A horse and rider with a combined age of 94 are leading three showjumping leagues. Maggie Richardson, 70, and her 24-year-old mare Black Beauty’s Quest (BB) are thriving and delight in beating the youngsters. “I have to pinch myself. I think ‘How on earth did I get to this?’ There is no stopping BB and I can’t believe what I’m doing. A lot of people say because of my age, ‘You’re amazing, you do so well’, but I can only put it down to my good health that I can still do what I’m doing – and I’ve got an unbelievable little mare,” said Maggie.
Anna Ross shares her thoughts on young horses, good horsemanship and the future of tack, in her exclusive H&H column this week. “We’ll need to find a new normal with the noseband measuring device coming in soon,” says Anna. “I’m a fan of the gadget – it’s fair for everyone and removes ambiguity. Riders have received yellow cards for nosebands being too tight when they’ve been fitted in the same way throughout the season, so this offers much-needed clarity.”
A young thoroughbred mare who had been so badly crushed and trampled in an overloaded lorry that the driver thought she was dead has made an incredible recovery. No one has been found responsible for Glorious and she has been signed into Redwings’ permanent care. “The fact that Glorious survived what happened to her is a miracle and her recovery is testament to the efforts of Redwings’ vet team who used our years of experience working with frightened, painful horses, treating very complex wounds, to bring her back to health,” said Nic De Brauwere, Redwings head of welfare and behaviour.
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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.
