Dressage

Dressage, Horse & Hound

Valegro: ‘A name that will, quite simply, last for eternity’ *H&H Plus*

Polly Bryan/

Despite an inauspicious start, Valegro became a household name thanks to his record-breaking performances with Charlotte Dujardin, earning himself a place in history. Polly Bryan charts the story behind the gold medals

THERE can be no other horse who has done more for his sport than Valegro. Ridden by Charlotte Dujardin, this remarkable gelding – known at home as Blueberry – made history time and time again. From Olympic gold medals to breaking world records for fun, he has done it all – and inspired an enormous, […]

Dressage, Horse & Hound

Pammy Hutton: ‘We owe our survival to social media’ *H&H Plus*

Pammy Hutton/

Pammy Hutton on the benefits that social media and the internet can bring

Pammy Hutton riding Belmondo II

SOCIAL media can be the world’s largest goldfish bowl. Yet, for many, the pros outweigh the cons. Over the past year, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn have without doubt contributed heavily to the survival of many riding schools, including ours here at Talland. A crowd-funding campaign for the London-based Park Lane Stables, which specialises in […]

Dressage, Eventing, Horse & Hound

‘I lived in a caravan for years and nothing was going to stop me’: What drives today’s young riders? *H&H Plus*

Lucy Higginson/

As we look to move into the “new normal” following Covid-19, will the appeal of financial stability overtake the lure of team selection for young professional riders, or can the two go hand in hand? Lucy Higginson investigates

Stunning view from the VIP stand

OF 2020’s many ghastly legacies, one has been the brutal reminder of what it takes to be financially stable in Britain. With unemployment rocketing, house prices still bonkers, and the economy thrust into reverse, suddenly no one takes a comfortable home and secure income for granted any more. How does this affect professional riders, whose […]

Dressage, Horse & Hound

Anna Ross: ‘Is trolling synonymous with success?’ *H&H Plus*

Anna Ross/

Anna Ross on social media and why we could all benefit from some reality

Anna Ross riding Newton Domino at Keysoe.

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 […]

Dressage, Horse & Hound, News

Injunction issues in Totilas semen legal dispute *H&H Plus*

Eleanor Jones/

The legal case centres on who has the rights to semen of the legendary dressage stallion Totilas, who died last year. H&H hears from both sides of the dispute

Totilas dies age 20: top riders pay tribute to the special horse
DJMY6K Sept. 28, 2010 – Lexington, Ky, US – Edward Gal of the Netherlands on Moorlands Totilas performed during the dressage team grand prix event of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games at the Tuesday,Sept. 28, 2010. Photo by Pablo Alcala | Staff (Credit Image: © Lexington Herald-Leader/ZUMApress.com)

AN interim injunction has been issued against a previous owner of legendary dressage stallion Totilas, in a legal dispute over semen ownership rights. The Oldenburg regional court issued the injunction in favour of plaintiff Paul Schockemöhle, who owned the stallion until his death in December, and against Kees Visser. Mr Visser stood Totilas for one […]

Dressage, Horse & Hound

The power of perception: how dressage appears to the non-horsey world *H&H Plus*

Alice Collins/

Does dressage have a perception issue? Alice Collins investigates whether, and why, the sport is so often misunderstood

24 August 2019, Netherlands, Rotterdam: European championship, equestrian sport, dressage, Grand Prix Freestyle (freestyle): The rider Therese Nilshagen from Sweden on the horse Dante Weltino rides in the parcours. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa

TYPE “dressage” into Google and the top two questions that pop up are “What is the point of dressage?” and “Is dressage cruel to the horse?”. Google suggestions reveal what users are searching for, so does the sport have a perception issue? One of dressage’s enduring problems is that the better it is done, the […]