1. A tiny rider in flying form
Nine-year-old Poppy Dorise beat riders up to five years older than her when jumping fences she could not see over when she walked the course to take the 138cm Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifier at Arena UK (Sunday 21 May) on board 20-year-old Lissduff Royal. What makes her achievement all the more impressive is that Poppy still has three years left to compete 128cm ponies. Riders have until the end of the year they turn 14 to jump 138s, giving Poppy five more years in that class.
2. A winning debut aged 83
We take our hats off to Otto van der Wyck, who won on his dressage debut at the age of 83. Riding 11-year-old Ries’ Castore (Casper), Mr van der Wych scored 62.76% at Crofton Manor to win the elementary gold section at his first ever dressage show. The veteran rider, who rode as a teenager then took a break until he was in his 50s, said there was “room for improvement” and that his aim is to compete at prix st georges. We look forward to following his progress.
3. A missing donkey foal
Police and the devastated owners of a two-month-old donkey have made renewed appeals for information after a possible sighting of the foal. Tiny Moon was stolen from the field where she was with her mother at Miller’s Ark Animals, Blackstock Lane, Hook, Hampshire on the afternoon of Monday, 15 May. The police received a report of a donkey foal seen in a back of a blue estate car at about 3pm on the day the foal went missing. Anyone with information should call police on 101, quoting reference 44230191581.
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