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Reflections on Brits’ Olympic success, a sad farewell, and other things the horse world is talking about

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Becky Murray Becky Murray

    • Reflections on British riders’ Olympic success

    British Equestrian (BEF) has praised Great Britain’s Olympic riders following the conclusion of the Paris Games – as thoughts now turn to the Paralympics next month. BEF performance director Helen Nicholls said one key to success is the collaboration between the disciplines. “We work together as a team and the athletes couldn’t be prouder of each other, and wanted to make sure each was as successful as the other,” she said. “In our accommodation, you wouldn’t know any difference between disciplines and when one won a medal, the others were there to welcome them home,” she said.

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    A sad farewell to a rider and trainer who ‘made all the hard work seem fun’

    Sally-Ann Smart, a rider who represented Great Britain in dressage at the Sunshine Tour in Spain, and a much-loved trainer to many, has died from cancer. Sally was also the manager of the H&H stand at major shows and events around the country, and was known for her infectious smile.

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    Discussions on field-of-play rules

    FEI field-of-play rules have been in the spotlight following a number of recent cases in eventing, including Ros Canter’s 15 penalties given during the Paris cross-country. The rules state that there is no protest against ground jury decisions arising from the field of play – which can include scenarios such as whether an obstacle was knocked down, the time taken for a round, whether a horse refused or not. Another rider affected by field-of-play rules is Kate Rocher-Smith who raised a case after she was incorrectly given 71 penalties at Pau five-star last October. Kate was not allowed to have her record amended, as the penalties had been treated as a field-of-play decision. “Riders work hard, and competition results are incredibly valuable. I can understand that you can’t have people a month later saying they didn’t have a pole down – but there needs to be set ways of checking things. You cannot record things inaccurately, and you should be able to dispute this,” said Kate.

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    Becky Murray
    Becky Murray

    H&H senior news writer
    Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
    Becky Murray

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