Bubby Upton has shared the latest in her rehab journey, as she continues to recover from spinal surgery. The under-25 British champion was injured in a riding accident on the flat on 18 August in which she sustained multiple vertebral fractures, which required six hours of emergency surgery. Bubby returned to the saddle on 7 November, and this week had her first canter. “I’m a long way off where I was, of course, but I am very stubborn, determined and focused on ensuring that I do get back to where I was,” she said. “The next step is to maybe do a little bit of dressage in a few weeks’ time and see how my spine copes with that.”
Junior European team bronze medallist Isla Sully has rounded off her breakthrough year by winning the Aachen Youngstars junior champion title. 15-year-old Isla, who trains with Collective Equestrian, rode Lusitano gelding Vagabond de Massa to victory in the individual test on 71.22%, and the freestyle on 74.79%, to take the coveted title. Isla’s mum Cassandra said that they went hoping for a top-10 finish. “As a mum, I never care what results come in, I just want her to enjoy it, go to bed on time and stay hydrated,” she said. “But to watch her win in Aachen, I was lost for words.”
Experts have come together to take a cross-industry look at how to solve staff shortages across Europe. The European Horse Network, a not-for-profit support organisation, hosted a webinar on “challenges and opportunities and how to attract a young workforce in the equestrian industry” on 28 November. It brought together research and top speakers including equine vet Lucy Grieve and founder of the British and international grooms associations, Lucy Katan. How to tap into what drives people, practical ways of avoiding physical burnout, and why the sustainability of the equestrian world – economically as much as in other ways – is critical to attracting future workers, were all on the table.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
