One of Britain’s best ruled out of Olympic contention, plus other things the horse world is talking about
Ballaghmor Class ruled out of a place at Paris
Ballaghmor Class, the Tokyo gold medal-winning ride of Oliver Townend and three-time five-star winner, has been withdrawn from the nominated entries list for the Paris Olympics as he has not achieved his final qualification result. The decision was made “in full collaboration with” British Equestrian eventing performance manager Dickie Waygood, Oliver and the horse’s owners Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan. Oliver remains on the Olympic eventing nominated entries list with Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s Cooley Rosalent, who won the Kentucky Three Day Event five-star earlier this year.
Read what Oliver and his team had to say
Are you ready for Lühmuhlen?
A number of top British riders will be aiming to impress Olympic selectors with strong performances at Lühmuhlen Horse Trials this week ahead of the final team selection for Paris. Reigning Lühmuhlen CCI5* champions Laura Collett and London 52, Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir, plus Tom McEwen and JL Dublin are competing in the four-star this time, while other shortlisted combinations Ros Canter with Izilot DHI and Yasmin Ingham with Rehy DJ are among the Brits in action in the five-star. H&H’s reporter Becky Murray will be on site throughout the event to bring you all the news as it happens.
Big guns in action at Bolesworth
Back in the UK, the new two-week Bolesworth International Equestrian Summer Festival, presented by Al Shira’aa, has attracted a number of top names with William Whitaker and Chacco’s Lando securing a British victory in week one’s LeMieux CSI2* grand prix. Ireland’s Shane Breen set the standard by taking the brave man’s route with Cato Boy over Rafael Suarez’s jump-off course. But coming from the final draw, William was braver, slicing across the oxer at fence five and delivering an all-round masterclass in jump-off riding to power ahead by 0.6sec.
Read more international jumping news
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Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.