1. RSPCA pony wins national title
When Theo Charnley starting riding during lockdown, few would have anticipated that three years later he would become a national dressage champion riding a pony his family rehomed unbacked from the RSPCA. Theo and RSPCA George won the intro dressage title at the SEIB Trailblazers Championships at Addington Equestrian with a final-test score of 83.04%. Theo’s father Paul told H&H: “It was lovely that Theo was the first – and only – person on George, and he’s done all the work. He’d never been involved with ponies, but he’s taken to it like a duck to water.”
2. A dream stable yard
The 11-year-old Guestlist, who came from Tim Wilks, coming out of the indoor school at Tim’s stables in Unex House near Newmarket in Suffolk.
Horse & Hound recently visited top showjumper Tim Gredley to hear all about his return to the top of the sport and find out more about his fantastic string of horses, life on the road with a young family, and how he’s set out to attract some much-needed investment into British horsepower. We were also treated to a look around his impressive Unex House stables near Newmarket in Suffolk, which are something to behold
See more pictures of Tim’s beautiful stables
3. Double bridles
The debate about whether double bridles should remain compulsory in international grand prix dressage competitions has taken a further turn with the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) writing an open letter to the FEI. ISES, which is leading equine research support body that promotes equine welfare by improving horse and human interactions through research and using evidence-based practices, has said riders should be given the option to use a snaffle bridle instead of a double in all international dressage. Their reasoning comes from their support of the “precautionary principle” – this means considering the possibility of harm when conclusive evidence is not yet available.
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