Welcome to the 10th weekly episode of The Horse & Hound Podcast, in which we chat to top British showjumper William Whitaker about being based back in Britain, what Olympia means to him, the special horses of his career to date and his plans for the future; our news team talk about the Covid-19 rules in place at international shows plus why some owners need to rethink what’s best for their horses welfare and the countdown to new equine ID rules; while vet Ricky Farr MRCVS explains why hard ground causes so many problems for horses and what owners can do to help avoid problems.
Episode 10 of The Horse & Hound Podcast, our exciting new audio service available exclusively every Thursday morning for our H&H Plus subscribers, is now live. We would love to hear your feedback on this week’s episode, so please do send your thoughts to pippa.roome@futurenet.com
In an exciting development, we have decided, for a limited time, to make each episode available for all H&H fans to listen to 24hrs after its early release to our H&H Plus members. Search for “The Horse & Hound Podcast” in your prefered podcast app and click subscribe to be notified about each new episode. This will allow more listeners to make The Horse & Hound Podcast an essential part of their week on Friday morning.
In episode 10, top British showjumper William Whitaker shares some special memories from his career with our podcast host and magazine editor Pippa Roome. William reflects on what it’s like to be based back in Britain after spending a number of years working abroad, his new found appreciation for teachers after home schooling his children during lockdown, why Olympia holds such a special place in his heart, some of the most special horses he’s ridden during his career and shares his plans are for the future.
“It was our family Christmas treat every year when we were kids to go to Olympia – as soon as we’d left the year before, I’d look forward to the year after” – William Whitaker
Pippa is joined by news editor Eleanor Jones and news writer Becky Murray to chat about this week’s top stories including why an Olympic legend is calling for riders to step up and share the responsibility to keep everyone safe at international shows and what actions have been put in place to help. Also under discussion are fresh calls for owners to ask themselves if their stabling and turnout facilities are ideal for their horses’ mental and physical wellbeing, plus all you need to know about the new rules on microchips and registering horses with the Central Equine Database.
“It is everyone’s responsibility. Thinking about here in Britain, if we don’t act responsibly and follow the Covid-19 guidance, we can’t expect shows to remain open to us. As individuals we all have to do our bit” – Becky Murray
We also hear from equine vet Ricky Farr MRCVS of Farr & Pursey Equine, who this week is talking about the risks of riding on hard ground and what owners can do to protect their horses from the negative results.
“Consider the biomechanics that are going on. There are massive amounts of concussion when riding on hard ground and that will have repercussions at some point” – Ricky Farr, MRCVS
We hope you will enjoy it.
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Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.
