Harry Meade rides out for Christian Williams, and goes behind the scenes to learn about their routines, management and philosophy

I am always intrigued visiting yards to see how other riders and trainers do things. When I go to a yard to try a young horse, I’ll often get side-tracked in the corner of a stable asking niche questions about their work routine or some other detail.

Christian Williams’ base at Ogmore-by-Sea is a state-of-the-art training
centre, but not in the conventional sense. I was fascinated to discover how his programme has been shaped by the extraordinary south Wales coastline, where the landscape itself provides facilities that many purpose-built yards would struggle to match.

The backdrop is stunning. Overlooked by the 12th-century ruin of Ogmore Castle, the yard is set at the mouth of the River Ewenny as it flows into the Bristol Channel. The beach and sand dunes are dramatic – immortalised in the filming of the desert scenes in Lawrence of Arabia. But as I arrive at the yard, with herds of thoroughbreds grazing in the sandy paddocks, the smell of salt and sea on the warm air of the summer heatwave, the atmosphere is low-key and peaceful.

Inside the indoor barn – which houses about 25 boxes as most of the 45-strong string live out 24/7 – eight horses for the first lot are tied up outside the stables being tacked up. My first impression is how very relaxed they are.

Riding out on the beach – “It’s idyllic”

I’m introduced to my ride, Fever Dream, a chestnut eight-year-old by Sholokhov who has won four races, and legged up.

We walk straight into the River Ewenny, a fast-flowing river reaching nearly up to the horses’ bellies and they stand patiently as we wait for Christian to join us. He often rides out to keep a close eye on his string. Watching him ride, his background as a top National Hunt jockey is obvious. Whatever the pace, his horse works softly into the bridle, relaxed and balanced throughout.

We hack down to the vast expanse of Ogmore beach along a couple of miles of sandy tracks, at one point climbing up a dune and then very steeply down in super-deep dry sand.

While horses tend to prop walking down firm or wet grass, on this deep sand they tilt their pelvises and tuck their quarters under, striding down like a panther. It’s only a short stretch, but it strikes me what a terrific natural feature it is from an athletic perspective – more beneficial for the horses’ backs than any physio session.

The beach was idyllic – you can see why Christian has little problem finding staff. We canter slowly in three huge circles. The sand rides in an identical fashion to the deep Wexford sand that has served the likes of Willie Mullins and countless Irish trainers so well. It’s wet, so it’s not loose, but deep so the horses work hard at a steady pace. Even better, it’s groomed daily by the tide.

The horses work hard, and recover by wading into the sea, walking and trotting along the shallow surf. Like a natural water treadmill, it’s beneficial for building up their strength and topline without concussion but with constant resistance.

They call the route back to the yard the “rollercoaster”. It winds around narrow, snaking tracks, almost like goat paths, which we canter along.

Christian’s father ran a trekking centre from his yard, so he grew up spending seven hours a day taking English tourists for beach rides. He knows these paths so well and it does feel like some sort of extreme trekking experience riding top-class racehorses.

You can’t go fast because of the complexity of the paths: 18-inch wide sand gullies carved into the long grass with banks keeping you in. You’re constantly weaving, going up and down, so both the horse and rider have to be incredibly well balanced, switching leads and adjusting to the rapidly changing inclines, which are at times extreme, almost a white-knuckle ride – it’s brilliant.

It impresses me how, when we get to the twistier bits, the horses stay in this relaxed, collected canter – it’s working every muscle in their body with terrific engagement and relaxation. It’s a constant challenge on the horse’s ability to find first gear and not let the engine drop out. I feel like I’m riding a high-class polo pony – never strong, and able to manoeuvre, open up and close down.

I love how this kind of work gives the horses something to think about without any kind of mental stress. Besides being supple, balanced and relaxed, it requires tremendous mental concentration as the horses think where to put their feet. It’s far from demoralising – it’s a decent workout and it’s fun. I’d imagine strong horses settle quickly here.

Next, we come to a fascinating sporting landmark – the Big Dipper. This is like a ski piste of deep soft sand, which levels out at the bottom. Here, what looks like a group of professional athletes are limbering up to run up the slope. There’s a tyre on a harness ready for action. It looks gruelling. Christian tells me that this is a well-known natural training area, where Olympic sprinters Linford Christie and Colin Jackson, and other track athletes, boxers and rugby teams used to do conditioning work.

Before sport became institutionalised with the likes of Loughborough and Bisham Abbey created as centres of excellence, many athletes used to come here on training camps and take advantage of the sand and steep inclines – just as Christian is doing for his equine athletes.

Christian doesn’t have all-weather gallops, horse walkers, covered rides or indoor schools. Yet his outfit is like a bespoke training centre with a wonderful variety of natural facilities, with both fitness and therapeutic benefits.

If I imagine a blank canvas to create a state-of-the art yard where everything could be sculpted to provide the changing gradients and surfaces that are best for horses’ fitness and welfare, you’d base a lot of that on what Christian has. He has the rollercoaster undulations of the dunes, the long straights and Wexford sand circles on the beach; the sea and rivers work as swimming pools, cold water spas and water treadmills.

They have all that on their doorstep and can incorporate it incidentally into their programme with little effort.

Turnout, feed and rugging

Back at the yard, the horses are hosed off before being turned out naked, in groups of seven.

My horses also spend most of their time out in the field, but in individual paddocks. Ours have horses all around them, but they each have a corridor between them and the horse next door as I worry about kicks and preventable injuries. Christian says that they rarely get kicks, but any that do would be stabled more and go out in smaller, separate paddocks on their own.

The horses are fed outside from individual tubs. Christian’s brother and assistant trainer Nicky explains that they know their hierarchy and all line up in a queue at feeding time according to their order, without fighting. They’re on sand – apparently you can walk in the fields in your slippers in the middle of winter – so the horses can go out in all weathers, well rugged as necessary.

There’s a negligible amount of grass, just enough to pick at but without the worry of them blowing up on lush grass in the spring. I’d imagine they get most of their nutrition from their bucket feed and haylage (which is made locally and smells delicious).

It’s a nice connection that Christian and I both feed D&H, and we chat about the benefits. His horses look outstanding – they are fit, but well conditioned with unsurprisingly good toplines in keeping with the kind of work they are doing.

Finally, we head up to a huge field on a hill overlooking the sea that Christian rents off a local farmer for his summering horses. This is on limestone soil, which not only has great drainage and grass cover, but has natural mineral benefits too.

There must be about 30 horses here – shoes off, sun-bleached coats – enjoying their last few days of holiday before it’s time to move back to the yard and start their fitness work ready for the National Hunt season.

Christian walks around the herd, picking out a few superstars such as Kitty’s Light – winner of the Scottish National and nearly half a million in prize money. Another is six-year-old House Of Habsburg – a big, strapping type who’s won his last three races and is tipped for the top.

I think that I’d like to live at Christian’s yard if I were a horse. My overall impression is that they’re both mentally and physically relaxed and enjoy their work – no doubt due to living out the whole time and being in full, varied and mentally stimulating work. It seems inconceivable that a horse could be unhappy in its work here.

It’s not brass knobs and marble troughs, but if you were going to design a training centre from scratch with nothing but the horses’ welfare and athletic development in mind, you’d wish for something remarkably similar.

But this outlier on the Welsh coast is a one-off that, sure as anything, money cannot buy.

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A standardbred found in a supermarket car park whose ridden career – and life – were in doubt aged three has qualified for the Cotswold Cup finals, with her “best friend”.

Katie Bird met Friday, named as this was the day she was found outside a Sainsbury’s, as a youngster, at a time she was considering giving up horses, and “felt a bit lost”.

“She’s my world,” Katie told H&H. “She saved me as much as I saved her.”

Katie had just graduated from the British Racing School but realised her “heart was in eventing”.

“I lost a lot of confidence doing the racing, I didn’t really want to go back to having lessons at a riding school and I didn’t have the money to buy my own horse,” she said. “I was at the age when you need to get a job anyway, and thought ‘Maybe this is it now’.

“But then my old riding school, Park Lane Stables, called to say this horse had been fly-grazed, got loose and into the car park; the police called them as they were local, and they ended up taking her as the owner was away. They said did I want to do some work with her to keep her ticking over, and that’s how I met Friday.”

Katie said she was scared of Friday at the start; she had not had much handling, and Katie thinks she was “quite shut down”.

“She’s got an abundance of personality now!” she said.

By the time the owner returned, Katie had become attached to the mare, so she bought her for £1,800. But a couple of months later, Friday was very lame. The vet diagnosed early arthritic changes.

“I was told I would never ride her and probably the best thing would be to put her to sleep,” she said. “But I couldn’t. She was three, hadn’t had much of a life and even if she was just going to be in the field, I couldn’t do it. We did loads of rehab and groundwork, just to get her field sound.”

Katie said she was offered steroid injections but declined owing to the negative effect this can have on the joint in the longer term. Friday had BozMerix for a while, shockwave therapy and extensive physio and groundwork.

“When the vet came back, she was a lot sounder than we thought she’d ever be,” he said. “He said ‘Try hacking; if she wants to trot or canter, let her; let her tell you what she’s comfortable with’, and she got stronger and stronger.”

Katie said the timing was good; it was during the Covid lockdown so she had plenty of time to dedicate to rehab, but she was told Friday would never jump.

The mare was in work but then became reluctant to go forward. She was diagnosed with gastric ulcers – and asthma.

“She was very poorly for a while,” she said. “When we went for the rescope, there were no ulcers but we scoped her lungs to see what the asthma was about and they were 95% blocked, with mucus and stuff. The vet said he didn’t know how she was still standing.”

Friday’s lungs were flushed and she was treated with steroids. She now has to have steamed hay and a nebuliser on every day but is doing well.

“She got so much stronger as we had to slow things down,” she said. “She had a lameness and asthma check-up and the vet said I could try to jump her, so we started and she loves it.

“She’s forward, not spooky, she’ll jump anything. It’s like she was bred for it.

“There’s a lot of maintenance; she’s on a good joint supplement, we know her limits, she has a lot of rest time, but it’s manageable.”

Katie and Friday started doing some small hunter trials, and Katie said the mare took to it like a duck to water.

“She learned her job so quick,” she said. “She knew to look for the jump, she was fluid, brave, through water, ditches, anything. If I said ‘We can do this’, there’s no hesitation.”

They started eventing in 2025 and Katie said she was aiming for a consistent season in the 70cm Cotswold Cup this year, to build Friday’s confidence.

“She’s been in the top 10 at every event, and qualified for the final [on 27 September]” Katie said. “It’s exciting as there’s going to be a long dressage arena and two judges and everything.

“It’s so cool but I hope by sharing her story, I can show that eventing is inclusive. We have had comments from other riders and judges as she’s a gaited horse; they’re not meant to canter! People think she’s lame or struggling, I think gaited horses aren’t as accepted in equestrian sports yet.

“Her jumping technique isn’t traditional in any sense and I’ve had people saying there’s something wrong with her but they don’t understand gaited horses exist in eventing. But I think it’s a lovely thing to show that you don’t have to have a lovely big warmblood to do everything, you can put the effort in and do what you want to do on a budget.”

Beating the odds

Katie added that Friday’s overcoming of all her issues may also inspire others.

“It’s mad as I later found out that where she used to be fly-grazed was on my way to school; I walked past her every day, and now she’s my best friend,” she said.

“She’s got such enthusiasm for life, she loves everyone, she’s always got a cheeky, happy face. She taught my mum to ride, she takes my boyfriend on hacks, she’s so emotionally intelligent. I feel I really have a partnership with her.

“My mum calls her my champagne horse on a lemonade budget! I was having a really bad time with my mental health when I got her so I always tell people she saved me as much as I did her.”

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Anyone who has sold and bought property knows that moving is one of the most stressful things a person can do – but what about equestrian property?

If moving once and landing in a horsey home for life is your aim, buying a forever home – or one to invest in and sell to fund retirement or future projects – takes more than just instincts. Forward planning will set you on the path to success.

From planning permission to budgeting and maintenance, here are the key factors to consider when trying to maximise the value of equestrian property.

Buying the right equestrian property

Buying a horsey home that'll set you and your horses up together forever, for many, is a dream come true. However, many of these sought-after forever homes return to the market.

How can people bear to let them go? Frequently, the situation is out of their hands.

Sometimes the sale of a late relative’s home puts equestrian property back on the market. Other times empty-nesters willingly downsize. Or, the home – though perfect when bought – simply isn’t futureproof.

“It’s about balancing domestic comfort with equine functionality,” says Abi Rhodes, director at Rural Scene. “The most common issue I hear from customers who are moving is that they simply don’t have enough grazing land.”

According to Sarah Lucas, land agent at Brown & Co, buyers should also consider evolving needs over the coming decades.

“That may mean accommodating retired horses, supporting younger family members entering the sport or creating additional income opportunities.”

Properties can fall short in their provision for the human occupants too.

“If the home needs to grow outwards or upwards to accommodate relatives in the future, structural and legal boundaries must be vetted immediately,” adds Abi.

While buying somewhere to live forever may secure the rest of your life, many properties become a nest egg that will facilitate retirement or future projects.

Adding to or extending equestrian facilities, or the home itself, is obvious for maximising values of equestrian property. Turning a ring-fenced agricultural smallholding into a bells and whistles “fully equestrianised” haven will, as Abi puts it, “always fetch a premium price”.

How much does equestrian property maintenance cost?

Let’s say you uncover an ideal-acreage equestrian home within budget in the kind of location that ticks all your boxes now and forever. Perfection in theory – but don't be caught out by maintenance.

Stunning equestrian properties don’t stay flawless on their own, so how can you chose a property that stands the test of time?

“When purchasing a long-term ‘forever home’, a multi-decade timeline shifts the financial focus from surface-level cosmetics to major structural life cycles,” warns Abi. “Over 20 to 40 years, every major component of a house will eventually reach its expiration date and require complete replacement.

“To plan accurately, buyers must break their long-term expenses into three distinct categories: fixed structural life cycles, preventative maintenance and rolling cosmetic updates.”

A buyer intending to remain in a property for several decades should budget for the full life cycle of key building components, says Brown & Co land agent Lulu Agnew. “Long-term ownership is often more affordable when these predictable costs are planned for gradually rather than dealt with reactively.”

In terms of maintenance, Lulu and Abi advise:

• Boilers, bathrooms and kitchens need periodic replacement
• Roofing, windows, drainage systems and external finishes may require significant investment over time
• Routine maintenance, such as gutter cleaning, fencing repairs, tree management and redecoration should also be anticipated
• Stable buildings require ongoing attention to roofing, timberwork, concrete floors and drainage
• Arenas need regular levelling, surface maintenance and drainage management to remain safe and functional, and surfaces will need topping up over time
• Exposed exterior wood requires staining or painting every three to five years to prevent rot
• Metal roofs on barns rust and standard shingles or metal sheets require full replacement on a 25-year cycle
• Timber post-and-rail lasts around 15 to 20 years; even pressure-treated wood posts rot at the ground line where moisture sits. Expect to replace individual rotted posts and snapped rails annually, with a complete fence-line replacement required every two decades

Maximising value of equestrian property with renovations that pay off

What if you plan to sell down the line? Smart investments will increase value.

“A well-maintained property will be worth more and look attractive to prospective purchasers,” says Sue Grant of Fox Grant. “A well-thought-out staged maintenance schedule can help to budget and spread the cost.”

Even totally undeveloped land can be transformed into a viable equestrian set-up.

“The cost of installing mains water to paddocks and field shelters generally pays dividends when you come to sell,” Sue adds. “Look on second-hand sale sites for materials; it’s amazing what people want to give away. Farm sales are also a good place to look for equipment.”

For larger-scale projects, a little research will help you spend wisely.

“Size is key,” says Abi, when offering tips for building an arena. “In this day and age, a 20x40m often isn’t large enough.

“Well-ventilated barns with internal stabling and wide aisle ways seem to be more sought after now compared to the old-fashioned timber looseboxes.”

Abi adds that high-quality, low-maintenance fencing is frequently overlooked.

“Fencing is the very first thing an equestrian buyer sees and poor fencing is a financial deterrent.”

Supporting your income with an equestrian property

Securing your future takes many forms – one of them could be capitalising on your property’s business potential.

Fox Grant managing director, chartered surveyor and horseman William Grant’s enterprising mindset helped him launch several business ventures from his equestrian smallholding in Wiltshire.

He purchased a five-acre parcel next to his own property for extra grazing, but started diversifying shortly after.

“We welcomed our first camper in 2009; they wanted somewhere to stay near Stonehenge, which is just a couple of miles from us,” he says. “Now we get around 15,000–20,000 campers a year.”

As well as the campsite – which has grown to include glamping units – William also facilitates storage and runs weddings and events, including Solstice Fest, a four-day music and wellbeing festival in June.

For William, anyone with land who is enterprising and open-minded enough can use it to earn a partly or completely passive income, and permitted development goes a long way.

Permitted development under class BC in England allows the use of any land as a recreational campsite for not more than 60 days in total in any calendar year – limited to 50 pitches.

In England, class BC is in addition to class B permitted development UK-wide, which allows you to use any land for any purpose for not more than 28 days.

William says demonstrating what’s commercially viable on your land through permitted development can also make resale more lucrative.

“If you do sell your property, then you’re also selling a business opportunity,” he remarks. “You’re adding equity by showing people there is cash flow right there waiting for them.”

Planning permission for equestrian homes

Off-the-peg equestrian homes are few and far between, and securing the finished article at purchase stage often requires an astronomical budget.

For Charlotte Roberts-Barr, senior consultant at Boatwrights, the best thing a purchaser can do is see the potential for long-term gains in an equestrian property.

“You can enlist the services of a planning consultant or put in a pre-application yourself,” says Charlotte.

You don’t have to own a property to submit a pre-application, but it can up to 10 weeks for a decision. Therefore, vendors can benefit from being able to demonstrate planning potential to prospective buyers via their own pre-app.

“I’d estimate it would cost around £1,000 for a consultant to submit it, but they understand the language and trigger points that the local authority may or may not look for,” Charlotte adds.

Maximising value with planning permission

Even if you don’t plan to make major changes to a property before you sell and capitalise, you can be shrewd with planning to secure development for potential buyers. If you have agricultural buildings standing empty, changing their classification – even without fully completing any works – can help boost your nest egg’s value.

“I would always apply for Class Q planning,” says Charlotte. “If it’s an agricultural building with a concrete base that’s been used for agricultural purposes in the last 10 years, you can apply for a 56-day notice to convert that building into a residential dwelling under Class Q planning.

“It’s the difference between a barn worth £100,000 and a barn worth £300,000, for instance.”

You can diversify your property to attract a future proprietor even if you don’t plan to run a business from home yourself.

“Let’s say for instance that you have a stable block and obtain planning to convert it to holiday lets,” says Charlotte.

“You would then undertake a material start to that conversion. This would constitute the most basics works as detailed by that scheme, such as clearing trees or moving fences.

“The key is also to ensure you register commencement of works with the council. That’s basically your stage one and it locks in the planning permission for that specific development – the planning cannot lapse.”

● Have you bought, renovated or diversified an equestrian property? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

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An HMRC dispute over grooms’ accommodation has highlighted the need for businesses to be aware of the complexities surrounding national minimum wage (NMW) rules.

Coach Rebecca Cowderoy has spoken out after she believed she was following the correct procedure around NMW and staff accommodation – but was found to have incurred NMW arrears owing to confusion around the HMRC accommodation offset rate.

When staff accommodation is provided and the charge meets or is below the offset rate, an employer may deduct this from an employee’s wage for rent. The accommodation charge can also be kept separate so the employee receives their full wage then pays the employer the offset amount, or rent if the amount is lower. If the accommodation costs more than the offset rate, this excess results in the worker’s wage falling below NWM, so the employer must increase the wage to ensure NMW is paid.

In 2021 Rebecca rented property for staff as she did not have accommodation at her yard. She charged only what she was paying on rent, and covered all bills. At the time the weekly offset rate was £58.52 and Rebecca unknowingly accrued £4,179.44 NMW arrears over 12 months relating to one employee.

Having been one of multiple equestrian employers named on the Government’s recent NMW penalty list, Rebecca hopes to make others aware of the complexities around accommodation.

“I was paying NMW or above. I wasn’t trying to get around NMW,” Rebecca told H&H. “I was trying to provide them with somewhere decent to live. I wanted them to have somewhere clean, warm and comfortable – not make money from housing them.”

Rebecca believes the offset rate – which rises annually and is currently £77.60 – is too low.

“This raises a question; is the offset realistic for employers who are trying to provide decent accommodation?” she said.

“Unless you expect someone to share with three or four people or live in a static caravan, it simply wasn’t realistic in my circumstances. The whole experience was incredibly expensive and upsetting, and it has made me realise how important it is to understand how the rules work. What may seem like a perfectly reasonable arrangement can have serious financial consequences.”

Trainer Lucinda Russell – who employs 60 staff, all of whom are paid above minimum wage – was another to be named on the NMW list. Lucinda told H&H the £2,158.39 arrears related to two jockeys and was the result of an error made between October 2023 and 2024 relating to deductions for staff accommodation for one, and livery for the other. The matter has been resolved.

Jodie Seddon, a partner at Aria Grace Law CIC, told H&H: “Under HMRC rules the standard of staff accommodation provided is not relevant to the amount of offset that employers can withhold from salaries; it is a fixed amount, adjusted annually alongside NMW.

“It is great to see more equestrian employers trying to put in place proper arrangements, but we would always encourage people to seek professional advice at the outset – the expense is minimal by comparison with the potential penalties for errors.”

Dan Martin of chartered accountants Ellacotts told H&H accommodation arrangements in many cases are “genuinely generous”.

“The difficulty for the equestrian sector is that generosity is no defence. Layer on other complications, unpaid time at shows, early starts and late nights, travelling days, keep for a groom’s horse, apprentice rates and birthday rate changes, and it becomes easy to fall below the line without any intent to underpay,” he said.

“The employers who end up on the list are rarely the bad actors. They are usually small, well-meaning businesses running payroll without specialist support.”

Mr Martin added that the most common misconception his firm sees is the “belief that if rent is invoiced separately, or paid out of the groom’s bank account, it sits outside payroll and NMW calculation”.

“If the yard owns or rents the cottage, flat or caravan, or if living on site is tied to the job, the offset applies regardless of how the rent is collected. Employers who believe they have structured around the problem are often the ones who get caught,” he said.

Confusion also arises over utility bills, which must be factored into the total accommodation charge under the offset rules. Mr Martin said only charges that are “genuinely optional” fall outside, though these are still tested under ordinary NMW deduction rules.

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Multiple medal-winning event rider Laura Collett and experienced judge and breeder Edwin Prosser will judge the supreme horse and pony championships at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) 2026.

HOYS organiser Grandstand Media announced this week that the pair will “have the honour of selecting this year’s supreme champions from some of the finest horses and ponies in the country”, on the final night of the show (11 October).

European champion Laura, who also won world team gold and individual bronze this year, won the supreme pony title at HOYS in 2003 with Welsh section A Penwayne Ryan.

“Horse of the Year Show holds very special memories for me,” she said. “Winning the supreme pony championship when I was just 13 was an incredible moment and one I’ll never forget.

HOYS supreme judges 2026: ‘A tremendous honour’

“I know how much it means to qualify for HOYS and to stand in that arena on the final evening. To return all these years later as a supreme championship judge is a real honour, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Edwin, of Mintfield Stud, is a highly experienced judge of Welsh ponies and cobs.

“It is a great honour to be invited to judge the supreme horse and pony championship at Horse of the Year Show,” he said. “I have very fond memories of judging the Price family supreme in-hand championship in 2022, so to be asked to return four years later to judge the supreme is a tremendous honour.

“It means a great deal to me and everyone at Mintfield Stud, and I’m very much looking forward to being part of such a prestigious championship.”

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

Attitudes to and conditions for the equestrian workforce are changing for the better – but there are still “serious concerns”, especially for those in on-the-job training roles.

A recent British Grooms Association (BGA) survey “demonstrates an urgent need for some equestrian employers to stop ignoring employment legislation and offer only legal terms and conditions”, BGA CEO Lucy Katan said.

The survey, of “working pupils”, apprentices and other grooms in training, found that 72% work over 40 hours per week, 64% have no written contract, 67% are not given payslips and 77% do not get their statutory holiday entitlement. More than half are not paid at least the national minimum wage (NMW).

“The findings highlight an urgent need for the equestrian industry to come together to improve standards and understanding around on-the-job training,” the survey report concludes. “Employers, parents and young people themselves all have a role to play in ensuring they receive proper training alongside the employment rights and protections they are legally entitled to.”

The report also states, as has been said before, that the term “working pupil” must be reconsidered as this is not a legally accepted term and training may not be in lieu of paying the NMW.

“While employers may legitimately provide training alongside employment, training cannot generally be offered in place of wages, and workers should not bear training costs in a way that causes their pay to fall below the NMW,” the report states.

“To avoid this, employers must not deduct training costs from pay, and workers should be provided with a separate invoice for any training charges payable to their employer. These findings may therefore warrant closer scrutiny by enforcement bodies to determine whether employment and pay arrangements comply with NMW legislation.”

Awareness of the law

Ms Katan said overall there is greater awareness of the law, and she believes the situation is changing for the better, citing the fact that since she set up the Equestrian Employers Association, this has helped create 5,500 contracts for staff.

“Do we hear of the same number of ‘working pupil’ positions as historically? No,” she told H&H.

“But the ones bringing people in and giving them training in return for the wage, or some kind of mishmash; are those poor employment? Yes.”

Ms Katan praised recent moves to raise grooms’ profile, such as at the World Championships.

“Progress is being made; groom recognition is much better than it was,” she said.

“But we have to make sure our industry is only a place of good employment. That’s it.”

Have your say

The results were revealed as a the equestrian workforce is encouraged to have its say.

British Equestrian is working with Hartpury University to “build a clearer picture of the people who keep the equestrian sector running, and the challenges and opportunities they face”.

The survey will consider issues such as recruitment, retention and training.

Hartpury director of research Jane Williams said: “By combining our robust research expertise with meaningful engagement across one of our specialist industries, we’ll create the evidence to inform workforce development and help build a more sustainable, inclusive sector.”

There are surveys for paid workers and volunteers.

● Do you work in the industry; what have your experiences been? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

Classic-winning Saffie Osborne is the latest in a long line of famous female jockeys to have broken the mould and make horse racing history.

The sport of kings is no longer just a man's world, as a succession of pioneering women have proved over the past 50 years.

So who are the most famous female jockeys in racing history? From Grand National hero Rachael Blackmore to multi-winning Hayley Turner, we celebrate the groundbreaking achievements of some of the women riders who have changed the shape of horse racing.

Famous female jockeys and the key milestones

• 1804: Alicia Thornton makes a groundbreaking debut for female jockeys, riding side-saddle in a race held at York
• 1967: Val Greaves becomes the first ever female jockey to ride in a Flat race under Rules and the pioneering rider would later become the first professional to win over jumps
• 1972: The first race for female jockeys takes place at Kempton, won by amateur Meriel Tufnell, Britain’s first female champion jockey

• 1976: Diana Thorne becomes the first female winner under National Hunt rules when she beat her father John in a photo finish for a hunter chase at Stratford.
• 1976: Jenny Stamp is the first woman to ride at the Cheltenham Festival, partnering 25-1 shot Fair Gleam in the National Hunt Chase
• 1977: Charlotte Brew finds fame as the first woman to ride in the Grand National, although it would take another five years before Geraldine Rees became the first to finish in the Aintree showpiece, finishing eighth on Cheers
• 1978: Karen Wiltshire makes history as the first female professional to ride a winner on the Flat, at Salisbury for her boss Bill Wightman. The same year, Lorna Vincent enjoys a breakthrough first female victory against fellow professionals over hurdles at Exeter racecourse
• 1983: Caroline Beasley is the first female jockey to ride a Cheltenham Festival winner, coming home first in the Foxhunter Chase. Three years later, the amateur then scored a pioneering victory over the Grand National fences with the same horse in the Fox Hunters’ Chase at Aintree.

• 1984: Linda Sheedy enters the record books aboard Foxbury as the first female jockey to ride in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, partnering Foxbury
• 1987: Gay Kelleway, who a year earlier became the first woman to ride in a British Classic, makes history as the first woman to win at Royal Ascot
• 1993: Julie Krone is the first female jockey to win an American Classic

• 1996: Alex Greaves, daughter of pioneering Val (above) becomes the first female jockey to ride in the Derby at Epsom, going on to become the first female Group One winner the following year riding Ya Malak, finishing in a dead-heat with Kevin Darley in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
• 2006: Nina Carberry is the first female jump jockey in Great Britain and Ireland to win a Grade One, taking the Champion Bumper at the Punchestown Festival on the Noel Meade-trained Leading Run. She became the leading female rider at the Cheltenham Festival with seven career winners.
• 2008: Debutante champion apprentice Hayley Turner goes on to become the first female jockey to ride 100 winners in a year. In 2011 she becomes the first to ride a Group One winner outright and earns her place in racing history as the first woman to ride 1,000 winners. The only other female jockey to do so is Hollie Doyle.
• 2012: Another famous female jockey is Katie Walsh, whose third-place finish in the Grand National on Seabass was a significant milestone as the highest ever finish for a female rider

• 2015: Jump jockey Lizzie Kelly becomes the first woman to win a Grade One over fences - aboard Tea For Two at Kempton – going on to become the first female professional to ride a winner at the Cheltenham Festival, landing the 2018 Ultima aboard Coo Star Sivola.
• 2015: Ascot’s Shergar Cup is won by an all-female team for the first time, with Sammy-Jo Bell earning the silver saddle award as the leading jockey at the race meeting.
• 2015: Michelle Payne is the first female jockey to win the famous Melbourne Cup in Australia, riding Prince Of Penzance to victory at odds of 100/1
• 2019: Bryony Frost earns a legion of new fans when becoming the first female jockey to win a Grade One at the Cheltenham Festival
• 2021: Rachael Blackmore makes global headlines as the first female rider to win the Grand National, followed by the Gold Cup the following season on A Plus Tard

• 2022: Hollie Doyle achieves the first placing in a British Classic then becomes the first woman to win a European Classic
• 2025: Aamilah Aswat makes her racing dream a reality as the first Black British female jump jockey, winning her first race a couple of months later
• 2026: Saffie Osborne becomes the first female jockey to win a British Classic, partnering the Joseph O’Brien-trained Highwayman to victory in the 250th running of the Doncaster race

Look out for other leading Flat jockeys riding at the moment, including Joanna Mason and Gina Mangan, while the likes of Izzi Ryder, Fern O'Brien and Gina Andrews – sister of Cheltenham Festival-winning Bridget Andrews – continue to pave the way in jump racing.

• For more exclusive and expert insight into equestrian sport, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

H&H welcomed top event rider Harry Meade into the editor’s seat for this week’s edition of Horse & Hound magazine (24 September).

Harry – who was world number one for a 12-month period from last summer to June 2026 – chose and commissioned a range of features on subjects ranging from the benefits of tetrathlon for children to the evolution of cross-country course-design.

“It’s been an interesting and fun experience taking the reins at Horse & Hound,” said Harry, who weathered a cover photoshoot with award-winning photographer Peter Nixon on the hottest day of the summer.

A more pleasant summer’s day was spent on the beach for Harry’s trip to Christian Williams’ National Hunt yard on the Welsh coast, where he rode out with the string.

“I love trips to other yards and learning about their routines, management and philosophy, seeing how that benefits the horses, and learning from the staff who experience it day in, day out,” he said. “I’d like to live at Christian’s yard if I were a horse.”

Harry is renowned for his cross-country prowess, frequently piloting multiple horses round inside the time at five-star, and is passionate about keeping this phase as the “centrepiece” of the sport. His choice of feature on the evolution of cross-country design shines a light on how designers have navigated the changes through the decades, with comments from the likes of Ginny Elliot, Mark Phillips, Lucinda Green and William Fox-Pitt.

“I enjoyed exploring how and why cross-country course design has changed, and hearing the perspectives of some of the most accomplished rides and designers in eventing history,” he said.

There are more light-hearted elements, too. A family man, Harry delves into his children’s chosen sport of tetrathlon, and daughter Lily picks out her favourite products on the yard.

Harry also wanted to “champion the driving forces behind the scenes”, such as his own wife Rosie. Look out for the brilliant caricatures by Spitting Image artist David Stoten.

• For more expert insight from top riders and trainers, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

In episode 181 of The Horse & Hound Podcast, top British equestrian Gemma Stevens talks to our eventing editor Pippa Roome about winning Defender Burghley Horse Trials, how it feels to have achieved one of her major career goals and what’s next.

In this episode, Gemma reflects on the incredible journey she's been on with Chilli Knight, from an unassuming young horse “who used to cock his jaw and run out all the time” to winning her first “big B”.

To hear more about the role Chris and Lisa Stone have played in Gemma’s career, what she's learnt from other key horses such as her brilliant cross-country specialist Arctic Soul and whether winning a “big B” has changed her ambitions for the future, listen to the podcast.

Want to listen to more podcasts?

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

• View all episodes of The Horse & Hound Podcast

Whatever your preferred discipline, there is so much to enjoy listening to in our podcasts. We love to hear your feedback on any of our podcasts, so please do send your thoughts to pippa.roome@futurenet.com

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows, interviews with top riders and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

A rallying call has gone out to horse owners, to help in the fight against deadly antibiotic resistance.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and the University of Liverpool are inviting owners to take part in a study on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in healthy horses. H&H has reported on the need to tackle resistance, as the effects on human and animal health if antibiotics become ineffective could be catastrophic in future.

The HealthyHorseAMR project, led by the University of Liverpool and funded by the VMD, aims to identify the most effective methods for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in horses.

“AMR is recognised as one of the world’s most significant public health threats,” a VMD spokesperson said. “It occurs when bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, which can make infections difficult, or even impossible, to treat. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can also be found in healthy animals without causing disease, meaning animals can act as reservoirs of resistance that may spread to other animals or people.”

Register to take part in the project

The UK has a 20-year plan to “contain, control and mitigate” AMR by 2040. There are surveillance programmes in some livestock sectors but “gaps in our surveillance of companion animals and horses”.

“Monitoring AMR in healthy horses presents different challenges, and effective surveillance will require tailoring methods specifically to the equine sector,” the spokesperson said.

“Latest estimates show that there are approximately 847,000 horses in the UK. This includes horses owned by around 374,000 households as well as those kept in professional settings such as racing yards. The close relationship between horses and the people who own, ride, and care for them creates opportunities for the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in either direction.”

Antibiotic resistance research: addressing the gap in horses

The research aims to address the gap by considering ways of collecting samples and identifying approaches to support future surveillance.

“This work will provide valuable evidence on AMR within the UK equine sector, helping researchers better understand how resistant bacteria circulate, and enabling the early identification of emerging resistance,” the spokesperson said.

Owners are invited to complete a questionnaire and provide faecal samples from their horses; those who register will be sent a postage-paid sampling kit.

Gina Pinchbeck, a professor in epidemiology at the University of Liverpool, said: “We are very excited to be working on this project.

“The HealthyHorseAMR project will provide much-needed up-to-date evidence and inform the best methods for horse recruitment and sampling for future surveillance efforts. This is an important step towards a one health AMR surveillance system in the UK, and we encourage everyone within the equine industry to get involved.”

● To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

“Shades of grey and nuance are signs of intelligence – being black and white is a sign of stupidity”.

This was the opinion of one expert, discussed during a debate on the value of X-rays and other imaging techniques at the 2026 British Equine Veterinary Association congress.

In a session titled “Pre-purchase imaging: how much is too much?” veterinary experts considered the different types of imaging and the value they might have.

Jane Boswell of the Veterinary Defence Society, an insurance mutual for vets, covered pre-purchase examination (PPE) X-rays of leisure horses. She stressed, as did the other speakers, that PPEs are not about passing or failing, they are risk assessments considering a horse’s fitness for the intended purpose.

“We don’t have a crystal ball, we’re not going to be able to give a guarantee of future soundness, nor find them the perfect horse,” she said. “Nor should we embark on the PPE thinking it’s going to be a diagnostic investigation. It’s all about assessment of risk and how we contextualise that risk, considering different factors.”

These include details of the horse and intended purpose, but also the buyer’s attitude to risk, aims to resell and of course insurance, all of which should be discussed when deciding whether to X-ray or not.

Pre-purchase X-rays benefits and disadvantages

“The benefits of X-rays: we can perhaps get more information about any abnormalities detected during a clinical examination,” she said. “You find a horse with joint effusion, you may recommend imaging to investigate further. We’re also looking at whether we can identify pathology where we haven’t found any associated clinical signs, to reveal lesions that might be associated with increased future risk.

“Once we can advise purchasers about the risk, they may use that to consider whether they purchase the horse.”

A big disadvantage to X-rays is cost, but “the real challenge is the difficulty in determining the significance of the changes we identify”. She said X-rays must be reviewed carefully in an appropriate environment, rather than a quick look by the stable – but even then, vets can have very different opinions. And a vet reviewing an X-ray two years later, of a horse who has become lame, will have a very different viewpoint.

“Identifying a radiographic change does not necessarily mean it’s clinically relevant and the horse is not suitable for its intended use,” she said. “For many changes we see, particularly in a horse that is clinically asymptomatic and sound, it’s very difficult to give a robust idea of what the probability is of that becoming problematic in future.”

Ms Boswell also cited a study that found little evidence for the significance of neck X-rays in PPEs, pointing out that a thorough examination is likely to provide more information, and “certainly shouldn’t be a step omitted because you’ve got the comfort blanket of thinking, ‘I’m going to X-ray the neck anyway.’

“You’ve got to know, can you defend the decision not to take radiographs?” she said. “But probably most importantly, when you do, could you defend what you told the purchasers about the ones you did take at a future time?”

Changing international sales

Equine sports medicine specialist Jonathan McLellan covered international sales, in which “our reliance on radiography has changed the entire sales process”.

He explained that rather than buyers having the right to X-ray a horse bought at public auction, now sellers submit X-rays in advance, putting pressure, he said, on the vet who takes them and those who interpret them.

He added that there are still risks to the buyer. Not all joints are X-rayed and the assessing vet has to look at the images with no clinical context, not even seeing the horse move in a PPE.

“This quick summary is where we now are,” he said. “Dr [Larry] Bramlage, says it doesn’t matter if we say it’s not important. If there’s writing on the report, the industry doesn’t like it. Everybody wants clean radiographs.

“This becomes a new ethical problem, where we subject horses to multiple radiographs early in their career to make sure the radiographs are clean, so they can be sold. We’ve gone from no radiographs and everybody lining up to perform examinations, a welfare issue, to multiple radiographs to perform surgeries that maybe horses don’t need.

“The only way out of this situation is to try to continue to educate buyers and sellers. The radiograph is only part of this process, it shouldn’t be a massive hurdle to be cleared, and if we help clients understand that, it’ll take away our reliance on radiography.”

Pre-purchase MRI and CT scans

Equine imaging expert Filip Vandenberghe asked whether PPE MRI and CT scans were “worthwhile or a can of worms” – and concluded both options may well be the case. He cited horses who are sound, but may have been injected to make them so, or those who may not be entirely “sound”, but can be managed to be comfortable doing their job.

“An image tells you something, might help you look into the future,” he said, but he added: “Most athletes, including humans, need management. They occasionally go lame and have a gap in their career; does this make them not sustainable?

“But in a PPE, they want a sustainable, ever-healthy and sound horse. We can’t do that. What is the predictive value of these image findings? That’s the question but sometimes we can have a good idea of how they’re going to evolve, the question is when, and the severity of it, and how easy will it be to manage.

“In the real world, there’s more and more pathologies, so try not to use the exceptional as the standard.

“[A PPE] is not a pass or fail, just that risk assessment. Define clearly what is unclear. If things are not known, it’s OK to say we don’t know that, just make sure you’re not the only one who doesn’t know it. I invite you to introduce some grey into your interpretation because grey and nuance is a sign of intelligence. Being black and white is a sign of stupidity.”

● What are your thoughts on pre-purchase or routine X-rays? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

Alex Hua Tian heads the provisional eventing standings at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya while Typhoon Dujuan has led to changes to the championship timetable in Japan.

The cyclone brought heavy rain and strong winds to the Tokyo region, and is now moving up the east coast. The equestrian events are being held at the Tokyo Equestrian Park (Baji Koen), home to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021.

The timetable change meant dressage and showjumping both happened today (Tuesday) and the eventing competition will end with cross-country tomorrow, on a track designed by Poland’s Marcin Konarski.

The new timetable is a departure from the normal order of phases at major championships (dressage, cross-country, showjumping), but means officials have more time to prepare the cross-country track following the rain. The medal ceremony will be held an hour after cross-country.

“This unanimous adjustment is authorised under FEI rules, which permit schedule changes for force majeure and extreme weather to safeguard human and equine welfare, and allow officials to address unforeseen circumstances in the sporting spirit,” said an official announcement, issued by eventing technical delegate Alec Lochore on Monday (21 September).

British-based Chinese rider Alex, who is the defending Asian Games champion, is riding nine-year-old Manjushri at this year’s games. The pair led the dressage on a score of 26.9 and jumped a clear round in the showjumping.

“I've brought a very competitive horse,” said Alex. “He's only nine years old, but he's already competing at four-star level and he's always been very reliable.”

Alex and the Irish Sport Horse, owned by Adam, Angelina and Lin Guo and Qianru Yi, finished seventh at Bramham CCI4*-S in June and won the CCI3*-S at Burgham in July. They also headed the CCI3*-L at Hartpury in 2025 and were fourth at the FEI Asian Championships in Thailand..

“I'm here to win an individual medal. Whether it's gold, silver or bronze depends on what happens, but I hope we do a good job,” added Alex.

“I think Marcin has done an excellent and very interesting job. The time and technicality are going to be influential, and I think the ground could be very influential.

“All of those things coming together will put a lot of pressure on the athletes, especially the ones who want to win. I think it's an open competition and it will be interesting and exciting all the way to the end.”

Alex heads into Wednesday’s cross-country with a 3.2 penalty buffer ahead of Thailand’s Woraphat Sittiju and 18-year-old gelding Uster De Chanay.

Japan’s Ryo Murata and the 18-year-old CCI4*-S winner Brookpark Vikenti hold third on 30.4. The home side is also leading the team competition.

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

This year’s Agria Blenheim Horse Trials results were as exciting as ever, with riders scooting up and down the leaderboard until the final top 10 were settled on Sunday afternoon.

Tom McEwen dominated, scoring a one-two in the Agria CCI4*-L as well as winning the GFS Saddles young horse CCI4*-S on Brookfield Danny De Muze.

Let’s check out the top 10 from the showcase class, the CCI4*-L…

Blenheim Horse Trials results: the CCI4*-L top 10

Tom with his two horses in the CCI4*-L, The Fieldmaster and Brookfield Quality, plus his team. His grooms for his five horses were Amy Bliss Bennett, Molly Walker and Adam Short.

The Fieldmaster moved up from fourth after dressage with the second fastest cross-country round, just three seconds over the optimum time.

Tom piloted Brookfield Quality, owned by John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn, to second place. This 17-year-old horse is hugely experienced, with three top-five placings at five-star. Here he added four cross-country time-faults and one showjump down to a 26.5 dressage, which had left him third after the first phase.

Sam Ecroyd steered two horses into the top five, finishing third on Vicki and Stewart Irlam’s Jackpot, who was previously ridden by his girlfriend Emily King. The pair moved up from overnight sixth in the final showjumping phase, in which they added just 0.4 of a time-fault, and made a 16-place rise on their dressage rank of 19th.

Owners join the top three riders on the podium in front of Blenheim Palace – still partially covered in plastic because of an extensive roof restoration project.

Fourth-placed Speedwell, owned by Karen Coumbe, Colin Graves, Deborah Strang, Hannah Caven and rider Jesse Campbell, jumps the brush fence out of the first long water crossing on the way to fourth. Putting some blips earlier in the season behind them, New Zealand rider Jesse is now considering a tilt at five-star at Kentucky Three-Day Event next April on this former ride of his late wife, Georgie.

Sam Ecroyd built on third in the CCI4*-S at Bramham Horse Trials and third at Millstreet CCI4*-L with the 11-year-old Bloomfield Manuscript, owned by Joe and Kate Walls and Tricia and Rob Sargent, with fifth here.

At Millstreet, his showjumping let him down. One down here was a significant improvement and the pair again showed their speed across country with just 3.6 time-faults on a day when only one pair, 11th-placed Oliver Townend and Sommersby, made the target. Like Sam’s other horse, Bloomfield Manuscript climbed up the leaderboard, as he was 17th after dressage.

A showjumping clear sealed sixth for Gemma Stevens and Chilli’s Jester, owned by Chris and Clare Mathias and Chris and Lisa Stone. The horse is a full-brother to her recent Defender Burghley Horse Trials winner Chilli Knight.

Wiltshire-based New Zealand rising star Tayla Mason and Joopiter take seventh, up from 51st after dressage. The horse is owned by Tayla, her mother Sonya, Therese Miller and Katherine Corich and like her top horse Centennial, was bred by Sonya, by Euro Sport Centavos. His dam is Tayla’s young rider horse, Just Joop.

Young Australian rider Oliver Barrett re-routed after a fall at the eventing World Championships and finished eighth on his parents Craig and Prudence and brother Jesper’s Sandhills Briar, on whom he won Adelaide five-star in the spring. The pair led the dressage, but slipped down the order with 19.2 time-faults on Saturday. They finished on a good note with a showjumping clear.

Oliver was part of the mixed Australian-US team who took on the British Rising Lions in the Blenheim Challenge team competition. The Stars & Stripes came out on top, taking the majority of the £70,000 prize-money, which was split between riders, grooms, the US youth programme and US-based non-profit Work to Ride.

It was another good weekend for Tom Jackson, who rode Brookfield William – owned by the familiar Brookfield names of Alison Swinburn and John and Chloe Perry – into ninth place. The 10-year-old gained four places with his showjumping clear on Sunday.

New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone secured 10th on Sparky Lad, who won the big-money ex-racehorse class at Cornbury in 2025. The son of Smart Missile belongs to Waratah Equestrian PTY Ltd. Their top-10 placing was achieved despite a frangible breakage across country – without it, they would have been third.

• More from Blenheim in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine, dated 24 September. To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Tom McEwen scored a record-breaking double at Agria Blenheim Horse Trials, winning the CCI4*-L aboard The Fieldmaster an hour after soaring to victory in the GFS Saddles young horse CCI4*-S on Brookfield Danny De Muze.

When Tom cantered into the CCI4*-L showjumping on his overnight leader, The Fieldmaster, he knew he had already won.

His other ride, Brookfield Quality, was in second overnight and Tom had jumped him out of order earlier in the afternoon. Brookfield Quality (“Norris”) tipped the final part of the treble, but ultimately this did not lose him a place – and by Tom’s last round, the only horse that could finish above Norris was The Fieldmaster.

That rail meant The Fieldmaster (“Trev”) could also afford a pole and still win. He rattled the upright at fence three, which stayed in place, then cashed that in at the Agria oxer at 10. He jumped the remaining two fences beautifully to win by 0.1 of a penalty over his stablemate.

The last time a rider achieved a one-two in this class was William Fox-Pitt in 2000, who won aboard Stunning and was runner-up with Tamarillo. Nobody has ever won both the CCI4*-L and the CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses in the same year.

“I brought five very special horses here, so I’m very lucky,” said Tom. “It’s nice for Tom Strawson, who brought ‘Trev’ around here last year as an eight-year-old, and for him then to come back again and win is amazing.

“He’s obviously called The Fieldmaster, Jo and James Lambert and Penny Barker own him, and Penny's late husband, Fred, was a master of the Quorn.

“When I saw the hunt outside, I thought that was probably an omen, a nice touch. He was so relaxed he could have probably done with them blowing the horn, I think!”

He added: “Both horses jumped brilliantly. I just had an easy rail coming out the treble on Norris, who jumped a superb round. Trev also jumped a super round – the pole was my fault, I knew I had to get a bit of jump back into him, so I gave him too big a shot. What a day!”

Tom knew he had a strong string coming into this week, each of the five had chances, but to dominate with this much style is a spectacular achievement.

“You come here with no expectations, and I gained a lot of understanding from Trev yesterday. I gave him a couple of presses, and he just absolutely accelerated,” said Tom.

Norris, who is owned by John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn, is an “elder statesman” of the four- and five-star eventing scene these days. Blenheim has long been his happy hunting ground, and at the age of 17, he has recorded his best ever finish at this event.

“Norris has been a superstar; although I'm delighted that Trev won, it’s a shame they couldn't share it, and I couldn’t have somehow found 0.1 somewhere else, because Norris is always a bridesmaid, and he’s just an absolute star. What a great old boy,” he said. “All my horses have been fantastic this week.”

Blenheim Horse Trials results: Sam Ecroyd enjoys a week to remember

Sam Ecroyd climbed from 19th after dressage to third aboard Stewart and Vicki Irlam’s Jackpot, who was previously ridden by his partner, Emily King.

“I was really hoping I had an outside chance of maybe a top 10, I’m just so thrilled with them both,” said Sam, who also finished fifth with Bloomfield Manuscript.

“Jackpot is such a good horse. Emily has ridden, produced and done everything with him. He’s so straight and easy. She just thought that he would really suit me, my weaknesses are his strengths, he is so smart on the flat and such a special jumper.

“He can get a tiny bit strong when you go really fast across country. There are not many people who would just give you their five-star horse, so thank you to her.

“Bloomfield Manuscript was in the lead at Millstreet in the CCI4*-L this year and I didn’t ride a very good round, I got a bit nervous. So I was just conscious to show that he can do it, he’s a good horse and he jumps really well. So my focus was to do better for him this time round.”

New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell and Speedwell lowered the first fence in an otherwise spotless round to finish fourth, in between Sam’s two horses.

“He was pretty perky this morning, he has certainly grown into himself – he’s getting stronger and stronger all the time. He’s a superstar,” said Jesse, who is now eyeing a trip to Kentucky with the 12-year-old gelding.

“Towards the back end of last year, we started to really develop and get to know each other pretty well. I’ve learnt to ride him across country in a slightly different way, he’s great. I love this horse.”

He added: “I thought it was a great showjumping course. It was technical, it took a lot to jump a clear round, we saw Sam move up quite significantly and there were quite a few problems. I think that’s the way it should be, it should be a challenge on the last day, it shouldn’t be a freebee – the more courses like that, the better.”

Gemma Stevens was sixth aboard Chilli’s Jester, the full brother to her Burghley-winning ride Chilli Knight. Tayla Mason was the most notable major climber at the business end of the leaderboard, rising 44 places from 51st after dressage to finish seventh on Joopiter.

• View full results from the CCI4*-L at Blenheim Horse Trials

• To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news throughout Blenheim Horse Trials, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Graham Dunkley is one of the judges who has the enviable task of judging at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

This year, what each judge is assessing will be revealed just the night before the class. Trialled in 2024, this format is back by popular demand. So, while we won't know what Lancashire-based Graham is judging for the time being, we can learn a little more about him, his background in showing, and what she will be looking for in the ring.

One thing we do know, having been trained as a classical chef, Graham can handle the heat...

Graham's background in horses and showing

Graham rode and began showing as a child. Though he rode many show ponies, two native ponies have had a significant influence on his equestrian journey.

That particular journey “began back in 1975 on a little Welsh Section A lead-rein pony called Norgwill Pipi,” says Graham.

“At the time, the local riding school was run by husband and wife team Bob and Pat Templeton, who decided to try their hand at producing show ponies. Bob later became a well-known showman with strong links to HOYS and after marrying Julie, they went on to help shape the showing world as it is today.

“My little pony Pipi also went on to enjoy success, winning his breed section at the Olympia finals.”

The second pony hit headlines just earlier this year. This was the latest addition to the Dunkley family’s herd: Highland pony Genesis of Westown (Noah). Incidentally, you can find out more about this in the March 5, 2026 issue of Horse & Hound.

“Quite unexpectedly, Noah brought me back into the show ring as a rider after a 30-year break. It certainly was not planned but he reminded me that being in the saddle is my happy place,” says Graham.

“In showing, it is easy to become so focused on turnout and performance that we put too much pressure on ourselves and those around us. Noah reminded me that we do this sport for fun. For those of us who are truly hooked, nothing quite compares with the bond between horse and rider, and competing against yourself to be better that you were yesterday.”

Owning horses is a lifelong learning curve for any equestrian. Graham believes that “the most important lesson horses have taught me is that the right way in the end isn’t always the quickest way. There isn’t a gadget or TikTok video out there that replaces the need for patience, kindness and understanding that every day is a school day. That is true when working with horses, and it is just as true in every aspect of life.”

In a lifetime spent around show ponies and horses, Graham has had a good number of highlights to remember.

“I have been lucky enough to ride some beautiful horses and ponies over the years and have enjoyed many amazing moments.”

However, one of his fondest is the memory of “a small local show, watching my son absolutely smash his first-ridden debut on his little Shetland pocket rocket.”

Graham's judging experiences and highlights

“Before judging, I got into stewarding once my riding career paused.”

This is something he would encourage all prospective judges to do.

“It teaches you how to manage a ring, which is ultimately the job of the judge. You learn to spot that child who is about to take flight on their bombproof schoolmaster, or how to deal with the one who has had a wrong leg and needs some encouragement before dealing with mum outside the ring.

“I was one of the main ring evening performance stewards for Ponies UK when it was at the East of England Showground, along with Phill Judge and Nigel Oliver. Great times.

“You also see much more than you would from the other side of the ropes and when I was starting out, the knowledge I gained from watching and talking to the senior judges was invaluable and helped me gain the confidence to become a judge.”

Graham started judging at at a very local level, “as is the case with most judges,” and has now now been a panel judge for over thirty years.

“I have been fortunate to judge at some fantastic shows and, without detracting from those experiences, my highlight has to be my two previous HOYS judging appointments; to judge at HOYS is both an honour and a privilege.

“That is the gig that every judge starting out wants to be invited to. The first time is obviously a bit daunting leading up to the show; however, the second time, you can allow yourself the time to take it all to enjoy and appreciate the experience of judging the best of the best.”

What will Graham be looking for in the ring?

“I started my riding career on show ponies and these, for me, will always hold that special place,” he says. “However, you will always get a kick when that special animal walks into the ring and that can come from any of the sections.

“I want to see animals smiling through the bridle, with an attitude that cannot be ignored,” he continues. “Reaching the finals is incredibly difficult, so all the ponies will already be of a high standard, true to type, correct in conformation and way of going.

“I’m really excited to see the one or two with that unmistakable star quality, deserving of having their names on the roll of honour alongside the great show animals of the past.”

Graham’s pet hates

“Maybe I am turning into a grumpy old man but I have a few. My biggest bugbear is bad manners and that is from the competitors. I was always taught to smile, be on time, be correctly presented and give the impression that I was doing something I enjoyed.

“Another one is animals going in a forced outline and not carrying themselves. But the pet hate that frustrates me the most is overcomplicated individual performances that are often inappropriate for the class and are usually badly executed.

“As a judge, I want to see lots of little things done well: correct paces with crisp transitions. I would rather see simple perfection than complex chaos. I have lost my winner numerous times for this reason.”

Tips for HOYS first-timers

Graham says: “The clue is in the title – be a showman.

“From the second you step into the ring to when – if you are lucky enough to be – you’re cantering out on the lap of honour, you are on show and someone will always be watching.

“Don’t play it safe; try to wow. With reference to my earlier point, that doesn’t mean attempting a one-handed serpentine, with a rein back and a walk to canter thrown in for good measure. At HOYS, there will be a set show, so take time to execute it correctly, don’t rush and most of all, enjoy the ride.”

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A premature foal born with deformities so severe her survival was in doubt, orphaned hours after her birth, is thriving thanks to the dedication of those caring for her.

Penelope Pitstop was unable to stand after she was born in March, as her tendons were so significantly contracted, her “front feet were pointing to heaven”. Her dam died within 12 hours, from complications unrelated to the birth.

Penelope was referred to the independent Little Rock Equine Vets in Staffordshire. The clinic’s founder Shelley Cook told H&H: “She was small – but very determined.”

Dr Cook added that the warmblood filly had a very traumatic start to life.

“Normally, when foals are born this premature, coupled with the severity of issues, their chances of survival are very slim,” she said. “Penelope was suffering from severe contraction of the extensor tendons and severe laxity of the superficial digital flexor tendon and deep digital flexor tendon at the back of the cannon in her front legs, coupled with incomplete ossification [the cartilage had not fully hardened into bone, in her knees, hocks and other areas].”

“The first challenge was simply keeping her alive,” Dr Cook added.

Penelope’s owner, Nick Cadman, found a foster mare and Twemlows Stud Farm helped the two bond. Once the pair had settled, the scale of her issues became clear.

“It’s not uncommon for foals to be born a little weak or wobbly, but this was unlike anything we had seen before,” Dr Cook said. “She couldn’t stand properly and her front feet were pointing to heaven.

“When we took X-rays, the picture was even worse than we had expected, and the advice was that euthanasia might be the kindest option because her chances of survival were so limited. But we knew we had to try.”

Dr Cook added that it was first thought Penelope had been born at 325 days’ gestation but when she was X-rayed again at six weeks old, they realised from her growth plates that she had been born at least two weeks “younger” than this.

“This was great from the perspective of having more time to aid her limb deformities, because it bought both myself and the farrier Henry Tracy more time to aid her recovery,” she said.

Little Rock worked with Nick and Henry on a treatment plan, creating bespoke extensions to support and reshape the filly’s feet, and giving her essentially round-the-clock physiotherapy.

“When I was presented with Penelope, I knew straight away it wasn’t going to be straightforward,” Henry said. “It was far from it. I knew that to correct the severe deformity was going to be a major undertaking with a very guarded prognosis.”

Penelope’s fetlocks had to be supported, while encouraging gradual correction of her leg position. Her team first tried plywood as it would take the weight but this only worked for 24 hours as it was too heavy. They developed a bespoke nylon extension that was light and strong enough to support Penelope as needed.

“The device effectively provided continuous physiotherapy, helping stretch the contracted structures at the front of the limb while supporting the lax structures behind it,” a Little Rock spokesperson said “At one stage, the team extended Penelope’s foot length by eight inches as part of the effort to gradually correct the deformity.

“The team used a combination of diagnostic imaging, bespoke supportive farriery and ongoing monitoring to manage the foal’s condition. The specially designed extensions altered foot placement and applied controlled support to the affected structures, with the aim of encouraging gradual correction while maintaining comfort and limb function.”

But because Penelope was growing, and at first had very soft newborn feet, the design had to be continually reviewed and changed.

“Weight, flexibility and durability were all factors, and we also had to take into account the softness of the foal’s feet and the risk of pressure-related complications,” Dr Cook said.

Henry added that this case shows the importance of vets and farriers working together.

“Working alongside a vet you get along with and can work extremely closely with is one of the most valuable things you can have,” he said. “This has been, to this day, one of the most satisfying cases I’ve done.”

Dr Cook agreed, adding: “We invest a lot of time in working closely with local farriers and in continuing their professional development, and this case really demonstrates the value of that. Penelope needed a tailored approach, and that was only possible because the right team was around her from the beginning.”

She added that Henry trimmed Penelope’s feet on Thursday (17 September), and “there is no noticeable deformity at all now either in front or behind – it looks like she now has good conformation”.

“Outstanding” care

Nick said both Shelley and Henry had been “outstanding”.

“They’ve been fully invested in Penelope from day one and their skill, persistence and attention to detail have made all the difference,” he said.

“Her front limbs are now very close to where they should be for her age, and to see her standing correctly on all four limbs after where she started is remarkable. We’re delighted with the progress she’s made.”

Henry added: “The outcome we have finished with is remarkable and I’m thrilled to see her happily running around the field. I can't wait to see how she turns out over the next few years.”

Dr Cook said the Little Rock team is looking forward to seeing Penelope grow up.

“We are keen to share Penelope’s story because it may encourage owners and professionals not to write these foals off too early,” she said. “Not every case will be manageable but there are many situations where a collaborative and carefully adapted approach can make a real difference. We can’t wait to see how Penelope progresses.”

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I had a proper debrief after the Europeans last summer with my trainer Anne van Olst. It wasn’t the result we wanted, so we went right back to basics and started again from there. What did we want to change? What could be better in the preparation? It was about becoming more of a team again, really – harmony, seeing what works.

It’s difficult when it doesn’t go to plan, but we never doubted Glamourdale would get back to his best. He always feels like he’s getting stronger and there’s always a little bit more in him – the hard part is getting it all right at the same time.

One thing we worked on was my position – just being quiet, sitting still, taking a breath instead of thinking, “Come on, we have to do it,” the second I’m in the ring.

The other was the basics: taking time off for him so he could hack, gradually building him up, then giving him a weekend to relax before we upped it again.

We kept to a variety all winter and didn’t compete him too much beforehand, so he arrived at the world championships in Aachen happy and fresh rather than campaigned into the ground.

We arrived on the Sunday, with the vet check on the Monday. It isn’t far to travel for us, so there was no need to go early. We were in the new stable block in Aachen, which was amazing even in the heat, with our own section for the British horses.

Things like the wash bays were well set up and big, too, which makes life easier with a stallion. Getting him there can be tricky if there are mares and other horses around, so having that sorted made a big difference.

He’d had a couple of weeks off breeding work before Aachen – not long, because he’s in demand. It’s part of what pays his costs, so that side matters, too. Mentally, he’d happily breed all the time, but we have to balance that against keeping his body fresh. And before Aachen, as a team, we got everything right.

We ride him over to the trot-up rather than leading him in-hand, because it keeps everything separate in his head from the breeding work. As soon as I’m on his back, he knows it’s dressage. It’s a system that works well with the stallions; if they’re led in-hand, they can get confused.

But from the moment we arrived, he was quiet and happy in his stable. We had one familiarisation session on the Monday, then I just sat on him and walked on the Tuesday to give him a leg-stretch before the grand prix the next day. That morning, he felt so good that I thought to myself, if there’s going to be a time, it’s now.

Glamourdale loves the crowds; he’s always been like this. Even at seven, when he won at the young horse World Championships, he loved that crowd. He’ll walk out on a long rein afterwards, just listening to them cheer.

But in the warm-up at Aachen, every time I let him go on a longer rein, he’d look over towards the main stadium and try to go there. I’d have to tell him, “No, we have to wait, it’s not our time yet.”

The whole way in, he was whinnying, ears pricked, trying to go faster. Then as soon as he was actually inside, he’d go quiet, and you could feel how settled he was. He’s done it in London, too – heading off to the main arena on a long rein because he knows that’s where everyone is. It’s an amazing quality for a horse to have.

I thought the grand prix went well. He warmed up beautifully and there was just a small misunderstanding going into the first piaffe. After that, we were completely in tune. At this level, you can’t dwell on a mistake – you’re already onto the next movement. It’s milliseconds, millimetre work – the slightest shift of a seat bone or a wrist – and over time it just becomes instinct through repetition.

But we did what we needed to for the team that day, which was the most important thing.

We had a day off before the special. We did a light training session in the covered arena that day so it wasn’t too warm for him, just working a few exercises in walk to get the feeling I needed without riding him too much – half-passes, walk pirouettes, that kind of thing.

At the end, I picked him up and rode the last line of the canter pirouettes, then I just sat there and said to Anne: “He’s so ready.”

It gives me such extra confidence having Anne there on the ground.

She’s so knowledgeable and she knows us inside out. Having her there also means someone’s making sure you don’t do too much, because you’ve still got two more days of competing ahead.

At that moment we both knew that whatever happened, we couldn’t have prepared any better.

On the day of the special, we had a long break between morning and evening sessions due to the heat. I was competing in the evening. I watched Becky Moody and Jagerbomb’s test in the morning, then went back to the hotel for lunch: simple pasta with tomato. It’s always pasta before a competition, so I know I’ll have the energy. Then I put on a sleep playlist to zone out properly.

A couple of hours before I got on, I switched to more of a high-beat playlist to switch on. It’s always the same songs, Titanium by Sia, Diamonds by Rihanna. Then I watched old videos back and ran through a few exercises to make sure my body felt ready. By the time I got on, I had total focus.

Going into the special, all you see is your pathway in and you just stay in it. I don’t remember much else, I was in such full focus.

I remember the trot extensions, the passage, the half-passes – we just floated through. It gave me a read on how he was feeling, and from there, you know how much to ask of him and how much risk to take.

After the Europeans, that pressure around the first piaffe – where we had made a mistake – was definitely in my head too, but we’d worked hard on my head as much as anything: relax, don’t panic, he can do it. In the special, I believed it and I think that showed in him.

I could hear the crowd. I remember I was in the middle of my one-time changes on the centre line and I just heard gasps. I almost laughed, I was like, “Really? In the middle of my ones? What’s going on?”

But his changes are incredible – so natural and big that sometimes I actually play it safe and don’t allow him too much forward, because he naturally goes into them. I wasn’t going to ask him to wait this time though.

I thought, if you want to do it like this, let’s do it, and show them the best we can. It’s always a risk showing changes that big. They take up the whole diagonal and if you start them even slightly late, you can find yourself in trouble by the end. But I’ve done them enough times now, I know if I get the timing right going in, we’ll be fine.

I hadn’t watched anyone else’s test beforehand or taken note of the scores, although you can’t really avoid hearing them over the loudspeaker while you’re warming up, so I did hear a few before I went in. Coming out of the arena, my legs were shaking. I don’t think I’d ever felt adrenaline like it.

There was one combination after me, Katharina Hemmer and Denoix PCH, who won bronze. I didn’t watch them go. I took Glamourdale back to the stable, gave him a carrot and walked back to the mixed zone because there’s nothing worse than standing there waiting.

But I knew it was the best test we’d ever done. There have been amazing tests before, but for the whole thing to come together like that was incredible. And to win, you’re doing it for the whole team, not just yourself. You don’t want to make a mistake for “Glammy” either, because he deserves the win. It was incredible.

In the freestyle, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced an atmosphere quite like it, but for me it was the complete opposite of the special. It’s strange. I’ve never been so relaxed. We were just chilling in there, enjoying it, going with the music, taking our time. In the special, we both felt we needed to fight for it. In the freestyle, it was purely about enjoying it.

Our freestyle came together in bits. I’d picked out a few songs, and Joost Peters, who puts the music together, noticed they were all to do with flying, so he suggested a flying theme. I’d been playing We’re Going to Ibiza! by Vengaboys while riding him at home and thought, this fits so well – so we wrote in the line where I say, “Welcome aboard Glamourdale Airlines,” like an air hostess before we go into the ring.

The crowd laugh so hard at that bit that they almost miss the second line – “Please fasten your seatbelts, we’re about to take off. Enjoy your flight.” It’s such a fun idea and it suits him perfectly.

I could hear the crowd through the extended canters. Hearing them get excited while you’re riding is such a nice feeling.

When I got off, I said to everyone, “We couldn’t have done any more.” That’s such a good feeling to have – not, “If only I’d done this or that,” just that was everything. Whatever happened next, even a silver or a bronze, that was everything we could have ever dreamed of doing.

There were a few more to go after me in the freestyle, but again, I didn’t watch anyone. I wasn’t able to watch the test back straight away, so while we waited for the last scores to come in, I was just watching clips people were posting on Instagram from the test – just to feel it again.

When Isabell Werth was going, I had Anne in one ear telling me how well she was doing, and I was saying to her, “Can you not? I already know she’s amazing!”

No one had ever successfully defended two individual titles before. To be honest, it’s taken a long time for it to sink in – I had my first proper night’s sleep again only recently. It means more than our wins in 2022, I think, because staying at the top is mentally so much harder than getting there, and to prove we could do it again four years later, with the same horse going better than ever, is a huge testament to the whole team.

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Where does a vet’s role start – and stop – when it comes to equine welfare, and what happens if a horse and a human’s best interests are not the same?

These were some of the questions discussed at the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) 2026 congress in the “moral maze” debate. The discussion, featuring panellists and “witnesses”, was on the topic “Is everyday welfare our constant endeavour?” Two vets argued that it is; two said they believe at this moment, it is not.

Issues brought up included whether vets should treat just the symptoms rather than also the cause of an issue, and cases in which what is best for the horse may not be what is best for the owner.

Outgoing BEVA president Imogen Burrows, one of those who believes welfare is the constant endeavour, said she believes all equine vets “start this profession with welfare as a real primary key driver”, adding: “We choose to undertake veterinary care as a profession. We have to accept that this is undertaken with the intention of protecting animal welfare at its heart.”

Malcolm Morley, World Horse Welfare head of UK, agreed that he is sure from his 30 years in practice that all vets care.

“I’ve also been standing in the yard with an owner, trainer, rider, who all want an answer, and I’m thinking, what’s right for the horse, and trying to manage their expectations,” he said. “Everyone’s under pressure. The horse has a competition coming up, it cost a fortune, somebody’s living is probably at stake; pressure has come right into my consultation.

“In that situation putting welfare first can threaten your relationship with your clients, your cash flow, your reputation and status as a vet. This is normal in equine practice, we face these really challenging conflicts. Pretending they don’t exist is where we get into trouble.”

Owners on side

BEVA trustee Phil Cramp said he believes vets are very good at ensuring the horse has the best treatment, its welfare protected, and that the owner has to be on side.

“We learn to do that, we get better at it through our career and I think we’re getting better and better at combining those things, and at providing good welfare for our patients,” he said. “I think there’s evidence that supports that. Look at this session, and this whole congress has everyday welfare at the heart and every year it’s come further and further up the list.”

Equine behaviour expert Gemma Pearson pointed out that the five domains welfare model has four physical domains feeding into the fifth and most important, the horse’s mental state. She gave the example of a vet treating a laminitic by keeping it in a bare area with weighed-out hay; it will lose weight but it has also lost out in terms of environment and probably social interactions.

“That’s where I see a lot of horses presented to me as they’ve become aggressive,” she said. “Now the owner is now thinking of selling them because vets are just thinking about physical health, not always thinking about welfare, which is mental state.”

Thinking from the horse’s perspective

Vet Ben Sykes said he was never taught to think from the horse’s perspective, citing as an example, yards not set up with welfare as the key focus, which “become normalised”.

“Every time you dispense omeprazole, do you recommend maybe social housing to improve the eating behaviour for that horse, make that horse’s welfare improve, make it feel safer and eat more constantly, more naturally, every single time?” he asked.

“Hay is the centre of ulcer prevention; free choice hay is one of the simplest, most powerful tools to improve the welfare of a stabled horse. We can’t suddenly get racehorses turned out or social stabling put in, but as a profession, we could advocate strongly that every single horse that is stabled, every racehorse, as a minimum industry standard, we require free choice hay.

Mr Sykes said regulation, rather than education, should be key, adding: “Why aren’t we, as a profession, BEVA, standing up and saying we expect this to be a minimum industry standard? Without that, welfare is not our constant endeavour.”

Dr Pearson cited a case of equine and human welfare in conflict, in a colic surgery in which euthanasia was recommended. The owner opted for a second surgery as the horse was owned by his father who had Alzheimer’s, and time with his horses was “the only thing that calms him down”.

“Does the constant endeavour phrase have the add-on ‘but you’re allowed to compromise it when you feel you should’?” she asked.

The ethical questions

Ethics were introduced; examples given were injecting a horse’s joints to improve performance, taking blood from one horse to benefit another, and whether advanced reproductive techniques benefit the mare involved.

The question over each vet’s role was also asked; can and should the vet be the one to recommend changing stable design or management as well as everything else they do – and are they advocates for or enablers of good welfare.

“I’d got to a point where I was probably enabling things,” Ms Burrows said. “I was happy with what I was doing but not really how I was doing it. The changes I’ve made, I think, have been hugely beneficial for me and for my patients. This is a journey, and no journey is perfect or linear.

“It’s obvious we’re provocative, emotive, passionate, but when we use extreme terms, we’re going to let perfect be the enemy of good, and we have to acknowledge we will fail, and we have to accept that. I can try again, and that doesn’t mean it wasn’t my constant endeavour.”

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Beltane’s Prince Chilli has won hearts at Agria Blenheim Horse Trials where he is making his four-star debut with 2026 Burghley runner-up Katie Magee.

Eye-catching is widely overused when it comes to describing horses – but this gorgeous big skewbald is the exception.

The British-bred nine-year-old, who is owned by Ann and Valerie Robson, is out of Nicola Wilson’s former advanced mare Beltane Queen and by Badminton winner Chilli Morning. Beltane Queen’s CV boasted numerous podium places at four-star, plus 19th place at Badminton 2015.

“He has a real pedigree for the sport,” said Katie, adding that they haven’t measured him to know just how tall he is – after all, a number, really, would be just that.

“He is obviously a very tall chap, he’s here to do his first CCI4*-S, so it’s all learning for him this week.

“He is a lovely horse. He tries so hard, he’s very big and still has a lot of strengthening to do, but he’s incredibly genuine and lovely.”

Beltane’s Prince Chilli has had a solid season so far, including many top 10 placings at intermediate and a cross-country jumping clear in his first advanced. This week, he is competing in the GFS Saddles CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses and is in mid-division after the opening day of dressage, on a score of 40.6.

“He did his lateral work really nicely, it was just a shame that we got an extra change and then missed a change, but he did some lovely work as well so there’s lots to be excited about,” said Katie.

“He has a brilliant temperament, he moves really well and he has a huge scopey jump. His only real downside is his size and it’s just a case of trying to look after him, making sure that we keep him happy, and building for the future.”

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In this week’s edition of Horse & Hound magazine (17 September), we feature a behind the scenes look at Gatcombe Park Stud, where Princess Anne keeps a small herd of Suffolk horses alongside other rare breeds. Subscribers can also read the feature online.

Tullis Matson, founder and director of Stallion AI, visited the stud to meet the Princess Royal’s herd. He has a longstanding passion for the breed, starting with a personal connection through his family and becoming a major thread within his career.

During the visit, he saw how this heavy horse breed’s traditional working qualities remain very much in use, and how Suffolks are playing their part in a much bigger conservation story.

Tullis’ work to improve breeding prospects for the critically rare Suffolk has helped develop reproductive technologies that have since been used in conservation work with endangered species, including white rhinos and elephants.

During his visit to Gatcombe Park, Tullis rode, drove and chain-harrowed with the horses before joining Princess Anne to meet some of her mares.

“My passion for the Suffolks really comes from an annoyance that we forget at our peril just how good they were at working,” said the Princess.

She believes there is still a place for these historic heavy horses, from estate work to logging and other jobs where their strength and relatively light footprint can be an advantage.

“There are places where having horses working makes a difference,” the Princess added. “They make less mess, they’re neater and can work in smaller places.”

For Tullis, however, securing the breed’s future will require both practical opportunities and innovative breeding technology.

“These horses, the female line, are the future,” he says. “These are the horses that helped us save the elephants and the rhinos.”

With thanks to D&H, who facilitated ambassador Tullis’s interview at Gatcombe Park

How to sum up the Agria Blenheim Horse Trials cross-country course in three words? Angles, bumps, water.

Jay Hambly is the new cross-country course designer at Blenheim Horse Trials this year. The CCI4*-L course features 26 numbered fences and horses will get their feet wet four times.

The track follows the same route as previous years at Blenheim Horse Trials and while many questions are in the same places as past events, the overall course has a slightly different feel to the European Championships track from 2025.

Five key questions on Blenheim Horse Trials cross-country

The Blenheim Water Dew Pond (6ab)

The Blenheim Water Dew Pond is the first serious question on course. It’s right by the shopping village and will be the first time that horses get their feet wet. The skinny bitty frangible arrowheads of 2025 are gone and have been replaced by brush fences. These look more inviting (to my eye!), while remaining a good accuracy question.

Competitors ride up a little mound and jump the first (6a), before running down and splashing through the dew pond, then heading out over an angled fence on dry land (6b).

There are longer alternatives at both elements here, which will take a few extra seconds.

Corner Treasure Chests to Corner (9abc)

There’s often a decent question on the lawn in front of Blenheim Palace. This year it is a test of rideability and accuracy. Riders will come to this with, hopefully, the benefit of having just had a good jump through similar looking fences (Hill Rise Treasure Chests, 8ab) in the Palace Arena.

There are a few different routes through this. On what I make out to be the most direct route, competitors jump a solid corner (9a) followed by a deep, solid chest fence (9b). They then face a choice on the direct line to 9c (another solid corner) – do they go the braveman’s route and slice inside the sculpture, or give themselves a fraction more space and go around it? There are alternatives at 9b and 9c, so riders could also mix and match a little and I think we might see a few different routes through this.

Murlac Hanging Brush (14abc) to Agria Water Crossing Question (15ab)

I was slightly torn in my mind about where this question actually starts. By this point on the course, riders will be starting to feel the cumulative effect of how all the previous fences have ridden. The ride that they have through the undulating ground of The Miele Roller Coaster (11ab) to Ha Ha Oxer (12), and then the HorseHage Roll Top (13) will all have a bearing – hopefully a positive one.

The direct route at the Murlac Hanging Brush (14abc) is just one jump, the skinny brush we saw at the 2025 Europeans. The longer option here is a loopy three-jumping effort that will take up a lot of time, and you cannot avoid jumping into the water.

After this, competitors gallop across the lake and come out over two skinny brush fences on a curving two strides. There are options at both of these.

The GFS Saddles Water (16abc)

There’s no time to dry off as the next question is another water fence. Competitors gallop up the hill to the GFS Saddles Water (16abc), which comprises a big log into water – riders can’t avoid this – followed by an angled brush-topped log in the water (16b), then onto dry land to a skinny arrowhead.

Oxer to Corner to Narrow Brush Oxer (18abc)

The furthest point on the course tends to have a decisive fence. This year, competitors on the direct route head up a mound to a frangible open oxer, then run down to an open corner (also on frangible devices). Like the fence in front of the house, Jay gives riders the choice of slicing in front of some decoration, or going round on a wider line. The final element is a big boxy brush on a related distance. Riders are committed to the ‘a’ and ‘c’ elements, but there is an option for ‘b’.

*Bonus extra* Cross-Country App Question (20abc)

The title says five key questions, but who doesn’t want just one more? We’ve seen similar here on many previous Blenheim courses, but there’s often one or two who want an extra little look at the ditch at this light-into-dark question, which is why it’s earned a spot among the key fences. The straight route here is over a rail (20a), followed by a ditch (20b), then an open arrowhead (20c).

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One horse was held and all were ultimately accepted at the Agria Blenheim Horse Trials first trot-up today (Wednesday, 16 September).

John The Bull, ridden by Ireland’s Susie Berry and owned by Helen Caton, was sent to the holding box. The 15-year-old gelding, who was third in this CCI4*-L class in 2021 and has competed at five-star with Susie, was given the nod of approval when re-presented before the ground jury of Nikki Herbert (president), Judy Hancock and James Rooney, and vet Caroline George.

Horses looked fit and, on the whole, relaxed in the balmy September sunshine at the first Blenheim Horse Trials trot-up, sponsored by British Horse Feeds – summer has not slipped through Britain’s fingers quite yet.

George Bartlett’s ride, Lukas, a 15-year-old gelding who is owned by Sir John Peace, Victoria Peace and Charlotte Cole, was asked to trot again after breaking into canter, and waved through on his second run.

John Wesmore’s ride Oughterard Quality, owned by Michael Westmore, enjoyed a good snort, while Alice Casburn’s exciting nine-year-old mare LSS Ile De Re, owned by Sally Witte and Alice’s mother Caroline, held it together during the trot up itself – before heading back to the stables with a spicy flourish.

Licence To Cooley, owned and ridden by John Tilly, won the British Horse Feeds Speedi-Beet prize for the horse in the best condition. The Worshipful Company of Farriers’ award for the best shod horse, judged by farrier Stephen Hill, went to Ed Eltham’s ride Indigo VIII, owned by Stewart and David Baker-Meadows.

Beautiful tailoring was a key theme on the fashion side. Structured jackets, paired with smart trousers, featured heavily, from elegant trench coats, to well-cut blazers, and stylish waistcoats in a wide range of styles and fabrics.

HiHo Silver awarded prizes for the best-dressed – Susie won the ladies’ prize for her embroidered jacket, paired with silver cowboy boots. Jack Pinkney won the men’s award for his three-piece checked suit. He rides Monbeg Stone Town in the CCI4*-L, a nine-year-old who he owns with Duchess Chica Norfolk and Lady Catherine Carleton-Smith.

Elsewhere there was a sprinkling of smart summery co-ords, such as Katey Cuthbertson’s pale pink patterned blazer with matching shorts, and flowing dresses – including the ballet pink dress and matching hair bow worn by Canada’s Shelby Brost.

All 77 horses presented will go forward to the dressage, which starts at around 10am tomorrow (Thursday) in the Palace Arena in front of the house. The CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses starts around an hour earlier, also in the Palace Arena.

• Times, when available, will be posted on EventingScores

• To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news throughout Agria Blenheim Horse Trials, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

A major appeal has been launched for funding to help in the ongoing battle against equine grass sickness (EGS) after a recent increase in cases – including the death of five ponies in a herd of eight.

The Equine Grass Sickness Fund, a charity that is part of the Moredun Foundation, had recorded 74 cases of EGS by 11 September 2026, compared to 67 in 2025. The condition, which causes degenerative changes to the central and autonomic (involuntary) nervous systems, is fatal in some 80% of cases.

Research scientist Beth Wells of the foundation told H&H it had been a “pretty bad year” for reported cases.

“But I think we only get the tip of the iceberg,” she said. “We think there are far more cases than are reported. But without that, we just don’t know where they’re occurring, what time of year, how many cases, what type of horses, whether they survive or not.”

Dr Wells said it is thought the increase is owing to the atypical weather conditions this year.

“Cases are springing up where we wouldn’t necessarily expect them,” she said. “We’re getting them on the usual east coast, Scotland, right down England to Kent, and quite a few further west.

“It’s not to say there’s never grass sickness in the west because there are sporadic cases. But we seem to be getting clusters of acute cases where the horses are all dying. A lady in the south-west of Scotland had a horrible experience. She’s a breeder, she’d never had it before and she lost five over a weekend.”

The foundation has, with a climatologist, modelled weather conditions that can increase the risk of EGS; high temperatures during the day followed by cold nights, and prolonged drought followed by a sudden change and flush of grass.

Dr Wells said owners can sign up to weather alerts on the Equine Grass Sickness Fund website, which means they will be sent a WhatsApp message if the conditions are risky, and if cases are reported in the area – another highlight of the importance of reporting.

The fundraising campaign is on now

She said she keeps her Highlands in a high-risk area so she keeps an eye on the weather but also feeds hay in the field all year round.

“Anything that keeps the microbiome stable,” she said. “The hypothesis is that the weather causes a flush of grass, which potentially upsets the microbiome. That could interfere with the tight junctions of the gut, potentially letting through anything into the ‘inner workings’ of the horse, where it has access to the nervous system, the neurons, circulatory system.

“That’s my gut feeling so the biggest thing the owner can do is keep the microbiome stable.”

Dr Wells gets as many ponies in as she can every day for a break from grass with hay. She feeds the minerals key to smooth muscle function and ensures her horses have a balanced diet, making no sudden changes. She said a link between ivermectin and EGS has been shown, so if worming with this is needed, as shown by testing, she advises delaying worming until high-risk conditions have settled.

All the 38 reported cases between April and June died, which Dr Wells said shows “the devastation of the disease”.

“And we can’t treat it,” she said. “That’s why research is so important.”

The fund set up a biobank, funded by the British Horse Society, of tissue samples from affected horses to be studied and compared with those from healthy horses. They also grow “organoids”, versions of equine organs grown in a lab from stem cells, which can be used to model the disease and carry out tests – but this is hugely expensive.

“The fund is a charity and relies on donations,” she said. “We’re really pushing the research and doing massive fundraising campaigns. We appreciate any support from horse owners, and it’s all about the funding; we need equine research properly funded but we are absolutely determined. We will get answers but it’s really not simple.”

The campaign, launched on 11 September, asks owners to donate anything they can.

“We hear regularly from owners whose lives have been changed forever by grass sickness,” a fund spokesperson said. “For those who have lost beloved horses and ponies, the impact can be devastating. We also celebrate the small number of chronic cases that survive through intensive nursing and dedicated veterinary care, offering hope that improved understanding and treatment can make a real difference.”

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More than one in nine checks on used horseboxes and trailers in 2026 revealed they were connected with a theft, fraud or other “financial irregularity”.

New analysis by The Equipment Register (TER), a database of plant, agricultural and stolen equipment records, found that 11% of checks on horseboxes and trailers (all types of trailers in the register) matched the above issues, compared to 10% flagged last year.

TER, which has details of more than 1.8 million items, is urging buyers to be vigilant.

“Many people are surprised when they hear that more than one in every nine checks conducted with TER identifies an outstanding finance agreement, theft record or other security interest,” said Treve Jenkyn, a manager at TER.

“The reality is that these are not isolated incidents. Our data shows that the problem has remained remarkably consistent for almost a decade.

“The increase we have seen during 2026 is particularly noteworthy because it follows several years in which match rates have remained persistently high. Buyers cannot afford to assume that the horsebox or trailer being offered for sale is free from finance or has a legitimate history simply because it appears genuine or is being sold through a familiar platform.”

Mr Jenkyn added that simple checks before buying can help avoid losing money, and help police and insurers trace stolen property.

“Taking a few minutes to check its history is essential due diligence before committing to a transaction,” he said.

Jodie Seddon, partner at Aria Grace Law CIC, told H&H that acting in good faith is not enough to protect genuine buyers.

“We would encourage people to check vehicle registration documents carefully for consistency, and to verify that the vehicle or machinery is not subject to any finance arrangement before committing to a purchase,” she said.

“This is particularly important when buying from private sellers, where less consumer law protections would apply. If you discover that a vehicle or machinery you have bought is stolen, you should seek legal advice as a matter of urgency.”

The TER figures were released at the start of the National Rural Crime Network’s (NRCN) National Rural Crime Action week (6–11 September). As part of the week, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) called for stronger collaboration between Government and police “that translates to on-the-ground support for rural communities impacted by rural crime”.

“We need a consistent and coordinated response from Government and police forces, with fairer funding for rural policing, a dedicated rural crime team in every police force and a cross-departmental rural crime task force,” said NFU vice-president Robyn Munt. “No one should have to live or work in fear.”

Data released this spring by insurance firm NFU Mutual calculated the cost of rural crime in the UK to be £41.5m in 2025, compared to £44.1m in 2024. The NFU Mutual report put this six per cent reduction down to “targeted investment in rural crime prevention, alongside industry collaboration with law enforcement”, but noted that the impact of rural crime “extends beyond financial loss” in terms of the effect it can have on people and communities.

The NRCN hosted a drop-in session at the House of Commons on 8 September, supported by the Countryside Alliance (CA), at which Government plans for police reform – that include rationalising forces – was a key talking point.

The CA is also encouraging people to report incidents through its rural crime map that launched in March, as an addition (not a replacement) to contacting the police.

• Visit: https://www.countryside-alliance.org/report-rural-crime

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“Intentional sabotage” by a disgruntled former employee who admitted crushing up drugs and putting them in horses’ feed troughs is the “likely cause” of two horses failing dope tests at the same event, an FEI Tribunal has found.

Freesia De Lap AA and Divine Du Vialaret both tested positive for atenolol, a prescription beta blocker primarily used to treat high blood pressure in humans, at an endurance competition in Dubai (28 to 31 January). Atenolol is on the FEI’s banned substance list, so is not permitted for use in competition horses at any time.

The FEI brought cases against the horses’ riders and trainers, who all represent Bahrain. These are Muhammad Abbas Khalid, who trains 11-year-old mare Freesia De Lap AA, and rider HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa; and Abdulrahman Mohamed Al Saad, trainer of nine-year-old mare Divine Du Vialaret, and rider Mohamed Abdulsamad Al Bastaki.

The trainers and riders explained that once they were notified of the failed drugs test, the Bahrain royal endurance team tested all feed and supplements given to the horses in the days leading up to it. Around 28 products were tested, and all were negative for all banned substances.

The horses had travelled to the venue from Al Awasef Stables on 29 January, and the investigation found that a former employee of Al Awasef Stables, Izhar Ul Haq, was seen at the property the same day.

“When questioned by police, Mr Ul Haq admitted entering the stables without authorisation, deliberately crushing 15 atenolol tablets (IP 50mg), and placing them in the feed trough of three horses [...] as an act of revenge for his dismissal,” stated the trainers and riders’ submission.

It added that the feed troughs included those belonging to Freesia De Lap AA and Divine Du Vialaret, and that in April, Mr Ul Haq was convicted in court and sentenced to a year in prison and deportation, a conviction upheld by an appeal court two weeks later. The FEI Tribunal reports state that the riders and trainers “submitted that the Atenolol detected [...] more likely than not resulted from intentional sabotage by the former employee”.

The FEI accepted that the riders and trainers had established “on the balance of probabilities” how the drug came to be in the horses’ systems, and agreed a settlement on 8 June.

The FEI concluded that while the horses must be disqualified from the event, the riders and trainers “bore no fault or negligence”, and that they would not be fined.

The settlement went before the FEI Tribunal’s one-person hearing panel, and it was accepted.

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Dan Jocelyn has retired from top-level eventing after a career spanning more than 30 years.

The New Zealand rider is hanging up his boots after a career including one Olympics, two World Equestrian Games and multiple five-star completions.

“I’m 56, I’m riding around with my mates’ kids and I was the oldest rider at Badminton last year. All those things aren’t necessarily a reason to retire but I wanted to finish feeling good about how I was riding – not have people look at me and say, ‘That guy should retire,’” he told H&H.

“I feel like I’m starting to lose my competitiveness and sharpness. It’s a lot of work being at the top level of anything – mentally, in the gym, dealing with owners, keeping a horse at the top of its game – and I only wanted to do it at the highest level.

“I won’t be at the next Olympics in two years’ time or the next World Championships in four years, so why am I doing this? It was nice to ring our high performance manager Jock Paget and say I’d like to withdraw from the squad, not be thrown off.

“I felt like I was always carrying an injury, a bit of a pain somewhere and now all of a sudden I feel great – having taken that time to let myself get better.”

Dan has also retired his five-star horse, 17-year-old Blackthorn Cruise, who has been in the top 30 at Mars Badminton Horse Trials twice, saying: “In his mind he wanted to go to Burghley, but there were a few signs he’d lost his edge and with those horses we have to make the decision for them.

“He’s still with us and his owner Panda Christie comes and has dressage training on him. He’s hacking out and quietly winding down from five-star work, which is all he’s known for a long time.”

Although he is retiring from top-level competition, Dan Jocelyn will still produce young horses and compete up to novice level, and join his wife Emma in doing more showjumping and coaching.

“We have just taken on our first team to coach – the 90cm team for the VWH branch of the Pony Club – so that’s an exciting thing for us,” he said. “I enjoy doing things like course walks at Burghley, telling a few stories on the way round – it’s something a bit different to bring the cash in.”

Dan Jocelyn retires: favourite memories

Dan first came to England in 1995. He lent Andrew Nicholson a horse for the event at Puhinui in New Zealand and Andrew invited him to come to see the sport here.

“I came over and stayed with him for a season – he sent me off to people who’ve become my best friends, David Green, Mark Todd, and I went to three-days with them to watch,” said Dan, recalling how he rang his mother, Beverley, in disbelief at the number of events, as in New Zealand it was a case of two events and a three-day each spring and autumn.

Dan described going to the Athens Olympics in 2004 with Silence as the realisation of a boyhood dream.

“That was something special – I didn’t have a great placing as my strength was the cross-country and it was the easiest cross-country an Olympics has ever had, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a fabulous experience,” he said.

Another highlight of his career was finishing third at Burghley Horse Trials in 2001 behind Andrew Nicholson and Blyth Tait.

“I was the only person to finish on my dressage score and to be there with Andrew and Blyth who, alongside Mark Todd, were my team-mates and mentors was special,” he said. “I loved riding with them, copying them.”

Dan also picked out some memorable Nations Cup wins at Boekelo and, more recently, finishing second in the CCI4*-L at Tattersalls in 2019 on Blackthorn Cruise.

“I enjoy competing in Ireland and it was nice to take him back to his roots as he came from Ireland,” he said.

“The last Badminton I did, I had a diverse group of people around me – friends, Panda Christie who’s owned Blackthorn Cruise through his whole career, the personal trainer who’s been helping me for the last few years – and I enjoyed every phase. The weather was beautiful, we took the competition seriously but did some socialising too and came out of it with a nice result. It was why we all started eventing.

“It felt very different to going round on Silence in the 1990s, when I was full of grit and determination, all I wanted to do was arrive there and then as soon as I was there, I wanted it done and to be home. I was full of nerves and hungry for it as a young rider. It’s amazing how my outlook has changed over 30 years.

“I have no regrets. Yes, there are parts of my career I’d do differently and parts I haven’t enjoyed, but that’s part of the whole thing.”

Dan Jocelyn’s biggest supporter

Dan said his mother Beverley has always been his biggest supporter and he was nervous about telling her he was retiring, but she completely understood.

“We reflected and told a few stories, going back to Pony Club,” he said, saying that she came over for a few events including the 2002 World Championships and increasingly, technology has allowed her to be part of Dan’s career, receiving videos and so on.

“She was never one of the mums that fuss around – she always let me and my brother and sister be independent and learn from doing the whole process. We’d do the early mornings and late nights around school and go off in the big lorry with three or four horses as young kids. Doing everything ourselves was a great way to understand horses and be horsemen,” he said.

“I loved Pony Club days, with bending races, popping balloons and jumping in a sack – perhaps it would have been better if I’d done the odd bit of dressage instead of flag races and bending, but then I might not have stayed on going into The Lake!”

Andrew Nicholson paid tribute to Dan’s career and achievement in moving up the levels after he first came to the UK to be based with him.

“The horse of Dan’s that springs to mind is Silence, the wee thoroughbred he brought over as a youngster and brought up to five-star,” he said.

“Dan has always been very reliable at the big competitions – he knew what he and his horses could do on the cross-country and outside competition he was a good team-mate to be around – he still is, good fun and very easy going.”

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If you were to design an elite event horse, Kananaskis probably wouldn’t be the prototype. Now 18 years old, he stands just 15.1hh, with legs made of proverbial glass and is – according to his rider Cerys Macaulay – only “18% thoroughbred”. He’s had the best part of three years out of the game, due to Covid and injuries, and requires an unconventional work routine.

Yet, this brilliant little horse has jumped clear round two junior and a young rider Europeans, several Nations Cups and a five-star. This year, well into veteran status, he was crowned runner-up at the under-25 World Championships at Millstreet and the equivalent national class at Bramham.

“The horse’s record is ridiculous,” says Cerys. “He’s been abroad more times than most people have been on holiday.”

Cerys started riding “Ru” only two years ago, when he was rehabbing from an operation. Up until then he’d been campaigned by her boyfriend Richard Coney. But he was in the last-chance saloon in terms of his competitive future.

“He had an injury to his right leg in 2021; the following spring he did his left leg – then had surgery on the right one,” Cerys explains.

“Richard said, ‘I’m a bit big for him anyway – why don’t you rehab him and see if you can keep him in any sort of work?’ I’m so grateful to Richard and his mother Wendy for giving me this opportunity.”

Cerys spent the winter hacking, “mooching about” (though he’s cheeky to hack), played around at a few novices and by the end of the season they finished fourth at Cornbury three-star.

Cerys, who runs a rehab business, Honington Grange Equine Rehabilitation, manages Ru very carefully. Most of his daily work is on the water treadmill and trotting up hills. He rarely goes in the school, and has regular Hofmag sessions (pulsed electromagnetic therapy) plus time in the salt and oxygen room to boost his respiration and coat.

Cerys says it’s a combination of this nurture and his zest for the game that makes him so successful.

“He tries very hard and he’s also really athletic in his body,” she adds. “He doesn’t do any galloping and we hardly jump him; he just does as much low-intensity work as he needs. He’s probably not as fast or fit as he could be, but he’s sound and in one piece.

“At Millstreet, he was jumping to the top of the wings. He loves going to a party. He shouts his head off when he arrives at a show and then drags my groom Liv Smith around like he’s saying, ‘I’m the man, look at me!’ You can tell it’s his thing.”

Cerys doesn’t seem one to shout about her ambitions, but this year’s were very modest when you consider what she’s achieved.

“I thought we might as well give the under-25 trials a crack seeing as he’s such a good horse and it’s my last year,” she says. “And he ended up at the World Championships.”

The pair stole through the field from their 12th-placed dressage mark – then after a fast cross-country round leapfrogged from seventh to silver with a clear showjumping.

“I didn’t think I could ride well under pressure but when you have to get it done, I seem to be able to think, ‘Come on, let’s do it,’” she says. “I was surprised by how well I rode in the showjumping because I was really nervous. My team was winding me up because my heart rate was over 200 beats per minute during my round!

“And then, when everyone was waiting to go into prize-giving, they all had to wait while Ru decided he needed to wee,” she laughs. “Every time he goes into an arena, whether it’s at home or a show, he’ll pretend he needs to wee, standing with his legs really far apart for ages.”

While Kananaskis is a gloriously eccentric star of eventing, Cerys has taken an equally unconventional route into the sport. Her professionalism is impressive by any stretch, even more when you consider how relatively new she is to the sport.

She grew up in the suburbs of Manchester in a non-equestrian family, and got her horsey fix in a riding school until the age of 14. Call it chance or destiny, but the fork in her life that led down the eventing path has a serendipitous ring to it.

“My stepdad sold a car to a man whose daughter did a bit of eventing,” she explains. “He said, ‘My daughter would like to get into eventing but we don’t have a clue what we’re doing.’

Cerys ended up moving her ex-riding school pony to the daughter of the buyer’s yard and entering the eventing world.

“I only did a couple of events – it was my birthday treat – and got eliminated,” Cerys smiles.

Her first two ponies were both riding school rejects.

“The first one was a four-year-old that a lot of people fell off and the riding school was closing down,” says Cerys. “The manager asked mum if we’d have him and although she said no, they persuaded us it wouldn’t be that expensive on working livery. That was my mum’s worst financial mistake ever!”

During Covid, Cerys found she had extra time on her hands while studying for a degree in rehab and exercise science, and started working for Tyler Cassells, where her horse was on livery. She had a four-year-old she couldn’t get on with; Tyler had a novice schoolmaster, Dooney Rock, he was happy to let her ride – and so they swapped.

“I loved Dooney Rock,” Cerys says. “He was fantastic across country and took me to intermediate, but not in a particularly stylish fashion. I was always last.”

By now she was going out with Richard, who let her compete his 17.1hh three-star horse Drumconnick Cavalier (George), “the one that set me up”.

“George was my first proper horse; he made me think I could do this seriously,” she says. “We didn’t think he’d do as well as he did but in less than 18 months we went from novice to four-star. It wasn’t really planned, but he was a kind horse who didn’t mind if I got it wrong.”

She’s now based at Richard’s yard in Lincolnshire, renting a barn from the Coneys alongside fellow eventers Holly Woodhead and James Avery. It looks like a typical eventing set-up – a mix of competition horses, schooling liveries and breakers – but Cerys’ grind behind the scenes is extraordinary.

She also runs her rehab barn with the water treadmill, salt room, combi floor and Hofmag machine. In her dwindling spare time, she’s also a professional equestrian and pet photographer. In Covid she even worked as an HGV driver.

Her family has instilled a serious work ethic. As we speak on a Friday lunchtime, she’s already ridden 10 horses and an afternoon of admin lies ahead before another day on the road visiting yards with the Hofmag machine.

“My grandparents and my mum were always really supportive, but they said ‘Riding’s not a career, you can’t play ponies all day – you need a job and then you can play ponies,’” Cerys says. “The rehab barn pays the bills, that’s what funds the eventing yard. It’s that age-old thing of trying to get more owners.

“I can’t have a day off because I’m always on my phone – booking the farrier or organising water treadmill sessions. If not I’ll miss out on business opportunities.”

The work is endless, but the results are coming. She ticked off this year’s goals by the summer, yet there’s no sense of complacency or assumption that she’s made it. Kananaskis will be 19 next year, and Cerys is building from the bottom up.

“With Ru, my goal is just to keep him sound and happy,” she says. “If he looks like he wants to keep going, great, but he doesn’t have to do four-star. He needs a job, but he could also do prix st georges dressage or jumping, and just have a nice time.

“My ultimate aim is to do a five-star, particularly Badminton as I grew up going there every year. To do that well would give me a lot of satisfaction.”

Next season she’ll be out of the under-25 category, and finds the idea of “aiming for senior teams, being British, quite scary”.

“If I had a horse that was good enough, of course I’d think about that, but for now I want to keep producing nice young horses well and maybe doing some Nations Cups – that’s a great way of getting team experience without so much pressure.”

The wonderful Ru may be coming to the end of his remarkable story, but for Cerys, this is just the beginning.

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Clearly feeling the effects of a thumping fall in the previous day’s BMO Nations Cup, Great Britain’s Ben Maher battled through three demanding rounds of 1.65m jumping to win his first ever showjumping major, the $5m CPKC International grand prix presented by Rolex, at Spruce Meadows, Canada, yesterday (13 September).

There were no double clears over the opening two rounds, so Ben Maher, carrying his four faults from round one riding 12-year-old Enjeu Du Grisien, faced five rivals in the high-calibre jump-off to determine the winner.

Out of the saddle, 43-year-old Ben was gingerly holding his right arm and his wife Sophie had advised him not to ride at all on Sunday. But although mounting proved difficult, and Enjeu is a keen, forward-going ride, there was little hint of the extent of his pain in the ring and he tackled Leopoldo Palacios’s taxing jump-off course with typical determination to post the winning time.

Ben Maher: “I came very close to not riding today”

“That’s the sport – one day we can be on the floor, the next day we can be winning,” said Ben, who fractured his shoulder in 2023.

“It was an unfortunate mistake yesterday [riding Catelly for Great Britain in round two of the BMO Nations Cup] and I paid for it. It was a long night and I came very close to not riding today but I persevered, we dug in and I’m very happy we won.”

Grand Slam dreams for Richard Vogel

The story coming into Sunday’s feature class at Spruce Meadows surrounded Rolex Grand Slam contender Richard Vogel, who brought uber-stallion United Touch S in his bid to become the first showjumper since Scott Brash at this venue in 2015 to secure the grand prix hat-trick.

The world number one kept his dream alive by jumping one of seven clears from 39 starters in round one. But as 12 were invited through to round two, Nayel Nassar’s one-fault round on ESI Ali and the fastest four four-faulters from round one also lined up for leg two.

Here, course-designer Leopoldo Palacios tightened the screws further, bringing in the famous double of Liverpools and a tricky double of CPKC oxers under the trees to a wall of planks, all of which caught out the vast majority of the field.

The only two clears second time around came from riders carrying four faults from round one, Ben Maher (Enjeu) and Steve Guerdat riding the athletic chestnut Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte.

German hero Richard Vogel may have considered his Grand Slam hopes dashed when toppling the second of the Liverpools in round two. But as none of his rivals could maintain their clean sheets he found himself back in contention as six competitors completing on four faults were called back for the jump-off.

A fully-loaded jump-off for $5m prize-money

Steve Guerdat's opening clear in increasingly wet conditions set the jump-off standard, but was immediately trumped by Ben, who pulled out all the stops with the Toulon gelding owned by Pamela Wright and Charlotte Rossetter. The in-form duo shaved time through the latter part of the course to finish 0.85sec quicker.

Young Belgian Roy van Beek (Cavoiro H OLD) produced a slower clear, then Calgary-based New Zealand contender Katie Laurie (Django II) added another four faults.

All eyes turned to Richard Vogel with the huge-striding United Touch, but their six-month journey towards the Rolex Grand Slam finally ended with a rail down at the second part of the tricky CPKC double. They received a standing ovation nevertheless from Spruce Meadows’ knowledgeable crowd.

Last to go, USA’s Lillie Keenan gave her all with the aptly named Fasther, but stopped the clock 0.45sec outside Ben’s time. This was enough for 29-year-old Lillie to claim the runner-up spot, with past winner Steve Guerdat finishing third.

A first showjumping Major for Ben Maher

“Enjeu has always loved this arena but I thought his chance had slipped away with the one down [in round one],” said Ben, whose sole error came in the triple combination after Enjeu lost a shoe at the preceding triple bar. “But it came back around and I got a second chance and he did everything for me.

“The time was tight in round one and he’s not the fastest horse so I was determined not to be too slow. That wasn’t a problem, we were flying around. It’s a different type of showjumping here – you have to be more attacking and that’s what the game plan was. If we hit a front rail from moving with extra pace, then that’s the risk you take, but I think it was the right plan,” added Ben, who collected a cheque for $1.5m but struggled to lift the sizeable silverware with his one “good” arm.

The triple Olympic gold medallist now heads to Geneva in December to continue his own Grand Slam journey.

“This is an incredible day,” he said of his first Major success. “I’ve been coming to Spruce Meadows for many years now and I’ve never had too much luck in the grand prix.”

• Read the full report from the Spruce Meadows Masters Tournament in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine, in the shops Thursday 17 September.
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Sadie Smith and River Rise Onassis (Glamourdale x Amsterdam) have completed a remarkable comeback, winning the KBIS young horse test for seven-year-olds on 81.17% at the 2026 National Dressage Championships – almost exactly a year on from a horsebox accident that very nearly claimed the mare’s life, on the journey home from these very championships.

Sue Garrard, “Sassy’s” owner, was driving her home from these championships last September when her horsebox was hit from behind on the M6 in atrocious weather – driving rain, squally gusts, standing water.

The impact sent the lorry fishtailing before it toppled over, skidding across all three lanes of the motorway. Sue escaped through the passenger window largely unhurt, but Sassy was left trapped inside, surrounded by sharp metal and broken fibreglass, panicking each time a passing car went past. “I thought she was dead,” Sue said at the time.

As no vet reached the scene for three hours, Sue spent that time dangling into the horse area, held by a firefighter, trying to keep the mare calm until she could finally be sedated and cut free.

Sadie remembers the agonising wait for news that night: “I got a call saying there’d been an accident, but nobody knew what had happened. I didn't find out until about 10 o'clock that night that they were okay – I didn’t really know the full extent until the next day. It was really awful, it took a long time for the vets to get there.”

A year on, River Rise Onassis was back at Somerford Park – and on top of the leaderboard.

Sadie added the mare’s remarkable temperament played no small part in the outcome that night: “I think the horse’s temperament saved her – she just stood there and didn’t rush around while Sue was with her.

“If she’d been throwing herself around with no vet there for that long, she’d have really damaged herself. She did herself good just by standing still.”

The road back to competition was a cautious one. “It was amazing that she survived,” Sadie said, “but she came away with quite deep cuts around her fetlock joints, and it took a long time to heal because it kept opening up every time she walked – it was proud flesh, it was horrible. It was quite emotional, to be honest, because it was so traumatising.”

River Rise Onassis had only been back in full work since around January or February this year, and today’s win was just her third competitive outing since the accident. “She’s hardly done any shows – I did one to qualify, at Hartpury, and this is only our third outing since. But she’s been great – he just gets on with it.

“She’s been fine with travelling again too – it’s like nothing had happened to her. She's so good, and she trusts us, and it just means the world to us.”

Now that River Rise Onassis is back in full swing, Sadie is optimistic about her future – and already rates her potential alongside her grand prix mare, Swanmore Dantina (Dia).

“Technically, she moves better than Dia – her natural ability is better, her canter and her hind leg are so strong, she’s just amazing to sit on,” Sadie said.

“But she’s a different type of horse – taller, longer, more angular, whereas Dia’s a lot shorter. She’s taking longer to strengthen, so I’m taking my time with her – I’ll train her over the winter and hopefully bring her out internationally at small tour level next year.”

Sue watched the test from the side, visibly moved. “She had tears in her eyes when I came out,” Sadie said. “I can’t imagine what it's been like for her.”

• To stay up to date with the latest news and reports throughout the LeMieux National Dressage Championships, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website and pick up a copy of Horse & Hound magazine, in shops from Thursday 17 September

Charlotte Dujardin has been crowned the national champion at the 2026 LeMieux National Dressage Championships, scoring 79.4% to win the Kudos freestyle on Brave Heart II – their first kür together.

It’s the third time she’s been crowned national champion after winning in 2015 on Barolo and 2020 on Mount St John Freestyle.

The overall national title is decided on the combined score of the grand prix and the freestyle – and Charlotte’s grand prix score alone, more than five percentage points clear of her nearest rival, had already put it within touching distance.

But perfectionist that she is, Charlotte was never going to play it safe and settle for that lead – she came out to win the freestyle outright too.

“That’s actually Gio’s music, from the Tokyo Olympics,” she explained. “All year I’ve been doing specials, focusing on that and the grand prix, and then I was thinking, ‘Oh no, I'm going to have to do a freestyle – what am I going to do?’

“I thought I’ll have to use one I’ve already got, so I thought this might work. He’d literally never done the floorplan before though – I just had to give it a go and see what happened.”

It was ambitious – with piaffe pirouettes and a curving in-and-out line of one-time changes – but she pulled it off with aplomb. As she entered the LeMieux Arena, a strange hush fell over the grandstands, just as it had yesterday for the grand prix.

The canter pirouettes were the standout technical movement, with one judge awarding as high as a 9 – the only real dip came in the transitions in and out of the piaffe, hardly a blemish on an otherwise exceptional test.

“He got a bit ahead of the music at the start, so I was a touch too far ahead waiting for it,” Charlotte admitted.

“But he gave everything a really good go, and I was so proud of him – it’s a very technical, difficult test, lots coming in and out of it, piaffe pirouettes, changes on the curves.

“The only thing I changed was the end and didn’t do another piaffe pirouette – because I think for him, he’s just done loads of it. But I was thrilled with him – no big mistake. It just felt like a really good experience for him as well.”

For all the technical elements of the test, it was Brave Heart's temperament that seemed to please Charlotte the most. Owned by Ellie McCarthy, the 12-year-old gelding stood unbothered after his lap of honour as vans and traffic dismantling the trade stands rumbled past around him, patiently posing while Charlotte stopped to take pictures with several young fans.

“He’s such a sweet horse, you can’t fault him – he comes out for the prize-giving and just stands there for everyone to pat him, have pictures, see him. The crowd, the spectators coming over for photos – it was very, very nice.

“It was a nice end to the show, and the sun was shining, which is even better – so we didn’t get wet!”

Final national championship standings:

• Charlotte Dujardin – Brave Heart II – grand prix 75.04%, freestyle 79.4% (154.444)
• Fiona Bigwood – Donna Bella – grand prix 70%, freestyle 75.05% (145.05)
• Gareth Hughes – Mowgli-Olympia MC – grand prix 70.46%, freestyle 73.95% (144.407)
• Alexander Harrison-West – Kickback – grand prix 68.17%, freestyle 72.93% (141.099)
• Ruby Hughes – Farrell – grand prix 69.59%, freestyle 67.83% (137.412)
• Kimberley Siddorn – Dutch Class – grand prix 66.44%, freestyle 70.18% (136.61)
• Olivia Oakeley – Full House – grand prix 67.33%, freestyle 68.90% (136.226)
• Darren Hicks – Tramontana Tiger Feet – grand prix 64.8%, freestyle 67.78% (132.579)
• Tom Goode – Furstenrausch PS – grand prix 64.74%, freestyle 67.35% (132.089)
• Anne-Marie Cowan – Woodcroft Royal Charter – grand prix 63.98%, freestyle 66.18% (130.153)

• To stay up to date with the latest news and reports throughout the LeMieux National Dressage Championships, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website and pick up a copy of Horse & Hound magazine, in shops from Thursday 17 September

A rider who lost five stone to benefit her horse’s wellbeing has been crowned a Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) champion – and qualified for the London International Horse Show.

Danni Harris and Shadowfax won the racehorse to show horse title at the Jockey Club RoR National Championships at Aintree (18-23 August). They were also placed in dressage, and the in-hand championships.

“It was amazing,” Danni told H&H. “The week started on a high and I thought it would only go downhill! But it gradually got better and better, and ended on a high as well.

“And it’s nice knowing it’s all my own work. I’ve never had a lesson on him so knowing it’s all what I’ve done means quite a lot.”

Danni used to work for Mick Appleby, who trained “Gandalf” in his racing days, which is how the horse came to her, as a five-year-old, two years ago.

“I’d left Mick’s at the time and Mum rang me and said ‘Gandalf’s coming up for rehoming and going tomorrow, what do you think?’

“I’d always loved him, he’s got such a cheeky character and big personality, but I said ‘We don’t really need another horse, we’ve got two already’. She said ‘Well, it’s too late, I’m telling you to get his stable ready’. She asked me a question but it was really telling me he was coming home!”

Danni Harris returns to showing

Danni had been in showing as a child but had had a break. But when Gandalf arrived, and having seen the showing opportunities available with RoR, she thought that might be the way to go.

“I took it as it came, to see how we got on, so I started taking him to a couple of local show,” she said. “That was last year, just in hand, then in October, I broke my shoulder. So he got chucked out from October till March.”

After the injury, Danni changed from an active, outdoor job to a sitting-down role.

She had been to the 2025 RoR championships at which, as H&H reported, RoR rider-size limits were to be more actively enforced.

“It was voluntary then; you could go and have your weigh-in, and they’d said it would be compulsory for 2026 but I thought I’d be ok, never really thought any more of it,” she said. “But then I broke my shoulder, changed jobs to an office job and sat down all day, every day.

“I started snacking, and obviously put more and more weight on. After Christmas, I said to Mum ‘I’m going to have to do something or I’m not going to be able to compete him this year, for his welfare, and for the guidelines.”

Danni weighed 16st 7lb, nearly 108kg. At Aintree last year, Gandalf was 481kg, he is now 544kg, so with tack she would have been over the ideal 17% of the horse’s weight, and over the maximum 20%.

She said the will to compete, and benefit Gandalf’s welfare, was a great motivation to lose weight.

“I completely stopped snacking at work,” she said. “I used to be really bad. I never used to have breakfast but now I’m dead strict on portion control and I eat three times a day. I’ve completely stopped drinking fizzy drinks because I used to, in the evening, just go and get a can of pop, and then it would end up being four or five cans of pop a night.

“I just drink water now, I started doing a bit of cycling, playing a bit of badminton and riding more again when I was allowed to with my shoulder.”

Danni said she went from riding 10 to 12 horses, and mucking out multiple stables, to sitting down, not to mention the snacking.

“You have to change things,” she said. “It’s one thing losing weight but if you go back to how you were, it goes straight back on again. It was straight after Christmas I changed a lot, then I was allowed to start riding late March/early April, and when I did I was back up to four a day again, and I noticed the weight loss more again.”

Danni and Gandalf were back out competing again all summer until the championships, at which winning the racehorse to riding horse class earned them a ticket to the London International Horse Show.

“He did try his best to be cheeky all week!” she said. “But that’s him. He got nicknamed Mr Squealy because if you put a bit much leg on or he gets excited, he squeals. We did do the showjumping and every time he jumped a fence, he squealed and bucked when he landed, but that’s just him.

“He definitely hasn’t been the easiest; he’s got such a big personality but I just love him for it.”

Danni also volunteered to be weighed at the championships, with all her heaviest tack and gear to ensure she would always be well within the limits.

“I spoke to the Welfare Stewarding Group people too as they wanted to cover my story at the championships. Knowing they wanted to cover it too meant even more.”

Danni and Gandalf also came third in the SEIB racehorse to riding horse class at Defender Burghley. The rest of this year will include some dressage before they head to the London International in December.

“And then we’ll come back for next show season!” she said.

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

A teenager who only started riding in lockdown because she couldn’t dance has qualified for the LeMieux Grassroots Championships at Badminton – with her “hairy, patchy cob”.

Hope Wilson and 14hh Charlie Girl (Poppy) came third in the Forgandenny BE90 regional final in August, earning their ticket to Mars Badminton 2027. This was the crowning achievement of their six years together, during which they have also competed up to elementary level dressage and won at the national side-saddle championships – not to mention welcoming Poppy’s unexpected BOGOF foal a few months into their journey.

They were also on the winning Scottish team at the Chillington Hall regional youth championships in 2024, and walked away with the individual BE80 title.

“I was just numb, when they won at Chillington,” Hope’s mother Hazel told H&H. “I think I just couldn’t believe it. People were coming up and saying ‘You must be so proud’ and I said yes but it was probably a week afterwards that I actually realised the extent of what she’d done.”

Hazel said she had always ridden, describing herself as a “happy hacker” and local competitor, but Hope had never really been interested. She preferred her ballet and dancing – “She wasn’t really that interested in getting her hands dirty!” Hazel said – but when lockdown was on, so dancing and school were off, she found herself at a loose end and needed something to do.

“She quickly formed a bond with the little 11h Welsh A I bought as a companion,” Hazel said. “The other companion pony I’d bought had bucked her off a couple of times so she was nervous of getting on Belle but finally we got there.”

Belle and Hope got on well together and progressed to winning their first 60cm showjumping class. After a few months, Hazel said, as Hope’s desire to ride and leg length increased at a similar rate, she decided to buy a pony she and her daughter could share and have fun on.

“This was a hairy 10-year-old cob; I thought we could share her, and if we came out of lockdown and she went back to her dancing, I could ride the cob and just tootle about,” Hazel said. “But the sharing lasted until we discovered Poppy was actually in foal!”

Hazel suspected Poppy’s extra weight might be an unexpected guest, and in March 2021, her vet confirmed she was due in a couple of weeks.

“Both Hope and I had the privilege of being there at the birth and it was amazing,” she said, adding that no one knows who the sire of the foal, now five and called Daisy, might be.

“I think she’s got more Welsh in her as she’s slightly finer-boned,” she said. “She’s about 15.1hh so she should hopefully be a good type for Hope to take up the levels.”

Once Poppy was brought back into work, there was no stopping her, and Hope, who had also recently been diagnosed with autism – but having the horses helped.

“We’ve found a balance, and the horses have held everything together,” Hazel said. “Hope started eventing at a low level, with the Pony Club. I’d never seen her do a dressage test till our first event with the Pony Club and everyone said ‘She’s good’. She got the highest dressage score of the whole thing.”

At the start of 2024, Hope said she wanted to be chosen for the Scotland team for the youth championships, and duly was.

“Hope never wants to know her dressage score until the whole thing’s over, but the other girls on the team said she was in the lead,” Hazel said. “She showjumped and I could see the nerves were beginning to take over.

“She was last to go across country and I think even the boy on the tannoy was astounded because there were some pretty horses there and this little piebald cob who I don’t think he’d been taking too much notice of until that point. He apologised over the tannoy and said ‘We’re actually looking at the individual winners here’. It was very emotional.”

At the start of this year, Hazel said, Hope put a list of her goals for 2026 in the tack room, and Badminton was on it. She and Poppy achieved their qualifying places, then went to Forgandenny in August.

“She was putting a hell of a lot of pressure on herself to do it; probably, unbeknown to me, a lot more pressure than she was showing,” Hazel said. “So I think she felt pure relief, joy that she had achieved this and a hell of a lot of satisfaction because her friends are all riding bigger horses than her, and she can’t help but feel sort of the underdog.”

Hope Wilson’s double win

Hope also rides 16.2hh Irish-bred Ballygriffen Cooper for a friend – she won one BE90 with him at Scone last month and another with Poppy – but the plan was not to aim him for Badminton as he is still quite green, but also, Hazel said, to give Poppy her chance to shine.

“I want her to have her moment of glory,” she said. “She’s a cake-loving cob; 11am or 11.30 she hears the kettle coming on and makes her way to the tack room as she knows the cake tin is coming out! She’s absolutely amazing, she’s got a heart of gold and I swear in some way she’s trying to repair for us keeping her and her foal together.

“I think she’s had quite a few foals but has been parted from them; I think in her way she’s trying to give back a bit for the home she’s got. It may be nonsense but she looks after Hope and takes it all in her stride, she’s almost like a second mother to her.

“When we bought her, I just wanted to see my daughter happy, I had no expectations. When we go out, we just give it our best shot and it’s not about winning, it’s about the horses and their welfare, and seeing what we can do together.

“I’m not made of money and can’t afford to buy Hope everything maybe others have; she has to make do and make the best of what she’s got and by god, she’s certainly doing that.”

Hope is due to start studying business at university this month, but with her sights firmly set on Badminton 2027. And Hazel said she wanted to take this chance to celebrate her daughter and Poppy’s achievements.

“The aim as always will be to do our best but more importantly enjoy the experience and have fun,” she said. “As long as the pair of them come home safely that’s all I care about. I hope Badminton is ready for a patchy cob!”

To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Helen Starkie is one of the judges who has the enviable task of judging at the 2026 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

This year, what each judge is assessing will be revealed just the night before the class. Trialled in 2024, this format is back by popular demand. So, while we won't know what Helen is judging for the time being, we can learn a little more about her, her background in showing, and what she will be looking for in the ring.

Helen Starkie’s background in horses

Lancashire-based Helen has been involved with horses since a child.

“Being a pony-mad child, my parents bought me my first pony when I was 12 years old,” says Helen. “He was a great all-rounder that I enjoyed competing at local shows. In the 80s we hacked to shows, did three or four classes and then hacked home. How things have changed!”

Both of Helen’s sons – Jack and Morgan – rode and showed ponies, predominantly natives. Both sons were successful, too, winning the mountain and moorland (M&M) first ridden class at HOYS; Jack won aboard the multigarlanded Waxwing Paintbox in 2006 before going on to take the mini M&M championship, and Morgan steered Wendon Choice to the title in 2013.

“The photos take pride of place on my living room wall,” says Helen. “Competing with their ponies gave them a strong work ethics and made them competitive. They are 24 and 30 now and are both doctors.”

Jack and Morgan also rode a pony that Helen considers has had a significant impact on her: Pumphill Bennet.

“Both my sons rode him with great success and many wins at HOYS, Royal International, Olympia and county shows. He never stopped giving his all and the partnership that he had with the boys was a pleasure to watch. He’s 25 now and enjoying his well deserved retirement at home on our farm.”

Helen says, reflecting on her time in showing: “Showing has also taught me good sportsmanship, accepting wins modestly and to act professionally when results were not always in my favour.”

Helen’s judging experience

“I started judging and stewarding when my sons got older and I had time to put something back into the system, and hopefully encourage and advise people coming into showing,” she says.

Since then, Helen has judged a host of shows up and down the country, including judging the M&M final at London International, an appointment she considers a highlight.

“I also judged in New Zealand this year, which was a fantastic experience and I would love to go back there.”

What will Helen be looking for when judging?

“At HOYS this year I am hoping to see forward moving ponies with good limb and where applicable, true to type movement and conformation.

“I am a big fan of tradition in showing regarding dress, performance, manners and sportsmanship,” she says.

“One of my pet hates is ponies going over-bent and ponies not being true to type and lacking good limb.

“My advice to HOYS first-timers is to plan your working in times, and enjoy every moment and enjoy all the show.”

To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news in the run-up to Horse of the Year Show, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

We witnessed a glorious moment in racing history at Doncaster Racecourse on Saturday (12 September) when 24-year-old Saffie Osborne became the first female jockey to win a British Classic race.

While nearly every glass ceiling has been smashed in jumps racing, Flat racing has so far been unable to emulate the showpiece successes earned by the likes of Rachael Blackmore.

Hollie Doyle had come closest, finishing fourth in the 2021 St Leger becoming the first female rider to be placed in a Classic race on the Flat.

But on day three of the 2026 Betfred St Leger Festival at Doncaster, history was made on a hugely significant day for the sport of horseracing.

Former gold medal-winning eventer Saffie Osborne, a daughter of Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey turned trainer Jamie Osborne, rewrote the script to win the 250th running of the Betfred St Leger Stakes, the fifth and final British Classic of the Flat season after the 1000 and 2000 Guineas, Oaks and Derby.

Riding the relatively unfancied Highwayman for trainer Joseph O’Brien, she surged to the front in the 1m6½f contest to post a milestone victory in Britain's oldest Classic race.

“This won’t change Joseph’s life, but it’s changed mine,” said a tearful Saffie, who received a rapturous reception from the Yorkshire crowd as she returned to the winner's enclosure. “Any jockey wants to win a Classic, whether you’re male or female.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been speechless in my life. I definitely didn’t have this on the bingo card for this week - I didn’t even have a ride in the St Leger on Monday morning, let alone one with a chance.”

Saffie Osborne: British Classic winner

Saffie Osborne switched from eventing to race riding in 2020 and landed her first Group race success in 2022. She became the first female jockey to ride a winner at Meydan, before taking the reins in her first Classic race in 2024.

This year, Saffie has enjoyed a tremendous breakthrough season, riding a winning treble at Ascot Racecourse’s King George meeting in July as well as a double at Glorious Goodwood.

This St Leger success will undoubtedly prove pivotal for the established new star of the weighing room, as we celebrate another long overdue milestone in the sport.

“I can't thank Joseph and his team enough for putting their faith in me,” said Saffie. “This means the absolute world and I'm in shock.”

A one-two in the St Leger for trainer Joseph O'Brien

Joseph O’Brien trained the first two home in the 2026 St Leger, with Highwayman’s stablemate Enceladus a length and three quarters behind in second. Amelia Earheart, trained by Joseph’s father Aidan O’Brien, finished back in third.

You can read the full report from the Betfred St Leger Festival at Doncaster with further insight from Saffie Osborne in next week’s Horse & Hound, in the shops Thursday 17 September.

Charlotte Dujardin claimed the LeMieux grand prix in some style at the 2026 National Dressage Championships, riding Ellie McCarthy’s Brave Heart II to a personal best – if pick-your-own tests are excluded – of 75.04%, more than five percentage points clear of the rest of the field.

Gareth Hughes took second on Mowgli-Olympia MC (70.46%), with Fiona Bigwood third on Donna Bella (70%).

“I haven’t had him that long, I think I’ve done about six or seven shows now, so not a great deal,” Charlotte said. “At home, he’s always felt really impressive, really exciting to go, and then I get to a show, and he goes into himself a bit – he goes a little shy on me.

“It’s just been about building his confidence to grow into himself and be a performer. Today, as I went through the test, it got bigger and better, and I feel like he’s getting better and better every show we do."

The LeMieux Arena is notoriously tricky, with stands close on both sides and wind whipping through all the bits not strapped down, but Charlotte said the 12-year-old gelding took it in his stride: “It’s a tricky arena – in the warm-up you’ve got the stands with people sat behind you and you can hear them getting up and down, which makes them a little tense.

“Then when you go in, there’s lots of flapping, everything’s quite close. But he doesn’t look at anything – I didn’t even do the arena walk – he just went in and gave it a good go. I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Heading into this summer’s World Championships, Charlotte and Brave Heart II were locked in a tight race with Fiona and Donna Bella for the fourth and final British team spot for Aachen.

A stunning double at Hartpury in July – personal bests in both the grand prix and special – swung Charlotte’s international grand prix average ahead of Fiona’s, with just a fraction of a percentage point separating them. In the end, though, it was Fiona and Donna Bella who got the selectors’ call, going on to win team silver.

“He was so, so close to selection,” Charlotte said. “I just needed a few more runs, and then I think, for sure, he would’ve been there. But it was what it was – how could I be disappointed? I felt like I’d done everything there was to do. There will always be another time.”

Charlotte Dujardin on her national championships winner’s future

Brave Heart’s future with Charlotte beyond this season isn’t fully settled: “I think potentially he might be one that Ellie either rides herself or sells. I only ever had him for a bit, I never really expected to keep him this long. But he gets better and better each show, and he almost needs to just keep going now.”

The win puts Charlotte in pole position heading into tomorrow’s freestyle, where the overall national champion title will be decided on the combination of grand prix and freestyle scores.

Charlotte, though, was characteristically unfussed about the prospect: “I don’t even think about it. I wouldn’t even know [how many titles I have] – I never really count.”

For the record, she’s been crowned national champion twice before – in 2015 on Barolo, and in 2020 on Mount St John Freestyle.

Asked what fuels her famous competitiveness if not the titles, she said: “I don’t compare myself to anybody – I just do my own thing. My goal is to beat myself – always asking what I did in that competition, what I could have done better, what I need to go away and work on.

“My mindset is to always become better, try and be a better version of myself throughout. I am very, very competitive, though.”

That drive extends beyond her competition rides, too – she lit up just as much talking about her up-and-coming star Secret Agent, and his progress at home: “I literally got 12 ones on him yesterday, so I was super happy.”

Final grand prix results:

1. Charlotte Dujardin – Braveheart II (75.04%)
2. Gareth Hughes – Mowgli-Olympia MC (70.46%)
3. Fiona Bigwood – Donna Bella (70%)
4. Ruby Hughes – Farrell (69.59%)
5. Alexander Harrison-West – Kickback (68.17%)
6. Olivia Oakeley – Full House (67.33%)
7. Spencer Wilton – Woodcroft Django Mon Ami (66.57%)
8. Kimberley Siddorn – Dutch Class (66.44%)
9. Laura Tomlinson – Forest Hill (65.52%)
10. Daniel Bremner – Houston V (64.89%)
11. Daniel Sherriff – I’m Bayford Hall Incognito (64.87%)
12. Darren Hicks – Tramontana Tiger Feet (64.8%)
13. Tom Goode – Furstenrausch PS (64.74%)
14. Anne-Marie Cowan – Woodcroft Royal Charter (63.98%)
15. Laura Tomlinson – Full Moon II (63.5%)
16. Matt Frost – Kerouac (63.37%)
17. Jonny Clarke-West – Goomong Zinfandel (63.02%)
18. Alice Oppenheimer – Headmore Bella Ruby (62.61%)
19. Greg Sims – Waverley Fellini (61.74%)
20. Becky Edwards – Dita Von Teese (60.74%)

• To stay up to date with the latest news and reports throughout the LeMieux National Dressage Championships, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website and pick up a copy of Horse & Hound magazine, in shops from Thursday 17 September

The owner of a horse who brought an “enormous amount of joy to many people” has shared his story to thank his owners, give hope to others – and remind us all to cherish every moment.

Barbara and Ken Cooper’s Dreamaway II, who competed successfully up to four-star level with Tom McEwen, including winning the British intermediate championship in 2019 and coming second in the eight- and nine-year-olds’ class at Blenheim a few weeks later, has died aged 15 owing to colic.

The Irish-bred gelding sustained a significant tendon injury in 2021 but came back to eventing two years later with equine vet Joanna Gillingham, who told H&H she will always be grateful he came into her life.

“He was very laid back, a chilled gentleman, and I think deep down he did really care about me,” she said. “At the end, I worked that out. He was quite grumpy, not the cuddly type, but when he was unwell, it was me he wanted to be with. We definitely formed a great partnership, and a true gentleman is exactly what he was.”

Joanna said that when Dreamer first injured his superficial flexor tendon, there was some discussion over whether it might be in his best interests to put him down. But the Coopers wanted to try, and thanks to them, vets and the McEwens, as well as Jess Draper who took him on a year or so later, he came right.

Dreamaway II: his next home

Dreamer came to Joanna through mutual connections.

“I graduated from vet school and wanted to do more eventing, but don’t come from a horsey family,” she said. “The horse I’d had was on loan, he was 18 and would run across country if he fancied it! I had a real aspiration to go novice but wasn’t sure how I would afford a £40,000 horse on my own.

“It was a pretty fairytale story; I went to try him, sat on him and thought ‘I think I’ll learn loads from this horse’. There were murmurings about someone who wanted him for dressage, and I said ‘I am who I am, I don’t want to pay substantial money as we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. But this is the home I’m going to be, I will love him forever, we’ll help each other, and see what happens’.

“They very kindly came back to me within a few hours and said ‘Let’s meet for lunch next week but you sound perfect, and we’ll just let you crack on’.”

Joanna praised the work Jess had put in; Dreamer was ready to start jumping and they completed some BE100s in 2023. They progressed, coming second in a novice in 2025 and showjumping clear at Osberton CCI2*-S – although the rest of the class was called off owing to torrential rain.

“He did a pretty good dressage and showjumped clear, which was an incredible feeling in that arena,” she said.

“That was gutting but he gave me the feeling. I’d never been to an international; I do everything on my own, so I turned up in the rain on my own, stabled there on my own, had to cycle off site to stay because I don’t have a big lorry.

“But he was a seasoned pro. He just turned up like ‘Yeah, I know what I’m doing’ and was totally chilled the whole time. I’m so grateful I got that experience, and Dreamer gave it to me, which was amazing.”

Joanna was able to have some lessons with Tom, which she said was an “incredible” help with understanding her horse.

“We always laughed as Dreamer was in Dreamerland, which was on another planet!” she said. “You had to be ‘Come on, let’s go’. Early on, we had a fall, and I think till then I’d been a bit star-struck, then I realised we had to be a partnership.

“But his jump was so amazing; you knew you were on something super-classy and clever, And you had to be together; he wasn’t just doing it for you, and that gave you such an accomplishment. I don’t think I understood about horses how much of it is about partnership, until I lost him.”

Joanna said she and Dreamer completed their first event this season, coming 10th in an intermediate, then the next day he colicked. This carried on and Joanna enlisted the help of a specialist but it was thought there were other issues going on, and the call was made in his best interests.

She said she very much wanted to thank the Coopers, who have been great supporters of eventing.

“With Dreamer, for example, they could have really pushed him to be back at the top level with Tom, or sold him to someone random and seen what had happened,” she said “I think it’s really nice they wanted to still follow the sport, but were happy to just do that at whatever level Dreamer wanted to do.

“At Cornbury, we didn’t even go cross-country but they said they’d had the best day. We were a team and it was really fun, and I want to thank them for giving me a chance when I’m not Tom McEwen, I’m a nobody but they were always so supportive, which I’m so grateful for.”

Joanna said another reason for sharing Dreamer’s story is to show that there can be hope after serious injury.

“It’s really hard as an owner, 10 different people can give you 10 opinions but there can be light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “The fact he came back and enjoyed a few more years of the sport is, I think, a really nice story.”

But finally, Joanna said, the story of Dreamaway II reminds us to enjoy of what we have.

“Perhaps most importantly, his story is a reminder to cherish the everyday moments with our horses, because we never know how long we have with them,” she said.

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The British Appaloosa Society (BApS) is introducing mandatory PSSM1 testing for its main studbook, a step that will “improve the long-term health and welfare of the breed”.

The decision to introduce the testing with immediate effect was made at the society’s AGM in May. All foals registered with the BApS main studbook must either test negative for PSSM1 – polysaccharide storage myopathy type one – or be proven negative by parentage.

“This landmark decision reflects the society’s long-term commitment to eradicating PSSM1 from the British appaloosa population,” a society spokesperson said.

PSSM1 is a genetic muscle disorder, caused by a gene mutation that causes a horse’s muscles to produce and store abnormal levels of glycogen, the form of sugar stored in muscle. Signs can be mild to severe and include “tying up”, undiagnosable lameness and muscle soreness. It is commonly associated with appaloosas, although it has been identified in more than 20 breeds and the society has been battling it for years.

PSSM1 testing for stallions first

Since 2010, only stallions who test negative for PSSM1 have been accepted for licensing.

“The introduction of mandatory testing for main studbook foals is the next logical step in this successful programme, ensuring future generations of British appaloosas are protected from this inherited condition,” said the society spokesperson.

Society registrar and chair Paula Moore noted that the mutation is dominant, so horses only need one copy of it to have the condition, unlike a recessive trait that needs a copy from each parent to be expressed.

“PSSM1 is a debilitating condition that can be inherited from either parent,” she told H&H.

“We sent letters to owners of aged stallions beyond 2011, asking them to do the right thing and test, and some did, some didn’t. We’ve asked mare owners to test breeding stock; a lot have complied and we’ve got a good relationship with breeders. But there are still people who choose to ignore it or pretend it doesn’t happen.

“We’re still getting animals testing positive for PSSM1. So we decided as it’s our 50th anniversary this year, it’s time we had a proper serious look at leading the way and future-proofing the breed.”

Ms Moore said she proposed the mandatory testing at the AGM and the vote was unanimous.

“It’s easy to do; test the foal when the vet comes to do the passport,” she said. “It has to be done by a vet as we need the integrity.”

“Such an awful disease”

Ms Moore added that as all BApS-licensed stallions are clear of PSSM1, the other option is for owners to test their mares. If both parents are clear, their foals will be too.

“I know some societies say they will lose bloodlines if they act too tightly on it, but I don’t think there’s a bloodline anywhere that would justify breeding PSSM-positive stock,” she said. “It’s such an awful disease and it’s time it stopped. I don’t care about any other society if they don’t want to do it. It’s time our society grasped the nettle and dealt with it.”

The BApS is offering 50% reductions on registration fees in this anniversary year, which Ms Moore said would help negate the cost of the testing.

British Veterinary Equine Association (BEVA) veterinary projects officer Lucy Grieve told H&H BEVA welcomes the society’s decision.

“PSSM1 is an inherited muscle disorder that can cause a range of clinical signs, including exercise intolerance, muscle stiffness, pain and episodes of tying up, with the potential to have a significant impact on equine welfare,” she said. “From a veterinary perspective, identifying affected horses through genetic testing supports informed breeding decisions and can help reduce the risk of passing this condition to future generations. The society’s proactive approach is, therefore, a positive step towards improving the long-term health and welfare of the breed.”

The Appaloosa Horse Club UK

A spokesperson for the Appaloosa Horse Club UK (ApHC UK) told H&H the society has “taken a proactive approach to managing PSSM1 for over 15 years”.

She explained that mandatory testing for current and new licensed stallions was introduced in 2011 after a unanimous AGM vote.

Following a unanimous vote by members at our AGM in November 2010, mandatory PSSM1 testing for all licensed stallions was introduced from 1 January 2011. The requirement applied to both new and existing licensed stallions, with the aim of protecting the health and future of the Appaloosa breed.

This was followed by testing breeding mares and new registrations from January 2012, with results recorded in horses’ passports. Alongside testing, the ApHC UK focuses on educating and supporting owners of horses testing positive, including sharing information about appropriate veterinary advice, management, diet and exercise.

Our approach is to address PSSM1 at the breeding-stock level, because PSSM1 is inherited, knowing the status of both sire and dam enables breeders to make informed decisions before a foal is conceived. Where both parents are verified negative, their offspring are considered ‘negative by parentage’.

Looking back over the past fifteen years, our breeders have embraced this approach, prioritising PSSM1-negative breeding stock while successfully maintaining important Appaloosa bloodlines in the UK. Our objective has been not simply to identify positive foals after birth that would face an uncertain future, but wherever possible to prevent the mutation being passed to the next generation.

The ApHC UK welcomes initiatives by other breed societies to strengthen PSSM1 controls. Horse welfare should transcend organisational boundaries, and we would welcome greater collaboration between breed societies to share knowledge, experience and best practice around PSSM1 and other hereditary conditions.

Ultimately, we all share the same goal: Protecting the health of our horses and preserving the future of the breeds we represent

● What do you think about the society’s decision? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

Five-star horses, 2026 world medallists and former winners head up the Agria Blenheim Horse Trials entries for next week’s event (17-20 September).

Tom McEwen’s experienced five-star ride Brookfield Quality leads the entries for the CCI4*-L, which has 74 listed to start plus an eight-strong wait list.

Tom also has Isa and The Fieldmaster in the class and his eventing World Championship team-mates Laura Collett and Gemma Stevens bring forward the promising Balancero and Chilli’s Jester respectively. Chilli’s Jester is a 10-year-old full brother to Chilli Knight, who won Defender Burghley Horse Trials last week with Gemma.

Up-and-coming stars are well represented in the class. Multi-medalled youth rider Isabelle Cook brings forward Cymoon “F” Z, with whom she was seventh in the CCI4*-S at Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event in the spring and second at Millstreet CCI4*-L in July.

Tom Bird will ride Lenny, the nine-year-old mare with whom he helped Britain to team gold at the inaugural under-25 World Championships at Millstreet, in her first CCI4*-S and US rider Olivia Dutton will make her Blenheim debut on her under-25 world individual bronze medallist Jewelent.

Others to keep an eye on include Jesse Campbell and Speedwell, who were among the New Zealand reserves for the worlds, 2024 Blenheim runners-up Daisy Berkeley and Diese Du Figuier and Sam Ecroyd with Blomfield Manuscript, who was third in the CCI4*-S at Bramham Horse Trials but was let down by his showjumping at Millstreet CCI4*-L.

Felicity Collins and RSH Contend Or are also ones to watch, having finished in the top seven in this class twice.

Zara Tindall is among the former Blenheim winners riding, with Classicals Euro Star in this class, and she is on good form after her recent British open win with Class Affair.

The CCI4*-L wait-list includes three horses their riders hope to re-route after they failed to finish at Burghley – John The Bull (Ireland’s Susie Berry), Jaeger Master (Alex Bragg) and Santoro (Australia’s Samuel Jeffree).

Blenheim Horse Trials entries: CCI4*-S

A bumper 108 horses have been accepted to start in the GFS Saddles eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S.

Two horses who have won at the young horse World Championships in Le Lion d’Angers will start among the favourites – last year’s seven-year-old winner Brookfield Danny De Muze for Tom McEwen, who also rides Shannondale Arnold, and the 2023 six-year-old champion Barrington Alice, under Izzy Taylor.

Izzy’s horses had a delayed start to the season because she broke her leg badly in March, but have returned on good form. Izzy also pilots Barrington Boy in this class, an eight-year-old who was national six-year-old champion two years ago and who recently won the CCI3*-L at Scone.

Ros Canter has a ride in this class in Armscote Explorer and Laura Collett will bring forward Romany Cricket, bred by her co-owner Nana Dalton, who rode his dam Romany Piper at Blenheim.

All four members of Britain’s gold medal-winning team ride in this class; Gemma Stevens is entered with Chilli Morning clone Chilli Morning IV, who was eighth in the class last year.

Cushlas Indigo will also be one to watch – he was British intermediate champion last year and is ridden by recent Burghley runner-up Katie Magee.

There are 14 nations represented in the Blenheim Horse Trials entries, and the new team competition, The Blenheim Challenge, adds interest.

Blenheim also has a new cross-country course-designer this year in Canadian Jay Hambly.

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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

Meet the horse bought for £1 who went from throwing people off to kissing spines surgery to the LeMieux National Dressage Championships – having recovered from a broken leg along the way.

Heather Bennett’s 10-year-old Hawtins Figaro is due to compete at elementary and medium level with Craig Messenger this week (10-13 September), and had also qualified for the para finals with Heather.

The competition comes two years after Heather bought him.

“I got him from another para rider; he’d had her off and injured her quite badly, and he had her trainer off too,” she told H&H. “She told me what had happened and I said it sounded like kissing spines.”

Heather had to wait until her vet Tim Booth was available, and he confirmed her suspicions.

“He said ‘Yes, kissing spines but it’s fixable’,” she said.

“My history has been that I’ve taken everyone’s cast-offs. I’m not a rich person so I’ve got to make good of what I ride. My friend had said he had the nicest temperament and [asked] why was he suddenly exploding. You find horses like this can get pushed from pillar to post and no one actually looks at the horse and asks what’s happening with it.

“I’ve had a few with kissing spines; I rehabbed another one and won the winter championships with him. But with kissing spines, it’s not about the surgery, it’s all about the rehab, and many people don’t have the knowledge or the time or the inclination to do it properly.”

Heather took her time, and after initial box rest for “Fig”, followed by groundwork and a slow build-up with frequent physio treatment, started competing him last summer, and qualified for the 2025 nationals.

“I brought him home and it was a lovely day so I put him out in the field,” she said.

“When I brought him in, he was on three legs.”

Fig had managed to break his splint bone, by “messing about in the field”, as was confirmed when Heather took him straight to the vet.

“Luckily it didn’t need surgery, so it was just time – and rest again,” she said. “He’s quite sharp and likes to keep his brain occupied so box rest is a challenge. He’s such a sweet horse but his brain’s very reactive.”

Heather had also had some health issues so about six months ago, she asked Craig and Dan Watson at Aster Horses to take him on.

Craig told H&H Hawtins Figaro is “very sharp but very lovely”.

“He was strong enough, he’d had enough time, his back was fine, his leg was fine,” Craig said. “He’s always a bit cheeky but within six months,we’ve gone from nothing to medium, and now we’ve qualified for the nationals.”

Fig and Heather also won the grade IV at the Hickstead CDI in May, which Dan and Craig organised.

“He thinks he knows best but he’s a really nice horse with a lovely temperament,” Craig said. “He’s very quick-minded so we can do pirouettes and changes; he’d probably do prix st georges next year. We’re looking forward to the nationals.”

Heather added that she has been unable to travel to Somerford to compete but will be cheering Craig and Fig on.

“I’m not sure I’ll actually be able to watch!” she said. “But at least he’s still going, I’m glad Craig is taking him.

“He’s a character. He loves people, he loves his treats and he’s very vocal when he sees you; he’s a sweetheart and the best pound I’ve spent – plus the interest!”

To stay up to date with the latest news and reports throughout the LeMieux National Dressage Championships, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

When you say the name Michael Owen in the equestrian world, people are just as likely to think you mean the five-star event rider as the former England and Liverpool star striker.

But the footballing Michael Owen has, in fact, been obsessed with horses since he was a child.

“My mum used to ride horses, and every time I played football on Saturdays, my dad would stop by on the way home at the bookies and have a 50p bet,” Michael explains.

“So we would watch the horses that he bet on on Saturday afternoon, and I just got into it from watching it. The colours, the animals, everything about it.

“So it was obviously in my blood somewhere. That just grew and grew and, by the time I was 18, I was so into it – and I could afford it – that I bought my first racehorse. What followed over the next few years... I was addicted to it, loved it.”

At the age of 23 and at the peak of his playing career, Michael bought Manor House Stables, an old dairy farm in Cheshire where his racing outfit is still based today. It gave him security that when his short footballing era was over, his life would still have the thrill of following a passion.

“I thought I’m going into this business, and when I retire from football it gives me something I’ll have to get up for and enjoy and it couldn’t have gone any better,” he says. “It’s just perfect, it made retiring easy to stomach, it gives me a purpose in life.”

“That was 23 years ago, [starting with] 10 horses and two members of staff; now we’re 135 horses and 50 members of staff, winning races all over the world.”

But Michael’s interest in racing has metamorphosed over the years, sparked by betting and being enriched as he experienced the full prism of the sport. But the horse has always remained central.

“The horse underpins everything: the beauty of the horse, the athlete, the speed, everything about it, underpins it,” he says.

Twenty years ago, if you asked Michael, he’d have had a different focus to now.

“I’d say, ‘oh, I love having a bet’, trying to pick out a winner and work out the puzzle of the distance, the trip, the handicap system, all these different things.”

But as the years have ticked by, Michael has started to apply his own experience of sport science and training to his racehorses.

“This is my background, so I’m listening to all the science and thinking, ‘that will make our horses go faster, that will make our horses recover quicker, that will prepare them better’ – I’d be quizzing the trainer, quizzing the vets.

“And I’m fascinated by the business side: growing a business, surrounding yourself with really bright people in their specialist fields, I love it, Iove it. I love every stage, and could tell you another 10 things I love about the horses.”

One big pivot has been his social life.

“I used to be pretty quiet, pretty focused on football,” he says. “If I went racing I just wanted to sit in a quiet corner of a box and read my Racing Post and watch the racing. I didn’t really want to go into the crowds and mingle, and get beer spilt on me – it just wasn’t me at the time.

“But as I’ve developed, as I’ve got older, I’m the most sociable person there, always last at the bar – well hopefully first at the bar, because that’s more generous!”

One of the many aspects that brings him joy is naming his horses.

“That’s one of the lovely things about owning a horse, you get to choose the colours the jockey wears, you get to name it,” he says.

“I’ve named so many over the years. My first ever horse was Talk To Mojo. My brothers and sister are called Terry, Andrew, Leslie, Karen, so T-A-L-K, my dad’s Terry Owen, I’m Michael Owen and my mum’s Jeanette Owen. I thought I’d combine all the family.

“The second horse I owned was Etienne Lady because I scored my famous goal against Argentina aged 18 in St Etienne.”

He recalls the day he named the foal that would become arguably his greatest horse so far, Brown Panther.

“I owned the mother and when he was foaled, the stud manager phoned me and said ‘you’ve had the baby, it’s a colt, come and see it’. They bring him out the stables, he puts his head down and looks, and the way he walks, he sort of stalks, and I said ‘he’s like a panther, there it is, there’s the name, Brown Panther’.

This prowling foal ran in the Breeders’ Cup, the Melbourne Cup, won at the Dubai World Cup meeting and Royal Ascot as well as the Irish St Leger and Goodwood Cup.

“He went on to be one of the best horses about, the pride of my life, just an exceptional horse. He danced every dance on every corner of the globe. He was just amazing.”

His footballing background is integral. Michael describes himself as the “chairman” of Manor House, with the trainer – Hugo Palmer – the “manager”. The jockeys and horses he likens to his “players”. Everyone has their role. In the same way his managers never told him “how to score a goal”, he leaves the training to the experts.

“I was born to play football, but I wasn’t born to run a business, so I’ve had to learn on the hoof,” he says. “I know my business, I think I know what works, but I don’t train the horses myself, I don’t treat the horses. I don’t tell the riders [how to ride], and I don’t ride the horses myself.

“That’s one thing that I’ve learnt from football, surround yourself with the best people and put round pegs in round holes.”

Michael won golden boots, the FA Cup, and the Premier League in his former career, how far do his ambitions reach now?

“Manor House is in the Premier League, but we’re like a Leicester City, 16th or 17th in the league,” he says. “Ten years ago we were 88th. We’re young, hungry and upwardly mobile.

“Where can we go? I know where I want to go and I’ll not stop – ever – from achieving that. And that’s probably my biggest fault and also my biggest positive, I will live and die by that.

“Because if you don’t risk, you don’t challenge yourself, then you will just be another one of the 400 yards and I don’t want to be a partaker. Taking part doesn’t count in my eyes, you’ve got to win.”

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Jeanette Stayt and Fado Des Brosses topped a line-up of former racehorses in the SEIB Insurance Brokers racehorse to riding horse (R2R) class held on the hallowed turf of the Defender Burghley main arena on the final day of the event (6 September).

This was the 14th annual running of this R2R Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifying class, and just the top combination earned their HOYS qualification.

“Every-time Fado goes out he is like clockwork; he loves being in the ring and the attention that comes with it,” said an elated Jeanette. “It’s made it even more special as my daughter Alex and granddaughter Jess have both flown from Scotland to groom for me today. Now they’ll have to come back down again for HOYS!”

The winning pair came to Burghley on great form. Jeanette and Fado took the champion former racehorse and champion hunter titles at the Melplash Show the week before Burghley.

Sired by Balko out of Nanou Des Brosses, Fado was bred by Michel Lecoq. Jeanette has had him for around two and a half years.

“He was in training with Fergal O’Brien having cost £280k from the Cheltenham sales. He ran several times and won three chases for Fergal. My boss John King has horses in training with Fergal, and Fado came to stay,” said Jeanette who works as a lorry driver for John’s cattle business PJ King & Son in Gloucester.

“I saw him trot across the field and decided I really wanted him. He was about to have his shoes back on and go to a new owner. I did some hard bargaining – just don’t ask how – and managed to get him.

Fado Des Brosses’ new career

“It’s taken time to get to this stage with Fado. I showed him in hand for the 2024 season and we went to several clinics. We had our first big outing at the Area 7 Show at Aston-le-Walls in 2025, where I managed to miss the novice class and so he had to go straight in and won the open Tattersalls class and went reserve champion! We’ve had to work hard on his canter and building him up.

“Both Fergal and John follow Fado’s new career, they came to watch him yesterday at Moreton show.”

Jeanette competed in SEIB Search for a Star several years ago and qualified for the HOYS final of the series with another former racehorse, Chief Executive.

Judging the qualifier at Burghley were Lucy Killingbeck, who assessed conformation, and ride judges Michaela Bowling and Jill Wormall. The judges commented on how beautifully behaved the horses were and how much they enjoyed the occasion.

SEIB R2R series organiser, Nicolina MacKenzie said: “We are delighted to have been back at Defender Burghley again. It is such a privilege for these fabulous thoroughbreds and their riders to compete at this fantastic event with its unrivalled atmosphere, and we are very grateful to the Defender Burghley team for allowing riders this opportunity.”

To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news in the run-up to [Horse of the Year Show], subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

There was a dead heat in the Stoner Jewellers 1.20m championship at the All England September Tour at Hickstead (6 September), as both Ian Foster (Cuba Blue) and Ed Eltham (Ibrina HBC) stopped the clock on 38.65sec.

Ian and his own gelding had held the lead from second of 13 in the jump-off, with a smooth and speedy round showing the 11-year-old’s effortless acceleration. But second-last in was Ed, with Fred Marshall’s 13-year-old, a nippy little mare with a huge jump and a ground-covering stride enough to equal the leading time.

“It’s hard to believe it was exactly the same time; you couldn’t write it!” Ed said, adding that he hadn’t taken a stride out between seven and eight as Ian did, but did manage to to the last, which Ian hadn’t.

Ian said he knew he had to “give it a good go”, with this horse he took on a couple of years ago when he had only jumped 1m classes.

“He’s sharp but he’s come on really nicely and settled,” he said. “He’s got lots of jump, a really nice horse who’s ready to step up.”

This was a first International Arena win for Ian, who runs a construction company, as it was for Ed, who also came third with Uruguay AS Z; both horses are owned by Fred Marshall.

“They’re both really quick mares,” he said. “We’ve had [Ibrina] since she was seven and she’s always been great but never quite had the big win. She was second at the nationals and in the winter silver league final, so I’m really pleased for her, and Fred to win, and to do it here is amazing. She’s such a kind horse, like a Labrador at home and she’s tiny, barely 15.2hh, but when she goes in the ring, she’s a machine.”

Ed heads to Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials next, so will miss the second week of the tour but Ian is coming back, having “gone one better” than his joint win by taking the 1.30m championship with Rosalind Platt’s Sanda Cruz Oseveld.

Ian and the eight-year-old gelding blazed their trail round the arena, accelerating from start to finish, taking a stride out to the central vertical and triumphing by nearly a second.

“It feels amazing, especially after the 1.20m,” he said. “The horse tried his heart out, and it was good to win properly – and go one better!

“I thought just get stuck in and get a gallop that would be hard to beat. He’s a lovely horse; brave, adaptable and rideable, and he loves his job.”

Read the full report from both weeks of the tour in H&H on 10 and 17 September.

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The Burghley crowd gave eventing legend Ballaghmor Class the send-off he deserved, cheering him into his retirement in an emotional ceremony.

The four-time five-star winner and Olympic gold medallist was given a standing ovation in the Defender Burghley main arena yesterday (6 September) as he officially bowed out of the sport after his stellar career.

“We’re going to be honouring a very special horse, who was part of an Olympic gold,” the crowd was told, before a compilation of Ballagmor Class’s career highlights was shown.

“Thomas”, owned by Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan, won Burghley twice, and the CCI5*s at Kentucky and Maryland five-stars once, and finished in the top 10 at that level 10 times, as well as being on the team that won Olympic gold in Tokyo.

Oliver Townend, who rode him throughout his career, brought Thomas into the arena, to huge applause. As the crowd got to its feet, he cantered his final lap of honour, patting and patting his partner of so many years. Thomas, plaited, shiny and turned out to perfection, pricked his ears and looked ready to take on the test he had conquered twice before.

Oliver brought Thomas into the middle of the arena, joining his owners, dismounted and took the saddle off, with a final rub of the neck and kiss on the nose, as a basket of apples and carrots arrived for the star of the show.

“Oliver, this horse means so much to so many people, so many eventing enthusiasts around the world; can you explain to us just a little bit about what this horse means to you?” asked commentator Hugh Lochore.

“No,” Oliver said, to laughter.

“Firstly, well done to everyone who’s looked after him over the years; as you can see, he’s finished extremely sound – and fat!” he added. “He’s just been –” overcome by emotion, Oliver was briefly unable to continue.

“Kids have dreams,” he went on. “And because of him, my dreams came true.”

Ballaghmor Class was led out of the arena to another standing ovation. He will live out his days with Oliver.

“Not only for Oliver but he’s made a nation believe in what we can produce here in Great Britain,” Mr Lochore said. “Thank you very much, Oliver, for sharing him with us.”

To read all the news and reports from Defender Burghley, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Maximising turnout may reduce the risk of post-partum colic in broodmares – as researchers call for owners to use science-backed information over “old wives’ tales”.

In a study published in Animals, researchers from the University of Liverpool investigated risk factors for post-partum colic in thoroughbred broodmares in the UK and Ireland. The researchers analysed medical and management data for more than 1,000 mares from 29 studs during the 2021 and 2022 foaling seasons.

Lead researcher Elizabeth Cullen, an equine internal medicine specialist at Rainbow Equine Hospital, told H&H it is known anecdotally, that broodmares are “very prone to developing colic” and that they are “widely regarded to be at an increased risk compared to other horses”.

“From the mares we followed we gathered lots of information about the colic episodes and diagnosis, any changes in management, medications, whether they had had colic before – and then we compared the data with three control horses: mares that had foaled but hadn’t got colic,” said Dr Cullen.

“The vast number of colic episodes were within the first 10 days. The risk of colic decreased from the point of foaling until around 50 days after, then plateaued.”

The findings showed that days post-partum and hours stabled had the “strongest associations with colic risk”; the likelihood of post-partum colic “increased by around 16% for each additional hour that mares were stabled per day”. Broodmares who had been given non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs such as bute) in the previous 28 days or had a history of colic may be at increased risk.

“There’s plenty of reasons why less turnout and more time in the stable might cause colic; they’re not active, they’re not grazing and they’re being fed in more intermittent large quantities, which is not their natural feeding behaviour,” said Dr Cullen.

“In terms of bute use, we would need to look at why they were having bute, for example was the mare in more pain after foaling and actually predisposed to colic. It’s important to take findings at face value and the message is certainly not: ‘Don’t give them bute’, but that maybe these mares might be the ones to watch.”

Dr Cullen added that the research highlighted a need for further colic education among horse owners. In May H&H reported a University of Nottingham study that showed misconceptions around colic were common and that many owners were reluctant to change their approach.

“There were management strategies employed by studs where they had the perception ‘this would stop their horses getting colic’ – and a lot of things that they thought were important had very little evidence behind them,” said Dr Cullen, giving the example of feeding bran mash.

“There’s no evidence that bran mash is beneficial and it’s such a widely used strategy. Old wives’ tales get passed down, we had farms that would let their mares roll after foaling in the paddock if they thought that would stop them getting a twisted gut, or they put them on a special diet and change their feed. Colic is a huge emotional and financial strain and it’s important to disseminate information based on science.”

British Equine Veterinary Association junior vice-president James Crabtree told H&H the paper is a “welcome addition” to literature on post-foaling colic.

“We now have some helpful numbers quantifying the risk of encountering colic at this time, and how days post-foaling and confinement to the mare’s box influence her risk,” said Dr Crabtree, an equine reproduction and stud medicine independent veterinary consultant.

“With this improved understanding, we veterinarians can better communicate these risks to our clients to develop appropriate strategies to minimise the risk of post-foaling colic. In addition, it reveals some additional risk factors such as administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories in the preceding 28 days.”

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Katie Magee finished runner-up at the 2026 Defender Burghley Horse Trials aboard Treworra, with Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake completing the podium in third – rounding off a week in which Gemma Stevens and Chilli Knight took the title.

“I just can’t believe it,” Katie said. “I’m trying not to be too emotional and embarrass everyone, but it just means the world. What an event!”

It caps a rapid rise for a rider who came to the sport from a non-horsey family, having first become hooked on riding through her cousins and their ponies.

Katie’s first five-star came in 2024, when she and Treworra finished 13th at Pau. Just two years on, the now 12-year-old gelding has become one of the most consistent horses in the sport, not finishing outside the top 10 in any of his eight runs this year.

Treworra added just 4.4 showjumping penalties to his cross-country score to finish on 43 – producing a round Katie was thrilled with despite the atmosphere getting to him early on.

“He was actually quite fresh and a bit lit up by the crowd, so he was a wee bit tight at times, but he tried his absolute heart out – that’s all any of us can ever ask for, isn’t it?”

Her plan going in was simple. “I just wanted to ride as good a round as I could, stay on the tighter lines, and make sure I made his job as easy as possible. I knew he’d try for me, and I just wanted to support him.”

Any thought of expectation had been set aside long before she went in. “I try not to think about expectations – I just wanted to do him justice. I firmly believe he’s one of the best horses in the world, and I’m incredibly lucky to ride him. I just want to savour every second – he’s one in a billion.

“Somebody very wisely once said to me, when you get to this level, if you can keep them sound, they just get better and better, mentally and physically. It’s just about managing them and keeping them healthy and happy – it’s a privilege to have a horse like that to do it with.”

For now, Treworra has earned a proper break. “He’ll have a very well-deserved holiday now – he’s had an amazing season; we couldn't have asked any more of him. He’s got a best friend called Claude, and he’ll be snoozing in the field with Claude by tomorrow.”

2026 Defender Burghley top 10

1. Gemma Stevens (Chilli Knight) – 29.6
2. Katie Magee (Treworra) – 43.0
3. Caroline Pamukcu (HSH Blake) – 44.0
4. Tom Jackson (Hawk Eye) – 46.1
5. Nadja Minder (Toblerone) – 46.7
6. Yasmin Ingham (Goliath du Loir) – 46.7
7. William Coleman (Very Dignified) – 47.2
8. Benjamin Massie (Filao de Perle) – 47.3
9. Jonelle Price (Chilli's Midnight Star) – 47.8
10. Harry Meade (Cavalier Crystal) – 48.4

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Gemma Stevens topped the Defender Burghley Horse Trials 2026 results this afternoon, showjumping clear to win with a 13.4-penalty margin.

Gemma and Chilli Knight, bred by his owners Chris and Lisa Stone, started with three fences in hand after errors from all the pairs placed second to eighth overnight.

The time Chilli Knight had five showjumps down, at Badminton 2025, loomed large in the mind, but actually, that was a bit of an outlier on his record. Out of the four times he had showjumped at five-star before today, he’d had one down twice and jumped clear once – when he won the Bicton Horse Trials one-off five-star in 2021.

He did it again today and again, the result was a five-star victory, validating that Bicton triumph and putting himself in the rare group of horses who have won two different five-stars.

“Honestly to jump a clear round is just so damn cool. I’m so proud of that little horse and proud of myself for holding it together because I was literally shaking down the reins,” said Gemma, who was the only rider to finish on her dressage score.

“He felt amazing over the first two and I thought, ‘Come on boy, we can do this.’

“I did feel horrendous this morning and the waiting around was torture. I said to Dickie [Waygood, British performance manager], ‘I’m just jumping at Hickstead, right’, and he said, ‘Yes, you’re just jumping clear round at Hickstead’ and that’s what we did.”

Husband Gary – who proposed just after Gemma won her first five-star, at Bicton exactly five years ago – said “Alfie” has given Gemma the lift she needed after elimination at the eventing World Championships in Aachen and he couldn’t be more proud of the pair of them.

Gemma says: “Aachen was one of lowest points in my career, the second lowest point in my career.

“The guilt I felt was horrendous. I took a place up and I failed. No matter who says you were still part of the team – and yes, I definitely earned my place – but I felt horrific.

“But you’ve got to show resilience in sport, pick yourself up and get on with it.

“Chilli Knight’s heart’s as big as he is, he’s an amazing little animal. He wants to do it, wants to please, he’s a little tiger out on the cross-country.”

Gemma, 41, has been riding at this level for 19 years. She also rode at five-star on Chilli Knight’s dam Kings Gem, with whom she was under-25 national champion.

“I feel like I’ve been doing this a long time. I can’t tell you how amazing this feels – to win a big B is a dream come true, it really is,” said the 41-year-old.

Chilli Knight’s sire, Chilli Morning, was of course also a five-star winner, courtesy of his Badminton Horse Trials 2015 victory.

A first five-star podium

One fence down, the World Horse Welfare upright at fence nine, which came off a four-stride distance from the treble, was enough to secure second in the Burghley 2026 results for Katie Magee on Treworra, her first time on a five-star podium.

The USA’s Caroline Pamukcu also had redemption for elimination at the World Championships, where she had a fall from HSH Blake. Today, the pair had the first fence down but still moved up from fifth to third.

Tom Jackson showjumped clear to take fourth on Hawk Eye, up from ninth overnight. Nadja Minder was fifth for Switzerland with Toblerone, hitting the last but still gaining one place.

Yasmin Ingham showjumped clear to move up from 10th to sixth on her Burghley debut, riding Goliath Du Loir.

The pairs placed second and third overnight both had expensive rounds today – Tim Price and Global Quest had three down to finish 11th and 20 jumping faults, plus 0.8 of a time-fault, dropped Holly Richardson with Ballyneety Silver Service to 15th.

Defender Burghley 2026 results

1. Gemma Stevens (GBR) on Chilli Knight
2. Katie Magee (GBR) on Treworra
3. Caroline Pamukcu (USA) on HSH Blake
4. Tom Jackson (GBR) on Hawk Eye
5. Nadja Minder (SUI) on Toblerone
6. Yasmin Ingham (GBR) on Goliath Du Loir
7. Will Coleman (USA) on Very Dignified
8. Benjamin Massie (FRA) on Filao De Perle
9. Jonelle Price (NZL) on Chilli’s Midnight Star
10. Harry Meade (GBR) on Cavalier Crystal

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One horse, FE Lifestyle, was eliminated at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials final trot-up this morning (6 September).

FE Lifestyle, owned by Tim and Nina Gardner and ridden by the US’s Jennie Brannigan, held 12th place overnight, having had 11.2 time-faults on the cross-country yesterday.

The chestnut was presented at the horse inspection by US high performance manager Leslie – the 2004 Olympic champion for Britain, who now lives in the US – because Jennie is still struggling with an ankle injury incurred when her ride Kismet flipped over in the start box at Morven Park last autumn.

The ground jury – president Xavier Le Sauce of France, Ireland’s Joanne Jarden and Britain’s Sandy Phillips – sent FE Lifestyle to the holding box. After the customary vet report, Leslie re-presented “Foxy”, but the ground jury decided he could take no further part in the competition.

Jennie was seeking a third Burghley completion with the 16-year-old, who was 12th here in 2023 and was the travelling reserve for the US for the eventing World Championships in Aachen last month.

Burghley final trot-up: 28 horses forward

Unusually, every horse who finished the cross-country was presented at the Sunday horse inspection.

Twenty-eight horses came forward in the sunshine, after rain earlier this morning, and 27 now progress to the final showjumping phase.

Michael Owen was asked to trot up Monbeg Darwin – 25th overnight, carrying a flag penalty from the second skinny fence at Fairfax & Favor at Keepers (fence 10abcd) and 30 time-faults – a second time straight after his first presentation, but was then waved through.

The first session of showjumping will be for just seven pairs. It is scheduled to start at 10.30am, though that may be updated to a little later – we will update this story if so.

The second session, for the top 20, begins at 2.30pm. Gemma Stevens leads overnight with Chilli Knight and she has a fence and a few time-faults in hand to win her first Burghley title.

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Gemma Stevens tops the Defender Burghley Horse Trials cross-country results and will go into tomorrow’s showjumping with a fence in hand.

The British rider and Christopher and Lisa Stone’s home-bred Chilli Knight – with whom she won the Bicton Horse Trials one-off five-star in 2021 – put in one of just two clears inside the time over Derek di Grazia’s cross-country course today to move up from second after dressage.

Gemma said: “What a little legend – what a ride he gave me and what a partnership that we've managed to build over 16 years. There was definitely a moment in the Leaf Pit where he said, ‘Hold my beer, Mum! I’ve got this’ and that’s kind of what eventing is all about – partnership and belief in each other.”

The 41-year-old British rider explained in more detail what happened at the Holland Cooper Leaf Pit (fence 24abcdef).

“He jumped off the Leaf Pit so much better than I was expecting him to because normally he’s like a little pony and he wants to put his little foot actually on the step, so I was expecting him to do that,” said Gemma. “But he actually jumped off it really well.

“I got to the bottom and saw a lovely forward shot up to the brush, and he said, ‘Nah, we’re not going on that one, Mum. There’s another one in there.’ There really wasn't space for another stride, but he put in a little one before the brush, and then I was an absolute country mile off the corner.

“I basically shouted at him and prayed to God, and he basically said, ‘It’s okay, Mum, I’ve got this.’ And he turned into some sort of Pegasus and jumped it. I screamed and then I told him how much I loved him. I’m really sorry to anyone down there, but there was also definitely a lot of swearing at that moment.”

Gemma starts the final showjumping with a fence in hand, but showjumping has not always been the strongest phase for Alfie, who had five down at Mars Badminton Horse Trials 2025, which cost him third place. However, he only had one down here in 2024 and jumped clear when he won Bicton, so tomorrow’s result is far from a foregone conclusion.

Tim Price’s topsy-turvy day

New Zealand rider Tim Price ended up second in the Burghley cross-country results on his first ride Global Quest, who had been sixth after dressage and added 4.8 time-faults.

“There was a lot of learning to be done with that horse around this track. He’s done a couple of five stars, but nothing of this magnitude,” said Tim of Diana and Lance Morrish’s horse who has already contested Pau Horse Trials and Kentucky Three-Day Event.

“But also, he’s been improving every time and this time he took it to another level of scope and bravery, which was quite nice to have around Burghley. There were quite a few moments where it was seat of the pants riding, where we went on the line but not the plan in terms of number of strides or feeling.”

However, Tim said the changes were based on “good things” from Global Quest.

“There were a couple of places where he really threw himself into the air and I had to had to manage that down to the next part of the question,” said Tim, who was also pleased by the 13-year-old’s speed.

“He galloped and he stayed all the way home, and I’m really proud of him because it’s a real step in a good direction for the journey of discovery. He ticked a lot of boxes that I think will stand him in good stead.”

Tim looked lined up to hold second and third overnight as he enjoyed a great round with Falco towards the end of the day, until the 17-year-old refused at the Trout Hatchery.

Sprinting up the leaderboard

Holly Richardson rode the first clear inside the time today, on Fi and Issy Saxby’s Ballyneety Silver Service, and was rewarded with a 25-place rise up the leaderboard to third.

“I just sat down with the plan and stuck to it – I had plan Bs if it started going wrong. But he just kept answering the question perfectly, and I kept sticking to my plan,” she said.

“You don’t really have time to think about it – you just start thinking about the next fence as soon as you land over the one before. Even when you’re nearly home, doing the second-to-last, you’re thinking about the last fence. You can’t enjoy it too much, because you’ve got to keep going all the way.”

Yorkshire rider Holly, 32, and “Butler” caught the eye here last year with their fast clear inside the time, but dropped down the order in the showjumping, finishing 14th. They also went clear in the time at Badminton this spring, but again, the final phase was expensive, so they may not finish this Burghley on the podium.

Burghley cross-country results: the top 10

Katie Magee has risen from 19th to fourth with just 2.4 time-faults on Treworra, while Caroline Pamukcu’s eight time-penalties allowed her to retain fifth for the US with HSH Blake.

Dressage leader Nadja Minder, from Switzerland, is now sixth after 13.2 time-faults on the 19-year-old Toblerone.

Harry Meade sits seventh on Cavalier Crystal, up from 31st after dressage, with six time-faults, while 14.8 time-faults have relegated fellow Brit Max Warburton from fourth to eighth.

Tom Jackson holds ninth on his first ride Hawk Eye – having fallen with his second horse, United 36 – while British first-timer Yasmin Ingham rode stylishly for overnight 10th with Goliath Du Loir.

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Not everything went according to plan for some of the highest-placed pairs after dressage during the Defender Burghley Horse Trials cross-country today, with a range of problems ending their chances.

Tim Price and Falco, owned by Sue Benson, lay third after the first phase and set out near the end of cross-country day, with the opportunity to move into second overnight and put pressure on confirmed overnight leader Gemma Stevens.

The world number one and this experienced 17-year-old horse started out well – the striding had proven difficult in the first combination on course, the Boodles Raindance (fence 7abc) and Falco neatly patted the ground in the short one stride from the step up to the first angled house and then stretched out for the two strides.

They continued on through the tricky complexes at the Defender Dairy Mound (fence 9abc) and Joules at the Maltings (fences 15ab and 16abc) without penalty.

Tim had spoken before the competition about the Trout Hatchery water question (fence 19abcdef) being a big question, but had already ridden it on his first horse Global Quest – who sits second overnight – without any issues.

But Falco came round the left-hand turn to the hanging log at 19bc on the direct route and simply stopped dead.

“He’s spectacular in the way he goes about his job, but he has had quite a few wobbles as he’s gone through the grades, but once he’s learnt and rehearsed something he goes and executes it,” said Tim.

“He was beautiful to that point. I turned up tight, a bit of a cheeky line, and he looked down through the fence at the water. He just took his eye off what he had to jump, which in his mind was an excuse to stop like a cheeky little pony.

“He was gracious as he had his head low and I was coming off, but he did put his head up and push me back in saddle, otherwise it was going to be like when you’re 12 years old on a Shetland – so that was nice of him not to deposit me.

“He’s not a proper authentic event horse and certainly not a Burghley horse. It was not anything except not a perfect ride for him in that moment.”

Tim retired after this problem and confirmed that Falco had “bounced home”.

Tom Jackson and United 36’s Burghley cross-country fall

The same complex put paid to the hopes of British pair Tom Jackson and United 36. Like Tim, Tom had two rides and had enjoyed a good round on his first ride, Hawk Eye (now ninth).

He was going swimmingly on the 10-year-old Burghley debutant United 36, owned by Michael Stenning, until swimmingly turned to swimming when the pair fell over the brush corner which formed the final element of the Trout Hatchery.

Sarah Bullimore was 10th after the first phase on Corimiro and had a heart-breaking fall at the final fence, the Defender Finale (fence 28).

US rider Tiana Coudray held 11th at the end of dressage, with D’Artagnan. Her bid for a top placing ended at fence 9abcd, the Defender Dairy Mound.

This complex – consisting of a run up the mound, a log trailer, then a log on the brink of the mound, followed by a curved left-hand downhill line to a right-hand brush corner – caused problems through the day. The favoured striding was four and four strides, but some tried to squeeze five into the first distance while Nadja Minder managed to go to the corner successfully on three.

By the time Tiana went, the bright sun was adding shade into the mix of questions for the horses.

D’Artagnan jumped the log very boldly and cleanly, but this perhaps was to his detriment as he then ran out of space and slipped out the side of the corner.

The pair continued, but their competition came to an end when the horse ended up jumping into the middle of the first open oxer at the LeMieux Stable Gates (fence 12ab).

Those placed 12th, 14th and 15th after the first phase also failed to finish the course.

Caroline Powell and High Time, 12th, were another pair to fall foul of the Defender Dairy Mound. High Time jumped out of her hand at the initial trailer, which had a knock on effect through the combination and they had a run-out at the corner, after which Caroline retired.

Another Caroline, Pamukcu, was the pathfinder on HSH Tolan King, who had been 14th after dressage. She was fighting for control by the time she got to Joules at the Maltings (fence 15ab and 16abc) and had to take the long route through fence 16abc as she didn’t have enough control to make the turn to the direct route triple bar at fence 16a.

She then also went to the long route in the Trout Hatchery after jumping into the second pond directly – but ended up jumping the string and retired.

Caroline does sit fifth on her other ride, HSH Blake, who went round with eight time-faults.

New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone, 15th after dressage on Domasco, made it to the last combination, the MARS Equestrian Stables in the arena (fence 26abc), but couldn’t get it together to jump the angled house forming part c and retired there.

There were no serious injuries to horses or riders during today’s cross-country action.

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