DECEMBER 2022
Volume 46, No 10
WINNING WAYS Behind the scenes with top trainer Christian Williams
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ETN | NEWS
News Distributor is unlocking the Irish market Böckmann horse trailers are available in Ireland for the first time in ten years. The German made products are being distributed in the country by Smart Equine. The Dublin based agency is owned and run by Jenny Doran and Ciaran Glynn who say they’re on a mission to help quality brands supply the Irish equestrian market. “Although Böckmann trailers are available across the world, from Newcastle to New South Wales - and pretty much everywhere in between, the Irish market has remained untapped by this powerhouse of German engineering, until now,” added Jenny. Smart Equine introduced Böckmann trailers to Irish equestrians at the Dublin Horse Show which was back on the calendar this summer after a two-year absence due to Covid. Based at Killossery Lodge Stud, a busy competition venue, Smart Equine also distributes Hindernisbau Rumann GmbH & Co Showjumps and Heritage Products’ dressage arenas into Ireland.
Equestrian Trade News East Wing, Stockeld Park, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS22 4AW Tel: 01937 582111 Email: info@equestriantradenews.com Website: www.equestriantradenews.com Subscriptions Distributed on a controlled-circulation basis to the retail trade. Paid-for annual subscriptions are £39.95 (UK), £73.00 (Europe), £86.00 (rest of the world). Design & Print Designed and produced on behalf of EMC by DJ Murphy Publishers: www.djmurphy.co.uk Email: abi@djmurphy.co.uk Tel: 01428 601020
Sealing a distribution deal at the Dublin Horse Show: from left Jenny Doran and Ciaran Glynn of Smart Equine and Stella Böckmann of Böckmann Fahrzeugwerke.
Advertising Manager Evie Edgar Email: etn@djmurphy.co.uk Tel: 01428 601031 Abi Cannon Email: etn@djmurphy.co.uk Tel: 01428 601028 Digital Manager Nicki Lewis Email: nickil@beta-int.com The magazine is independent of all groups. Editorial views expressed in ETN are not necessarily the official view of any organisation or group. Copyright All material is copyright Equestrian Management Consultants Ltd
Publisher Equestrian Management Consultants Ltd Editor Liz Benwell Email: editor@equestriantradenews.com 4 | EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS DECEMBER 2022
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NEWS | ETN
Students’ studies on foaling risks and training aids impress the judges Danielle Mullin is the winner of the 2022 BETA (British Equestrian Trade Association) Equine Thesis of the Year Award. The University of Limerick equine science graduate analysed thousands of difficult births during a decade of foalings at two Thoroughbred studs in Ireland. Danielle was presented with a trophy and £200 cash prize after four finalists had presented their theses to a panel of judges during an online event on Sunday, 30 October. A highly commended award went to Olivia Hammond who graduated in equine therapy and rehabilitation from Bishop Burton University Centre. Olivia studied the effect of a training aid on horses’ striding and head and neck position. Since finishing their studies, of which their award-winning theses were part, Danielle is working for a Thoroughbred stud, while Yorkshire based Olivia is a self-employed equine practitioner. The judges praised all four 2022 BETA Thesis of the Year finalists’ dedication to their studies during a testing time. “We congratulate each of the finalists on the completion of their degree and dissertation whilst challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Georgina Crossman who headed the four-strong judging panel. “Their presentations expanded on their written dissertations, bringing their research to life. “Olivia Hammond showed an in-depth understanding of her research throughout her presentation. “Danielle Mullin’s dissertation highlighted an issue within Thoroughbred breeding that should be a concern for all breeders, while her presentation built on this and underlined the risks of breeding from any mare.” This is the seventh year BETA has run the competition which recognises the best in undergraduate study across the It was the seventh UK and Ireland. An audience from the year BETA has run the public, industry and academia watched undergraduates’ awards the finalists’ presentations online. scheme. Universities and colleges offering
BETA Equine Thesis of the Year winner Danielle Mullin.
equine-related degrees are each invited to submit one entry for the annual BETA Equine Thesis of the Year. Following preliminary judging, the following made it through to Sunday’s final: • Bishop Burton College – Olivia Hammond. Thesis: The effect of the German string training aid on equine stride length, tracking distance and head and neck position. • Harper Adams University – Jenny Johnson. Thesis: The effect of kinesio tape on the surface temperature of the forelimb superficial digital flexor tendon of polo ponies when applied beneath polo bandages during exercise. • Hartpury University – Lizzie Millington. Thesis: The immediate effects of an equine physiotherapy intervention on spinal kinematics. • University of Limerick – Danielle Mullin. Thesis: An analysis of Dystocia in thoroughbred mares in Ireland. The judges were Dr Georgina Crossman – a research consultant and owner of GK Crossman Consultancy; Katie Williams – the technical and product development manager at Dengie; Karen Coumbe – a vet for more than 35 years and co-founder of Bell Equine in Kent; and Liz Benwell – editor of Equestrian Trade News.
New Badminton date avoids coronation clash Badminton Horse Trials 2023 will start a day later than planned to avoid cross-country day clashing with the coronation of King Charles and the Queen Consort on Saturday, May 6. Badminton’s dressage will now take place on Friday and Saturday (May 5 and 6), cross-country on Sunday (May 7) with the show jumping on Monday (May 8) which is a bank holiday. Dressage will start earlier on Saturday so that everyone can be part of this historic day, say the event’s organisers. The coronation service will be shown on the big screens.
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Dressage for the Grassroots Championships, the Burghley Young Event Horse qualifier and first horse inspection for main event are on Wednesday. Trade stands will be open from Thursday.
GOLD LINE FEEDS ACQUIRED
International pet food producer United Petfood Group has acquired Gold Line Feeds Ltd. Gold Line Feeds was developed in 2020 from Dodson & Horrell Ltd. Its dog food brands include Autarky, Chudleys, Gusto and Trophy Pet Foods. It also makes white label products. Belgium based United Petfood has taken over Gold Line Feeds’ brands and customer base, but says it’s to house production and distribution at its current sites and move administrative functions to United Petfood UK. Gold Line Feeds’ factory at Islip, Northamptonshire, has supplied about 20,000 tonnes of dry pet food per year. United Petfood has 20 facilities in eight European countries. The company says the takeover is in line with its strategy to reinforce and grow the business.
EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS DECEMBER 2022 | 5
ETN | BENCH SADDLER OF THE MONTH
Celebrating
the best bench saddlers...
This award, presented in conjunction with the Society of Master Saddlers (SMS), recognises those who uphold the highest standards of leathercraft skills. high wages in comparison to other skills in those days, so they were considered a good catch!” Thus inspired, Mick asked if he too could become a saddler – to be told that he I was too old at 16; you had to start at 15. Mick had a strong work ethic from an early age. Another job while still at college involved helping his friend Terry, who had started the fashion store Oasis and owned the London Leather Goods Company manufacturing fashion items. In particular, Mick worked on handbags and belts for Carnaby Street and Saville Row. He also got a job at Sainsbury’s in the evenings.
OFF TO NEW ZEALAND
“I love this trade for its craftsmanship,” says Mick Pegg.
ETN BENCH SADDLER OF THE MONTH: MICHAEL ‘MICK’ PEGG NOMINATED BY: Nikki Newcombe, managing director of Bliss of London, who says: “Mick came to work for us three years ago after our take-over of Keith Bryan Saddlery. He doesn’t mind me saying that he’s one of the older saddlers in the town [Walsall], still working at the age of 73 – and, thankfully, with no intention of retiring. Amazingly, Mick has won the SMS National Saddlery Competition six times, which may be a record. A very worthy nomination for this award, he’s been a master at making polo saddles for almost 50 years. ABOUT Mick Pegg Born and bred in Walsall, the heartland of British saddlery, Mick left school aged 14 and was sent to the Walsall School of Art. There he gained a Master Craftsman certificate which covered everything from pattern cutting for clothing to learning to use machinery. “That college course gave me so much confidence to try and make anything, which has stuck with me,” says Mick, who has no equestrian background. During his college years, Mick started working at Walsall manufacturer Eldonian, making sword scabbards for the Household Cavalry and saddle stools for pubs.
WOLF WHISTLES
“There were probably almost 400 workers at Eldonian then,” he recalls. “On the first floor, there were about 200 women and I used to be so embarrassed that I almost ran through the shop as they wolf whistled after me. “The saddlers used to come to work in suits and ties which certainly drew all the attention from the girls. Saddlers were on 16 | EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS DECEMBER 2022
On leaving college, Mick spotted an advert for a position in New Zealand setting up skiving machines, which reduce the thickness of leather by slicing it. “The interview was at an hotel, and the queue was almost a mile down the street. However, when they realised I had the Master Craftsman certificate, I got the job. But there was just one catch you had to be married. “So I proposed to my girlfriend, got married and off we went to New Zealand for three years.” On a visit to Wellington Harbour on his day off, Mick spotted a shop displaying saddles in the window and went inside to ask if he could train to be a saddler. He was told he needed to complete a five-year apprenticeship in the UK. Then, coincidently, health issues within his wife’s family brought the couple back to Britain.
WHEN TRADE SLOWED DOWN…
On his return to Walsall, Mick applied to train as a saddler at Sabre Leather. It was here he met Keith Bryan who became a good friend. “I started my apprenticeship making polo saddles in 1973, and stayed through to 1980 by which time the trade had started to slow down,” he recalls. Mick then turned to the leather upholstery business making Chesterfields. He also spent two years as a motor mechanic, before Keith contacted him about a job repairing polo saddles at Tackeria Store in Florida. With the promise of a perfect job, in 1990 Mick drove to Heathrow airport with £600 in his pocket ready to start. “However, immigration decided that I had other intentions and the American embassy would only allow me two weeks’ stay, so I never made it to Florida,” he said.
KIDS’ FURNITURE
A new niche beckoned as Mick was approached by another great friend Terry Clarke. “He was struggling for work ideas, so I suggested making kids’ furniture. “We started The Little Furniture Factory and opened a shop on Broad Street, Birmingham making mini-Chesterfields and alike. Our first client was a Russian ballet dancer.” Mick then returned to work for Keith Bryan in Walsall, making WWW.EQUESTRIANTRADENEWS.COM
BENCH SADDLER OF THE MONTH | ETN “It blasted a hole in the toilet wall, right at head height. Good job no-one was sitting down!” One of the most unusual commissions Mick has undertaken was when a gentleman asked him to re-upholster a boat. “I went to see it, and it was the size of the Queen Mary, sat there on his front lawn. That was a two-year project,” he remembers. Of all the jobs he’s done over a long career, Mick says Bliss of London is definitely the best place to work. “They’re such a lovely group of people and there’s a calm atmosphere,” he explains.
INTRODUCING THE STAPLE GUN
Michael ‘Mick’ Pegg has made polo saddles for the world’s top high goal players.
the famous Polomaster saddle ridden in by the world’s top high goal players. And this is where he stayed until 2019 when Keith retired and Bliss took on the manufacturing.
UPHOLSTERING A LEATHER BOAT
As well as specialising in polo saddles, Mick learnt CNC [computerised] machining and has created many of his own designs, including some beautiful saddlers’ tool holders. “I love this trade for the craftsmanship it brings and for giving me a career,” he says. “The worst side was probably years ago when the youngsters in the factories were fighting and generally causing mayhem. A certain person not to be named used to make mini bombs and one day let one off.
Mick can lay claim to being the first saddler to introduce staple guns to the saddlery trade. “I’d been using them in upholstery,” he says, “One time, Keith gave me a big order of Hermes saddles to do at home. The volume seemed endless, so I started using my upholstery gun for speed. “I tried to hide the staples, but when other saddlers found out they thought it was a great idea. They’re now commonplace in most workshops.
BLUES GUITAR
Of all the changes Mick has seen in the industry, it’s the shrinking size of the companies involved that strikes him most. “From the old Eldonian days with hundreds of workers, to now much smaller businesses.” He also remembers saddles being sent out from Walsall to the USA in beautiful wooden crates and stock-taking in the town’s old air raid shelters. “Ultimately, though, the craftsmanship and skills have pretty much remained the same - which is wonderful,” adds Mick. When he’s not working, Mick loves music and has a musical family. “I love to play the guitar,” he says, “and annoy my neighbours with rock, blues and jazz.”
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ETN | SPECIAL REPORT
Six out of 10 riders suffer from depression following a concussive fall Following on from World Mental Health Day on 10th October, riding helmet manufacturer Charles Owen has revealed staggering findings in a landmark study that investigated mental health in horse riders.
T
he study, which was conducted in 2021 by University of Sussex MSc student Charlotte Ricca, involved 1,007 riders, who were willing to share sensitive information about their mental health. Charlotte comments: “We were amazed by the number of riders willing to participate. The fact they were happy to share this information has enabled us to uncover a serious issue facing the equestrian industry today.” Participants were asked to disclose details of any falls they’d had in the past 12 months and the study went on to evaluate their mental health before and after the fall, as well as in the most recent two-week period during the study. 40 | EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS DECEMBER 2022
The study (which was measured using an industry standard test PHQ-9, Kroenke et al, 2001) found that 58% of concussed participants reported a significant increase in depression and anxiety scores after their fall. The more severe the head injury, the more severe the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Results also found that 30% of riders who suffered from depression had prolonged mental health problems, with some suffering for up to a year following an accident. Head of Innovation at Charles Owen, Matt Stewart, explains: “Our study has replicated what has been found across other studies in sport, particularly those in rugby and American football WWW.EQUESTRIANTRADENEWS.COM
SPECIAL REPORT | ETN where 28% of professional NFL players have serious cognitive impairment as a result of concussion. An accident in horse riding has the potential to involve higher forces than other sports so it’s a fascinating area to study.” Explaining why there may be a correlation between concussion and mental health, Matt continues: “Our brain doesn’t have protective mechanisms to take severe blows. When we experience an impact to the head it’s believed certain proteins are released, which impair normal brain function. A human will be concussed at 70g acceleration. Horse riding accidents can have accelerations of up to 500g, which would be life threatening on an un-helmeted head. Helmets aim to reduce the peak G below 250g which is below life threatening levels.”
RECOGNISING THE SIGNS OF MENTAL HEALTH
The findings of the study were released as part of a ‘Helmet Safety for Mental Health’ video campaign, launched in May 2022 in conjunction with Riders Minds, a mental health charity. Victoria Wright, Director of Riders Minds, says: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Charles Owen on this campaign. We think this study is an important first step in what we hope will become a bigger area of study in the equestrian industry. “Riders Minds found that 25% of riders have suffered from depression, which indicates that riders who have experienced five or more concussions are twice as likely to suffer from a mental health condition as a result. Our research also suggests that this doesn’t always happen immediately and can occur six months to a year after the incident. “With the help of Charles Owen, we are developing a set of tools to identify problems early on and recognise the warning signs to look out for, which will support those suffering.”
“Riders Minds found that 25% of riders have suffered from depression”
STAY WELL PROTECTED
Charles Owen encourages horse riders to replace their helmet after every accident (don’t forget helmet damage is often hidden) and to replace them every three to five years, depending on how often they are worn. Helmets should ideally carry the British kitemark with PAS015:2011 standard (involving stricter tests than other standards) to ensure their physical and mental health is as well protected as possible.
You can join Charles Owen and Riders Minds in raising awareness of this issue by sharing the hashtag #togetherwecan. Or, if you know anyone needing support or advice about mental health, call Riders
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Minds confidentially on 0300 102 1540, text 07860 065 202 or speak to your health professional. The Riders Minds’ helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
EQUESTRIAN TRADE NEWS DECEMBER 2022 | 41