The World Cup Qualifiers are now back in full swing with the relaxing of the Covid restrictions across the globe, but this weekend saw another black cloud on the horizon with the new Omicron variant threatening to derail further international competition down the road. In Spain, there was a dressage 5 star World Cup qualifier
Recent days and weeks have seen the ‘wash-up’ from the main shows and events of the year, particularly with the FEI and the Olympic committee with regards to the format and success or not of Olympic and Paralympic competitions. Pivotal, the rags to riches worldwide successful stallion dies at Cheveley Park Stud and the breeding
There are many so called ‘Racing Festivals’ around the world every year featuring the top races on offer to be run in each country, and the final major racing festival – The Breeders Cup – was held over the weekend in Del Mar in California where history was made for Japan and Charlie Appleby had
The top echelons of the sport horse world were out in force over the weekend with 5 star competitions in France for eventing, showjumping and dressage. A surprise for the dressage world was the selling by Charlotte Dujardin of her Olympic horse Gio or ‘Pumpkin’ to his friends to 16 year old Annabella Pidgley, a
The Longines Champions Tour for showjumping had its final championship round over the weekend held at Samorin in Slovakia. Meanwhile the final Group 1 race for the season at Doncaster saw eight runners line up for the coveted 2 year old mile contest. As the yearling sales in Europe stutter to a finish, the market
With Champions day at Ascot done and dusted, other events over the weekend were also as important to many in the equestrian world; namely the new 5 star horse trial inaugural event in Maryland in the USA and major five star competitions showjumping including a European World Cup qualifier in Norway. At Fairhill in Elkton,
As the flat racing winds down in Europe, the final ‘Champions’ race meeting took place at Ascot with four Group1 races to complete the British season. The race for the British Champion jockey, always close throughout the year also came to a conclusion. We also pay tribute to the juveniles who raced at Newmarket last
There was little in terms of major FEI events this week, but one event which was certainly of interest to the showing world was the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) which took place in Birmingham once again. The show was back with vengeance this year after the enforced cancellation of 2020; with all the
The directors of Tattersalls in Newmarket must have been delighted to see their premises fill up with the great and good of the bloodstock world for their three day October part 1 yearling sale bonanza. This catalogue featured the best yearlings Europe has on offer and maybe the world in terms of pedigrees of the
The first weekend in October is always particularly anticipated with the running of the annual Qatar Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe race in Paris and this year’s renewal was set to be a vintage one and provide a shock result. It also has traditionally become one of the weekends with the most Group 1 races
The final major European horse trial event on the European calendar of 2021 took place at Avenches in Switzerland. The European Eventing Championships. At Newmarket, the first of the autumn juvenile Group 1 races were held as well as other Group 1s around the globe. The CCI 4 star European Eventing Championship event attracted riders
In Aachen at the northwest tip of Germany finally got to stage their Festival of the Horse. The event was cancelled in 2020 and was postponed from its usual June date, partly due to the pandemic, but also to accommodate the Olympics. The Aachen festival is a celebration of the horse with top level international
As we move swiftly from the summer into autumn, sport horse competition continues unabated. The postponed CHIO from Aachen in Germany over the weekend has its own headlines in another post on our site. In the UK the British Dressage National Championships at their new venue in Cheshire took place as well as the Blenheim
As the world marvels at the new tennis sensation Emma Raducanu from Great Britain, equine sporting competition was in full swing. After last week in Riesenbeck in Germany, for the showjumping European Championships, the dressage European Championships took place, again in Germany, this time in Hagen. There were several Group 1 races in Europe including
The last week has certainly been a busy one with the European Championships for showjumping coming so quickly on the heels of the Olympics; and the 5 star horse trial eventing, which took place at Bicton in Devon The first of the big time shows at Calgary in Canada were staged after a long absence
