News
Posted on February 28th, 2019
Retrained Racehorses Competition Structure 2019
British Showjumping, in conjunction with Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), are pleased to confirm this year’s competition structure for retrained racehorses competing within the sport. The structure will be as follows and in order to participate in these competition, you will need to ensure that you have registered your horse with RoR and have paid your annual £10 Competition Registration.
RoR National Recognition Awards
The RoR National Recognition Awards will recognise those retrained racehorses competing within the British Showjumping Spring/Summer Gold and Silver Horse Leagues. A cash award will be given to the owners of the two highest graded horses that have been awarded the highest number of points at the highest level during the 1st April – 30th September each year. The cash awards are broken down as follows: 1st – £1,000.00 plus £1,500.00 training bursary and invites to the presentation and 2nd – £500.00. The winners will be identified by selecting the highest placed eligible horses with points in the Gold League section. If none qualify, it will move to the highest placed eligible horses in the Silver League section. These awards are open to those owners and riders of retrained racehorses that are registered with both British Showjumping and RoR and have raced in GB. From the £1,500.00 training bursary, £1,000.00 will be allocated to training with a British Showjumping coach.
RoR Bronze League Championship
The RoR Bronze League Championship will take place at the British Showjumping National Championships at the National Agricultural and Exhibition Centre (NAEC), Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire in August. The Championship will carry a total prize fund of £825 and the top three will also be rewarded with a complimentary Full Jumping Membership and a Grade C Horse Registration for one year. This Championship is open to those owners and riders of retrained racehorses that are registered with both British Showjumping and RoR and have raced in GB.
A National RoR Bronze League runs alongside the Spring/Summer Bronze League. This league will run from 1st April – 30th June and it will be used to identify the top thirty horse/rider combinations eligible to receive an invitation to compete in the Championship class. The class will have a first round height of 90cm before rising to 1.00m in the jump off.
RoR Club League Championship & Regional Recognition Awards
The RoR Club League Championship takes place at the British Showjumping National Showjumping Championships and it carries a prize fund of £700 with the top three also receiving a complimentary Club Membership for one year. This series is open to any former racehorse, registered with RoR, including unraced, GB raced and foreign raced horses.
A National RoR Club League runs alongside the Regional Club Leagues, which culminate on the 30th June each year, and the league is used to identify the top thirty horse/rider combinations who then receive an invitation to compete in the Championship class which has a first round height of 85cm, rising to 90cm in the jump off.
Those retrained racehorses competing at Club level are also eligible for the RoR Regional Recognition Awards. A glass award will be given to the highest place horse in each region with Club League points. The winner from each region will be identified by selecting the highest placed eligible horse with club league points in the 1.00m section. If none qualify, it will move to the highest placed eligible horse on the 90cm club league working downwards until a horse is identified.
RoR Training Bursary
Underpinning the Championships and Recognition Awards will be regional RoR Showjumping training which will be administered by each respective Development Officer. This training will be tailored specifically for owners and riders of former racehorses with a view to assisting them ease their horse as effortlessly as possible into their new competitive career.
Posted on February 25th, 2019
Harry Bateman Snatches the Top Spot in The Final Champagne Cave Winter Grades B & C Qualifier
The last show of the Winter Classic Series at South View Equestrian Centre in Cheshire recently played host to a number of final qualifiers including The Champagne Cave Winter Grades B&C Championship Qualifier.
Harry Bateman from Hockley, Essex had been knocking on the door for a qualifying ticket to the Championship Finals all season but hadn’t quite managed to take home the goods until he finally took the win in The Champagne Cave Winter Grades B & C Qualifier with Greta Garbo. Thirteen of the initial thirty-four starting combinations jumped clear around Gillian Milner’s ten fence-track to make it through to the jump-off with five of those going on to produce a double clear, which meant it was a race against the clock to allocate the final two qualifying tickets on offer for the Championship Final held at the prestigious Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead, West Sussex in July.
Harry steered Jaqueline Jones’ Greta Garbo, a 7-year-old German-bred grey mare to the top spot by utilising the mare’s naturally quick pace leaving all of the fences intact and crossing the finish line in 32.91 seconds. Harry narrowly missed out on a one-two with his other ride Granby when Derek Moreton piped him to the post by crossing through the finish line 0.25 seconds faster than Granby’s time of 33.83 seconds. Derek from Stone, Staffordshire took the final ticket on offer with Zoe Snedker’s KBS High Quality, an 8-year-old Irish-bred gelding that he was selected on as part of Team NAF at the Veteran European Championships in Germany in 2018. They crossed the finish line faultless in 33.58 seconds.
Photo: British Showjumping
Posted on February 25th, 2019
RSPCA highlights concerns for horses kept tethered
The RSPCA has issued a stark reminder to the owners of tethered horses, highlighting the welfare risks associated with keeping their animals tethered.
As the House of Commons hosted an adjournment debate on the issue recently, the RSPCA reminded owners who regularly keep their horses in this way of the risk to their animal’s welfare – hoping to safeguard hundreds of horses in the future.
Dr Mark Kennedy, equine welfare expert at the RSPCA, said: “As the biggest animal welfare charity, we are called almost every day by people up and down the country who are concerned about tethered horses, some of which have suffered horrible injuries after becoming tangled up in their tethers. In fact, last year (2018) we received more than 5,000 complaints about tethered horses.
“It’s a very difficult situation for us as a welfare charity, because at the moment tethering is not illegal in itself, so often our officers are unable to take action unless a vet can confirm the horse is suffering.
“Sometimes just being tethered, though it poses a lot of risk, isn’t causing suffering at the time we visit, so often our hands are tied.
“But sadly, we also see many severe cases where tethering has caused a horse to suffer severely, such as Raspy, a tethered pony found in Sunderland last summer with his head collar embedded into his skin, causing a painful wound. We have also seen cases where the horse’s legs have become tangled up in the chain or rope and they are unable to move at all. All of these are reasons why we believe tethering poses significant risk to welfare and is therefore an inappropriate way to keep horses.”
Tethering horses is not illegal in the UK, but welfare charities like the RSPCA have great concerns.
Dr Kennedy added: “For the welfare needs of a tethered horse to be met, they would have to be very carefully and regularly monitored, safely tethered with properly designed and fitted equipment, given appropriate shelter, feed and water, along with regular and lengthy periods of free-roaming without the tether, but sadly, this rarely happens.
“Tethered horses are not only at risk of becoming injured themselves, they also pose a serious risk to the public, especially when they are left close to busy roads and roundabouts where if they were to become loose, they could cause road accidents.
“We would be interested in considering any approaches to address this problem. While the introduction of stricter measures such as a maximum time period on the tether may be a way forward, the impact of this and other potential legislation on the ongoing horse crisis of neglected, abandoned and fly-grazed equines is unknown. For example, if tethering were to be banned outright, this could lead to problems elsewhere, such as increased fly-grazing and abandonment, so we believe that careful thought and consideration is needed to identify the best way forward.”
Posted on February 25th, 2019
40 unique horse sculptures to be showcased around the country
World Horse Welfare is set to launch three World Horse Trails in 2019 which will see 40 horse sculptures on display at a number of locations including the Royal Windsor Horse Show and around the towns of Windsor and Eton as well as across the charity’s four Rescue and Rehoming Centres.
Sculpted by acclaimed sculptor, Judy Boyt, the 40 horses will be a combination of 11hh sculptures and miniature maquettes standing at around 35cm high, with each one designed and painted by a leading artist, equestrian personality or celebrity. There’s even an opportunity to submit your own design for one of the large sculptures in a competition that will be judged by World Horse Welfare Patron and former Olympic gymnast, Suzanne Dando-Reynolds. Entrants will be challenged to tell the story of youngster World Horse Welfare Hope through their design with the winning submission painted by a studio artist and going on display as part of the Borough Trail around Windsor and Eton.
The muse for the sculptures is rehomed competition horse, World Horse Welfare Lucas, who was rescued as a yearling from a frozen field with his mother, both of whom were fighting to survive the harsh winter weather. Lucas is now transformed and regularly competes at British Eventing with his rehomer Colleen in Fife, Scotland. Judy travelled to meet Lucas and live-sculpt him late last year before creating an 11hh sculpture back home in her Wiltshire studio which was then used to create the mould for production of the fibreglass sculptures.
Ten of the 11hh sculptures will form the ‘Show Trail’ which will be displayed at the Royal Windsor Horse Show 8-12th May and will then travel to a number of other events through the summer. Ten 11hh horses will also make up the Borough Trail which will be around the towns of Windsor and Eton from mid-April to mid-July and then 20 miniature horse sculptures will feature across World Horse Welfare’s four Rescue and Rehoming Centres in Norfolk, Somerset, Lancashire and Aberdeenshire.
Entries for the competition to design a sculpture to tell the story of World Horse Welfare Hope are now open and close on 18th March. To enter you must be over 16 years of age. Enter now
Under-16’s will also be able to enter a competition to design one of the miniature horse sculptures which will be judged by YouTube star ThisEsme and details of this can be found at World Horse Welfare’s website.
Posted on February 12th, 2019
BEF responds to resumption of racing
The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) welcomes the decision by the British Horseracing Authority to resume racing from Wednesday 13th February.
The BEF are cautiously optimistic that after analysis of thousands of samples by the Animal Health Trust, there have been no further positive tests since the weekend.
The BEF continues to closely monitor the situation and assess the risk to health of UK horses whilst in regular consultation with specialist vets and experts in equine influenza and epidemiology with experience of managing previous outbreaks. Their assessment remains that it is not necessary to cancel other equine events subject to local disease status and local veterinary advice.
The BEF continues to urge horse owners to be vigilant for symptoms of equine flu – coughing, nasal discharge, loss of appetite, lethargy – and call their vet if they think their horses are showing signs.
The BEF strongly recommend that owners ensure that their vaccinations are up to date – if it has been longer than six months since the last vaccination, they recommend you discuss a booster with your veterinary surgeon. As has been demonstrated in this outbreak, vaccinations are vital in tackling the spread of the disease. Therefore they recommend strongly that unvaccinated horses do not mix with other horses.
The advice remains that you MUST NOT take your horse to an event or competition if horses at your yard are unwell.
Posted on February 7th, 2019
HORSE OWNERS ADVISED TO BE VIGILANT FOLLOWING RECENT EQUINE INFLUENZA OUTBREAKS
The Animal Health Trust (AHT) is advising horse owners to be extra vigilant following recent outbreaks of equine influenza (EI) across parts of the UK and northern Europe in both vaccinated and unvaccinated horses.
The AHT is encouraging horse owners to be aware of the clinical signs of EI which include harsh, dry coughing, nasal discharge, lethargy and an increase in temperature (>38.5°c). These clinical signs may be mild and not all horses will present with all of these. If a horse owner is concerned they should consult their vet as soon as possible who can take a swab and blood sample and send it for testing, free of laboratory charges, to the Animal Health Trust’s equine influenza surveillance scheme which is funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board.
Equine flu is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the equine influenza virus. The virus is spread from horse to horse via respiratory droplets by direct contact as well as coughing and via indirect contact where appropriate biosecurity is not being followed. The virus relies on this transmission to new horses to survive and one of the most notable features of flu is the very quick spread of clinical signs in groups of horses and its ability to spread large distances in the air. Therefore horse owners are encouraged to consider their existing biosecurity arrangements in their yard. This includes ensuring they practice good general hygiene and isolating any horses showing flu-like signs. The AHT is also recommending horse owners re-vaccinate their horse if their vaccination was carried out over 6 months ago, in order to maximise the chance of having protective immunity.
Dr Richard Newton, Director of Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance, at the Animal Health Trust, said “With frequent movement of horses and an ability to spread without direct contact, equine flu might appear at any time and in any location. With the increase in cases in both vaccinated and unvaccinated horses, we would urge all horse owners to be extremely vigilant and to follow recommended guidelines on how to detect and prevent the spread of this infectious disease. If horse owners are concerned they should contact their vet immediately for advice.”
Advice on equine flu, including information on precautions horse owners can take can be found at www.equiflunet.org.uk
Posted on February 7th, 2019
The High Flyers Show 2019 has been postponed
A statement has been issued by the East of England Arena and Events Centre High Flyers team.
It states: “It is with significant disappointment that we have taken the decision to postpone the High Flyers Show for 2019.”
Posted on February 5th, 2019
Horse Charities Unite in Historic Merger
Redwings Horse Sanctuary has announced a major development in its operations following the completion of a merger with Welsh charity SWHP (Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies) and the establishment of a new centre in Monmouthshire.
The merger became official on 1st February 2019 and will see the new centre taking the name Redwings SWHP. The SWHP charity, which was previously based at a site in St Maughans, Wales, has been carrying out vital welfare work for over 40 years and housed more than 60 rescued horses and ponies with about 250 more out on loan.
The former site of SWHP was not sustainable as it was the home of the founder and former chairman Jenny MacGregor MBE who very sadly passed away in November 2017. Mrs MacGregor and her late husband Alasdair ran the charity from their home for many years and were a real driving force in the animal welfare world. Mrs MacGregor originally began negotiations to merge with Redwings Horse Sanctuary back in 2012 and was fully supportive of the two organisations coming together.
Redwings has now purchased a new site close to Offa’s Dyke near Chepstow and plans have been submitted to the local authority to develop horse care facilities and a visitor centre. The 86-acre site is now home to the previous SWHP equine residents and will offer additional new jobs, as well as the seven existing staff who have transferred there.
Redwings already cares for 1,500 rescued horses and donkeys across England and Scotland, with five visitor centres and several more closed sanctuary farms. The charity conducts rescues right across the United Kingdom, including Wales and Scotland, and also offers support to smaller horse charities in Ireland. Over the last 15 years, Redwings has been working particularly to improve the lives of hundreds of horses across Wales, including leading on a significant project to reduce the numbers grazing illegally on the Welsh commons, and in October 2013 the charity helped rescue over 300 horses and ponies from a site in the Vale of Glamorgan. The merger with SWHP means that Redwings is now responsible for over 2,000 rescued horses across the UK, including 700 living out in Guardian homes.
Redwings Chief Executive Lynn Cutress said: “SWHP is a charity we have admired and worked with closely for many years and a merger has been in the pipeline for a while so I am delighted that it has finally concluded successfully after a great deal of hard work. We have extremely strong links with Wales already and to be able to have a base so close by will really benefit the horses that need our help there.
“The merger process has been extremely time-consuming and we would like to thank the staff from both Redwings and SWHP for their hard work and cooperation throughout the process. It’s a privilege to be able to build on the amazing legacy of the MacGregors and the fantastic team they developed; and of course this merger will enable us to help even more horses in desperate need.”
SWHP Trustee Sian Lloyd said: “In line with the MacGregor’s ethos, ‘the horses come first’, many hundreds have found wonderful homes and lead fulfilling and very happy lives, bringing a huge amount of joy to their keepers. We are enormously grateful to all our very dedicated supporters for offering homes to our equines which will continue under the stewardship of Redwings.
“Our charity would not have been able to flourish into the much respected charity it is today without our generous supporters, dedicated staff and teams of volunteers. Jenny and Alasdair wanted the charity to be secure and continue to flourish. In merging with Redwings we hope their wonderful legacy will continue in protecting those abused and neglected equines.”
To find out more about Redwings, visit www.redwings.org.uk.
Posted on February 4th, 2019
Counterfeit Bedding….
It has recently come to the attention of Nedz that there are some bales of bedding circulating within the UK, that are using their packaging but are not containing their product.
“These bags have not been authorised by ourselves, nor has any company been given permission to use our packaging to sell their bedding in,” said a statement issued by Nedz.
“We want to assure our customers and retailers that the issue is currently being dealt with and Trading Standards have been informed about this incident.”
Nedz has been producing straw bedding in various forms for over 25 years and takes very seriously its production of Nedz Original and Nedz Pro for the equestrian market. The bedding is known for its high quality manufacturing process alongside a superior end product.
Posted on February 4th, 2019
Claudia Moore Triumphs in the Charles Britton Equestrian Construction Winter JA Classics at SouthView Equestrian Centre
The 2019 Charles Britton Equestrian Construction Winter JA Classic Qualifiers continued this weekend at SouthView Equestrian Centre in Winsford, Cheshire and was held during the 148cm Pony Premier Show.
The hotly contested qualifier saw all riders focused on securing a top three qualifying place for the prestigious Charles Britton Equestrian Construction Winter JA Classic Championship, which will take place at SouthView Competition & Training Centre in Cheshire across the weekend of the 6th – 7th April 2019.
Fourteen year-old Claudia Moore from Brentwood, Essex took the one-two in Sunday’s qualifier with her European Team Gold and Individual Bronze medal partner Elando Van De Roshoeve, a 15-year-old Belgian bred gelding owned by her mother Katrina.
The initial line up saw twenty-nine competitors come forward but just three made it through to the final round with Claudia producing the only two treble clears and in doing so, she took second place with the 12 year-old Delflip, also owned by Katrina. Third placed Holly Truelove and Rexter D’Or produced the fastest time in the final jump-off but had her hopes of taking the top spot dashed when the final fence fell.
