1. Storm Eunice
The recent storms have kept all horse owners on their toes, but one incredible story that has got everyone talking is a mare who narrowly escaped serious injury when she was trapped between the trunks of three fallen trees. Cintia, an 11-year-old part-bred Arab, waited calmly for three hours, eating from a haynet, while her rescuers worked to free her from her awkward predicament. “It was as though she was in stocks, she couldn’t move” explained Katey Cuthbertson, who works nearby and helped with the rescue effort. “She was completely unscathed, it missed her by inches.”
2. Keeping it in the family
Irish showjumper Bertram Allen, 26, has been enjoying success at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), winning the $140,000 IDA Development CSI3* grand prix for a second year in a row. He was riding his own Harley VD Bisschop, a 15-year-old he shares with his younger brother Harry, 20, who first took the reins last year before being reunited with the gelding on a visit to WEF last month. Bertram explained: “[Harry] came out here [to Wellington] the first week, so I thought it would be nice for him to ride him and see how it’s done over here, because it’s different in Europe. It was a good experience for him, and obviously it didn’t do the horse any harm.”
Find out what else Bertram had to say
3. Mr Love bounces back
Experienced chaser Mr Love showed how much he still enjoys his job after coming back from a couple of years off for an tendon injury to win the PPORA Club members conditions (level two) novice riders under Murray Dodd at Horseheath. The eight-year-old is owned and trained by Nick Pearce, who works full-time for Dan Skelton, but also trains a handful of pointers that they run to give the younger jockeys at Dan’s a start in their race-riding careers. “He won a month and a half ago and we’ve been waiting for the rain to run him again,” said Nick. “ He still enjoys himself and it’s a nice way for these former successful horses to continue racing and teach the younger riders the ropes.”
Catch up with all the point-to-point action from the weekend
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