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Showing World Issue 166 March 2022 www.showingworldonline.co.uk

London International Horse Show

Issue 166 - March 2022

BSPS Heritage Championship

Behind the scenes with Vicky Smith

Training tips with Sara Parrott

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MADE IN OUR OWN

UK MILL

A Note From Our Editor For many, winter will mean long evenings in front of a fire, woollen knits, and blustery walks in short-lived sunshine with hands buried deep in downy pockets. Of course, if you’re horsey, none of the above will apply. Instead, winter will mean extra mucking out, cold toes in leaky Dunlops and gnarled fingers defrosting a dodgy tap. That’s without mentioning the mud. I can’t be alone in wishing it over as soon as mother nature will allow.

things, and ‘The Special Six’ was born. This issue’s six come from, Gemma Rees. It’s no secret that I’m a relative late-comer to our sport, and growing up, I would see Gemma at the local shows and her photos in the local paper. How I wished I had a pony like hers to ride! So, it gives me the greatest pleasure to celebrate those ponies with her in print. Incidentally, you can find out more about Suzy in this issue, too.

But just as I’m convinced that winter really has no end, snowdrops wink coquettishly at me when I’m hacking out. Spring, it seems is yawning awake and tilting its face to the sun. Last week, my family Whats App group dinged: ‘The first calf of the year is here.’ Meanwhile my social media feeds are pocked with pictures of you lot working hard to get horses and ponies set for a brand-new season. Some of you have even bagged RIHS tickets already! Well done! In fairness, this magazine has been something of a distraction from the drudgery of winter. It’s certainly kept me busy indoors when the weather has been foul, and I won’t lie, the thought of you finally reading this makes a knot appear in my stomach even as my lips curl into a tentative smile! One thing that always cheers me up on a wet and windy day is a trip down memory lane. I also so enjoy looking at photos of ponies from yester year, be that in books, magazines or on social media. Suzy Mckirgan’s Facebook group is nothing short of an obsession for me! But as much as I love old photos, I adore the stories behind the photos, the ponies and the smiles. I really wanted a feature that married both those

(Equinepix)

I thoroughly enjoyed being back at two of my favourite shows, the London International Horse Show and the Royal Welsh Winter Fair. I can’t congratulate the BSPS and London International Horse Show enough for pulling off such a brilliant finale for the native showing calendar in such a short space of time. I must also congratulate native producer, Sarah Field. Her Connemara stallion, Murvey George, had very special extra cargo on board as Sarah is pregnant with her second child. I remember sitting in line-up just a few ponies down from Sarah at Olympia in 2016 when she was riding Highland stallion, Ellister Islay Mariner, and was pregnant with her daughter, Evie. “It’s the Olympia curse,” Sarah joked! We wish Sarah, John, Evie and Baby Clayton the best. I wonder if we’ll see Evie or her brother riding at the London International Horse Show in years to come?

Showing is hard, even for professionals. It’s harder if you’re an amateur juggling your horses and other commitments but competing against talented professionals. It’s harder still if you’re just starting out or want to step up from grass roots competition. That’s why series such as the SEIB’s Search For A Star, TSR’s Talent Spotting and the BSHA’s Rising Stars are so invaluable and I’m delighted that we’ve more information on Search For a Star in this issue for you, as well as guidance from TSR’s chief, Sarah Chapman. At the recent BSPS judges conference, judges were faced with ‘dilemas’ to discuss with peers on their respective tables before feeding back to the room at large. Topics ranged from the allocation of marks to lameness and obesity. Whilst the judges discussed what they may or may not be able to tactfully say to a competitor, a thought struck me. If only competitors were as considerate to each other, especially online. Lately there have been numerous negative comments posted about a range of topics within our sport, including regarding children. My heart goes out to anyone who’s impacted and saddened by such comments. As we stand at the start of a new showing season, we’ve a chance to press the reset button. Let’s be kind, supportive and as brilliant as we can be. As much as we’re showmen and women, we’re also sportsmen and sportswomen, and isn’t that what sportsmanship is all about? Have a great season, I for one wish each and every one of you the very best of luck.

- Beth Sarah Field’s Murvey George (Real Time Imaging)

Contents 6

The BSPS Heritage Championships ......... ........ at the London International Horse Show

The Royal Welsh Winter Fair

Behind the Scenes with Vicky ........Smith

45 Behind the scenes with stud manager, Harry Thirlby

Breeding FAQ’s

All you need to know about AI

Embryo Transfer from a breeder’s perspective

Gemma Rees’ Special Six

SEIB’s Search For A Star

10 Minutes with Suzy Mckirgan

Plus tips from Sara Parrott and Justine Armstrong Small...

Front cover: Lynn Scott’s Lynuck The Showman, ridden by Rebecca Penny at the London International Horse Show (Real Time Imaging).

Editorial: Beth Simons

beth.simons@showingworldonline.co.uk

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45 Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or Showing World Ltd and while every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained is correct and current at the date of publication, Showing World Ltd will not be help responsible for the appearance of photographic material supplied without the necessary consent, copyright and/or photographer’s details. In addition, Showing World Ltd offers no guarantee of publication and reserves the right to edit any reader’s letters, press releases, reports and articles submitted. Showing World Ltd 2022. All rights reserved. No part of Showing World may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, transmitted or shared in any form or by any means, including but not limited to: electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of Showing World Ltd.

4 | Showing World | March Issue 2022 | info@showingworldonline.co.uk

Talking point Mountain and Moorland Ridden Classes: Crunching the Numbers The numbers in the BSPS Heritage final at the London International Horse Show concerned me. Firstly, there were no Highland ponies forward. One Highland, Tracey Milward’s 2021 Highland Pony of the Year, Lochlands Gypsy Barron had qualified, but due to a sudden illness in the days before the event, he was unable to compete. What a shame! Not only was this a disappointing outcome for the pony, Tracey, and their supporters, but also for the breed and for native enthusiasts spectating at the show. I appreciate that this was a highly unusual scenario, and this piece is not a criticism of the final’s organisation. However, now that it has happened, I wonder whether steps could be taken to prevent this situation occurring again. Could it be that at least two examples of each breed qualify instead of just one? It also bothered me that of the forty exhibits that qualified, there were just three mares. The class was dominated by the twenty-four stallions and thirteen geldings forwards respectively. It left me wondering, ‘where are our mares?’ In comparison, 37 of the 196 ponies in the open ridden mountain and moorland section at HOYS last year were mares. Similarly, in 2019 just 29 of the 184 ponies in the mountain and moorland ridden classes were mares. In both cases, only one class saw a mare stand top of the line: in 2019, Nantfforchog Blue Moondust won the Welsh section A class before going on to stand champion, and in 2021, Clanmill Leteika Miracle won the Welsh section B class.

This is by no means an extensive investigation. But the numbers do speak for themselves in these instances. The finals examined are undeniably male orientated. HOYS and the NPS acknowledge this to a certain extent with the presentation of a rosette for the highest placed mare in each of the classes. My sister, Maggie, rode Longhalves Lollapaloosa to be the highest placed mare in the section Bs in 2019. We wore the badge with a simultaneous sense of pride and discomfort because she was tenth, and the highest placed of only four forwards, and it troubles me that some ‘highest placed mares’ won’t have made the final line-up at all. The junior and mini mountain and moorland classes should present mares with an opportunity to shine. By preventing stallions - and adults - from entering the ring, it should not only level the playing field for children, but also for mares. But does it? In 2021, just eight of the 48 ponies in the mini section were mares. Nine of the 43 mares entered in the junior classes were mares. It seems that whilst girls and women are making strides towards equality in the human workplace, our equine equivalents are getting left behind! Why?

In my opinion, the obvious answer, that mares cannot breed and compete is too simple. Surely it would be in a breeder’s interest to further promote the bloodlines of offspring by allowing these mares to prove themselves as top class competition ponies prior to breeding? Perhaps our breeders don’t want to part with their best fillies and so this does leave the ridden exhibitor searching for a filly to show with slimmer pickings? Perhaps many exhibitors simply don’t want to deal with hormonal mares. Then again, a good friend of ours says that she’d take a moody mare over a testosterone fuelled stallion any day! What do you think? There’s no doubt that in recent years, stallions and geldings have claimed far more red or tricolour rosettes at prestigious finals than mares have. But is that a self-fulfilling prophecy? Is it the case that the more potential customers see stallions or geldings out winning, the more they dismiss mares when looking for a new pony to show? Or is there any real grounds in the claim that stallions have so much more ‘presence’ in the ring? I’m not sure. The likes of Nantfforchog Blue Moondust and 2017 HOYS champion, Skaergaardens Delicious Love – to name just two – prove that special mares are special ponies that can rise to the occasion to outshine the boys. So why aren’t there more of them? What do you think? I’d love to know your thoughts. Email me at beth.simons@showingworldonline.co.uk

2017 M&M Pony of the Year Skaergaardens Delicious Love ridden by Kelly Jones 1st Class Images

info@showingworldonline.co.uk | March Issue 2022 | Showing World | 5