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This time last week I returned from a very welcome break to the Canaries to find a sport in the most peculiar time warp. Jim Best and the BHA were at loggerheads over the allegations around the former’s conduct, just as they both had been for seemingly years; Cue Card was winning a Grade-1 staying […]
This year, not one but two equestrian athletes have made it to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist: Olympic individual-gold medallist Nick Skelton and eight-time Paralympic gold medallist Sophie Christiansen. Both With 2016 having seen so many triumphs for British sport, however, the two riders face stiff competition for the prestigious accolade. The […]
Choosing a saddle can be a minefield and is not something that should be undertaken without expert advice. Saddle fitter Debbie Richardson tells Julie Harding how, by enlisting the services of a qualified professional, you can actually save yourself money and avoid pitfalls. Fit for the job There are several ways that you can find […]
What a remarkable year Nick Skelton has had. After narrowly missing out on an individual medal at the London Olympics in 2012 and, later, Big Star’ injuries cast a doubt over the combination’s presence at Rio 2016, the Warwickshire rider not only made it to the Olympics but managed to win Britain’s first ever individual […]
For the first time ever, the Royal International pony supreme title has been awarded to a coloured contender. Lucinda Farmborough’s Tambrook My Destiny, who claimed the overall coloured title this summer, was voted in as the new supreme at the Showtime Ball, held last Saturday at Hickstead, West Sussex, home of the Royal International. Golden […]
Nick Skelton added one more accolade to his extraordinary bounty when he was named Best Athlete at the FEI Awards on Tuesday, 22 November. Held at the Park Tower Hotel in Tokyo, the 2016 edition of the FEI’s annual awards celebrated “the outstanding work” of talented equestrian athletes and the people who support them. This […]
Did the supreme horsemanship of the Iberian warriors and their magnificent mounts give rise to the myth of the centaur, half man, half horse? In ancient times, the Lusitano horses were known as the Sons of the Wind, and as Arsenio Raposo Cordeiro says in his book of the same name: “The perfect bond between […]
Much of what makes horses attractive — their strength, power and a mind of their own — also makes taking great photos of horses very tough. From tender moments between horse and owner to action shots of horses competing or galloping in nature, it is a wonderful thing to be able to capture the elegance […]
The Olympia Horse Show has released a video celebrating Valegro and his exceptional achievements. Valegro, A Horse in a Million looks back at the gelding’s glittering career through interviews with Charlotte Dujardin, Carl Hester, groom Alan Davies and Claire Balding, among others. It is a fitting tribute to a horse for whom Olympia has always […]
On the harsh lunar landscape of Ireland’s Connemara coast, where a misstep would mean crashing to certain death on the rocks below, the country’s native ponies learned the sure-footed agility that would later make them superb hunters. These creatures were hardy, too, eking out a living from the bogs and desolate moorland. It is thought […]