A man from Essex has been fined £10,000 for illegally exporting horses to Holland.

James Harbour, 42, of Acacia Road, Basildon, admitted transporting horses through Harwich without correct documents.

Hundreds of animals were transported between August 2010 and February 2011.

On 29 June, Harbour pleaded guilty to a charge of transporting horses in an uninspected vehicle; two charges of having incomplete export licences; a charge of not having passports for six horses, and 14 charges of failing to get an export licence.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard that Harbour was trying to cut costs but was also illiterate, so could not fill out the forms.

Harbour denied a further 10 charges, which were dropped by prosecutors acting for Essex Trading Standards and Defra.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (5 July 2012)

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

Edward Gal, Anky van Grunsven and Adelinde Cornelissen are set to represent the Netherlands in team dressage at this summer’s Olympic Games.

Sjef Janssen, Dutch team trainer and Anky’s husband, announced the selections on Sunday (24 June) after the CDIO at Rotterdam, despite having said the announcement would be delayed until after Aachen (4-7 July).

The Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation (KNHS) confirmed the news to H&H.

The decision comes on the back of strong performances from all three riders in Rotterdam – they won the Nations Cup there – and means Anky will contest her seventh consecutive Games and will defend her individual gold and team silver medals with Salinero.

This will be the 18-year-old Salieri gelding’s third Olympics in a row.

Edward Gal, who qualified a staggering four horses to compete in London has been selected with and 11-year-old Ferro/Donnerhall gelding Glock’s Undercover, who is only in his first year of international grand prix.

Adelinde Cornelissen and 15-year-old Jerich Parzival have also been selected. However they must prove the horse’s fitness at the national competition in Ermelo on Saturday (30 June) to confirm their place on the team.

Parzival failed the first horse inspection at the World Cup final in April but was granted approval to compete on re-inspection. Since then, the Jazz gelding has missed both Dutch observation trials on grounds of fitness.

Inke Schellekens-Bartels with Hunter Douglas Toots or Patrick van der Meer with Uzzo will fill the fourth place as an individual. The final decision will be made after the CDIO Aachen next month.

The surprise omission is Hans Peter Minderhoud, who had qualified three horses (Glock’s Tango, Donna Silver and Whitney Van’t Genthof) but is not named as one of the four-man squad. A reserve has yet to be confirmed, but all evidence points to the loser of the head-to-head battle for the fourth place taking that position.

All horses at the Olympics will be stripped of their commercial prefixes under the strict advertising rules.

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

The Dutch eventing team for the 2012 Olympics in London has been named:

• Andrew Heffernan with Millthyme Corolla
• Tim Lips and Concrex Oncarlos
• Elaine Pen and Vira

British-based Andrew made his senior championship debut when finishing 27th at the European Championships in Luhm ¼hlen last year on Millthyme Corolla (pictured). This will be his first Olympics.

Tim finished 15th at the last Olympics on Hong Kong, riding the same horse as this time, Concrex Oncarlos.

Elaine Pen, 22, will be one of the youngest riders of the Games and also makes her Olympic debut after finishing 14th at last year’s Europeans on Vira.

The Dutch only have three riders in London because they did not gain a qualification for a full team of five, but won three places through the rider ranking system.

Dutch grand prix dressage rider Hans Peter Minderhoud – born on 7 October 1973 – comes from an unhorsey family of jewellers.

He first came into contact with horses at the age of six at a local stables in Westkapelle, Holland where he spent much of his spare time as a child.

From the age of 16 Hans Peter worked with Olympian Anky van Grunsven during his school holidays in Erp, southern Holland.

He accompanied Anky to the 1994 World Equestrian Games in The Hague as competition groom and when she won a gold medal with Bonfire, Hans Peter was inspired to pursue a career in the equestrian world.

After gaining considerable experience working for various yards – including Bollvorm, Van de Broek and at Gertjan van Olst’s stud farm – Hans Peter decided to set up on his own in 2003.

Together with his partner Edward Gal – who he met at a stallion testing station – Hans Peter has now built up a yard of about 50 horses including six at grand prix level.

His first grand prix horse was Carl Hester’s Escapado who came to him just after the European Championships in 2005.

Escapado has now returned to Carl’s yard in Gloucestershire to live out his retirement.

In 2007 Antony Kies – CEO of equestrian sponsor Exquis – bought Nadine for Hans Peter to ride. The mare was competing small tour when she came to Hans Peter but would prove to be hugely influential in his grand prix career.

Nadine is now retired from competition but remains at the MinderGal base where she is likely to be put into foal or have embryo transfer.

Hans Peter has been hailed one of Holland’s best riders and producers of young horses having won the world championships for young horses in Verden twice with Rubels.

Other career highlights include making the Dutch grand prix team in 2007 with Nadine and winning team gold for Holland at the 2007 European Championships in Turin, Italy.

Hans Peter hopes to represent the Netherlands at London 2012 and is on the long list for both the provisional A and B teams. His grand prix rides include Vivaldi, Whitney van ‘t Genthof and Donna Silver.

In this week’s dressage special (22 March 2012), read an exclusive interview with Hans Peter Minderhoud and Edward Gal, get advice on giving freestyle to music a go and find out who the upcoming stars of the dressage world are.

Read all the latest dressage news

View our dressage galleries

Horse shows in the Netherlands have been disrupted by an outbreak of the neurological strain of the equine herpes virus (EHV-1).

All equestrian competitions have been cancelled since the outbreak in eastern Holland at the end of February and had not restarted as H&H went to press.

And in the UK the Animal Health Trust is urging owners of in-foal mares who abort to have them investigated for the virus, which can cause abortions.

In January and February there were four cases of EHV-1 diagnosed in UK mares.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (22 March 2012)

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

The Dutch Equestrian Federation and chef d’equipe Sjef Janssen have announced the team for The Netherlands at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

The Dutch team will be:

• Edward Gal riding Totilas
• Adelinde Cornelissen riding Parzival
• Imke Schellekens Bartels riding Sunrise
• Hans Peter Minderhoud riding Nadine

With the German team including some new combinations, it looks unlikely that any country will be able to trouble the Dutch on their way to team gold. But in the individual competition, there are a few combinations who have proved they can give the Dutch riders a run for their money, including both Britain’s own Laura Bechtolsheimer, who will be determind to prevent a Dutch medal rout.

Barry Dove and Obelix Z clinched the Future Jumping Stallion title at the prestigious Zwolle International Stallion Show in Holland at the weekend (28 February – 4 March). The title, which is presented to the stallion with the most points at the end of the show, carries a 750 euro prize.

Obelix Z (Ogano Sitte x Darco) took first place in the first round on Thursday evening and finished second in the final on Thursday evening. But having gained the most points overall, the pair was presented with the Future Jumping Stallion title.

“It was fantastic”, said Anne-Marie Mattox, who used to have a share in the five-year-old Obelix Z. “They jumped well against a very strong line-up of international stallions.”

More than 150 stallions took part in Zwolle International — a showcase of show jumping and dressage stallions from across the world. Britons Philip Spivey (Ramanov II) and Deborah Jackson (Larino) also contested the prestigious titles of Best, Promising, Young and Future Stallion.

Mattox believes that Britain should do more to run events of this type which promote and showcase top breeding. “The show was very well run with much bigger prize funds on offer than there are here in the UK,” she told HHO. “It is a shame that the UK doesn’t have more events like this on offer with a bigger emphasis on breeding – nearly all of the trade stands were studs advertising both dressage and jumping stallions.”

FUTURE STALLION JUMPING

Obelix Z (Ogano Sitte x Darco) – Z – bay – 2002

rider: Barry Dove GBR

owner: Mr. B Dove (E 750)

breeder: Y Clercx (E 100)

YOUNG STALLION JUMPING

Utah (Guidam x Amethist) – KWPN – bay – 2001

rider: Danny Schaper NED

owner: Mr D Schaper (E1500)

breeder: Hengstenhouderij Zwartjens (E150)

DE PEPERBUS PROMISING STALLION JUMPING

BMC Chiquitin la Silla (Chin Chin x Pilot) – KWPN – bay – 1999

rider: Jeroen Dubbeldam NED

owner : Mr. J. Dubbeldam and La Silla (E2500)

breeder: La Silla (E250)

STAD ZWOLLE BEST STALLION JUMPING

Concept II (Concerto II x Langata Express) – HOLS – bay – 1997

rider: Torben Kahlbrand GER

owner: Hengstation Maas J. Hell (E5000)

breeder : Mr. O. Peters (E500)

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