Welcome to the ninth weekly episode of The Horse & Hound Podcast, in which we chat to Olympic dressage rider Spencer Wilton about his Rio memories, putting his Tokyo hopeful ‘on ice’ for a year and his exciting new yard; our news team talk about calls for a review of FEI blood rules, a spike in lorry breakdowns, and staying safe on beach rides; while vet Ricky Farr MRCVS explains why tetanus remains as big a threat to horses now as ever
Episode nine 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 nine, British Olympic dressage rider Spencer Wilton shares his special Rio memories with our dressage editor Polly Bryan. Spencer reflects on how it felt to receive the call confirming he was included on the team heading to Rio, the moments he will never forget from the Games, how he’s dealt with Tokyo being postponed and the highs and lows of moving to an exciting new yard with his husband Darren Hicks.
“The first time I saw Usain Bolt was quite a moment – he’s physically quite an imposing person, but he had this amazing aura about him” – Spencer Wilton
Pippa is joined by news editor Eleanor Jones, senior news writer Lucy Elder and news writer Becky Murray to chat about this week’s top stories including calls for the FEI to review its blood rules following a recent appeal by a top rider, why horsebox owners are being warned to check their lorries before heading out after lockdown, and the steps rider need to follow to stay safe if they are intending to head out for a beach ride this summer.
“This is a warning for people who are doing the right things [when riding on the beach] – it’s still a risky place to be” – Lucy Elder
We also hear from equine vet Ricky Farr MRCVS of Farr & Pursey Equine, who this week is talking about why horses are at much higher risk of tetanus than humans and explains that it is a serious condition that should not be underestimated.
“Owners think I’ve never seen a case so why do I need to vaccinate against it? But for £20 to £30, you could be saving yourself several thousands pounds in hospitalisation costs, so it’s a bit of a nobrainer” – 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.
