BACK in the day, when I competed at the World Young Horse Championships in Verden, they played themed music for every nation. I had music from James Bond each time and I thought how nice and appropriate it was, that is until I noticed that when the Germans rode, their song was always the Bee […]
Anna Ross on a party vibe at Hickstead and reaching the top against the odds
HICKSTEAD dressage is back with a bang, and now on the iconic showjumping site. Huge thanks to the Bunn family for taking on the challenge of putting on the recent Premier League show, with fabulous arenas, online results online, a livestream, and – vitally – a champagne tent. I hope this will be a regular […]
Anna Ross on sport returning, new concepts and hairy moments in the ring
IT was great to watch the most exciting weekend of dressage in a long time. With so many shows in the UK having been cancelled, our riders who are in Olympic contention attended the Hagen CDI4* – one of the biggest international shows in the calendar – and Opglabbeek CDI3* in Belgium. Charlotte Dujardin dominated […]
Anna Ross on social media and why we could all benefit from some reality
COMPETITIONS have restarted and riders all over the land have been nervously trying on their jackets. Lockdown sent people in two opposing directions: some have become fitness fanatics and others turned to the fridge for solace. I enjoyed reading the H&H dressage special issue last week (1 April), including the feature on outside perceptions of […]
Anna Ross discusses our sport’s social licence and how we can protect it
It is easy to forget for those of us who live on a metaphorical island in the middle of “Lake Horse” that there is an outside world looking in. In an Olympic year especially, there is inevitably a wider examination of horse sport as it attracts attention from a bigger audience. This gives us a […]
Anna Ross on the ethics of the 2021 Games, and remote teaching anecdotes
Dry January is over, thank goodness, the da odils are coming out and I’m counting the days until spring. As the vaccine works its way through the population, we are starting to see a faint light at the end of the tunnel. In the equestrian community, we have been so fortunate to have horses throughout […]
Anna Ross on business plans and why passports shouldn’t dictate progress
The third Covid lockdown, combined with Brexit, is an interesting time with the best-laid business plans and competition goals going awry. Those who have solid contingency plans will survive. We need to push out of our comfort zones and embrace new concepts – the rest of the world won’t wait for us to get organised. […]
Anna Ross reflects on an entertaining festive show and looks ahead to 2021
It’s nearly the end of the world’s weirdest year. Who could have guessed that air kissing – something that the dressage community have been practising for decades – would become a requirement? The breaking news at the recent High Profile show at Keysoe was that Simon Bates, who has developed the centre from a livery […]
In her latest exclusive column, Anna Ross explores the challenge of “making it” in the horse world and speaks to talented young professionals about the pitfalls they’ve experienced as they’ve attempted the big step from young riders to establishing a successful “real life” career in the industry…
Anna Ross explores the challenge of “making it” in the horse world and the difficult leap from young riders to seniors that many competitors attempt and the pitfalls that come with it
H&H’s dressage columnist ponders our ethical responsibility to our equine partners
H&H’s dressage columnist ponders our ethical responsibility to our equine partners