London’s festive show, overweight horses, and more things the horse world is talking about
Horse & Hound’s daily debrief, brought to you every weekday morning
1. London International Horse Show 2022 venue confirmed
The London International Horse Show will remain at the ExCel in 2022, following the success of last year’s show. The show was held at Olympia for 49 years, but building work meant that the 2021 event had to move. Organisers did not rule out that the relocation could be for longer than a year – and it has now been confirmed that the show will go ahead at the ExCel again this year (15 to 19 December. Tickets will go on sale this spring.
Find out more about the decision
2. Badminton winner secures major role
Olympic bronze medallist and 2014 Badminton winner Sam Griffiths has stepped back from top-level competition and has taken on the position of New Zealand eventing head coach. The Australian rider said he is “really looking forward” to his new job, and confirmed that he has not put away his competition boots for ever and will be keeping his eye in by competing at lower levels. Fiona Tibone has also joined Equestrian Sport New Zealand’s eventing arm as high performance manager.
Read what Sam had to say about this new step
3. Overweight horses
Judges have agreed that overweight and obese equines should be placed lower. The consensus came at the British Show Pony Society conference and AGM (5 February), at which judges were presented with several situational dilemmas they may face in the ring. These included equine obesity, and it was confirmed overall that overweight or obese animals should be placed down the line.
Find out what else was discussed at the meeting
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.