Irish rider Padraig McCarthy makes his Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event debut this week, riding his own and Rachel and Sarah Gough’s Pomp N Circumstance.

“For a long time, the owners had hinted that it would be lovely to bring him here,” said Padraig after dressage yesterday. “It’s his first five-star and often at Badminton, the ground is a bit wet. I didn’t want to really over face him with that because in my mind, he’s kind of a two-star horse with a six-star mentality.

“We’ve taken our time to produce him, and I just wanted to make sure that we were trying to do the right thing for him. And we’ve heard for many years that it’s an amazing place here, so we were delighted to have a chance to come with a really nice horse.”

Elaborating on Pomp N Circumstance’s character, Padraig said: “When you ride him at home, he’s just a nice horse. When you jump him or ride him on the flat, you don’t have an amazing feeling.

“But when he really comes alive is in the competition phases and it’s like he becomes a different animal. It’s one of the qualities that you can’t train into a horse. He’s always had it and it’s worth more than all the talent in the world.

“It does take time to trust that and not expect too much in the practice ring. When he goes in, he seems to grow six inches and have more blood and power.

“He always tries his best; sometimes he almost tries too hard so you’re just trying to temper his spirit and make sure he doesn’t get ahead of himself, but he’s a wonderful horse.”

Padraig and Pomp N Circumstance were 12th at the Agria European Championships at Blenheim Horse Trials last year, leading the Irish to team silver. The horse has jumped 10 double clears at four-star level.

Pomp N Circumstance: bred for the job

Padraig has been riding Pomp N Circumstance since he was three. He is owned by his breeders, the Gough family.

The horse’s dam, Bow House Mandalin (by Furisto), competed at Badminton Horse Trials and Burghley Horse Trials with the Goughs’ daughter, Rachel. She also rode his sire, Pompadour, at the current four-star level.

Padraig McCarthy and Pomp N Circumstance made a strong start to their Kentucky Three-Day Event campaign with a score of 33 for 13th after dressage.

“On the whole, I was very pleased. I would have taken that at the start of the week, for sure,” said Padraig.

“It’s a new test for him and quite an atmospheric arena. I got to the end of my walk and asked for canter and he started squealing under his breath and I thought, ‘Oh no’. Then we fluffed the next movement – he came out of the corner like a cannonball and missed the change – but he came back to me again, so I was really pleased with that and he did some lovely work.

“And I’m under no illusion it’s going to be a competition where you finish on dressage score – or if I do, I’ll be very pleased. It’s definitely a three day competition here.”

The pair head out across country over Derek di Grazia’s course at 3.15pm local time today (8.15pm British time).

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All 55 horses were accepted at the Agria Blenheim European Championships first trot-up at lunchtime today (17 September) meaning a full house go forward to the dressage.

Overnight rain gave way to blustery but dry conditions to kick off proceedings at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. The trot-up was largely smooth sailing, with just one horse – Pomp N Circumstance ridden by Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy – asked to trot again, before being accepted.

British-based Norwegian competitor Yasmin Olsson-Payne was the first to present her ride Cos Me Will before the ground jury of Sandy Phillips (GBR), Katrin Eichinger-Kniely (AUT) and Valerie Pride (USA). The nine-year-old gelding, owned by Jane Lucas and Paul and Victoria Clark was given the nod of approval, which set the tone for the rest of the trot-up at the Blenheim European Championships.

All six horses on the British squad, in partnership with Agria, sailed through, while the British riders looked smart in their team jackets.

Laura Collett and her five-star winner London 52, who won individual bronze in Paris and led the team to Olympic gold, was the first of the home side to present. The 16-year-old gelding, co-owned by Laura, Keith Scott and Karen Bartlett, is among the favourites for individual honours this week.

They were followed by 2024 Pau CCI5* winners Caroline Harris and D.Day. The 11-year-old gelding, owned by Fiona Olivier, Heather Royle, Lucy Matthews and Marie Anne Richardson, looked bright and alert as he sprang down the trot-up strip with his ears pricked.

Yasmin Ingham’s great campaigner Rehy DJ, with whom she was fourth at the 2018 young rider Europeans and has since been on the podium at CCI5* on two occasions, took in his stately surroundings with wide eyes, before bounding along the concrete in front of the ground jury. He is owned by Janette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund.

Piggy March’s ride this week, Jayne McGivern’s five-star stallion Halo, Tom McEwen’s ride JL Dublin, owned by Jo and James Lambert and Deidre Johnston, and Bubby Upton’s horse Its Cooley Time, who she owns with The Five Time Syndicate, all looked bright and fit as they head forward to the first phase.

Dourough Ferro Class Act, the ride of Ireland’s Sarah Ennis and owned by James and Niki Potterton, looked particularly keen to get on with the competition – and the commentator quipped that cross-country “is on Saturday” as the pair zipped past, with a thumbs up from the ground jury.

Her compatriot Padraig McCarthy had the sole tense moment at Blenheim European Championships first trot-up, when he was asked to run again with his own and Rachel and Sarah Gough’s Pomp N Circumstance; the 11-year-old gelding was then given the nod of approval.

The iconic backdrop of Blenheim Palace has a different look for 2025 – the main facade has a scaffolding hat owing to £12m roof restoration work.

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Padraig McCarthy became the first Irish rider to win the CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses at Blenheim Horse Trials today (22 September) with the classy eight-year-old home-bred gelding, MGH Zabaione.

The pair headed into Sunday’s cross-country in 10th after the showjumping, but a speedy cross-country round, where they clocked the third fastest round of the day with just four time-faults, was enough to propel them to the top of the leaderboard.

This young horse CCI4*-S has a history of serving as a stepping stone to five-star greatness. Analytics firm EquiRatings has counted 26 graduates who have gone on to win a five-star, including six former winners of this young horse championship.

“I expected to get a very good result – he’s done three four-stars now and he’s been placed every time,” explained Padraig. “I didn’t expect to win it, especially with where we were after the showjumping, but to win is a huge thrill.”

Padraig said he “thinks the world” of MGH Zabaione, who he owns alongside Peter Cattell and Diane Brunsden.

“He’s probably the most complete horse I’ve ever ridden. He’s won at every level so far; two-star, three-star and four-star and I bred him, so it’s really exciting.

“It’s amazing for the owners too – they believed in me when I said the horse was a really good one when I sold him to them when he was a four-year-old.”

Padraig commented that this son of Zavall VDL has now finished for this season, but that he has high hopes for the years to come.

“I hope he’ll be a good one for championships in the future.”

Of the 88 cross-country starters, 74 jumped clear around the David Evans-designed track, but only one – Sam Ecroyd and Bloomfield Manuscript, who finished fifth – finished inside the 6min 49sec optimum time. The weather played a part in this with rain falling for most of the competition.

“I think there was plenty to do and it was quite slippery, there were lots of twists and turns,” said Padraig. “Horses always get a little tired here, but luckily MGH Zabaione does his training on the hills in Dartmoor and was really fit – he stayed really with me all the way and I think that’s what got me the win. He’s got a great length of stride and I could keep using his gallop. He’s an incredible horse that makes my job easy.”

Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-S young horse results: “He’s exceptional”

Dressage and showjumping leaders Georgie Goss and Kojak slipped to second by .4 of a penalty when they picked up 8.8 time-faults across country.

“I’m so proud of him. There’s that natural disappointment of moving down to second, but if someone had offered me that placing on him last week, I would have snatched their hand off,” said Georgie, who switched from riding for Britain to Ireland in 2023.

Kojak, a nine-year-old Georgie co-owns with Molly Fisher, Lucy Fleming and Samantha Wilson, caught the eye throughout the competition, scoring 27.7 in the dressage, before following this up with a double clear jumping performance.

“He’s an exceptional horse and I’m so, so proud of what he’s done today,” said Georgie of the son of Namelus R. “I was going as fast as I physically could – he lost a shoe about halfway round and had a few slips, and I’d like to think that would have been the difference between winning or not, but he slipped, picked himself up and jumped the fences and galloped and galloped.

“I think he gave me more than [I thought] he had this weekend. He gives me 110% of everything he’s got at every single event and every single day. He’s quite green for the level and my intention coming here was for him to have a nice round and get used to the crowds, but then as soon as he performed the way he did in the dressage, we had to kick on.”

Georgie hopes this result will catch the eye of the Irish selectors.

“We’ll maybe do a CCI4*-L at the beginning of next season to qualify for the Europeans – I’d like a green jacket!” she laughed.

Caroline Harris proved she has a potential star in her yard when finishing third with eight-year-old Cooley Mosstown. They were equal 12th after the dressage and then added four showjumping faults before jumping clear across country, picking up 1.2 time-faults – the second fastest round of the day – which was enough to propel them up the leaderboard on to the podium, finishing on 36.9.

“I know he’s a very good horse – he came fourth at Le Lion last year [in the seven-year-old World Young Horse Championships], so I was hoping for a top 10 finish here,” commented Caroline of this horse, who is owned by Gail Sinclair, Karen Dunford and Dinah Posford. “I was pretty disappointed to have a pole down, because he’s a really good jumper and it felt like one of our best rounds.

“He’s phenomenal – he‘s only been eventing two seasons and he makes it feel so easy. He was unreal across-country.”

Caroline explained that Cooley Mosstown, who is by Celtic Hero BZ, showjumped in Ireland as a five-year-old before she purchased him from Cooley Farm when he was six.

“I started eventing him in the May of his six-year-old year and won his first CCI4*-S this year at Mallow and I really rate him – he’s a top, top horse.

“He tries super-hard but he’s sharp in the sense that he sometimes tries too hard and then panics, but he gives me everything and I think he’s one to go all the way with.”

Caroline hopes to aim Cooley Mosstown at the CCI4*-L at Bramham next season before bringing him back to Blenheim Horse Trials for the eight- and nine-year-olds before perhaps having a tilt at the CCI4*-L at Boekelo.

Piggy March and Dassett Arthalent were fourth (37.1) with Sam Ecroyd and Bloomfield Manuscript fifth (38.4). Jonelle Price and Full Monty De Lacense took sixth (40) and Caroline Powell and CBI Aldo finished seventh (40.2).

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show, London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Joseph Murphy has withdrawn from the Irish eventing World Championships squad for next week’s event (15-18 September) in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, because his ride Calmaro has had “a setback in training”.

Felicity Ward and Regal Bounty will take their place.

Horse Sport Ireland’s acting high performance director for eventing Dag Albert explained: “Unfortunately Joseph’s horse has had a setback in training and so the decision has been made not to take the risk and travel him to Pratoni. He is a young horse and has had an outstanding year and we will save him for future championships.

“We have a great reserve ready to travel, Felicity Ward and Regal Bounty who have been really consistent this year in their performances. This is an exciting opportunity for them to be part of the World Championships squad.”

Joseph and Calmaro finished ninth at Kentucky Three-Day Event this year and fourth at Aachen, so will be a significant loss to the Irish squad.

Felicity, 32, makes her championship debut after she and Regal Bounty finished 15th at their first five-star, Luhmühlen Horse Trials, in June.

The full Irish eventing World Championship squad is:

Susie Berry with 10-year-old gelding Monbeg By DesignOwner: Helen CatonBreeder: Fiona MolloyBreeding: by Pacino, out of Eskerhills Lexis (by Puissance)Groom: Crisy Salmon

Padraig McCarthy with 13-year-old mare Fallulah

Owners: Amanda and Nicholas Boyle, Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattel and rider

Breeder: Michael Norris

Breeding: by Fidertanz, out of Devona (by Di Versace)

Groom: Jess Elliott

Austin O’Connor with 13-year-old gelding Colorado BlueOwners: rider and The Salty SyndicateBreeder: Mellon StudBreeding: by Jaguar Mail, out of Rock Me Baby (by Rock Kind)Groom: Francesca Denning

Felicity Ward with 11-year-old gelding Regal BountyOwner: James O’CallaghanBreeder: Miriam De FeuBreeding: by Orestus VDL, out of Edge Of Reason (by Senang Hati)

Sam Watson with 11-year-old gelding SAP Talisman

Owners: rider’s wife Hannah and mother Julia

Breeder: Rosemary Ponsonby

Breeding: by Puissance out of Ali Row (by All Royal)

Groom: rider’s wife Hannah

Non-travelling reserve:

Michael Ryan with 11-year-old gelding Chinook EclipseOwners: Carol and Tom HenryBreeder: Michael LynchBreeding: by Chinook Eclipse out of Mats Lady

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Pippa Funnell showed the value of partnership as she piloted Billy Walk On clear around the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course. They racked up 19.6 time-faults, despite going direct throughout.

“A few places he was a bit deliberate but I trusted him and he trusted me,” said Pippa. “There were some spectacular parts where I was full of pride, he was really brilliant, and there were other places which were a good example of not being able to count your strides, and it was a bit chippy.”

Pippa admitted it was “demoralising” to be 16 seconds down on the clock by fence five, but was prioritising a clear round, and she made it happen with a gutsy, positive ride.

“I was in a negative mindset after Badminton and didn’t have Burghley on our radar,” she said. “After [finishing third] at Gatcombe, I thought I’d enter and see what the course was like. If he wasn’t enjoying it, I could pull up.

“So it was never about the time, but now of course my competitive instinct is saying I should have gone faster. However, if we had gone fast, we might not have jumped the last two fences, and instead he finished well.”

The Walkinshaws’ Billy Walk On scrambled over the final element, the triple brush, in the Trout Hatchery, and also banked the Voltaire Design Bank to Triple Bar.

“It was all about eventing, he was honest – I believed in him and he in me,” she said. “There are a lot of big, big, big fences, and you need a horse that takes them on.”

Burghley Horse Trials cross-country: debutants shine

Burghley debutante Cornelia Dorr produced a scintillating round, the fastest of the day so far, to stop the clock for just 8.4 time-faults on Daytona Beach 8.

“I was behind on my minute markers most of the way round, but she has really good pace,” said the US rider. “It didn’t feel easy, but what a partner, she picked up.”

Another Burghley newcomer, Padraig McCarthy also clocked a decent time at this early stage, riding HHS Noble Call. They added just 13.6 time-faults in a beautifully smooth round.

“He gave me a confident ride,” said the Irish competitor. “The horse is a machine cross-country. He’s not a thoroughbred, but a good stayer and he fought and fought.

“The course is very intense at the beginning, I felt him take a big breath on three minutes – it’s that intensity and turning and the crowds. Every jump is a big jump, and that takes a lot out of the horses. But I do think we’ll see one or two in the time.”

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There was drama at the start of the Badminton Horse Trials cross-country, at the event presented by Mars Equestrian. One of the favourites to win, Tom McEwen, and his Olympic gold medallist Toledo De Kerser, paid the price for their boldness when they had a fall two-thirds of the way round.

Tom produced a personal best dressage score on Thursday morning, and looked well on course to maintain his position when he tipped up at the final bounce element of the Lightsource bp Solar Farm, fence 24C.

The horse had been travelling so strongly, eating up Eric Winter’s tricky track. But there was a portent of what was to come when he took a stride out at the third element of the LeMieux Leap at 18C. Having negotiated the daunting Vicarage Vee complex with ease, he came too strongly into the solar panels, took another stride out before the bounce and couldn’t quite get all his legs up in time. Both the horse and rider were up on their feet instantly.

Tom was fourth out on the track, which even at this early stage was already proving tricky. The pathfinder Kirsty Chabert looked to be having a lovely time on her mare Classic IV, but the cumulative effect of all the big fences seemed to take its toll and she had three run-outs at the second or the Nyetimber Corners (fence19B).

William Fox-Pitt showed just why he holds the record for the winning-most five-star rider to bring Oratorio home just seven seconds outside the time. William started out in 27th place on the 13-year-old by Oslo, and moved into the lead at this early stage on 34.2.

Badminton final scores

“I’m feeling quite emotional, it was quite exciting,” said William, 53. “I was dreading it – at my age, thinking, ‘what the hell I am doing? Do I really want to be here today on Saturday morning and not in my own bed?’.

“I’m lucky, he’s a lovely classy horse, and he’s got some experience now. He’s done Badminton before and many horses here haven’t.

“He’s quite fizzy to ride, I like a much more peaceful horse. He’s quite opinionated so it wasn’t very relaxing. He takes time to slow down, so I felt a bit incompetent wasting time as he’s a galloping machine and should be able to get round inside the time. He’s a total Burghley horse in my opinion and here I am getting time-faults at Badminton. I have to learn to pull less!

“It’s a fair, in-front-of-you track, but there is quite a lot of yanking beforehand with lots of whoas. So you need a horse that listens on the turn.”

Badminton Horse Trials cross-country: Irish riders on song

Padraig McCarthy proved the track was jumpable as the first to finish, riding Fallulah. Their round looked a little backward, but they stayed between the flags.

“She got tired but she kept jumping safely,” he said. “She was fantastic, she’s dressage-bred so she shouldn’t even be here. She really got tired but I let her have a breath, and came up in front of the fence.”

Padraig’s fellow Irishman Joseph Murphy was another early rider to complete. His horse Cesar had an early run-out and looked a little overwhelmed by the size and intensity of the fences. Joseph opted to take the much easier long alternatives at the Vicarage Vee to allow the horse to enjoy the experience.

“It was a big step for him, he was a good four-star horse but long term we need to find out if he’s up to this level,” he said. “He struggled a little bit, like a rabbit in the headlights to make an early mistake which I blame myself for. The horse learned a lot, and after that I clicked into gear. He kept answering the questions, and I think he will be OK at five-star.

“He showed a great attitude and at the end of the day, we want a willing partner.”

Read our full Badminton form guide in this week’s issue of Horse & Hound (issue dated 5 May 2022). Our bumper 20-page Badminton report will be in our 12 May issue and keep fully up-to-date with all the action during Badminton week via horseandhound.co.uk, where a host of features and reports will be published.

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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.

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This week’s Horse & Hound cover star, on the magazine issue dated 10 March 2022, is Pearl and James Chaffe’s HHS Noble Call, ridden by Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy.

The grey was bred by Irish Olympic showjumper Marion Hughes.

“She called me at the end of his six-year-old year and said she had a horse she thought I should look at,” says Padraig. “I tried him and thought he was a horse with real potential for five-star. He’d jumped 1.30m classes and I liked the stamp and feel of him.”

Now 11, “Ben” has progressed quickly through the levels, moving up to five-star in his fourth season eventing last year. He is pictured at the one-off five-star at Bicton Horse Trials last September, where he finished eighth. The horse impressed there with his great early round early on cross-country day.

“He’s always been strong in the cross-country and dressage is his weaker phase; perhaps going up the levels so quickly made it difficult for him as he got more tense because he progressed so fast,” says Padraig. “I had a great spin across country on him at Bicton and I’m really looking forward to getting him to Badminton Horse Trials this spring.”

Badminton final scores

Ben is likely to do the advanced at Thoresby this spring, then Bicton open intermediate, then Badminton.

“He’s proved he can be a five-star horse, so now he’s at the stage where we want to preserve him. The big thing now is to make his career as long as possible while working to improve his dressage,” says Padraig.

Ben had a six or seven-week break after Bicton last autumn, then a month hacking.

Padraig says: “He’s not done much competing since Bicton – a few showjumping shows – but he’s done quite a bit of winter training on the flat with Tracie Robinson and showjumping with Grant Wilson.

“He seems to be finding the dressage easier and to be more relaxed at home this year, so we hope he can carry that forward to his events, though Badminton will be an atmosphere like he’s never experienced.

“He can do everything – he’s a good mover, with good flying changes – but it’s just that tension creeps in. He’s an anxious horse and it’s a matter of being patient and waiting for all the pieces to fall together.”

Padraig has found that the best way to manage HHS Noble Call before an important dressage performance is to ride him several times for a short length of time on the morning of the test “without stressing him”. When it comes to the final preparations, he’ll work the horse in, then get off him for 10 to 15 minutes, then “hop back on and go in the ring”.

“We’ve found that’s the best way so far because when his adrenalin goes up, you can’t get him back down again without him chilling out. I’ve spoken to a few dressage riders about anxious horses and they’ve found this is the best way and it seems to work,” says the Irish Olympian.

In terms of Ben’s performance in the other phases, Padraig says: “He’s always been very solid across country. He can lengthen, shorten, and no fence is too big. He has a very good front leg technique so if he runs in close it’s never an issue. He can be spooky showjumping, but he’s brave across country and gives you a very safe feeling.

“In the showjumping, he’s naturally a very good jumper but he can make a mistake if he gets a bit worried. A horse like that is generally better at long format competitions because the cross-country takes a bit of the adrenalin out of them. He’s a bit of an overthinker and the atmosphere can get to him. But he jumped a good round at Bicton with just two poles down in the treble where I came in a bit forward, possibly.

“He can learn to showjump solidly and hopefully with time the dressage will keep better and better. The cross-country is his strongest phase and at five-star, that’s the one that’s important.”

And what’s HHS Noble Call like to look after?

“He’s a very nice horse to deal with at home and in every way. He’s super easy in the stable and a very friendly horse,” says Padraig.

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Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy holds the provisional lead after the morning session on the second day of Pau Horse Trials dressage with a new international personal best of 24.9 aboard Fallulah.

The 12-year-old Westphalian mare, who made her five-star debut as the last to go before the lunch break, is by renowned dressage sire Fidertanz and her breeding showed through in her ability within the white boards.

The pair were trending around a similar mark to the leaders and franked their place at the head of the provisional standings with a generous flurry of eights for their changes, plus nines for their halt and the double-weighted overall impression.

Flying changes are a crucial part of the five-star test and this is where Fallulah claimed an edge over her rivals. With four sets of marks available, they hold more influence than any other single movement on the score sheet.

“Today was was very satisfying and we were really thrilled with her,” Padraig told H&H, adding he takes five-stars “day by day”.

“She’s put a really good mark down for tomorrow and she’s normally very genuine and a real trier on the cross-country. Obviously, a five-star is a step up, and the distance is longer than she would have gone, so it’s going to be a real five-star, I think.”

The score, one of the top three best CCI5* tests by an Irish rider, is also a new international personal best at any level for the horse, who Padraig owns with Amanda and Nicholas Boyle, Diane Brunsden and Peter Cattell.

“She’s a really sweet, easy mare to deal with,” he added. “It’s taken us a while to get together as a combination, which I think is always the case when you get an older horse and somebody else has produced them.

“She’s obviously very elegant and a very beautiful mover. We’ve just struggled to get the strength and the consistency in her work, which really feels like it’s coming now. We’ve had a lot of help this year with Tracy Robinson, who is now our our team trainer, and that’s made all the difference.

“I actually asked William Fox-Pitt this morning if he would give me a hand in the warm-up. Fair play to William, he of course obliged. It’s always helpful to have a good pair of eyes on you in those last 10 to 20 minutes.”

This morning’s contenders gave the business end of the provisional leaderboard a total overhaul. New faces filled the top four places and less than a single fence separating the top 10 ahead of the Friday afternoon session.

Australia’s Kevin McNab and his Millstreet CCI4*-S winner Scuderia 1918 A Best Friend’s polished performance, featuring wow-factor trot work, was rewarded with a mark of 26.2 and into provisional second.

Sofia Sjoborg, 23, and her multiple youth medal-winner SHI Mighty Dwight, co-owned by Juliet Sjoborg, made a spectacular first five-star impression to hold third on 26.8. The result is the fifth best ever dressage score achieved by a Swedish rider at CCI5*-level.

First into the arena at 10am local time was Sidney Dufresne and the Selle Francais mare Swing De Perdriat, owned by Iris De Fleurieu. The 15-year-old Glamour Margot daughter’s relaxed and flowing test put the pair provisionally on the same total (27.4) as overnight joint leaders William Fox-Pitt on Oratorio and Ailsa Wates and Woodlands Persuasion.

But the Frenchman’s score was then revised to 27.2, inching him ahead by 0.2 of a penalty, putting him in provisional fourth at the end of the morning. William and Ailsa held provisional fifth at Friday lunchtime, with fellow Brits Oliver Townend (Ridire Dorcha) and Bubby Upton (Cola) in seventh and eighth respectively.

The best British performance this morning came from Kylie Roddy and the Fox family’s SRS Kan Do. The pair’s beautifully presented test earned them a score of 29.1 from judges Andrew Bennie, Christina Klingspor and Emmanuelle Olier.

Tina Cook and Billy The Red, owned by Elisabeth Murdoch and Keith Tyson, rounded off the provisional top 10 at Friday lunchtime on 29.2

View the Pau Horse Trials dressage results in full

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Top five-star event horse Leonidas II has retired from elite competition aged 17 following a spectacular 12-season career featuring five Badmintons and seventh place at the Olympics.

The 17-year-old Landos son, owned by Diane Brunsden and Peter Cattell, travelled the world under the guidance of Sir Mark Todd and Padraig McCarthy.

Leonidas II was retired following his third and final senior championship completion, at the European Eventing Championships in Avenches, with Padraig (23-26 September).

Diane told H&H they were “absolutely privileged” to be his owners and to share in his journey.

“He has always had the heart of a lion,” said Diane. “He was fast and straight and everything you would look for in an event horse. He seemed to find it all very easy.”

The German-bred gelding started his eventing career with Sidney Dufersne, Mark’s stable jockey at the time, with two top-10 finishes in novice events before Mark took over the reins.

The pair’s results together included victory in the 2014 Grantham Cup, second at Bramham 2013 to Chilli Morning, top-six placings at Badminton in three consecutive years (fourth in 2015 and 2016, fifth in 2017) and sixth at Burghley 2015.

They represented New Zealand at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing seventh individually, and at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, as well as in numerous Nations Cups.

The horse moved to the Irish rider following Mark’s second retirement from the sport in 2019. The combination’s achievements included winning the CCI4*-L at Barroca d’Alva in March 2020 and forming part of the Irish side at the 2021 Europeans, where they jumped clear across country inside the time.

Diane recalls the horse’s first Badminton in 2014 as a moment that sticks in her memory.

“It was heavy rain, blowing a gale and [hardly anyone] was finishing,” she said. “He jumped into the lake and swam for about 30 seconds. Even after adding swimming to his round and all those time-faults [39.2] he still finished 14th.”

Diane credited both riders for the “amazing job” they did with the horse.

“It was always serious and professional, but they always made it fun,” she said.

In all, Leonidas finished in the top 10 on 27 of his 47 international starts, was crowned Britain’s leading event horse in 2016 and amassed a total of 1,751 points in his remarkable career.

“All that said, he is just the loveliest character. Everyone falls in love with him. We have had numerous offers of people wanting to have him in his retirement as he is such a sweetheart,” Diane said. “He was always the easiest horse for the vets to deal with on the Saturday night after cross-country, they would say ‘he doesn’t look like he has been round’.”

Leonidas will enjoy his senior years with one of Diane and Peter’s other five-star retirees, Major Milestone.

“They can have conversations about Badminton and Burghley over the fence,” she said, adding that she may see if he would enjoy some dressage outings, but ultimately it “will be up to him” how he spends his twilight years. “He is retiring from big competitions, but he’s not retiring from being ridden. I will ride him, hack him out, nothing serious, a relaxed life.”

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‘It’s best not to get involved with the reins’: Padraig McCarthy seals Ireland’s hike up the leaderboard with speedy Leonidas II

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‘As he finished his test, he put his head down, shook his head and the whole bridle came off’

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It’s been a day of drama at the European Eventing Championships cross-country in Avenches, but it’s looking golden for the Brits ahead of the final phase tomorrow (26 September). Here’s the lowdown on nine big stories from today’s action…

1. Britain holds team and individual gold overnight after an almost flawless cross-country display from the girls and the tiniest setback for dressage leader Ingrid Klimke.

• Find out how Britain took both top spots

2. British team rider Nicola Wilson crept up from third to take pole position individually.

• Hear Nicola’s thoughts on her 10-year-old JL Dublin tackling his first team outing

3. Riders were worried how twisty Mike Etherington-Smith’s track looked, but the early riders showed both the track and the time were fair.

• Read how the pathfinders rose to the challenge

4. Kitty King secured a stunning British team completion with the third clear round for the team with Vendredi Biats.

• Find out how Vendredi Biats brushed off an early mistake

5. Britain’s pathfinder Piggy March was only the second rider inside the time, riding Brookfield Inocent, to take fourth.

• Read about how her cross-country specialist made light of the track 

6. British rider Sarah Bullimore had a dream round as an individual and slotted into fifth spot.

• Find out how her home-bred Corouet skipped over fences “wider than he is long”.

7. Dressage runner-up Ros Canter dropped out of the reckoning with two late run-outs on the great Allstar B.

• Read what Ros had to say about her world champion’s disappointing performance

8. Ireland hiked up the leaderboard from 11th to fifth with a stunning round from Padraig McCarthy.

• Find out what Padraig had to say about his 17-year-old ride

9. Can’t wait to see how it all ends?

• Check out what time the Brits are likely to showjump for the medals tomorrow

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Ireland is lying in fifth place at the conclusion of the European Eventing Championships cross-country day in Avenches, Switzerland (25 September). The team has pulled up from 11th after dressage with three good clear rounds over this flat and twisting track.

Padraig McCarthy was Ireland’s anchorman with the 17-year-old Leonidas II, who were one of only seven pairs to jump clear inside the 10min 7sec optimum time. This hauled them up from 47th individually to 14th on their dressage score of 33.1.

“I had a really great round – he can sometimes be strong, but he felt very relaxed,” he said.

Padraig was not in fact chasing the time with the horse, who went to the Rio Olympics with Mark Todd.

“Sally [Corscadden, Ireland’s high performance director] said the main thing was to go between the flags and not worry about too many time-faults, but with Leonidas the direct way is often the best; he’s a very fast horse,” said Padraig.

“I tried to keep him as controlled and focused as I could, but he’s quick and he never tires. For me the consideration was never about taking more risk [taking straight routes] but he just doesn’t turn as well.

“He jumps a bit like a deer, but he is normally a very safe horse – the best thing is not to get too involved with the reins! He ran all the way to the end and he will keep going and going.”

Irish pathfinder shows the way at European Eventing Championships cross-country

Ireland’s Sam Watson was the third rider out on the course at the start of the day, riding Ballybolger Talisman, and the first to jump clear. He clocked up 6.8 time-faults on the 10-year-old Puissance gelding.

“His engine and stamina were superb,” Sam said. “We put in a couple more strides in a few places than was the plan, but he always wanted to go through the flags.”

There was one nervous moment, however.

“I had one big scare coming on to the racecourse, as there was a bit of juice on the ground and he nearly went right down on the turn,” Sam explained. “He had pulled a shoe off probably earlier and that just affected the grip. That was a fright but had nothing to do with the fences.”

This result pulled them up from 50th after dressage to 29th overnight.

“It’s like he’s read the cross-country book”

Cathal Daniels was second out for Ireland on LEB Lias Jewel, but had a run-out at Christine’s Corners at fence 16b. Next up was Joseph Murphy, riding as an individual, but while Sam rode his luck with his slip on the flat, Joseph’s horse Cesar V came down enforcing elimination.

As third team rider Clare Abbott headed out on her nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse Jewelent, she was wary of her compatriots’ slip-ups.

“He’s an old horse on young shoulders, it’s like his read the cross-country book,” said Clare, who jumped clear with 5.6 time-faults. “After Joseph having his tip-up I was careful on every crossing. He’s laid-back and you have to poke him along every inch of the way. But wow, what a good boy, he was absolutely brilliant.

“He is the most honest, genuine, ground-covering horse; you never have to touch the reins and he never gives a moment’s trouble.”

This moved the pair up from 31st into the top 20, on a score of 36. Ireland have their work cut out to make the podium tomorrow, however. Britain leads on 69.1, with two fences in hand over Germany. France is lying third, ahead of Switzerland and then Ireland. Ireland are on 109.4, three fences behind the bronze medal position.

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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.

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 European Eventing Championships dressage is complete in Avenches, Switzerland, and the Irish are in 11th place going into tomorrow’s cross-country phase (25 September).

They sit on a team score of 94.6, with the British squad leading on 64.8, Germany in second on 69.7 and France third on 77.2. But it is all to play for still, with riders predicting that tomorrow’s twisty cross-county course will be influential.

Irish team rider, Clare Abbott, is highest-placed of their squad. She scored 30.4 in her test with the nine-year-old grey gelding Jewelent earlier this morning. This puts them in 31st place going into the cross-country.

“It was OK – he is only nine so I suppose I’m pleased. He has a really good temperament, so it’s just really a matter of working on his strength and balance and I’m gearing up to the bigger stuff,” Clare said afterwards. “There’s a lot to look forward to in the future.”

Fellow Irishman, Padraig McCarthy, was the last Irish rider to compete in the European Eventing Championships dressage. Riding the former Mark Todd campaigner Leonidas II, Padraig notched up a score of 33.1, which puts them into 47th place.

“His walk is always a little bit fragile and he made a mistake in each part of the walk, but I was otherwise very happy – I thought they were a bit harsh on him, to be honest,” Padraig said afterwards. “Obviously the judges didn’t like him – I thought the test was better than the mark he was given, but it is what it is.”

Padraig said Leonidas has been “working great” this week and that he was “pleased with everything except the mark”.

“I know his walk was difficult and there they are being strict with mistakes, but I still thought a mark of 33 didn’t really reflect the work that he did.”

The cross-country gets underway at 11am (10am BST) tomorrow morning, with Ireland’s Sam Watson third out on course with Ballybolger Talisman at 11.12am (10.12am BST).

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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

The Irish team for the European Eventing Championships in Avenches, Switzerland (23-26 September), has been announced.

The riders and horses named for the event are:

• Clare Abbott with Jewelent, owned by Catherine Abbott, Barbra Allen and Lisa Rosbothm
• Cathal Daniels with LEB Lias Jewel, owned by Jo Breheny
• Padraig McCarthy with Leonidas II, owned by Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattell and his rider, or Fallulah, owned by Amanda Boyle, Nicholas Boyle, Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattell and her rider (Leonidas has been named as Padraig’s ride on the event definite entries)
• Joseph Murphy with Cesar V, owned by The Way Forward Syndicate
• Fred Scala with Everon Vivendi, owned by his rider and his father Emilio
• Steven Smith with Galwaybay Echo, owned by June Burgess

Irish team: European Eventing Championships marks debut for Scala

Four of the riders will compete on the team and two as individuals.

Fred Scala makes his senior championship debut, while all the horses except Leonidas – who went to the 2016 Olympics and 2014 World Equestrian Games with former rider Mark Todd – will be at their first championship.

The full definite entries for the European Championships have now been released (PDF download). Seventy-three pairs are listed to start, from 17 different countries. Thirteen nations have enough riders entered to compete as a team, while Denmark, Finland, Lithuania and Poland will only send individual competitors.

The teams at the Europeans will be from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

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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

The Chedington Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course is causing plenty of problems in the early stages of cross-country day.

Pathfinder David Doel was going well until Galileo Nieuwmoed suddenly looked tired between the first two elements of the final NFU Water (fence 22abcd). David took the long route over part c, but the horse then fell on the turn to the last brush. He was soon up on his feet and was washed off in the water before heading back to the stables.

The second horse out, MHS King Joules (10th after dressage), also failed to make it home when he had an awkward jump through the third of The Burghley Brushes (fence 19abde) and tipped Oliver Townend off on the landing side.

Padraig McCarthy, the third to start, was the first rider to finish the course, having taken all the direct routes on the five-star first-timer HHS Noble Call. He finished with 7.2 time-faults

“I had a fair idea from riding plenty of young horses round here that the terrain plays a big part in how it feels as you’re very rarely on flat ground. You’re always having to balance and adjust the horses and make sure they’re with you,” said Padraig.

“Luckily my horse can do everything – he can gallop and he can wait and it made my round feel really crazy good.

“After the last water he got tired and for that next loop I just let him go his own speed. Once he jumped the blue houses [Fisher German Mounds at fence 23ab] he ran comfortably down the hill and when I got there I had a forward distance on the hedge [St James Place Double Brush at fence 24]. He was full of running all the way home again so that was really nice.

“But I think riders will have to use their heads – you have to let horses breathe if they are getting tired as you won’t get home if you have your foot on the accelerator all the way.”

Bicton Horse Trials cross-country course: the trickiest fences

Pippa Funnell finished with 15.6 time-faults on her first ride, Majas Hope, having lost time when she mistakenly jumped the string near the end of the course. Otherwise, she had a very good round apart from an awkward jump at the final arrowhead at the The Burghley Brushes (fence 19abcde).

She said: “The horses are all trained to go on their line, but they’ve had such a long gallop by then and opened up, so that while it walked quite an open distance, horses were just making up so much stride. He just made up ground and then I went to my hand to the last arrowhead to make sure we jumped it.”

Pippa also had to circle before the double of Topspec Double Corners at fence 9ab when she didn’t have the control she wanted after the steep bank down into the main arena. Both circling before the corners and taking the long route at fence 9b – either or both of which can be done without penalty – are proving popular. The sixth rider out, Louisa Lockwood, had a run-out at 9b on Diamond Ructions.

New Zealand’s James Avery, who followed Pippa as the fifth rider out, came home with a jumping clear after taking some longer options on Mr Sneezy.

“He was brilliant – there were a couple of unexpected moments where I had to go to the long route as I didn’t get the shot in I wanted, so we had to make plan B,” said James. “It was a bit twisty having to take a couple of options, but he kept his energy and got me to the finish.”

You might also be interested in:

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One horse withdrawn from Bicton five-star before today’s cross-country

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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.

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

One horse has joined the Chedington Bicton Horse Trials withdrawals list ahead of today’s five-star cross-country action.

Irish rider Padraig McCarthy has pulled Leonidas II out of the competition because he hopes to compete at the European Eventing Championships in Avenches, Switzerland, later this month.

“He’s shortlisted for the Europeans with a very strong chance of going,” Padraig told H&H. “The selection is on Monday so we thought we’d save him for that.”

Leonidas – the 17-year-old former Mark Todd ride owned by Diane Brunsden, Peter Cattell and his rider – was 11th after dressage on 28.5.

“He definitely brightened up when he went in and saw some of the cross-country jumps in the arena – that’s really his thing – but I think it helped him a little bit, he showed off more,” said Padraig after his test.

“His last change with maybe a little bit late, but on the whole I think I was really pleased with him.”

Padraig will still ride the grey HHS Noble Call, a 10-year-old five-star first-timer owned by Pearl Chaffe and his rider. He holds 23rd place on 34.9 going into the cross-country and will start at 12.46pm today.

Padraig said after his test on HHS Noble Call: “He has been very difficult in that phase – he’s a horse that has a lot of nervous energy.

“But he’s very, very good cross-country and he’s a good jumper so we really made a plan with just having the two horses here to get him out of the stable as much as possible and keep everything really focused on this phase. I think he put his best foot forward. He’s still very green at this level, but I was very pleased with how he held it all together.”

Today’s cross-country action at Bicton starts at 12.30pm, when David Doel will be first on course with Ferro Point.

Dressage leaders Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On are the penultimate pair on course, starting at 3.34pm.

Assuming no more horses join the Bicton Horse Trials withdrawals list, there will be 31 cross-country starters today.

You might also be interested in:

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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

Find out what Laura thought of her early morning performance on the first day of dressage at this event

Laura Collett has taken an early lead in the CCI4*-L at Bicton International Horse Trials, supported by Chedington, aboard Dacapo (pictured). The pair scored 29.7.

“Ninety per-cent of it felt really nice — all of the trot and the walk was lovely,” said Laura of the 12-year-old owned by Gillian Morris-Adams, Diana Chappell, Carolyn Taylor and Mr and Mrs M. Smedley. “He can sometimes struggle with the walk pirouettes, and he did those as good as he’s done so I’m really pleased. The two canter half-passes weren’t very good and he can normally do those really well but he seems to think that we’re going to do medium canter across the diagonal rather than a half-pass. We got two clean flying-changes though, which has been a struggle for him as well so all in all, I’m actually really pleased with him.”

Although Laura was early in the draw, meaning her dressage start time was shortly after 8am this morning (10 June), she commented that there was still an atmosphere in the arena for her horse to cope with.

“Dacapo would be quite a laid back horse and I even he felt like he had a bit of tension in there so I think there’s definitely a bit of atmosphere. The arena feels like everything is all quite close together and I think that is what is making it atmospheric,” explained Laura .“Normally when you go to a big event, you’ve got a small dressage arena in a massive arena so you’ve got loads of space and loads of time to relax them so it’s a bit different here and it all comes up quite quickly in there. It’s not going to be a dressage competition so I don’t think I need to be worrying too much about our half passes this morning!”

Meanwhile, Irish rider and World Equestrian Games medallist, Padraig McCarthy was eliminated aboard HHS Noble Call while performing his dressage test.

President of the ground jury, Christian Landolt, got out of his car to tell Padraig to stop his test after spotting the horse was wearing a bit which is not permitted in the first phase.

Read the full report from Bicton in the 17 June issue of Horse & Hound magazine and keep checking back to horseandhound.co.uk for further updates and insight

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Nine horses were sent to the holding box and two eliminated in an eventful Bicton Horse Trials first trot-up this

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

What’s it like living with an elite athlete grounded by the abandonment of all sport? H&H asks the partners of top riders how they are coping with lockdown...

Rebecca Hughes, wife of Team GBR dressage rider Gareth

A few years ago, I bought Gareth a guitar for his birthday, but he’s never had time to touch it – until now. Every afternoon he takes himself off into a different room to learn to play. Initially our young cat would run away from him when he picked it up and gave it a strum, but she’s stopped doing that now, so he must be improving!

He’s also been mowing the lawn as often as he can – Gareth is a homebody generally, so while it has been disappointing not to be working towards the Tokyo Olympics, he has been able to enjoy this rather strange break.

He tends to be grumpy when it’s cold and happy when the sun’s out, and luckily it has been mostly great weather.

He’s the one who usually goes out to Tesco to do the shopping – he tells me I don’t do it properly because I don’t go up and down every aisle. He very much likes the fact that there is now a one-way system in the supermarket as that was how he has always done it!

Chloe Breen, wife of Irish team showjumper Shane Breen

Hickstead is a unique habitat with around 20 of us, including the lads, living in one household, so I call it our self-isolation bubble. The priority has been trying to keep everyone safe, but it’s pretty much been business as usual and we haven’t gone too stir-crazy.

Our eldest daughters have been diligent with their schoolwork, but as for the two younger boys… They’ve been doing some veterinary work – they now know how to spot an embryo through a microscope and how to castrate yearlings. But they’ve seen more of Shane in the past seven weeks than they have in 13 years and Shane is loving it too – he keeps threatening to retire!

It’s been really valuable for Shane just to stop and take stock of the business. He’s been running a mini Global Champions Tour every week over very restrained heights, with the kids joining in, and Steven Wilde even sent us some commentary. We start with the individual qualifier, then the team competition and the grand prix, and our daughter Lorna is currently leading the rankings.

Shane and I have taken up daily yoga and he’s really feeling the benefit – he couldn’t touch his toes at the beginning and now he’s performing shoulder stands and headstands.

One person goes out every week to do all the shopping and the local Chinese restaurant has just started doing takeaways again, so we’re delighted about that. It’s been a challenge and cashflow is a nightmare, as I’m sure it is for everyone, but the lads have been amazing, we have some very loyal owners and we’re really enjoying this family time.

Simon Souster, husband of showing producer Ella Souster

For me, lockdown has been a big change as I’m a mechanic and my garage has been closed. It’s almost as if I’ve become Ella’s employee and I now come home each day smelling of horses.

While I do usually go to shows, I’ve always maintained that I’m the fixer; if anything needs fixing – such as the lorry – that’s my job. But I’ve learnt a lot spending more time at the yard, such as how to put a headcollar on, hang up a haynet or put a horse in the field – Ella will just say, “That one goes over there,” and off I go.

I’ve also come to realise what an awful job filling haynets is, so to make it easier I built a stand to hold the net while you shove the hay in.

I sat on a horse for the first time in 20 years. Even though I’ve known Ella for so long I’ve never, ever been on board. We were nominated for the loo roll challenge so I sat on one called Flossy (Hot Gossip).

We’ve been having movie nights in the evenings with the kids, Lexi, who’s four, and Xander, two. The kids love the ponies and have been learning lots, too. Xander has a pony called Herbie whom he likes to feed and give lots of kisses; he gets up early with Ella to go and see him. Lexi is also getting her riding in.

Melissa Whitaker, wife of showjumping multi-medallist Michael

Enjoying it is the wrong word, but Michael has been coping with lockdown pretty well – he’s been tootling around on his tractor, fixing fencing and that sort of thing. We’re nowhere near the end of the “to-do” list yet, though.

The top horses are out in the field so Michael’s loving the chance to work on the young ones and the trickier ones which, being away so much, he doesn’t usually have time for.

Our youngest daughters Katy and Molly are due to sit their GCSEs and A levels next year so they’ve been cracking on with their work – luckily I don’t have to do any more than check up on them occasionally. Our eldest son Jack is here with us, too. We had to furlough some grooms but we still have three girls on the yard. We’re pretty isolated anyway, so it’s a lovely little unit.

I have had to be a lot more creative with my cooking though with five adults to feed every day – and the boys are used to hotel food while they’re away competing, so they’re demanding starters, main courses, desserts, the works!

Michael and I have been glued to The Last Kingdom on Netflix, which has been a nice change. And I think for only the third time since I’ve known him, Michael actually went shopping – he was going that stir-crazy he offered to get the groceries. He couldn’t get over the banality and the price of it all though, so I don’t think he’ll be offering again soon…

Tom March, husband of Piggy, last year’s Badminton winner

Piggy has a few new rides this season – the advanced horses Dargun and Fonbherna Lancer, as well as two seven-year-olds – so in a way it’s been great to do a few events and then work with them at home again. However, we’re now getting to the stage where we’d like to go and test them in a competition environment.

The hard part of losing events is losing your target, so it’s a case of keeping motivated and having a plan of what you want to try to achieve with each horse.

There are certainly positives as well as the obvious negatives – Piggy is more relaxed than she would usually be with high pressure competitions such as Badminton.

We have six live-in staff and, with more time, we’ve made a conscious effort to help them more, giving them pointers and holding in-house dressage competitions.

We’re also spending more time with our son Max, who will be four at the end of July. Piggy is the chef – in normal times and lockdown – but I make a conscious effort to help with tidying up and washing up.

We’ve caught up on Killing Eve, but we’re not big TV watchers. I always watch a lot of online videos for breeding research and Piggy has watched some of the old Badminton and Burghley highlights shows.

Victoria de Sousa, wife of three-time champion Flat jockey Silvestre de Sousa

Silvestre is definitely getting bored in lockdown and has now broken the lawnmower through overuse, but he is keeping himself busy doing some fencing and landscaping. He’s been very relaxed but I can tell he’s starting to get itchy feet.

We’ve been together for 15 years and have three children, but we have never spent this much time together because he is one of the busiest Flat jockeys and is always racing.

To keep ourselves entertained we have been trying some TikTok challenges including the “koala”, where I climb over his shoulders and back through his legs without touching the ground. It’s particularly impressive considering Silvestre is smaller than me.

We’ve watched a lot of Netflix, including Money Heist and Wanted, and Silvestre has been out riding the young horses we have in daily. I’ve come to realise how clean he is, but he does also easily lose things and he has no idea where anything is kept in the house.

He tells me not to drink and smoke so much – perhaps he’s discovering my bad habits instead of me discovering his! He cooks a great steak and fish on the barbecue, plus some amazing Brazilian dishes.

James Davies, partner of showing producer Sam Roberts

Sam’s day-to-day routine has been pretty normal. She is outside most of the day trotting around in circles and going on the occasional hack. I am on furlough so will be collared to lend a hand when a fence needs fixing – which is at least once a week – or the pony bus needs looking at. I also seem to fix a lot of jumps as she keeps crashing into them; I can’t work out if it’s the pony or the driver’s fault.

If there is a feed delivery, I am the human forklift. I will sometimes help get the ponies in from the field and change their shin pads. Some can be a little feisty but I manage.

At the moment it’s like having two Sams around as her mother, Suzie, is never far away. If I get away from one, the other will soon find me.

The weekends are a bit strange as Sam is usually away showing. On Friday evenings I’d got used to seeing the ponies with their Mexican wrestler headgear on and their legs wrapped up like mummies.

As I can’t go shooting or fishing at the weekends, I have rearranged Sam’s belts and badges cabinet. I tell her she needs to win a few more big flowery ones before she can have a new cabinet; I think she’s been slacking.

In the evenings, I usually talk to the dog as Sam will be on social media catching up with horsey friends. Facebook is constant and on Tuesdays I will disappear when Holby City is on.

Lucy McCarthy, wife of Irish event rider Padraig, world silver medallist

After the initial serious black cloud, Padraig has adjusted to lockdown well. Our three children – Moss is five, Gus 20 months and Mimi eight months – are really fun to be around. Padraig doesn’t usually get to see much of them, but now he rides in the mornings and then does stuff with the kids and odd jobs.

Moss has started school but he’s quite advanced, so as long as he reads every day I’m not beating myself up about home schooling.

I’m quite anti-social. I miss going to the pub occasionally, but otherwise I love lockdown – which is an awful thing to say as so many people are suffering, but I’m enjoying having time as a family. Also, Padraig is doing the jobs I’ve been nagging him to do for ages. We live on a 170-acre farm and have our breeding programme, so there is plenty to do.

Padraig made me a raised vegetable bed for my birthday and he’s made a platform, bridge and slide for the kids. That’s his idea of gardening: bolting bits of wood together and sticking them in the ground. The extent of his green fingeredness is that he put together a living willow den. He did a magnificent job – though I did buy all the bits.

On Saturday nights we have a nice supper with the four live-in staff, lots of booze, cards and games such as Monopoly.

We live with my mum, Pippa. As she’s not in her first flush of youth, I am quite anxious about Covid-19 on her behalf and we’ll have to see how we operate when everything eases up a bit.

Fiona Johnson, wife of four-time champion jump jockey Richard

It’s been really nice having Richard at home during lockdown because I am so used to him being away racing seven days a week. He likes always to be busy and can’t really sit still, so he’s done a lot of tidying up outside.

We have been tag-teaming with the home-schooling of our three children. He goes out at 7am to do the horses and comes back in at 9am to help me with it – I do the English and he does the maths. The kids love having him at home, but he’ll be pleased to get back racing just to have a break!

Richard does a very good Sunday roast and has been perfecting his homemade Yorkshire puddings, but his gravy can be hit and miss. During lockdown, he’s been doing a roast every Sunday; it’s become his signature meal.

We’ve been watching Normal People on TV and some films, but don’t usually have much time in the evening once we’ve done the kids’ tea, put them to bed and then eaten ourselves.

We have two broodmares in at the moment who have foaled, plus some breakers, youngstock and the kids’ ponies. There is also 15-year-old terrier Jimmy, Labrador Hector and four chickens, so we’re enjoying some fresh eggs.

Darren Hicks, husband of Team GBR dressage rider Spencer Wilton

“Spenny” and I are hardly ever at home together so the past few weeks have actually been quite nice. He’s mostly been spending time in his garden, doing whatever he does to his plants, and has also been doing lots of baking – I think he’s trying to feed me up! He has made lots of carrot cakes and more recently a chocolate cake, although he wasn’t happy with that one so it went straight in the bin, sadly.

We’ve ended up watching a lot of The Great British Bake Off as well, which I haven’t been too happy about, but we have also watched Tiger King – like the rest of the world.

I’d say I’m quite a clean person, but not like Spenny. He’s stringent about cleaning, and has bought himself a steam cleaner so he can do the floors three times a day. The house looks like a show home!

We’ve been working out together at home, and we end up competing with each other – he definitely wins when it comes to core work.

Our other lockdown project has been to teach our French bulldog Percy how to swim so we’ve been going to the river during our walks. Luckily we haven’t had to go in and rescue him yet…

Ref Horse & Hound; 28 May 2020

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Padraig McCarthy raced round the tight indoor arena at the TheraPlate UK Liverpool International Horse Show to win the John Oates Horseboxes Eventing Grand Prix.

Riding Tatiana Brent’s Rosemaber Lancuest, a 14-year-old mare by Orlando, he recorded a time of 91.37 seconds — fractionally ahead of Paul Sims, who prevented an Irish whitewash by finishing second in a time of 91.43 seconds.

“She’s a super-easy, fun mare who competed to CCI4* level but is now focusing on these classes,” said Padraig, who won the indoor eventing competition in Geneva on her last winter and finished third there this year.

Paul was riding nine-year-old Second City, owned by Hayley Mather and Mark Hogan.

“He’s cool — a really fun horse,” said Paul. “He loves this — he’s a real cross-country machine.

“This was quite a similar track to the ones [course-designer] Mark Phillips produced at Bolesworth, so I knew what to expect, but this was the first time that I have jumped the joker [the huge final fence which, if cleared, took three seconds off the riders’ times]!”

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Cathal Daniels took third place on Sarah Hughes’ Alcatraz II in a time of 92.98, just knocking the final joker fence down. Cathal, who also jumped in the under-25 grand prix at Liverpool last night, confirmed that he was keeping the ride on Alcatraz II, who spent the final part of the season with Oliver Townend after moving from Alex Bragg.

Joseph Murphy and 18-year-old Sportsfield Othello, veterans of two European Championships for Ireland, also only tipped the final joker fence to finish fourth in a time of 95.33 seconds. Emma Hyslop-Webb and Pennlands Douglas were fifth, and Laura Collett and Cooley Again took sixth place.

Check back on horseandhound.co.uk for more updates from the Liverpool International Horse Show plus report in the issue of Horse & Hound magazine dated 9 January. 

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