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Tight nosebands, big prize money, and other things the horseworld is talking about

Horse & Hound’s daily debrief, brought to you every weekday morning
Sarah Jenkins Sarah Jenkins

    • 1. Assessing noseband tightness in competition

    A recent study by Equestrian Canada suggests rider acceptance of the use of a gauge to measure noseband tightness more scientifically than “two fingers width” is growing. In the past riders have objected that horses in a high state of excitement at competition do not take well to having the gauge near their faces in competition. The International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) taper gauge is a tool that precisely measures the space between the noseband and the nasal plane, making it far more accurate given that adult finger sizes vary.

    Read more about changing views on noseband tightness

    nosebands

    2. Burghley prize money

    Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is coming back with a bang in 2022, having increased prize money to boast a six-figure sum for the winner for the first time in the event’s history. The 2022 winner will take home £100,000 – a £5,000 rise on the £95,000 won by Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street on the last running of the event in 2019. Riders will no doubt be pleased, though winning Burghley isn’t necessarily about the money, it can’t hurt, and bodes well for the event overall this year, which fans cannot wait to see the return of.

    Find out how much the rest of the leaderboard will take home from Burghley

    Pippa Funnell hat silk

    Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street finish the cross-country at Burghley 2019

    3. Ben Maher once looking for another job

    It’s hard to imagine, given his decades of success culminating in becoming the new Olympic champion and having a world-beating string of horses that includes the superstar Explosion W, but Ben Maher once thought about giving up. For a while, about 14 years ago, things looked pretty bleak for the Hertfordshire rider as he reveals to H&H showjumping editor Jennifer Donald in this week’s third and final festive edition of The Horse & Hound Podcast, currently supported by Veredus and its UK distributor Zebra.

    Find out what Ben Maher said about the horse that turned his life around

    Olympic showjumping times for the team qualifier: Ben Maher and Explosion W will compete for Britain

    Ben Maher and Explosion W take the individual gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

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    Sarah Jenkins
    Sarah Jenkins

    H&H editor-in-chief
    Sarah has more than 20 years experience as an equestrian journalist and editor. She has reported from major championships including the Europeans and the World Equestrian Games. She has co-written books on equestrianism including The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horses & Ponies. Sarah has ridden since childhood, owned horses and ponies for over 25 years, and worked for and trained with Olympic gold medallist event rider Leslie Law prior to going to university.
    Sarah Jenkins

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