Aachen
CHIO Aachen is under way and British combinations are already tasting success. One exciting name for your notebooks is the eight-year-old mare Times Kismet, who made a winning overseas debut with Charlotte Dujardin in the CDI* prix st georges. Charlotte hailed the Ampère mare as a future Olympic horse. “I’ve brought her up through the levels and I feel like I have that bond and partnership with her,” said Charlotte, riding for owner-breeder Peter Belshaw and Carl Hester. “We hold each other’s hand and that’s a magical feeling – moments like this are what I do this for. That I can put her in that sort of atmosphere and she feels secure.” Lottie Fry finished second in Wednesday’s CDI4* grand prix with Van Olst Horses’ Lars van de Hoenderheide, with more Brits in action today.
Catch up on all the latest Aachen news
Trailer warning
The owners of a trailer that “disintegrated” in transit, allowing their horse to fall out on to the road, are urging others to check their transport, to avoid a similar situation. Julie McMaster and her partner David Smilie were on their way back from a show last October when Julie’s horse Kalvin came out of their Equi-Trek. “All I could see was his leg hanging out of the back of the trailer. I jumped out and ran round, and it was horrific; his bum and back leg were right down on the road,” said Julie.
Read more about the incident and Equi-Trek’s full response
Selection puzzle
Mark Phillips muses on an unusual spring season, the challenges for the new British Eventing chief executive, and the puzzle selectors face in this week’s exclusive H&H column. “In normal times the judgement calls don’t seem too difficult, but there has been nothing normal about this season leading up to the European Eventing Championships at Haras du Pin in August,” says Mark, reflecting on the differences between Badminton, Bramham, Kentucky and Luhmühlen this year. “All these events have to be on the selectors’ “menu”. If anyone was hoping for a level playing field, they were out of luck! I guess that’s why we have selectors to make the judgement calls and not computers.”
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