Gemma Abram is still beaming when we sit down together in the press office at the national championships.

She can’t wait to show us the photos of her horse Spitfire (Winston), who finished fifth in the advanced medium silver championship this morning. But a decade ago, the future of Gemma’s dressage career looked bleak.

During her time on ponies, her family had acquired Debonnaire, a part-Friesian mare formerly competed to advanced by Steph Croxford, intended to take Gemma up the levels. Two weeks before their first Premier League, disaster struck.

“She did both her hind suspensories,” Gemma explains. “The vet recommended putting her in foal, and I remember sitting there and point blank saying ‘no, I don’t want to put her in foal, I only want Rosie’.

“But in the end, it was about what was best for her. It was hard seeing everyone else go on to juniors, but in a way I didn’t mind watching — I learnt so much,” she says.

There’s no bitterness in Gemma’s voice when she continues the story.

“The money-pot was empty, so although I wanted another horse, I had to wait. We eventually decided to put Rosie in foal. We liked the stallion Sandro Hit, but we couldn’t afford to use him. Then mum opened a copy of Horse & Hound onto Santana’s advert. He was by Sandro Hit and standing at stud. Mum said, ‘that’s the one for us’.”

The family originally intended to keep Winston entire, but after a failed attempt to collect semen from him — “he was too excited to even make it to the dummy” — he was cut for everyone’s safety.

“He’s like a big dog now, but back then he was a little bastard,” giggles Gemma.

They also have Winston’s full sister, but the two are “absolute opposites; Winston can’t do enough for you, and Ruby doesn’t want to do anything for you.”

Six-year-old Ruby, (Santa Rose), competed at the regionals for the first time this season, but Gemma “wasn’t bothered” that she didn’t qualify through to nationals as she just went for the experience.

Today, she is gushing over Winston.

“He’s better than his mum, and he’s my horse of a lifetime, my soulmate. I would do anything on him, I trust him and he’s the same for me – I’m his person, he’s so naughty no one else can do anything with him.

“I backed him myself and he was an angel — the first time I sat on him, mum led me a few strides, then said ‘he’s not going to do anything’ and she let go. It wasn’t until a month down the line that he decided ditching me was the best way forward, and I ended up in hospital.”

Both siblings have a varied lifestyle at home, including hacking, jumping and farm rides around Bolesworth Castle. I joke that perhaps Winston would like to be an eventer, but Gemma laughs that although the two siblings enjoy jumping they’re “useless at it!”

It’s not all dressage in Gemma’s life at the moment; two weeks ago she got engaged to long-term boyfriend Alex.

“I mucked it all up for him,” she admits. “He lent me his coat during a dog walk, and I put my hands in the pockets and felt the ring. I had to play it cool.”

“After he proposed, I said, ‘Did you ask the most important man in my life?’ and he assumed I meant my dad. But I still made him ask Winston!“

At the Spruce Meadows Masters Tournament in Canada last week (8-11 September), Irish showjumper Cian O’Connor found the winning formula with new ride Callisto, who has an unusual phobia — other horses.

After winning Saturday’s 1.50m Suncor Energy Winning Round competition, the nine-year-old Dutch warmblood gelding was ridden in to the prize-giving ceremony wearing Cian’s secret weapon, a pair of blinkers.

“The previous rider had difficulty warming him up if a horse came towards him, so I spent a lot of time working with him, and trying to get him relaxed,” said Cian.

“We started using blinkers in his training and that has really helped him a lot. He does not wear them in the competition, but just during the warm-up, so he stays relaxed and focused.”

The Quasimodo Z gelding came to Cian from Frenchman Aymeric De Ponnat at the start of this year and Cian was told that the horse had an issue with having other horses around him. They made their debut at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida and it was here that Cian spotted a New Zealand rider using blinkers on his horse and decided to try a pair with Callisto.

There were no FEI regulations at the time regarding the use of blinkers so Cian contacted the organisation and a rule was introduced stating that they may be used in training and warm-up but not in the ring.

“It’s a sensible ruling for saftey’s sake,” Cian told H&H. “And more and more riders seem to be using blinkers now — Joe Clayton saw me using them and came and asked me about them and the word seems to be spreading. Callisto wears them until we get to the in-gate, then we whip them off to go in the ring and then put them back on when he comes out.

“Horses are herd animals, so I do not know why he is like that. Maybe he just got a fright at some stage,” said the Co. Meath rider.

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“Gradually I am going to take the blinkers back and I would say eventually he will be able to go without them. He has not been as afraid, so it is interesting how they have worked. As he has started to settle, I can train him and jump him bigger, and I think he is going to be a really exciting horse for the future.”

You can read the full report from Spruce Meadows in this week’s Horse & Hound, out today (15 September)

At just 18 years old, the USA’s Sydney Collier is the youngest dressage competitor at the Paralympic Games in Rio.

You’d think she’d be feeling overwhelmed and nervous about performing in the huge Olympic stadium against far more experienced riders. But for Sydney, there is a bright side to her condition:

“I had a stroke aged 11 which knocked out my ability to feel nervous or anxious or scared — it’s the silver lining. When people say they’re really nervous before competing I say, ‘just have a stroke — it takes care of all that,” laughs Sydney, a grade Ib rider. “You’ve got to look on the bright side; I can’t use my left side at all, but at least I don’t get nervous at shows!”

Sydney’s positive attitude started early — she was just seven when she was diagnosed with the extremely rare Wyburn-Mason syndrome, which can lead to brain haemorrhaging, stroke and paralysis. The condition has also left her blind in her right eye, and with just 50% vision in her left.

“The diagnosis at seven was really rough but when I got on a horse everything just faded away,” says Sydney. “I never really found my place until I started riding. I was always the girl out on the soccer field picking dandelions, but when I got on a horse I thought, ‘wow, this is what I’m meant to do’.”

Continued below…

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As a child, eventing was Sydney’s main goal, until the stroke — which occurred during brain surgery — set her down a different path.

“At first it was so hard — I thought I’d never be able to accomplish big things with my riding. Then I went to watch the World Equestrian Games in 2010 and discovered dressage. Until then I had only thought of it as the phase in eventing you had to get through to reach the jumping, but I realised it was beautiful. You’re always working towards something — it’s addictive. Once you get into it you never want to stop.”

In Rio, Sydney is riding her trainer Wes Dunham’s 13-year-old mare Western Rose. The Wendelin III daughter is showing Sydney the Paralympic ropes, having competed at London 2012 with USA rider Donna Ponessa.

“We really click and she looks out for me. Every day I get to ride her it is a good day,” smiles Sydney. “She’s a typical mare and her personality depends on the day, but she’s been fantastic for me here. She’s been there and done that, and is just saying to me ‘hold on, we’re going to have some fun with this’.”

Q: “I’m looking for some advice in what to feed my 14.2hh 20-year-old Welsh Section D with Cushing’s. He’s currently on top chop lite with senior lite balancer and he looks in good condition, but he doesn’t seem interested in the chaff anymore. I’ve looked at Happy Hoof, Safe and Sound and Healthy Hooves, as he’s also laminitic, but they all seem to be complete feeds, so I’m slightly concerned that he would lose his good condition coming off the balancer. He also has garlic and Brewers yeast, and Lami Guard and Prascend. I welcome any advice.”

A: Feeding a horse with Cushing’s syndrome (PPID) can be a tricky balance between maintaining ideal condition and muscle tone whilst reducing the risk of associated conditions such as laminitis. As laminitis can be one of the most difficult to manage side effects of Cushing’s it is important to manage your gelding similar to a laminitic. This means keeping the non-structural carbohydrate level (NSC= sugar, starch and fructan) as low as possible which in practical terms means limiting access to grass especially during high risk times usually during the spring and autumn months. Methods of grass restriction include using a properly fitting muzzle (although these should not be used 24/7), strip grazing or grazing in a sparse paddock. Care should be taken if you restrict the time out at pasture as ponies in particular are quick learners and can eat up to 1% of their bodyweight in 3 hours, which is approximately half of their typical total intake! If feeding hay or haylage it is advisable to have it analysed to ensure the NSC content is less than 12% on a dry matter basis. Soaking hay for up to 16 hours can also help to reduce its sugar content, although the extent to which the WSC is reduced is variable and can’t be guaranteed therefore analysing is always best.

Continued below…

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When choosing a suitable compound feed look for feeds low in NSC and high in fibre with appropriate levels of vitamins and minerals to balance the diet and support an older horse. The diet you are currently feeding is perfectly suitable but if your gelding isn’t enjoying his chaff anymore you do have some alternative options. You could feed a complete chopped fibre based feed like SPILLERS HAPPY HOOF® or SPILLERS HAPPY HOOF® Molasses Free or if your gelding has really gone off chopped fibres you can opt for a low starch cube such as SPILLERS® High Fibre Cubes. Feeding a balancer provides vitamins, minerals and quality protein but is not needed if you are feeding the full recommended amount of compound feed which for your boy is about 2.5kg per day. Balancers provide negligible calories (energy) therefore removing it should not affect his body condition. If however you feed less than the recommended amount of compound feed feeding a balancer will help top up any deficiencies in vitamins and minerals. SPILLERS® Lite and Lean Balancer is ideal in this situation as it contains extremely high levels of lysine an important amino acid that is often lacking in forage based diets.

If your gelding does drop any weight look for feeds that contain calories coming from oil and fibre rather than cereal starch, such feeds may not say ‘conditioning’ on the bag but if in doubt call a company careline for specific advice.
 
For more information on feeding a horse or pony with Cushing’s call the SPILLERS® Care-Line on 01908 226626.

Natasha Baker successfully defended her individual grade II title from London, when she rode Cabral into the gold medal spot again in Rio. Natasha — the only British rider from London 2012 to have been selecetd again in the same horse — scored 73.4% to finish ahead of Dutch riders Demi Vermeulen and Rixt van der Horst, who took silver and bronze respectively.

After a difficult team test in which a large spook before entering the arena left ‘JP’ tense and nervy during the first half of the routine, Natasha was completely overcome at how well the 15-year-old gelding coped with the atmosphere today.

“I said to him as we were trotting round in the 10 minute box, ‘just trust me, JP’, and he did. He worked with me and was so relaxed and the whole thing felt lovely,” said the 26-year-old.

“Winning gold is a dream come true but this is his last championship, so I really just wanted to come here and show the world what he can do and I’m so grateful that he has let me do that today. I cried coming out of the arena and there have been endless tears since.”

Dutch triumph

The Netherlands had double reason to celebrate with Demi Vermeulen  and Burberry claiming silver ahead of their teammates Rixt van der Horst and Caraat.

Burberry is an expressive, rhythmic horse, with a beautiful swinging trot, and their test — which earned 71.6% — was only marred by the 10-year-old Lord Loxley mare throwing her head up in one transition to walk.

“It wasn’t a faultless test but I was so pleased with the score. I just wanted to get any medal so silver is amazing,” said Demi, for whom this is the first championship on this horse.

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Rixt held the lead for a long time from first draw, after an uphill and correct performance. But the Gribaldi mare broke to canter in her final medium trot, pulling her mark down to 70.7%.

Sophie Christiansen will ride this afternoon in a bid to defend her grade Ia individual title, with Anne Dunham also in action for Britain.

Legal action has been launched after five horses were found dead on a ferry en route to the Continent.

The animals were in a lorry belonging to a Portugese transport company, which had arrived on an overnight crossing from Portsmouth to Caens early on 26 August.

A driver for a different company, who was at the docks waiting to board a ferry back to Britain with a lorryload of polo ponies, was asked for his help.

“I thought a horse must have got over a partition,” he told H&H.

“But when I got there, I saw a load of them dead, and the others didn’t look good.

“One jumped out, trampling his dead mates, they had to get tug boats to drag the dead ones out. It was too much.

“My co-driver, who happened to be Portugese, couldn’t stop crying, he was that upset.”

A spokesman for Brittany ferries said the incident was the subject of legal action.

“Our staff were horrified to discover this awful situation and these poor creatures,” he told H&H.

“We’re going to defend the legal claim vigorously. We don’t believe we have any liability; we carry horses every day and this is an unprecedented situation in our 43-year history.”

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The spokesman said the animals that were still alive were “in a very poor condition”, but that they were taken to Bayeux, Normandy, “where I believe there’s a vet facility and I believe they recovered”.

He added: “We’ve got an excellent reputation on animal welfare – we were the first to ban live exports for meat – and we were as horrified as anyone else by this ghastly situation.”

The Portugese transport company confirmed it is suing Brittany ferries, but declined to comment until after the outcome of the case.

You might remember Katie Bailey as the rider who started off Nip Tuck during her five years as stable jockey for Carl Hester.

But, after taking ‘Barney’ up to prix st georges, she left two years ago to set up on her own. Having also started the competition career of Goodmans Supernova, now ridden by Spencer Wilton, she is in the rare position of having competed half of the Olympic silver-medal-winning team horses, and ridden one of the others (Valegro) at home.

“It’s amazing seeing Barney at the Olympics; I’m really proud,”. she says.

The horse helped her gain recognition, and “really taught me a lot – he’s such a big, sensitive horse”.

Moving from an established base with Carl to strike out alone has not been smooth sailing.

“I’ve enjoyed it, but I’ve had some challenges,” she concedes.

Having moved yards “a few times” Katie is now settled with eight horses on a yard in Broadway, Gloucestershire. Reflecting on the past two years, Katie admits it hasn’t always been easy, as “horses change, owners change” — Katie has both lost rides and taken on new ones — but “it’s all for the good, and I suppose it keeps me on my toes!”

Finding reliable staff who want to stay has been the biggest challenge — Katie is currently advertising for staff to join her team. “I currently have people doing bits and pieces, but finding people who want to stay and not move on can be difficult.”

She is currently doing all the riding herself, before teaching a few days a week or helping Sandy Phillips in the afternoons.

But without access to the top level horses on a yard like Carl’s, Katie admits she “does miss the riding”. She has some promising younger horses coming up through the ranks, including her own five-year-old Hillgrounds Wolkenhall (Wolkenderry x Sandreo), who she will compete tomorrow in the novice silver.

With the freedom of running a yard comes more pressure; “it’s more stressful on your own, and there’s more responsibility – everything is on you.” However, it has its advantages: “I do like being my own boss – I can have a cup of tea when I want!”

A new anti-ageing treatment made from horses’ tendons does not have any negative impact on equine welfare, its manufacturers insist.

Launched this month in Britain, Nithya is powdered equine collagen, mixed with water to create a solution which is then injected into areas such as the cheeks and under the eyes.

Its manufacturers Vida Aesthetics say it is safe, with no side-effects — and assured H&H that horses’ welfare is not compromised to make the product.

“In Italy and France, horse meat is as popular as beef or pork in the UK,” said Vida Aesthetics director Eddy Emilio.

“The tendons are a by-product that isn’t needed, which is bought from the abattoirs.

“We’ve had people trolling us online but they have no idea – these horses aren’t hurt [to obtain the collagen].

“This product has been used by hospitals for a long time, for medical reasons; now it’s being used for aesthetic reasons too.”

Mr Emilio said the treatment stimulates the production of new collagen, the loss of which leads to wrinkles, therefore making skin appear smoother. The effects can last for up to a year.

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Animal collagen has been used to treat wounds for some 30 years, supporting the development of new cells at the affected areas, but this is the first time it has been used for cosmetic purposes.

“This is the only commercially available type I collagen intended for aesthetic use in the country, and we’re already getting rave reviews from cosmetic doctors thanks to its excellent results in improving appearance in numerous areas,” Mr Emilio added.

“The idea of using protein sourced from horses may seem quirky, but we’re certain this is the future of anti-ageing.”

1. The Elms Worcestershire

Fees (day, per term): from £2,935 (reception) to £6,550 (years four to eight).
Facilities: 150 acres for ponies and Hereford cows, large outdoor arena, hacking on the Malverns and a small cross-country course.
Opportunities: National Schools Equestrian Association (NSEA) competitions with training sessions. Children ride in games and break times, Sundays and summer evenings. Hunting is firmly on the timetable. Many former alumni are now in point-to-pointing — “We had an Elms one-two-three in one race last year,” points out Sarah Austen, a classics teacher involved in the riding scene. “The equestrian activity involving the most children is hunting. I took 51 children hunting last season, aged from six to 13.” The children have their own puppy show, where they learn to judge hounds, receive their hunting colours ties and a master’s prize is awarded.

2.Queen Mary’s School, North Yorkshire

Fees: from £2,430 (reception) to £5,225 (years seven to eight).
Facilities: 40x60m floodlit outdoor arena, 30 acres, 15 stables and two open barns, with full livery, DIY or working livery options.
Opportunities: riding from reception age, catering for children on the lead rein to affiliated competitors. “We encourage boarders to take care of their own ponies, often with a midweek lesson,” says stables manager Emma Swinburn. The school runs an annual show and has qualified for the NSEA championships four years in a row, fielding two national champions.

3. Knighton House, Dorset

Fees: from £2,325 (reception) to £5,460 (years four to eight).
Facilities: 20 acres for equestrian use, 15 stables, arena, showjumping field, cross-country course up to 2ft 6in, plus “hacking across the stunning Dorset countryside”.
Opportunities: pupils can start riding in year two. “The majority of the girls ride, it’s a big part of school life,” says Knighton’s Tory Williams. “The boarders bring all the ponies in each morning before breakfast. There is nothing better than going with the girls to collect the ponies first thing with the mist rolling off the hills, the sun just breaking through — it is a wonderful start to the day.” Children partake in NSEA and in-school competitions — gymkhanas, a handy pony two-day event and a pre-prep hat-decorating contest — that encourage children to “have a go”.

4. Sandroyd, Wiltshire (pictured above)

Fees: from £2,760 per term.
Facilities: a 500-acre estate with an outdoor arena, showjumping field and cross-country course, American barn with four stables and eight stalls.
Opportunities: “Riding fits into the pupils’ day,” says Sandroyd’s Tom Blomfield. “Lessons are available in activities or games sessions. There is evening riding, team training and morning breaks grooming ponies.” Competitions or hacking are on offer at weekends. Sandroyd hosts the national prep schools’ tetrathlon.

5. Hanford, Dorset

Fees: from £5,800 per term.
Facilities: nine acres, grade-II listed Jacobean stables and characterful pony boxes, indoor riding school, manège, plus junior cross-country course.
Opportunities: Hanford’s Candice Raby says: “Almost all the children will ride once a week, and those that don’t will still head to the stables to groom and hang out.” Opportunities to compete include the Sandroyd tetrathlon and NSEA showjumping competitions.

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6. Stonar School, Wiltshire

Fees: from £2,710 (reception) to £4,875 (years seven to eight).
Facilities: a British Horse Society highly commended training facility — stabling for 65 horses, Olympic-sized outdoor school, indoor school, cross-country schooling field and courses and off-road hacking track.
Opportunities: “Pupils can ride at any level, from those on their first pony to international competitors,” says Stonar’s Rebecca Whincup. “From year five, boarders can bring their pony. Those who don’t can loan or become a stable helper in return for free riding sessions. Pupils are encouraged to compete in Stonar’s inter-schools one-day event and there is also a weekly accumulator competition.

Don’t miss the full feature about dream horsey prep schools in the current issue of Horse & Hound (15 September 2016)

The nominations are in, the shortlists have been announced – and now it’s time for you to decide who wins in the first Horse & Hound Awards.

Voting opens today (15 September) in each of the 10 categories, all aimed at celebrating the achievements of the best riders, horses, vets, farriers, grooms and volunteers, who make a real difference to our sport.

The H&H Awards team have also decided to add an additional award – ‘Inspiration of the Year’ – which is to be awarded posthumously to Hannah Francis, who passed away on 1 August. Hannah’s parents, Rachel and James, are going to accept this award on Hannah’s behalf at the award ceremony at Ascot racecourse on 3 November.

H&H content director Sarah Jenkins said: “We received more than 1,000 nominations for the Horse & Hound Awards, an incredible response and testament to the strength of feeling from individuals regarding the impact each nominee has had on the horse world as a whole or their own equestrian experience.

“It was perhaps little surprise that our Olympic heroes, so fresh in everyone’s minds, received multiple nominations and we are delighted that they feature prominently in our shortlist.

“We read countless fantastic stories explaining the merits of each nominee and in many instances this made it extremely difficult to narrow down our selection to a shortlist in each category of just four or five.

“We now turn back to those who nominated, and thousands more of you, to ask which you think are the deserving winners. Please read these exceptional, emotional and often humorous stories and vote for your favourites today.”

Voting closes on 29 September and the winners will be announced at a ceremony at Ascot racecourse on 3 November, to which all finalists will be invited.

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Sarah added: “For this to culminate in an evening of celebration reminiscent of the much-missed Horse & Hound ball will, I hope, be a fitting tribute to those worthy winners, chosen by our readers.”

“We’re very grateful to all our sponsors for helping us to make these awards a reality this year.”

For more on the finalists, see this week’s H&H magazine, out 15 September, or click here – where you can also cast your vote!