Olympic rider recovering from injury, and more things the horse world is talking about
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Olympic dressage rider sidelined
Olympian Abi Lyle is recovering after fracturing a vertebra in fall. The Irish dressage rider had been preparing for an arena eventing competition with small tour mare Francesca II. The mare loves jumping and her excitement bubbled over into a big buck, which unshipped Abi. “Luckily, it’s a stable fracture so I’m still up and walking around. I’m waiting to hear from the spinal clinic about what the next steps are but the doctor said I could be back in four to six weeks – so as far as these things go it’s not bad at all, but in the meantime I’m on box rest,” said Abi. “My physical self means a lot to me so I’ll follow orders and not be irresponsible.”
Happy ending for foal born to rescued mare
The foal of a mare who was rescued from flooded fields as part of a major operation is “making amazing memories” as a child’s much-loved pony. Clover, formerly known as Rainbow, was born to Dove – one of 43 ponies rescued in Wellingborough in 2020. Blue Cross horse adoptions coordinator Verity Anderton-Johnson said she was there when Rainbow was born. “To see the little foal whose mum came to us extremely nervous and in poor condition, to now being a great child’s pony and thriving in her new home is just wonderful and makes our job so rewarding.”
Leasing boom
Showjumper Ronnie Lee Jones looks at the growing trend of leasing horses, in his exclusive H&H column this week (23 January). Ronnie said he has clients whose dream is to jump on a tour in Europe, but the costs and complexity associated with having the horsepower and travelling to the mainland are prohibitive. “Some would love to go to Spain and jump a 1.30m, but they also can’t afford a horse just for that experience, so we’ve started to offer leasing packages, as well as taking care of all the logistics,” he said. “It’s a useful way of giving some of our horses a job and, for us, it can work better to lease them for six months and have them stay within our team than sell them.”
Discover what else Ronnie had to say
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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.