A tiny rider, a ‘whaaat?’ moment and other things the horse world is talking about
Horse & Hound’s daily debrief, brought to you every weekday morning
Tiny rider does it again
A nine-year-old rider who made headlines for qualifying for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) has secured a second ticket – on an even bigger pony. Having qualified for the 138cm final on Lissduff Royal, by winning the second round on 21 May, Poppy Dorise took the pony newcomers second round at South View on 148cm mare Running In Heels.
Read more about this young showjumper
Whaaaat?
There was an unbelieving moment in a thrilling Nations Cup jump-off in St Gallen, between home hero Martin Fuchs riding Leoni Jei and Brazil rider Yuri Mansur on Miss Blue-Sain Blue Farm QH. Martin sealed Switzerland’s second win in a row on home soil with a clear round in 42.14sec while Yuri rocketed round quicker, only to hit the final fence, finishing in 41.84sec – although the Swiss rider hadn’t seen the fence fall. “I couldn’t even watch the last fence,” said Martin. “The clock stopped and he was faster and I was ‘whaaaat’!”
Read our full international showjumping round-up
‘A born show-off’
The James family’s much-loved Connemara gelding Glenmore Gwennic (Glen) made it into the history books as he won the 22nd Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) ticket of his prolific ridden career by lifting the amateur mountain and moorland (M&M) qualifier at Staffordshire County Show (31 May – 1 June). He added a 2023 amateur ticket to the open and working hunter passes he won this year, at National Pony Society Area XI and British Show Pony Society (BSPS) Area 7 respectively.
Find out more about this Connemara
You might also be interested in:
Grand prix ends with a barefoot one-two, 60 clear rounds, British team success and a ‘whaaaat!’ moment
‘I thought, let’s go!’ tiny rider takes second HOYS ticket against top pony jumpers
‘He’s a born show-off’: Connemara wins historic 22nd Royal International ticket
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.