NEWS & VIEWS Layke Anderson in The Equestrian
NEW MEMBERS FOR RULES & FIXTURES COMMITTEE
DAN CHAPMAN (replaces Chris Porterfield): Chief steward at the Winter and National Dressage Championships. The level 3 FEI steward and level 1 FEI para steward regularly stewards CDI competitions and worked at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. LIZ FRAMPTON-HOBBS (replaces position previously held by Tamsyn Cowie): List 5 judge and BD organiser at Moreton College. Many years’ experience running shows at grass-roots level. Based in the South West. MICHELE CODD (replaces Diann Carpenter): List 5 judge, Northern region, competes novice/elementary level, retired RAF lawyer. Happy to be the voice of the North, the grass-roots riders and low-listed judges. BD level 1 steward and was a writer at the Paralympics in Hong Kong and London. MARK RUDDOCK (replaces Dan Watson): List 1 judge and rider up to intermediate I. Trainer in the Southern region.
DRESSAGE MOVIE HITS THE SCREEN Sybil Mair’s eagerly awaited new short film, The Equestrian, which is set in the world of dressage, premieres on Horse & Country TV on 14 November at 9pm. This dark psychological drama stars young British actor Layke Anderson, who plays talented dressage rider Freddie Forester, and James Wilby, who plays his father. Carl Hester, who makes a cameo appearance, says: “After the success at London 2012, I think it’s fantastic that a film has been made about our sport. It deserves the recognition.” The Equestrian tells the story of Freddie and his black stallion, Gaius, who look set to take the dressage world by storm and follows horse and rider’s journey together. The team behind The Equestrian includes twice Oscar-nominated cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts and twice BAFTA-nominated editor Jon Gregory, as well as Olympic freestyle composer Tom Hunt, who has worked with many riders, including Michael Eilberg, Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester. The award-winning director, who came up with the idea for the film after watching her instructor training, says: “I was going to adapt a short story about horse racing, but then I noticed something much more interesting and subtle was going on in a horse and rider dressage combination.” Equine star Gaius is played by Rachel Struel’s Swedish Warmblood stallion Sandro’s Dancer, who stands at Home Farm Stud, Hartpury in Gloucestershire, where most of the film was shot. For more information, visit www.horseandcountry.tv
The next rules and fixtures meeting takes place on 30 October at Stoneleigh.
GOODBYE ALLEY KAT
Clare Harwood’s FEI small tour horse, Alley Kat, has died following a tragic accident while rolling in his field at Hurstbourne Equestrian Centre in Hampshire. It is believed that he caught his hind legs in the straps of his fly rug and did irreparable damage to his back. Clare owned ‘Rolo’ since he was a three-year-old and the combination competed at small tour level gaining placings at many premier league shows. Alley Kat competed in his first international at Hartpury CDI this year and was set to compete in prix st georges and intermediate I classes at the Espayo National Dressage Championships. Clare is devastated: “Rolo will be sorely missed, it will take a long time to get over it.”
Correction: Eilidh Grant’s European Young Rider Championship partner Comanche Crumble, featured in issue 6, was bred and trained to grand prix level by Roger Gregory. BR ITISH DR ESSAGE | ISSUE 7 2012 |
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