British five-star event rider Bubby Upton is back in the saddle following spinal surgery. The seven-time under-21 medallist was injured in an accident riding on the flat in August, which led to a complete burst fracture of vertebra L3 and a horizontal fracture of L2. She had six hours of surgery to stabilise the spine, decompress the vertebrae and fuse L3. “I never needed confirmation of the love I have for what I do, but when it’s temporarily taken away from you and for a time you don’t know if you’ll ever get to experience it again, it definitely made me miss it and love it more than I thought was ever possible,” said the 24-year-old.
In this week’s exclusive H&H column, rider Anna Ross welcomes news of new dressage tests, which are set to be introduced in July 2024. “I’m looking forward to these, as some of the current tests were in use at the start of my career,” said Anna. “I’m pleased to hear some will have the paces mark co-efficient reduced as collective marks make no sense to me, equating to double counting, and were dropped by the FEI years ago. I’m also glad the number of tests is going to be capped at six per level – the system needed simplifying.”
Redwings Horse Sanctuary has released video of its horses during Bonfire Night celebrations to show the distress fireworks can cause. The equine welfare charity shared the footage taken on 5 November, of frightened ponies galloping about, as it calls on people to contact their MPs to ask for a review of firework legislation. Three Redwings ponies have died in recent years as a result of fireworks’ being set off near the charity’s centres. Redwings chief executive Lynn Cutress said: “We are grateful to our neighbours who let us know about firework displays nearby but as you can see from this footage, which clearly shows the distress caused to our horses from firework displays, it isn’t enough.” She added that with many fireworks displays rearranged due to wet weather this year, the charity is “very concerned that the awful impact on animals is going to be prolonged”.
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
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.
