Leading figures pay tribute to inspirational rider on her retirement
Last Tuesday, H&H reported that multiple medal-winning Paralympian Sophie Christiansen had announced her retirement from the sport. Since then, the great and the good of the horse world have shared their memories of Sophie’s greatest achievements, and praised the impact she has had.
Michel Assouline, who coached the UK para dressage team from 2005 and 2017, said: “You truly had an incredible career, notably no less than being twice a Paralympic triple gold medallist, London 2012 and Rio 2016, which I had the honour to witness as part of the GB team, and several world and European Championships gold medals too!
“Our entire community is truly in admiration of your extraordinary accomplishments. The memory of your presence on the world stage as a top-class athlete is going to deliver a lasting impact and legacy on para dressage.”
A Shetland who made three appearances at London International Horse Show, including becoming supreme in-hand veteran champion, and who “would have walked through flames for you”, has died aged 35.
Owners Adam and Ally Pike had to have Minnie The Moocher put down this year as age had caught up with her. The mare took the Veteran Horse Society (VHS) title in 2013, aged 24.
“She was a fantastic pony,” Adam said. “She was so easy at a show; I never led her in a bit and she was never frightened of anything. We’ve had some ponies who wouldn’t walk through water – but she would have walked through flames for you. She has left a massive hole in our hearts.”
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Producer advocates “putting the brakes on” when training young stars
There has long been debate about the best way to produce young horses. In a recent interview with H&H, producer and showjumper Jennifer Thompson shared her secrets of success – and the need to address the horse’s psychological as well as physical development. Jennifer imports mainly unbroken three- and four-year-olds from Europe to produce and sell – horses that have included Tim Gredley’s championship ride Medoc De Toxandria, known as Eddie.
“Everything you did with Eddie was like he’d been there and done that all before,” says Jennifer. “Right from the get go, everything you asked of him he was ready to move on to the next stage. As a producer you had to put the brakes on because every time you asked him a question, he’d come back with ‘I can do that, now give me something more’. It was so tempting and he could have been a horse that was rushed and ruined in his early days.”
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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.
