Category: horse News

Chaos and Cancellations at World Equestrian Games Competition The Meydan-sponspored endurance competition, held at the World Equestrian Games in Tyron has been cancelled due to weather conditions becoming an “unacceptable risk” to horse welfare. The unanimous decision to cancel the event was agreed by the President of the Ground Jury, Technical Delegate, the President of the Veterinary Committee and the Organising Committee. The decision also falls in line with the FEI Code of Conduct for The Welfare of the Horse which states; Competitions must not take place in extreme weather…

British Rider Withdraws From World Equestrian Games British endurance rider, Rachel Atkinson and her ride Tannasg Psyches Realm have withdrawn from the Meydan Endurance competition at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Tyron, North Carolina. The 10-year old gelding was withdrawn from the competition, before the vetting, due to the diagnosis of a hoof abscess. A spokes-person, for the British Endurance Squad, explained; Despite fantastic rider and squad management efforts, Tannasg Psyches Realm has had to be withdrawn pre-competition due to a very frustrating foot abscess. Rachael and the squad…

Hurricane Florence Threatens Delay to World Equestrian Games Last night (11th September) at 11:15pm, a press conference was held to discuss the plan regarding the World Equestrian Games (WEG) and the impending weather due to Hurricane Florence. The hurricane is set to hit the east coast of the USA on Friday, with parts of the WEG hosting state already being evacuated. Sharon Decker, Chief Operating Officer at Tyron International Equestrian Centre (TIEC), and Sabrina Ibanez, FEI Secretary General, hosted the press conference and reassured that they have a “robust plan”…

Image used for illustration purposes only and does not reflect actual accommodation offered.   Uproar Over The World Equestrian Games Offering Grooms Dormitory Style Tents As horses and their grooms arrive at The World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Tyron, they found that the accommodation promised comprised of dormitory-style tents, with rows of bunk-beds. The founder, managing partner and chief executive officer of Equestrian Sport Productions, the company which runs the venue of the WEG this year, Mark Bellisimo, stated the demand was “underestimated”. Bellisimo issued a statement as complaints were being…

Riding for the Disabled Association Search for more Horse Riding Schools The Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) is searching for more horse riding schools within the West Midlands that are able and willing to offer additional services for disabled riders. The aim is to encourage more riding schools to join the charity to make horse riding, for disabled adults and children, more accessible. In addition to the search, the RDA is also aiming to recruit commercial equestrian centres to join the Accessibility Mark scheme, that was launched in conjunction with the British Equestrian…

NEW Pony Sprenger Bits New pony Sprenger bits to launch before the end of 2018! German bit manufacturer, Sprenger, has announced the launch of their NEW range of pony bits due to demand from the younger rider. Already an equestrian favourite, the Sprenger bits are recognised and used by top riders such as Charlotte Dujardin CBE and Carl Hester MBE. The new pony Sprenger Bit range will include; the Bemelmans Weymouth and HO-Weymouth, Dynamic RS and Turnado – single jointed loose ring snaffles; the Dynamic RS – single jointed and…

Weather Emergency Declared Ahead of the FEI World Equestrian Games A state of emergency has been declared by North Carolina State, the state hosting the World Equestrian Games (WEG), as a hurricane approaches. Storm Florence has already been upgraded from tropical storm to hurricane status over the past day. The upgraded status of the storm was a measure put in place by the North Carolina Governor, Roy Cooper, as the storm is forecast to gain in strength. Cooper explained; While it’s still too early to know the storm’s path, we know…

Celebrate in Style this New Year What better way to see in the new year than with your family at the same time as enjoying top international showjumping, live music, shopping, champagne and entertainment set to make it a night to remember? Well we’re here to tell you it’s possible, all thanks to the Liverpool International Horse Show (LIHS). Running for the fourth year, LIHS will again assist in a spectacular new year celebration you’ll be talking about for years. Set on the Liverpool waterfront, the show takes place between 28…

Ben Maher Scoops 2018 LGCT Title Ben Maher and his ride have scooped the 2018 LGCT Title during a thrilling finale in Rome’s blistering heat. The Olympic Gold medallist and horse, Explosion W, have been dubbed as one of the most phenomenal combinations in show jumping following their win of the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of 2018 as well as taking the overall Championship title. Ben and the extraordinary nine year old Expolsion W, owned by Poden Fsrms’, have this season dominated the individual championship. Ben and the…

With safety in mind Opal Equestrian have created a new and unique LED Hi-Vis Gilet. The item is an advanced update for safety wear in the UK and has been designed to help keep you and your horse visible on the roads. Rechargeable LED lights for up to 8.5 hours of life Comfortable and stylish the gilets unique design combines Hi-Vis fabric, reflective strips and LED lights front and back. The LED lights can be set to on, fast flash, slow flash and off. They have an 8.5 hour running…

Lions Lead Ahead of Game-Changing GCL Rome Prague Lions’ Peder Fredricson and Anna Kellnerova roared to pole position in a high drama GCL Rome first round, with the Championship ranking set for a potential shakeup ahead of the finals in Doha. The ferocious title battle between ranking leaders London Knights and Valkenswaard United took a dramatically unexpected turn, after United scored one of their worst results of the season, handing the advantage to their scarlet-coated rivals. With all teams looking to the GC Playoffs and the all-important GCL Super Cup,…

Durham Based Showjumper Scoops Eight Entries to the 2018 Horse of the Year Show A Durham-based showjumper has enjoyed a clean sweep after becoming the only competitor to gain eight entries to the 2018 Horse of the Year Show. Annabel Shields, and Robert Shields’ mare Gerona confirmed thier potential by qualifying for the Equitop Myoplast Senior Foxhunter and Talent Seekers inc. 7 Year Old Championship on her first attempt. Annabel also qualified for the British Horse Feeds Speedi-Beet HOYS Grade C Championship. Gerona is the known as the “princess” of the yard and is…

Jack Whitaker Selected for Youth Olympic Games Jack Whitaker has been selected to represent Team GBR at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Bueno Aires, Argentina. Jack, 16, is the son of Olympic equestrian rider Micheal Whitaker and will take part in the games on a borrowed horse. Athletes taking part in the equestrian event at the Youth Olympics will be introduced to their horse 4 days before the competition begins. Horses used in the competition will have been carefully selected by an expert group before their assigning riders. The team…

Registration Opens For BEF’s Podium Potential Pathway Programme Registration is now open for the British Equestrian Federation’s World Class Programme Podium Potential Pathway 2019-2021 squad. The squad is funded by the UK Sport National Lottery and Sport England and is the first stage of the BEF’s Equestrian Performance Pathway. Recent revision of the Equestrian Performance Pathway saw the Podium Potential Pathway Programme replace the previous Excel Talent Programme. Applications for the squad are open to under 25’s as the programme “looks to identify, support and develop athletes who demonstrate the…

Body Protector Standard Update The British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) have confirmed that a standard of body protector will be available to buy from 1st October. Although introducing the new standard of body protector, BETA is still advising governing bodies and organisations to accept the older BETA 2009 and will for the “foreseeable future”. Most organisations have only just updated their rules to only accept body protectors of BETA 2009 standard or later, BETA 2000 logos being out-of-date. Governing bodies such as the British Riding Club, British Eventing and the…

The Horse Bettors Forum (HBF) is inviting applications from the betting community to replace members leaving their posts, refreshing its membership. The HBF are recruiting by merit and would like its membership to be broad and diverse, representing the inclusivity of betting. The HBF was established in 2015, with assistance from the British Horseracing Authority – to understand the views of the people who bet on British horse racing which launched a diversity plan and to represent these views to racing and betting governing bodies. Nine members make up the…

Last Minute Switch Up to The Irish WEG Team Three Irish riders have been called upon to ride at the World Equestrian Games (WEG). Shane Breen with Ipswich Van De Wolfsakker is replacing Darragh Kenny with Babalou 41, in the Irish Showjumping Team. The replacement comes after the mare, Babalou 41, ridden by Kenny and owned by Jack Synder, underwent colic surgery on Friday (31st August). Babalou is reportedly doing well within her recovery. Micheal Duffy and EFS Top Contender now take the place as the travel reserve for the Irish…

World’s biggest equine airlift for FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018 Today’s Flight Statistics Today’s flight time: eight hours 50 minutesHorses from 13 countries: – Austria, Belgium, Bahrain, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Oman, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden.In-flight temperature: 14-17° Celsius The largest commercial airlift of horses ever undertaken in the history of horse sport has begun ahead of the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018, which get underway in North Carolina (USA) on 11 September. The first 67 of a total 550 supremely fit airborne equine athletes have now…

Shane Breen Takes Fourth Win on Home Ground Shane Breen (IRL) finished a superb Hickstead season in style when claiming the £6,000 All England Grand Prix last weekend, with the nine-year-old stallion Clyde VA. A total of 74 starters came forward for the Grand Prix, which is the feature class of this four-day national championships. A total of eight combinations jumped clear in the first round. First to go was Breen Equestrian stable jockey Georgia Tame, who set a target of 48.30sec, but next to go Shane managed to shave…

An Overwhelmed Tim Price Finally Achieves his Dream By Andy Baber, Sportsbeat TIM Price admitted he was overwhelmed with emotions after finally achieving his dream of winning the 2018 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in a thrilling finale. The New Zealander and Ringwood Sky Boy broke their duck at the four-star event as they pipped defending champions Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class to top spot. Having led overnight after the cross-country, Price jumped clear with the 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding to take the title at Burghley House, near Stamford.…

PJ Casey Wins Supreme Hunter Championship Royal Dublin Horse Show Supported by TopSpec, the prestigious Hunter Championships at the Royal Dublin Horse Show brought together the very best light, middle and heavyweight hunters to vie for the major honours over the show. Winning the Supreme Championship was the culmination of a day of outstanding results for showman, PJ Casey . PJ captured the Middleweight Hunter five-year -ld class on Kingston Pique and Heavyweight four-year-old class riding Greenhall Will i Am before going on to ride Somerville the lovely four-year-old lightweight, bay gelding to take the overall honours. Somerville…

Covalliero Hits the UK Just in Time for Autumn Leading Equestrian Fashion and Lifestyle Label Hits the UK Affordable Range of outdoor wear Available thanks to the distributors of Zebra Products COVALLIERO, the leading equestrian fashion and lifestyle label from Germany is now available in the UK and looks set to be a huge hit. From the Albert Kerbl portfolio, Covalliero brings a fresh new approach for all those horse owners and fans wanting a stylish, good value collection and has been brought to the UK thanks to well-known distributors…

Japan Gallop Away Victorious in 18TH Asian Games Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait also steal the limelight By Louise Parkes All-gold in Eventing, along with victory in Team Dressage and the silver medal spot in Team Jumping, ensured Japan was the nation with the most wins in the equestrian events of the 18th Asian Games 2018 which concluded yesterday in Jakarta – Palembang, Indonesia. Held every four years in the middle of the Olympic cycle, the Asiads, as the Games are also known, is the biggest sporting event in…

LGCT Championship race hots up with 8 out of Top 10 in Rome 2018 Longines Global Champions Tour – 15th Leg The 15th leg on the 2018 Longines Global Champions Tour calendar sees eight out of the top ten in the LGCT ranking head to Italy’s capital city of Rome. With the championship pressure intensifying, and anticipation mounting, Rome marks the penultimate leg of the 2018 season fight. All eyes look towards the all-important finals in Doha, Qatar. With just two places remaining for the GC Playoffs and the prestigious…