Now we all appear to have learned to live with Covid, life in the countryside and the all the major (and minor) shows are back in 2022 with a bang, and that’s great. The Suffolk Show was no exception and this was our first visit to the historic show in East Anglia near Ipswich. A
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
In this article we look at the brilliance of the Household Cavalry and their world famous musical ride. The Household Cavalry were formed in 1660, on the return of King Charles II to the English throne, and since then the regiment, one of the oldest if not the oldest in the British Army, have been
In our first article of the week at The Horse of the Year Show, HOYS, we looked at some of the more interesting showing classes. In this article we report on one of the oldest and most prestigious classes for show jumping ponies held in the UK and also one of the featured international show
The Horse of the Year Show, otherwise known as HOYS is the biggest and most prestigious show for equine beauties in the country. Held first in 1949, the show is intended to be the culmination of the best of the best from all the thousands of qualifying classes throughout the UK during the year. It
The International Stairway competition, sponsored by British Showjumping Business is a league competition for show jumping. The Royal Berkshire County Show, (Newbury Show) holds the first of the eight qualifiers for 2020. There are eight qualifying rounds during the year with a final at The British Showjumping Championships at Stoneleigh every August. Uniquely, all the
The Moreton in the Marsh show held every year in Gloucestershire is one of the biggest one day shows in the country. This year, it celebrates the 70th running of the show. It is held on parkland very near the famous Batsford Arboretum on the edge of the Cotswold town. Together with cattle and other
In 2019, The Pony Club has been celebrating its ninetieth birthday with special events at venues up and down the country. It was started in 1929 as a junior part of the Institute of the Horse, (now the British Horse Society) with Harry Faudel-Phillips as its head. Celebrations were held around the world over the
It was in 1983 that The Princess Royal opened her home at Gatcombe Park in the Cotswolds for the first time as a venue for the Festival of British Eventing as it has now become known. Since then it has gone from strength to strength with several championships. The main championship is the Magic Millions
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
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
It was a great privilege to be asked to cover the 2019 stallion parade at the Darley Dalham Hall Stud. It was in 1981 that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai purchased the Dalham Hall Stud, just outside the UK’s racing capital, Newmarket in Suffolk. When he purchased the stud from
Hand in hand with the Darley operation is of course the better known Godolphin Racing with the famous all royal blue racing colours. All the stallions selected to stand at any of the Darley studs have first had successful racing careers. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai set up the Godolphin
The quintessentially British past time of attending agricultural shows comes round again, most of which have Royal patronage. The Royal Bath and West Show in Somerset is no exception. The show was started by philanthropist Edmund Rack in 1777. It runs for more days than any other agricultural show in the UK. Sophie, Countess of
There are two separate weeks each year which Her Majesty The Queen loves more than any others. Both feature her beloved hobby of horses and both conveniently happen in her back garden at Windsor. The first is this week’s Royal Windsor Horse Show and the second, next month is Royal Ascot. As the major event
