1. Not being able to tow trailers from 15 November after all
Those who passed their driving test after 1 January 1997 had thought that they would be able to start legally towing a horse trailer (within certain weight limits) without taking another test from 15 November, but this date has now been postponed until… we don’t know when. The scrapping of trailer tests had raised road safety concerns, and was a decision said to have been made in an attempt to free up testing centres to allow for more HGV drivers to qualify. “The change will be introduced at a later date, and as soon as possible,” read the DVLA statement.
2. William Funnell being back in action after injury
Welcome back to competition William Funnell, who has made his return to the competition arena after breaking his leg in a fall. William was back in action in the CSI2* Lier, Belgium, last week and is targeting a return to five-star level at the London International Horse Show at ExCel next month (16-20 December). “It’s been a tough three or four months not riding,” he told H&H. “I had to work hard to get to this stage. Doctors originally told me it would be six months at least, but could be up to a year before I’d be back riding again.” It’s great to see you back, William.
Thoughts are with Hannah Biggs, who has had to have her super talented 2019 six-year-old national champion Freeman put down aged eight. “It seems something triggered an auto-immune response in his body that caused catastrophic inflammation,” explained Hannah. “We still don’t have a definitive answer, but although euthanasia was the most horrible thing, it was the right thing for him. It is devastating – I’ve lost my best friend, who was also my reason to get up in the mornings.”
William Funnell talks about Mondriaan, the horse who gave him three Hickstead Derby wins, and his breakout home-bred, Billy Congo
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B0PGFP Horse visible in back of horse box animal transportation in horsebox trailer being towed driving along M25 motorway Essex England UK. Image shot 2008. Exact date unknown.
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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.
