The European Championships for all the major sport horse disciplines take place every two years. This year Rotterdam in Holland host the dressage and show jumping at the same time which is unusual as normally different venues host each discipline separately. Spread over a week, dressage and showjumping take it in turns to provide the
The German Hanoverian horse was a rather coarse looking animal with a ham head but had many good qualities, particularly in its temperament. It was also very strong, and was mainly used for pulling carriages and carts and agricultural work. In 1735, George II of England and Elector of Hanover founded the ‘State Stud’ at
The Royal International Horse Show is one of the oldest established events held each year in the UK. The first show took place at Olympia in London in 1907. Following intermittent annual renewals, The Duke of Beaufort established the event once and for all in 1934. The show has had various homes, Wembley Stadium, The
This is the second major Nations Cup competition we have seen in the last week. First was at Aachen in Germany and now we are at Hickstead in the UK. This is the penultimate of the seven rounds of the Nations Cup series this year which takes place between May and August. The current leader
Aachen first opened its doors in 1924 and has held annual equestrian competitions every year since, except between 1940 to 1946 – the duration of the second world war, and 2006, when in the autumn, it was the venue for The World equestrian Games. In 1929, Aachen was the venue of the first ever Equestrian
The Al Shira.aa sponsored Hickstead Derby is one of the longest and toughest courses to ride in the world of showjumping. The course has not changed for decades with 16 jumps and 21 jumping efforts required. The time allowed of 180 seconds per round is not particularly generous as the course is just under 1200
It has been six years since being at Hickstead, so to commenting and reporting on the Derby Meeting presents a certain déjà vu. Started in 1961 by Douglas Bunn, a well known showjumper of the time, the event has taken place every year at the beautiful Sussex venue every year since. There are many jumping
It was a very difficult week for the Equerry International Bolesworth Horse Show near Chester in the UK as constant rain meant that the show directors decided that it was not suitable for the general public to attend. On the first day, Wednesday, an announcement from the show declared that the public would not be
With the main summer season of competition beginning in earnest this week – the one person who will be missed is showjumper and sportsman Tim Stockdale. This article is not meant to be an obituary but some context is needed for people to understand what an amazing sportsman he was and why it is so
In this short video, we look at what assessments are made for young horses. Many countries have special competitions for young horses which concern themselves with whether a horse has the potential to carry on in a long career of competition. In the UK the British Equine federation run a special competition every year during
