As 2021 draws to a close, we look at the highlights and low times of the year in our much loved equestrian sport. Like many media publications, we have our own review and suggested awards to finish the year; the best and the worst. In general, the main talking point of the year has nothing
While showjumping and dressage World Cup shows in mainland Europe were being cancelled, this week saw the final week of thoroughbred sales at the Tattersalls complex in Newmarket and at Arqana in Deauville, France, and wow what a year both companies have enjoyed with many records broken. In 2020, the returns were, as expected, not
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
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
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
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
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
In a more normalised week for sport horse competition there was another Longines World Champion Tours round. In dressage, the holiday for the German Olympians has come to an end and racing saw a plethora of Group 1 races in the UK, France and the United States. Meanwhile the Paralympians continued to ready themselves for
With all the excitement of the Olympic Games over, there is a short respite before the Paralympics begin next week. In the meantime, there was the London leg of the Longines Championship Global Tour, a 5 star CSI. The best of the dressage competition was in Germany, a 3 star CDI in Donauschingen in southern
There are few times when a horse dies that it merits more than a passing comment, but last weekend the great Galileo was put down following an injury to his foot which did not respond to treatment. At 23 years old, Galileo may not have been the oldest horse around, but he was certainly one
The centre stage of world sport this weekend was quite definitely Great Britain. There were major dressage, showjumping and horse trials around the country. Oh and there was also a football match, the Euro finals and the final of the men’s championships at Wimbledon. The dressage international CDI was held at Hartpury in Gloucestershire and
The past week saw the ramping up of show jumping events across Europe as the Olympic Games comes ever closer, now only four weeks away. In Paris, another round of the Global Champions Tours took place At Hickstead, which should have hosted their famous Derby meeting, instead held a full national showjumping event together with
The final day at the Royal Meeting saw H.M. The Queen at the course for the first time this week. She had four runners today, one in the first race, two in the Jersey Stakes and one more in the fifth race. After some serious races during the week, the final Group 1 The Diamond
They said it would and it did, the rain came to Ascot for day four of the Royal meeting with vengeance. The rain was so persistent that there was some doubt that the races would even be run today. However, very late on, the stewards decided to let the races go ahead. For the first
