Category: News

Riders battle it out for their HOYS Wild Card HOYS Wild Card, the competition heats up! For many riders, the British Showjumping National Championships and Stoneleigh Horse Show, which takes place this week 9th – 14th August, is one of their last chances to qualify for Horse of the Year Show with three HOYS Wild Cards up for grabs. The allocation of Wild Cards will be decided on the Sunday afternoon after the International Stairway Final. The Wild Cards will be awarded to the following: one to the winner of…

The world’s best equine athletes at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Deodoro are now poised to help their human companions win medals for eventing, dressage and showjumping, and as they focus on the prize, they have access to a hi-tech veterinary facility like no other. Located at the Deodoro stables, the 1,000 sq metre horse clinic features everything needed to keep over 200 horses from 43 countries fit and well throughout the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Specialists are ready to care for every need around the clock. The clinic will…

William Fox-Pitt remains in the lead as Eventing dressage phase concludes in Rio Day two of the eventing competition, the second day of dressage at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games got underway this morning and with it welcomed the second half of the British team, Pippa Funnell and Kitty King to the arena. On a day of great competition, Britain’s William Fox-Pitt with Christopher Stone’s Chilli Morning, remain in the lead heading into tomorrow’s cross-country phase. With fellow team-mate William holding the overnight lead after a great performance yesterday and…

Miracle Man William Fox-Pitt leads after day one in Olympic Eventing in Rio It’s not everyone’s idea of the perfect rehab for a serious head injury, but Britain’s William Fox-Pitt defied all the odds to take the early lead as Olympic Eventing got underway at the Deodoro Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) today. Riding the 16-year-old stallion, Chilli Morning, the man who spent two weeks in a coma after a fall while competing in France last October produced a great score of 37.00 in the opening dressage phase…

Horse Trailer Transformed into Old Bean Photo Booth Old Bean Photo Booth the latest in equestrian innovation …  Photobooths, based in the West Midlands have completed the transformation of a traditional Rice Richardson horsebox into a fully functioning Photo Booth, on behalf of passionate horse enthusiast Gemima Brettell from Telford, Shropshire. Gemima purchased the tired Rice Richardson with the entrepreneurial view of creating something different for outdoor events, and the Photo Booth concept was top of her list. Over the past three months, what was a worn horsebox has undergone…

Wocket Woy Set to Thrill at BETA 2017 Facebook phenomenon Wocket Woy is set to thrill BETA International visitors, with professional jump jockeys “Batch”, Mattie Batchelor, and the “Pwoducer”, Marc Goldstein, set to appear at the 2017 show, where they will take part in interviews, awards and activities on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 January. “This is a tremendous coup for the trade fair,” said BETA International organiser Claire Thomas. “The Wocket Woy team has attracted a huge following throughout the equestrian world and we can’t wait to welcome Mattie…

Rio Olympics 2016 Equestrian coverage guide The highly anticipated Rio 2016 Olympic games is nearly upon us, with 16 days of what promises to be a sensational showcase of sporting talent, from 205 different nations. The games will commence on Friday the 5th of August with a vibrant and electrifying opening ceremony, which will certainly exhilarate everybody’s taste buds for Olympic fever to take hold once again. The BBC will be broadcasting live every day on BBC1 and BBC 4, from 1pm to 3am as well as their being up…

All five Russian equestrian  athletes cleared to compete at Rio 2016 The FEI has today received confirmation from the IOC that all five Russian equestrian athletes have been cleared to compete at the Olympic Games in Rio. The news comes following a detailed submission by the FEI, including confirmation that all five had no previous anti-doping rule violations. The five Russian equestrian athletes that are now cleared to compete in Rio are: Eventing: – Aleksandr Markov and the horse Kurfurstin; Andrey Mitin with Gurza; and Evgeniya Ovchinnikova and Orion. Dressage:…

BETA Launch Photograph Competition for 2017 Calendar The British Equestrian Trade Association (beTA) is encouraging everyone to get snap happy and  send in a photograph for the 2017 BETA Calendar Photograph Competition. All entries should fit the theme “My Horsey Day” and the top 12 will be chosen to grace the pages of this colourful, slimline calendar. The lucky photographer with the image judged “best in show” will be presented with a fantastic gift hamper for their efforts. All images should be supplied in a digital format – minimum size…

Can Britain’s golden couple do it again?  Rio Olympics Dressage Special – By Louise Parkes You could hardly have scripted it better when Great Britain’s Dressage riders scooped Olympic team gold on home turf at the London 2012 Olympic Games in Greenwich Park. A day after their jumpers topped the team podium for the first time in 60 years it was the turn of Carl Hester, Laura Bechtolsheimer and Charlotte Dujardin to bring spectators to their feet in celebration of the first-ever British Dressage medals in the history of the…

Blue Chip Welcomes Nathalie Kayal to Sponsored Rider Team It is with great pleasure that here at Blue Chip feed, we are able to welcome the very talented, Nathalie Kayal as the newest member of our sponsored rider team. Buckinghamshire based Nathalie has successfully trained and competed her string of horses up to small tour level and aims to continue up the levels and be selected for more international competitions throughout 2016. Her current horses include the spectacular DHI Homerun, who she hopes to compete at Medium Tour level this…

Olympic Eventing: This Jung man could be very hard to beat By Louise Parkes Michael Jung – the legend, the man to beat… Olympic Eventing Some say that if you sent him cross-country wearing a blindfold and facing backwards on his horse that Germany’s Michael Jung could still bring home Olympic gold. The most phenomenal rider of the modern sport is the man they will all have to beat when the Eventing discipline of the XXXl Olympiad gets underway at the Olympic Equestrian Venue in Deodoro in Rio de Janeiro (BRA)…

Billy Twomey Wins the Longines King George V Gold Cup Ireland’s Billy Twomey crowned a fantastic week at the Longines Royal International Horse Show, claiming first prize in the €200,000 Longines King George V Gold Cup. It was an enthralling renewal of the historic class, with 48 of the world’s top riders coming forward to do battle for the feature Grand Prix class of the show. A total of 13 riders went clear over Kelvin Bywater’s track in the first round, including British hopes Anna Power and Tim Stockdale. The…

New International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses unveiled A new international forum that will bring together the official and national operations based around the world that facilitate and promote the retraining of racehorses has been formally unveiled at the ‘Lifetime Care for Thoroughbreds: Godolphin Forum’ in Newmarket, United Kingdom. The International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) will include representatives from Australia, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan and the United States. Di Arbuthnot, Chief Executive of the leading equine charity, Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), introduced the concept for…

How do horses get to the Rio Olympic Games? By plane of course! The first group of Olympic horses departed from London Stansted Airport (GBR) on  29 July on a special cargo plane bound for Rio 2016, marking the start of the Olympic dream for the world’s best equine athletes. With 34 horses from 10 nations on board, the equine cargo worth multiple millions, was loaded into customized pallets for the almost 12-hour flight aboard an Emirates SkyCargo Boeing 777-F which was organised by Peden Bloodstock left the UK at…

Victoria Bax Blog – A Sore Ankle Hinders Play Courtesy of Victoria’s sponsors Aloeride www.aloeride.com & Golly Galoshes www.gollygaloshes.com So with not much practice or training due to my previous ankle injury, I strapped it up and we headed off to Brightling Park at the beginning of July with Alberta’s Rose and Alberta’s Pride.  I was a little apprehensive due to the lack of riding I had done but also so desperate to get out competing again. This was to be Alberta’s Pride’s first BE event so I wanted to finish with…

Touchdown! First Olympic horses arrive in Rio de Janeiro! The first Olympic horses are settling into their athletes’ village today – the new-build stables at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Deodoro – with Team New Zealand’s Ringwood Skyboy winning the opening heat of the Rio 2016 Games to be the first to set foot on Brazilian soil.   It’s not just the human athletes that are flying into Brazil for Rio 2016. The Olympic horses touched down at Rio de Janeiro Galeão International Airport just before midnight last night after…

Blenheim Palace Horse Trials 2016 Entries open next week Entries for the principal classes at Blenheim Palace Horse Trials open next week on Friday, 5 August. This year Blenheim Palace Horse Trials (8th-11th September) boasts THREE three-star international classes – the CCI3*, the prestigious CIC3* for eight- and nine-year-old horses, and the final leg of Event Rider Masters series, also held at CIC3* level. All entries should be made by visiting www.bdwp.co.uk/ble. Please note that while accepted entries for the CCI3* and CIC3* 8/9yo classes will be announced 48hr after the…

Holly Smith continues the honeymoon at Hickstead Holly Smith (née Gillott) was on winning form once again at Hickstead, winning a prestigious class at the Longines Royal International Horse Show (27-31 July). Riding Quality Old Joker, an eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse, Holly Smith claimed the Winter Grades B & C Championship in the International Arena. Nine combinations made it through to the jump-off, with Holly going third from last. A well-judged round by the Leicestershire-based rider saw her knock nearly 3sec off first-drawn Adrian Whiteway’s time. “He’s 17.3hh and big with…

David Britnell Blog July 2016 Courtesy of David Britnell’s sponsor, Timothy Foxx  www.timothyfoxx.co.uk This month, David has had a busy time since his last blog, including Pony club Area competitions, passing an important exam and an amazing time at Barbury International Horse Trials… On the 16th of June I travelled to Warwickshire College to sit the prestigious British Horse Society Senior Equitation Exam. Finished at 12 noon, as one of only two candidates, I certainly felt that I had been put through my paces. Essentially you get given lots of strange…

Vicky Mitson & Royal Gent win a third HOYS qualifier Vicky Mitson has been on winning form this season and has followed up a series of significant successes with another 1st place at last weekend’s Royal Welsh Show. Vicky rode her own 12-year-old Irish Sports Horse gelding, Royal Gent (Buster) in the Lightweight Working Hunter. Now in their 4th competition season together, the partnership have recently also won at Devon County and Royal Norfolk, both also HOYS qualifiers. “It’s always a great feeling winning any HOYS qualifier but to win…

Bringing on a foal can be an exciting, yet nerve-racking experience. In this article, we take a look at crucial steps to take from leading, to bathing and grooming. The upbringing of young horses to training them to be ridden is a complicated and ongoing challenge. However, this challenge is well worth it when the end result is achieved and you are able to see the result of all the hard work you have put in. From the day your foal arrives and during the first few weeks of his…