British medallist excelling in second sport
British rider Erin Orford, who has won multiple para dressage medals, has been breaking records in the pool. “I always swam as part of my fitness, but I’d never done any racing or competed,” Erin told H&H. “I didn’t really ever have the time to do it properly, and then I didn’t have a horse to ride for the first half of this year, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to try something different while I was looking for a horse.” Erin joined her local swimming club, Wycombe District, and was classified as S4 in February. “My coach knew there were a few British records that were within my reach. As soon as my classification was confirmed, he said, ‘Right, you can get these!’”
Carl Hester: ‘What are we waiting for?’
Carl Hester shares his views on adding give and retake of the reins to the grand prix test, in his exclusive H&H column this week. “As I wrote in my column last year, the introduction of a give and retake the reins at prix st georges and grand prix level was Kyra Kyrklund’s idea, which she had already put forward to the International Dressage Riders Club (IDRC) and the FEI,” says Carl, adding that he thinks it “a brilliant idea”. “Thank heavens there was great support for this initiative tabled on FEI documents under ‘urgent repairs’ – rule changes that cannot wait due to their impact on horse welfare.” He says that the FEI’s dressage technical committee is establishing a working group to review all tests to “include movements where the suppleness and self-carriage of the horse can be better assessed, placing greater emphasis on assessing correct training, in accordance with the scale of training”. “But with no immediate changes planned, Kyra wonders what we are waiting for, as do I,” he adds.
Joey meets Paddington
Beloved War Horse star Joey was reunited with his creator Michael Morpurgo at London Paddington – where Joey also met another literary hero. The life-sized puppet joined Michael at the station to meet a train named after them, and also made an unscheduled stop to say hello to a statue of Paddington Bear. “In this age of phones dominating our lives, a long train journey is one of the few places where we can stop and read a good book, occasionally lifting our eyes to take in the marvellous views we’re lucky to travel through,” said Mr Morpurgo.
Find our more about this story
- To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
You may also be interested in:
‘We’re delighted to bring loyal readers this benefit’: H&H magazine subscribers get free website access
First Black British female jump jockey hopes to inspire others to achieve their dreams
Hopes of ‘truly outstanding’ LA28 Olympic Games as equestrian competition schedule released
