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‘I told him how much of a better place he had made the world’ – a loving owner’s tribute to the inimitable Hovis and other things the horse world is talking about
Horse & Hound’s daily debrief, brought to you every weekday
Farewell to Hovis, who raised thousands and inspired more
Fans were saddened to hear of the death of Karen Thompson’s Hovis, who blogged on horseandhound.co.uk for many years having found popularity on the forum.
Hovis and Karen raised more than £100,000 for charity with their writing, and raised the spirits of horse owners facing daily challenges, with their fabulously self-deprecating humour. Hovis even became the British Olympic eventing team mascot when they won gold last year.
Hovis was treated at home for colic and taken to hospital, where the vets attempted to operate but the damage was too great.
“It was one battle too many and the comeback kid didn’t have any more fight left,” Karen said. “I sat with his head in my arms, stroking him and told him how very special he was, how much me, Lils, his family and you all loved him.
“I told him he would never be forgotten, how many lives he had touched, and how much of a better place he had made the world.”
Sue Evans, 65, bought 15hh cob Belle Isle Conor as a leisure ride, but having taken up affiliated showjumping has become an annual part of the National Amateur & Veteran Championships, held at Aintree every November, and now the show’s poster child.
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Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
The pair contest the national 85cm final each year and are known for jumping the 1.20m joker fence in the accumulator class. Their picture has been used by Clipmyhorse as the thumbnail for its coverage of the event, and their image displayed at Aintree.
“I’m not a great rider, we don’t win or get placed in the big classes. But I think it’s his exuberance – people can see that he just loves it,” Sue told H&H.
A rider faked a Maltese passport and driving licence, and an FEI letter, in an apparent attempt to convince people she had qualified for the Olympic Games.
Michelle Dejonghe, 30, has been given a three-year suspension and fined CHF6,000 (£5,280) following the fraud, which the FEI Tribunal described as “extremely serious offences, undermining the core values of fairness, integrity, and transparency in sport.”
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Sarah has worked at an equestrian journalist and editor since 2004 and has held the position of Horse & Hound Editor-in-Chief since 2014. She has reported for Horse & Hound from major championships including Europeans and World Equestrian Games. She has co-written books on horses and horse sport including The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horses & Ponies. She has owned and ridden horses since 1993, and worked for and trained with Olympic gold medallist event rider Leslie Law prior to going to university. While studying for a BSc at London School of Economics Sarah also worked for top British dressage rider Louise Spate.
