Category: horse News

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) have undertaken a project that seeks to improve the understanding of retraining and rehoming former racehorses, and they are calling for owners and ex-owners of retrained racehorses to help! Owners are invited to take part in an online survey to divulge their experiences of taking on a former racehorse, with researchers aiming to secure at least 500 respondents over the course of the next month. The Life After Racing project survey forms part of the RVC’s wider ‘Life After Racing’ project, which outlines the the…

British Dressage has introduced the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative into equestrian sport, enabling riders with non-visible disabilities or conditions to voluntarily share their status. Forming part of a worldwide campaign to increase awareness of hidden disabilities, those choosing to wear the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, are suggesting they may need more time to understand procedures or perhaps require a helping hand in day-to-day tasks that others may not.  The Sunflower can be displayed in a number of different forms, depending on the preference of the user, including as a lanyard, lapel…

A Physiotherapy student from South Gloucestershire has issued a stark warning to others who are studying to make sure courses undertaken are regulated by industry bodies relevant to the profession. Katie (Kate) Nicols, 45, is planning to set up a practice in Veterinary Physiotherapy after having a career epiphany following the tragic early deaths of her mother and father. As a result, the commercial manager enrolled on a course where she was planning to qualify in the subject so that she could help rehabilitate animals following injury or surgery.  However, as…

William Funnell became the first five-time winner of the Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby at Hickstead today (Sunday, 23 June), following a masterclass display of jumping with Dublon. The Surrey-based showjumper had come close to beating the record 12 months ago when he produced clear rounds on both Dublon and Equine America Billy Diamo, only to miss out to David Simpson and Pjotr Van De Kruishoeve in a jump-off.           This year’s competition also ended up with a three-way jump-off after Funnell, William Whitaker (Flamboyant) and Brazil’s Carlos Ribas (Juan Van’t Arkelhof)…

Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque (Zandor Z x Kannan GFE x Quick Star) were the top US rider/horse pairs in CSIO 5* in Rome and La Baule in France. In a true test of stamina, Karl and Caracole jumped eight 1.6M rounds over 19 days in 2 Nations Cups and 2 Grand Prix’s each week at the maximum height of 1.6M for 8 rounds, 122 individual jumps, and only two rails fell. This level of consistency, stamina and soundness hasn’t been recorded since the 1996 Olympic Year of…

Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI) has selected Derek Braun and his Split Rock Jumping Tour (SRJT) team to produce and manage the Kentucky CSI5* Invitational Grand Prix for 2025. The Invitational will be held at the 5* level for the first time next year (pending FEI approval), making EEI the only event organizer in the world to host both a CCI5*-L and CSI5* in the same week. EEI is best known for producing the annual Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian (K3DE), the nation’s premier eventing competition and one…

National Equine Welfare Council survey reveals ‘worrying’ picture for horses and their owners due to cost of living crisis and the impacts of climate change The National Equine Welfare Council has today, Monday 17th June 2024, released the results from its latest cost-of-living survey, which uncovers the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on horse-keeping. The survey reveals a worrying picture. Over 6,000 horse owners from across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland filled in this year’s survey conducted by the National Equine Welfare Council which was founded in 1977, as a point…