Anna Ross on the ethics of the 2021 Games, and remote teaching anecdotes
Dry January is over, thank goodness, the da odils are coming out and I’m counting the days until spring. As the vaccine works its way through the population, we are starting to see a faint light at the end of the tunnel.
In the equestrian community, we have been so fortunate to have horses throughout this pandemic, with all the mental health benefits of spending time outside in nature and being surrounded by animals.
The ultimate formula for happiness is widely regarded as having something to love, something to do and something to look forward to. Horses bring us all of these.
A tough issue
The question of the Tokyo Olympics going ahead in July is a really tough one. Just because we could, does it mean we should? There are so many support staff needed for every athlete, the Olympic village employs an enormous number of people and the mixing from all over the world at a time when the pandemic is so rife seems such a risk.
I am involved in the Olympics in several capacities for different nations, and I would love to go if protocols can make it safe. However, it wouldn’t sit well with me if it was the case that I might be given the vaccine ahead of somebody more vulnerable in order to facilitate my attendance.
Maybe the more low-key European Championships, set to be hosted in Hagen, Germany, is a more appropriate option for this year. The venue is well versed in Covid-safe protocols, it would be a wonderful competition due to the quality of the field and it could be made widely available to watch.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Behind the scenes, virtual tours of the stables and interviews with competitors and support staff could give it a very special feel.
Adapt, improvise, overcome
“Smart people learn from everything and everyone, average people from their experiences, stupid people already have all the answers,” said Socrates, allegedly.
Being determined to be in the first of these categories, I have fully embraced the Wonderful World of Winter Webinars. There is no excuse to be ill-educated in corona-time, and I’ve particularly enjoyed The Horse & Hound Podcast and Gillian Higgins’ Horses Inside Out.
Some of our young professionals have made their own excellent content, too, and for a bit of light relief, Equidance has been running a series of Friday night interviews with a fun party feel.
During the pandemic most things are different, but Zoom lessons are proving a huge success.
But online teaching has brought with it a whole new dimension, which my British Horse Society exams certainly did not prepare me for, regarding the placement
of a rider’s audio handset. Is it appropriate for a remote trainer to be virtually shoved down someone’s sports bra or stuffed into a sandwich box?
While coaching from afar I have been lost down someone’s breeches, virtually fallen off and witnessed several rows between usually happily married couples, one of which ended in the phone (and therefore me) being chucked across the arena and left there while the battle raged.
Where children are involved it’s even more entertaining – an unforgettable session where a baby ate a sock during the mother’s leg yield. The ensuing carnage will stick in my mind for some time.
Then there was the time spent with a videographer aged under nine who, bribed with an abundance of E numbers, worked out how to make a goldfish effect come up over the screen during a training session, but not how to switch it off again.
“Adapt, improvise and overcome” has to be the mantra in these most testing of times. Luckily, those of us who are surrounded by animals are used to having curveballs thrown at us – we all just have to keep on catching as many as we can.
Laura reveals how she juggles being a mother and competing at the top of her sport
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
Anna is an international grand prix dressage rider and freelance trainer, who has represented Britain at the European championships. A trainer for a number of top event riders, Anna has often assisted us with our H&H Live service during the dressage phase from Badminton and Badminton. A regular Horse & Hound columnist, you can read Anna’s views in the magazine or H&H Plus members can view them online below. Find out how to join H&H Plus
