1. The five-star showjumper keeping tack simple
French showjumper Grégory Cottard, 44, has been enjoying a winning streak, most notably taking the five-star grand prix at Bordeaux, France, with the striking mare Cocaine Du Val (Mylord Carthago HN x Si Tu Viens). But what caught the eye during their winning performance was the tack Grégory was using – or rather the lack of it.
Cocaine jumps 1.60m tracks without a martingale, or even a noseband, something that stems from her rider’s natural approach to the sport. Grégory holds “balance and well-being” high on his list of priorities when it comes to riding and managing his string of sport horses.
Find out more about this rider’s approach
2. The six-year-old child jumping 1.20m on a 17hh stallion
Ivy Thomas-Cook, who is only 115cm tall, had been “itching” to jump her father Ben’s cremello Crown’s Ace of Pearl.
“As soon as she could sit up, she was on horses and walking round but she didn’t ride properly till she was five,” Ben told H&H. “She’s absolutely crazy about horses,” Ben said. “We’ve had to get ClipMyHorse and every night after she’s ridden, she sits down and watches it religiously. She knows all the top riders, and how they ride, and what distances are; she’s so into it.”
Ivy is competing in British Showjumping (BS) club and stepping stones classes up to 80cm, but her sights are set higher.
See this talented young jockey in action
3. A five-bed barn conversion with 25 acres for £700,000
Yes please… Tillcall Barn lies a short distance from Nantycaws in Carmarthenshire, Wales, with a village shop in walking distance. Carmarthen, which offers a full range of shops and amenities, is less than four miles, and there is easy access onto the A48 dual carriageway, which links to the M4 motorway 11 miles away. The city of Swansea is 23 miles from the front door.
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