for one thing – that’ll be lovely – and to have an opportunity to get in there with the up-and-coming and the newcomers, and to give a bit back to showing which I think we all should do,” she adds.

“I feel passionate about not letting standards drop in what we do. Everybody strives to be better, and I think if we can help people do that and understand why horses win when they win, and to understand about conformation and type and way of going, we can give people a better understanding.”

What will LIHS judge Danielle Heath be looking for in the ring?

At the final, judges of the Rising Star finals are encouraged to decide between them who assesses performance and who assesses ride, and they often swap in between classes. Whichever she’s assessing, Danielle will “want to see a horse that says ‘look at me’, that goes forward, looking through the bridle like it’s enjoying itself,” on the go-round.

Rising Star hacks

“A hack should be elegant and light on its feet,” she says. “And a hack should be quality with manners. A hack’s schooling has got to be ‘bang on’ in terms of transitions and so on.

“I’ll be looking at at the rider, too. It’s important that the rider looks elegant as well in the whole picture.”

Should she be on conformation for the hacks, Danielle says, “A hack should be quality, with good quality, flat bone and no conformation faults. A hack should also be a lovely mover, and a straight mover.”

Rising Star cobs

“In a good cob, I’m looking for something that’s not too heavy on the ground. Although it’s a cob, it should still have lovely, straight, paces and cover the ground. Of course a cob should be workman-like, but they should also have a bit of quality about them,” says Danielle.

“Close up, I’ll want a cob with clean conformation. I’ll want a cob with short cannon bones, nice big knees and a strong second thigh. It should be low to the ground and square, but with a good length of rein.

Rising Star riding horses

“A riding horse has got to have good limbs. They should be between a hack and a hunter, so should have some substance to them with a good depth of girth and a good length of rein.

“Again, a good riding horse should be light on its feet, but cover the ground more than a hack, and it should give a good gallop. It should always be mannerly, too, and looking through the bridle.

A riding horse must gallop well – as demonstrated by Danielle and thrice RIHS riding horse champion, Times Square II. (Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

LIHS Rising Star judge Danielle Heath’s pet hates

“Yes,” she says. “I hate to see competitors bunched-up on a go-round, and don’t like to see people not give themselves a space. Try to keep plenty of space around you to show your horse off. If you find yourselves in a bunch, use your ring craft and get out of the group into a space of your own.

“I also like to see a good walk. The walk is the first and last thing a judge sees, so make sure your downwards transitions are good and you finish with a good walk that shows your horse off.”

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout this season and beyond, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Places to stay near the London International Horse Show

georgia.guerin@futurenet.com (Georgia Guerin) — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 13:58:52 +0000

If you’re heading to London International from afar, you may well be in need of a hotel near Excel London. This year the London International Horse Show will run on 18–22 December – here’s more info on London International tickets, including an exclusive discount code and a guide to what’s on each session.

To help you have the best time at the show, we’ve put together a list of places to stay near the London International Horse Show – not just hotels near the ExCeL Centre, but apartments, too – at a range of price points to help you make the most of your visit. Distances are calculated in order of distance from the venue (E16 1XL) – and with there being so much choice in London, every hotel is just a short walk away.

Hotels near the Excel Centre, London

Aloft London Excel
Distance to Excel: <½ mile | Tripadvisor rating: 4.1/5 |
This hotel has an indoor pool and fitness centre, and accommodates dogs.View Deal

Sunborn London Yacht Hotel
Distance to Excel: <½ mile | Tripadvisor rating: 4.3/5 |
Upgrade your stay to this hotel on the water, which is less than a minute’s walk from Excel.View Deal

DoubleTree by Hilton – London Excel
Distance to Excel: <½ mile | Tripadvisor rating: 4.1/5
Just next door to the Excel, this four-star hotel offers waterfront views.View Deal

Prince Regent Hotel
Distance to Excel: <½ mile | Tripadvisor rating: 3.9/5
This hotel offers a range of rooms and free private parking.View Deal

Premier Inn London Docklands Excel
Distance to Excel: <½ mile | Tripadvisor rating: 4.2/5
This is the closest “budget” hotel to the venue.View Deal

Fox Connaught House London ExCel
Distance to Excel: <½ mile | Tripadvisor rating: 4.2/5
This hotel has free on-site parking.View Deal

Hampton By Hilton London Docklands
Distance to Excel: <½ mile | Tripadvisor rating: 4.1/5
This hotel offers private parking and has been highly rated for its comfy beds.View Deal

Travelodge London Excel
Distance to Excel: <½ mile | Tripadvisor rating: 4.1/5
This is likely to be one of the cheapest hotels near the ExCeL Centre.View Deal

Crowne Plaza London – Docklands
Distance to Excel: ½ mile | Tripadvisor rating: 4.1/5
This hotel has a view of the Docklands – and boasts more repeat guests than most other properties on Booking.comView Deal

Good Hotel London
Distance to Excel: ½ mile | Tripadvisor rating: 4.1/5
This floating, repurposed hotel gives its profits to good causes around the world.View Deal

Ibis London Excel – Docklands
Distance to Excel: <1 mile | Tripadvisor rating: 3.8/5
This hotel has private parking and a restaurant on site.View Deal

Novotel London Excel
Distance to Excel: <1 mile | Tripsdvisor rating: 4.2/5
This hotel has private parking and a restaurant on site.View Deal

Apartments near the Excel Centre, London

Wild Roses Apartments
Distance to Excel: <½ mile |
This three-bed apartment can sleep up to 11 people if you use the sofa beds in the living area.View Deal

Goldwing Close Apartment
Distance to Excel: <½ mile |
This three-bed house has two bathrooms, a kitchen and garden, and sleeps up to six people.View Deal

Western Gateway Apartment
Distance to Excel: <½ mile |
This one-bed apartment has rooms with a view of the Docklands.View Deal

Bloom of Luxury Apartment
Distance to Excel: 1 mile |
This two-bed apartment has two bathrooms and a balcony.View Deal

Bridgeland Road Apartment
Distance to Excel: 1 mile |
This three-bed apartment sleeps up to nine people if you also use the living room sofa bed. It also has free parking and a balcony.View Deal

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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 your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

‘The demand for our services is huge’: Sport In Mind partners with London International Horse Show

Lucy Elder — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 16:19:29 +0000

Sport In Mind is the official charity for the 2025 London International Horse Show (18 to 22 December).

Sport In Mind is a UK mental health sports charity and a long-term partner of the NHS. Its aim is to improve the nation’s mental health through sport.

As part of its collaboration with the show, it will have the opportunity to showcase its work to the equestrian world during the build-up and running of London International. Donations will be encouraged through ticket sales, and Sport In Mind will receive a proportion of revenue from the designated charity performance tickets, as well as the chance to fundraise on site at the show.

The charity partnered with British Equestrian in early 2025 and has been improving access to weekly equestrian-based sessions through the NHS for more adults and young people. It has also been providing mentorship and training for the equestrian world’s own workforce.

Kayleigh Harris, head of growth and innovation at Sport in Mind, said: “Our work in 2025 on highlighting the benefit of equestrian sport to mental health has been hugely beneficial, and we are so pleased to have the opportunity to showcase this impact to the London International Horse Show audience.

“The demand for our services is huge, and the need has never been greater as more people face mental health challenges, and by directing the transformative power of horses to support those most disadvantaged, we aim to make an even greater impact.

“We are incredibly grateful to London International Horse Show for providing us with the opportunity to build our community of support and raise lifechanging funds.”

London International Horse Show director Jonathan Goold added: “We are delighted to name Sport In Mind as the official charity for the 2025 show, and are hugely proud to be able to support the charity’s work.

“As a show, and as a sector, equestrians know the value of riding to mental health, and what a positive and profound effect horses can have upon it. We are looking forward to working closely with Sport In Mind, and I can’t wait to see what this partnership brings.”

Bedmax collaborates with artists at Scone

Bedmax, the official bedding partner for Scone Palace International Horse Trials, is collaborating with the Society of Equestrian Artists (SEA) at this year’s event.

Visitors to the Bedmax stand will have the chance to see live demonstrations by SEA members, who will be painting on site during the event.

Bedmax managing director Tim Smalley said: “Scotland has always held a special place in Bedmax’s journey, and we’re delighted to support what promises to be one of the country’s standout equestrian events.

“This year, we’re especially excited to bring something different to our presence at Scone. We believe it’s the first time artists have painted live on a bedding manufacturer’s stand, and it’s a brilliant way to bring people even closer to the horses we all care so deeply about. It’s a celebration of both horse welfare and the artistic talent inspired by these remarkable animals.”

New rosé partnership for The Jockey Club

Ultimate Provence is has signed a three-year deal to become official Provence rosé partner of The Jockey Club.

Lynsey Robinson, partnerships sales manager at The Jockey Club, said the organisation is “thrilled” with the partnership.

“The collaboration got off to a fantastic start at this year’s Betfred Derby Festival, and we are excited to build on that momentum,” said Ms Robinson. “Together with Ultimate Provence, we’re enhancing the raceday experience with an exciting new offering that truly resonates with our racegoers.”

D&H signs new deals

Equine nutrition specialist D&H has announced several new partnerships.

The company is now official nutritional partner to dressage yard and stud Mount St John Equestrian, and is also official nutritional partner and yard sponsor of Greenall Guerriero Racing.

Mount St John Equestrian managing director Emma Blundell said: “My personal mission and vision is and has always been ‘quality without compromise’ and this is something that we apply to everything we do.

“Having understood the benefits of excellence in nutrition from my very early days, I am proud to once again be feeding D&H and am looking forward to giving the foals of the future the same start in life as the exceptional Mount St John Freestyle, who was fed Suregrow in her early years.

“I am excited for the next chapter of D&H and Mount St John Equestrian working closely together and our shared focus on – above all else – happy, healthy horses.”

D&H managing director Linda Porter said “Horses are very much at the heart of both D&H and Mount St John Equestrian, and we are so proud to be a part of Emma’s vision for the breeding and producing of world-class dressage horses.

“Our veterinary and nutrition experts have been working closely with Emma to ensure that the individual dietary requirements of the fabulous horses based at Mount St John Equestrian is met, and we are all elated with the results.

“We are looking forward to a long and successful partnership and are honoured to be feeding the equine royalty based at this wonderful yard.”

D&H and Greenall Guerriero Racing first started working collaboratively in 2020 and that relationship is further strengthened with this new deal.

Sammy Martin, head of PR for D&H, said: “As we head towards the start of the next National

Hunt season, we are delighted to be kicking it off as the official nutritional partner and yard sponsor to Greenall Guerriero Racing.

“Providing excellence in nutrition for happy healthy horses is key to achieving performance and results both off and on the racecourse and our veterinary and nutrition experts are on

hand to work with the team at Greenall Guerriero Racing to prioritise the individual needs of the horses. We are looking forward to a successful season ahead.”

Joint trainer Oliver Greenall said the yard has been feeding D&H since 2020 and that “strengthening our relationship with this leading name in equine nutrition is a wonderful next step”.

“D&H has always taken the time to understand what our horses need and their adaptability

and superb customer relations has been pivotal in developing such a long term and valued partnership,” he added.

D&H is also continuing its partnership with Horse of the Year Show, returning as official nutrition partner for the 2025 show.

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Game of Thrones actor set to thrill at London International Horse Show

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 13:00:58 +0000

A stunt actor whose credits include Game of Thrones will play a starring role at the London International Horse Show this year.

Dan Naprous, who has also featured in The Crown and Wonder Woman, will host “Driving force”, as part of the LeMieux masterclass series, on the Saturday of the show (20 December).

Dan will be joined by event ambassador and influencer Esme Higgs for a “high-energy live demonstration that unveils the skill, strategy, and precision behind the sport of driving”.

“London International Horse Show is also delighted to announce that This Esme will return as an official show ambassador for the fourth year running,” said a spokesperson for event organisers HPower. “She will once again bring her unique insight, charm and behind-the-scenes access to one of the most prestigious equestrian events of the year.”

Driving is one of three FEI World Cup competitions hosted at Excel London, along with dressage and showjumping.

“Providing an insight into the skills required for international driving, the LeMieux driving force masterclass will show Naprous showcasing two different turnouts,” the spokesperson said. “A single-horse carriage will give Esme the opportunity to take the reins herself and experience the sport from the driver’s seat, while an appearance from one of Naprous’s four-in-hand horse teams will demonstrate the more advanced techniques used at the top levels of competitive driving. From mastering the reins and the fundamentals of steering to executing tight turns and the thrill of speed, the session will offer a rare glimpse into what it takes to excel in this fast-paced discipline.”

Dan said it is a privilege to bring the masterclass back to the show.

“It’s a brilliant opportunity to give the audience a behind-the-scenes look at the skill and precision behind driving – just before the excitement of the FEI driving World Cup opening competition that evening,” he said.

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

‘You never stop progressing’: Richard White on injury, inspiration and making his grand prix debut in his 60s

Oscar Williams — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 15:30:07 +0000

For most of his career, Richard White has worked behind the scenes in the dressage world. But last year, at 63, he swapped the sidelines for centre stage, making his debut at the London International Horse Show – a clear reminder that new challenges aren’t limited by age.

“I’ve spent my career training others and supporting Kyra [Kyrklund],” says Richard. “But life has a funny way of twisting your path.”

Richard, a renowned coach and husband to Olympic medallist Kyra Kyrklund, had long prioritised training over competition. But when Kyra was forced to step back from riding in 2019 following a cancer diagnosis, it unexpectedly shifted the dynamic of their partnership.

“We had this Lusitano, Heroi Do Seixo, who was originally meant for Kyra,” Richard explains. “But when she stopped riding, I took over completely. Heroi was reaching grand prix level, and, well, I sort of got my arm twisted.

“Kyra had been asked to do a small demo at the Lusitano breed show at Windsor, and somehow I got roped in instead,” Richard recalls.

“Heroi loved it, and it was a real buzz for me too. I’d done stallion shows in Sweden but never competed beyond advanced medium – and that was a long time ago.”

That “twist” led Richard to a local show in an advanced class – his first competition in decades – in a tailcoat that hadn’t seen action for 30 years.

“As soon as I put it on, the imitation leather started crumbling everywhere,” he laughs. “I had black dandruff all over my white breeches. We were in absolute hysterics.”

What began as a light-hearted step back into the ring soon snowballed. Heroi took to competition with enthusiasm, and Richard found himself relishing the challenge of pushing towards grand prix level for the first time in his sixties.

Richard White and Heroi Do Seixo pictured at home. (Image credit: Tilly Berendt Photography)

It was a far cry from the Richard of a few years earlier, who feared he might not be able to ride at all.

“I needed two hip replacements, and I was in a lot of pain,” he explains. “Some days, I’d be out walking the dogs and suddenly couldn’t move. At home, I’d cling to the countertop just to get around.”

Even short rides were excruciating. “I’d get 10 minutes into a session and be struggling so much that Kyra would ask why I was even trying. It was terrifying.”

Determined not to give up, Richard sought out a specialist. “I found a fantastic doctor and had one hip replaced seven years ago, the other five years ago. I did all the rehab, and it’s been life-changing.”

Now, he’s back to riding two or three horses a day. “The grand prix special is still quite tough with all that extended trot,” he admits. “But I count my blessings that I can walk and ride pain-free. Competing is just the icing on the cake.”

Richard’s return to the ring has also given him a fresh perspective as a coach.

“I thought I was good at getting riders in the zone,” he says. “But I never fully appreciated how different the horse feels at a big show. I used to just say, ‘You have to get on with it.’ Now that I’ve been through it myself, I realised how tough it really is!”

His experience has reminded him that at any age, the nerves and thrill of the sport never fade.

“At my age, of course you get nerves – you don’t want to look like an idiot!” he smiles. “But I’m incredibly lucky. I have Kyra, and Heroi’s owner, Lynda Cameron, has been hugely supportive. We just go out there, do our best, and I’m amazed to have this opportunity.”

His advice? “You never stop progressing,” Richard says. “The moment you think you know everything about horses, they’ll teach you otherwise. I’ll probably never get another horse, so why not give it a go?”

To read our exclusive interview with Richard White in full, pick up this week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine, in shops from 10 April.

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

H&H’s Bethan Simons: ‘London’s showing classes were welcoming, supportive and inclusive’

Bethan Simons — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:25:38 +0000

Horse & Hound’s showing editor Bethan Simons reflects on the showing classes at London International and the lessons we can take from it

Perhaps it’s my new baby, but it feels like we’ve barely had time to sleep since we were at London International (LIHS). Yet here we are, staring straight down the barrel of a brand new season. Still, it feels remiss not to comment on LIHS, which was a fabulous culmination of the 2024 showing calendar.

I know first-hand that it’s hard preparing for LIHS – the turmoil caused by rugging dilemmas in readiness for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) is nothing in comparison. It’s even harder still if all of your preparation is completed in the pitch black hours before and after work.

But every competitor deserves a pat on the back, because the standard, on the whole, was superb.

For me, there were three standout moments.

The first was the 2023 Tattersalls Retraining of Racehorses elite champion and reigning SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse winner Wonga Swinger landing the Rising Stars riding horse championship with Tori Thomas. It’s so satisfying to see a cracking horse thrive in its second career.

Then, 16-year-old Chloe Owen taking the Rising Stars hunter championship with her mother’s home-bred five-year-old Tarr Dauntless was the second. What a win for such a young pair. At the risk of sounding clichéd, the future looks bright for these combinations and it will be exciting watching them progress in open classes.

The third was Birkettbank Master John and Victoria Taylor topping the Heritage championship. Not only did they give a beautiful performance making it thoroughly deserved, but as a home-produced combination, their win in one of the show’s few unrestricted sections cemented London as a triumph for amateurs.

It represents what showing can be

Another total triumph was the attitudes displayed. A friend of mine who was openly dreading her Rising Stars final returned home elated. Fellow competitors and officials had been encouraging and friendly so her rosette was just a bonus. In a similar vein, I applaud the steward who stepped in to help an overwhelmed cradle stakes combination get started on their round.

For me, both of these examples represent what showing can be – welcoming, supportive and inclusive. We must be careful to be all of these things with everyone, but particularly to those who are new to the sport or we risk losing our smaller area shows where numbers are dwindling.

Father Christmas taking a break from the toy factory to visit children in the ring was also super. Anything that makes showing a little bit more special for our young competitors is vital if we’re to see entry numbers buoy and keep talented jockeys in showing rather than lose them to more adrenaline-fuelled or technical disciplines.

The only incident to tarnish the week was a stolen truck and trailer, leaving one West Walian competitor temporarily stranded with her horse a very long way from home. I can’t recall anything of the sort before and really hope this isn’t a sign of what’s to come for equestrian competition in general.

It’s hard enough and expensive enough without the threat of such serious crime while we’re in the thick of things, and it’s an added complication event organisers – so many of whom are volunteers – really don’t need.

The season is longer than ever now, so I hope that the horses and ponies competing at LIHS have had at least a break from schooling if not a proper holiday before entering Royal International and HOYS qualifiers, which are just around the corner.

Without the twinkly lights, mulled wine and mince pies to sustain good humour, please can we try to remember the lessons we can take from London, and wish each other good luck?

● How can we encourage more people to give showing a go? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

11 showjumping training tips from three-time Hickstead Derby winner John Ledingham and youth medallist Tabitha Kyle

Pippa Roome — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 18:30:57 +0000

Youth and experience combined to bring some great showjumping training tips to the audience for the Sunday (22 December) Lemieux masterclass at London International Horse Show as 2024 drew to a close.

John Ledingham, a three-time winner of the Hickstead Derby and frequent Nations Cup rider for Ireland who is now a top coach, led the session, with 17-year-old Tabitha Kyle – already a four-time team bronze medallist in children-on-horses and junior ranks for Britain – as the demo rider. Read on for some great advice from the pair’s session at ExCeL…

1. It may be a good idea to move into canter early in the session if a horse starts out tense. Tabitha’s ride Morginto (known as Gin) is a little on edge as he moves from the warm-up to the public arena.

“Let him go forward to canter nice and slowly, let him have a look around at all these people,” says John. “It’s nice to see a horse that’s alive and he’s curious as to what’s happening.

“It’s important as a coach to constantly be assessing the horse’s way of going. This horse started out fresh, aware and sharp but as he settles into his work, I’m quite happy with him.”

2. John likes to assess a horse’s conformation too.

He says: “We look at static conformation – the shape of the head, the neck, the position of the shoulder, the length of back, the position of the hindleg and what the model is like. This horse is pleasing to the eye, he’s in proportion, his neck fits his body.

“We also look at conformation in movement – you can have a very correct horse in static conformation, but then you find restrictions in the shoulder or the hindleg is behind or they lack quality in movement. But we don’t see any of those things with this horse.”

3. Riders and coaches should also explore the training scale in the warm-up phase before jumping.

“We’re always thinking about the training scale,” says John. “What is this horse’s rhythm like? We think about suppleness and relaxation – he looks like a very supple horse now that he has relaxed. And we consider acceptance of the contact – his transitions have been very nice.”

Tabitha Kyle jumps a fence on Morginto during a masterclass at London International Horse Show 2024. (Image credit: London International Horse Show / Real Time Images)

4. Balance is vital.

“We are looking for an understanding of the horse finding his own balance – the horse has to travel in balance and carry himself before he can carry the rider,” says John, who emphasises it’s important not to shorten the neck too much so the horse can use it for balance.

“The neck muscles are the first group of muscles to get tired – it’s important to give them a rest frequently, even if it’s just 15 seconds of stretch, then the horse is ready to work again and carry themselves.”

When Tabitha rides a transition to walk, John tells her to ask Gin to walk forward off the leg, establish balance in walk, vary the flexion, move him off the leg and then let him stretch, rather than just falling into walk and straight into a stretch.

5. Another of John’s showjumping training tips is that a horse might trot over 40 or 50 poles on the ground before he starts jumping, using various exercises.

“We are working on the horse’s proprioception – his awareness of where he puts his feet, how does he make that judgement? Additionally, we’re buliding engagement of the core, self-carriage and the horse finding his own balance. And there’s also a rotation of the spine in trot, so working over poles warms up the big long back muscles,” says John, who instructs Tabitha to ride in a light seat over the poles.

John says Tabitha “rides beautifully”, just encouraging her to put her foot more into the stirrup so it sits under the ball of her foot rather than her toes, a position point she’s already working on correcting.

Tabitha Kyle rides Morginto over poles during the masterclass, with John Ledingham instructing. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

6. Straightness is critical.

“Don’t have too much bend when riding a small circle,” advises John. “The most difficult horse to ride is a horse that’s not straight – a forward, straight, light horse is a beautiful horse to ride.”

7. It’s a constant dialogue.

“If you ride five times a week for an hour, that’s only 20 hours a month – that’s the only time the horse is being educated, learning from you,” says John. “It’s important from the minute you sit on the horse that there’s an ongoing discussion and education. The horse won’t be sitting in his stable reading a book on jumping or dressage or transitions in between!”

8. Make it easy initially.

John prefers to start an exercise on the horse’s softer side – left rein, in Gin’s case – and then progress to the trickier rein.

“This horse isn’t as straight on the right rein, he likes to cut in with his quarters,” says John. “He needs hours more dressage – dressage for jumpers, which is all about the training scale – suppleness, rhythm, acceptance of contact.”

9. Don’t just jump a fence and stop.

John says: “Find the balance in the trot or canter, move it towards medium and back to collected, let the horse carry himself – straight, forward, light. Then go to walk and establish walk, have your back loose. Ask yourself, is he tracking over? Is he still round and good in frame?

“When you’re happy, let him stretch. He’s not finished with self carriage and attention to detail until you say so. That attention to detail is vital in the grand prix ring over there.”

10. Use gears and flexion.

“It’s important to explore the power of the canter – moving between medium and collected, not just staying in working canter – so you always have the gears you need and transitions in the pace,” says John. “And every time you ride, teach the horse flexion and moving off the leg to relax them, then if a horse gets tense halfway through a round, you can use flexion to counteract that.”

11. Rider position and weight distribution matters.

John and Tabitha discuss the fact that if she leans an inch to one side, 100% of her weight goes there; if she leans forward too much, 100% of her weight goes forward. This point was also made in the Dickie Waygood masterclass earlier in the week in London.

“It’s so important where we sit and how strong the rider has to be in their core to hold that balance,” says John, as the pair wrap up their masterclass of showjumping training tips.

To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout major shows, for training tips and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Graham Fletcher: ‘Let’s big up London and our sport’

Graham Fletcher — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 10:28:44 +0000

Graham Fletcher shares his thoughts on the show at ExCeL and more within showjumping

It was great to see our sport shown in such a positive light at the last major show of 2024, the London International (LIHS). With all the afternoon and evening performances sold out, the atmosphere in the ExCeL arena this year was every bit as good as it used to be at Olympia. It has a much bigger collecting ring, too! And with airy stabling and the horseboxes parked on site – unlike Olympia where they were miles away – I’m sure the venue received the vote of the big contingent of overseas riders and grooms.

It’s a tremendously well-run show. I’ve always said that if you want a job doing well, ask a busy man – and Simon Brooks-Ward certainly fits that bill. His eye for detail is ever-present. I’m sure his father Raymond, who started the Olympia show and made it such a success despite many “experts” predicting a failure, would be delighted with what Simon and his team have achieved.

It was my son Olli’s first time riding at LIHS, and how he enjoyed it. I was very proud when he received the Raymond Brooks-Ward trophy for the young rider showing the most potential.

The BBC’s coverage of LIHS was another big positive for our sport. With the World Cup qualifier shown in its entirety on BBC2, and extensive viewing available on BBC iPlayer on most of the other days, it was a significant stride forward. The production was first class and the commentary team of Nick Luck and Andy Austin worked very well. I hope the viewing figures were good enough to encourage the BBC to show even more later this year.

“You’ve lied to me…”

Raymond’s bar, which is next to the London show’s collecting ring, stays open for an hour or so after each evening performance. It’s where riders, owners and friends gather to catch up and enjoy a bit of craic.

I was in the bar one evening with David Broome when Nick Skelton joined us. Turning to David, Skelly said with a wry smile: “Broomey, you’ve lied to me.” David was somewhat perplexed, as was I. Having known David for many years, I’ve often seen his searing honesty deflate many a big ego, but I’ve never heard him tell a lie. Skelly went on to explain: “Broomey, you said to me that if I ever won a gold medal, I’d never have to work again. Well here I am, still working.”

Joking apart, Skelly has a point. It’s more than three years since tennis player Emma Raducanu won the US Open, with limited success since, yet she still benefits from sponsorship deals worth millions. Compare that with Skelly’s stellar career topped by an emotional gold medal in Rio. Or consider Scott Brash for his totally professional and ice-cool round in Paris when, if he’d had one fence down, we’d have finished in silver instead of Olympic champions, or two would have dropped us to fifth. Then there’s the total brilliance of Ben Maher who’s won three gold medals at the last four Olympics – an achievement that will surely never be surpassed.

Yet the collective sponsorship of all three equestrian superstars wouldn’t come anywhere near what Emma Raducanu earns. When it comes to publicity and promotion of our sport, we really should be doing much, much better.

A good team

Being a successful chef d’equipe is a very difficult job, especially when it comes to balancing picking your best team with trying out up-and-coming combinations. However, having Di Lampard as performance manager and chef d’equipe at major events and Stanny van Paesschen as technical expert works really well for the British teams. I can’t think of one horse and rider that deserved a chance last year and didn’t get it. So I was very pleased to hear that, after bringing home team gold from Paris, Di and Stanny have signed up again until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Their next big challenge is this year’s Europeans at A Coruña in Spain. I wish them luck.

● How can horse sport promote itself better? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Meet the 2024 M&M supreme best of breed winners from London International

Alex Robinson — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 20:14:51 +0000

As we wave goodbye to the London International Horse Show for another 12 months, we meet the 12 best of breeds crowned in the 2024 BSPS M&M supreme ridden final.

This year, a home-produced Fell stallion was crowned overall supreme with a Dales stallion in reserve. For the first time in many years, only large breed ponies occupied the top 10 final placings.

Here are the 12 best of breed winners from the 2024 BSPS M&M supreme ridden final: