CATEGORIES

Moonshine on best behaviour

The county of Cornwall fields a clutch of champions, while a veteran horse earns his 11th title

Actions rather than words are needed for horse sport's future

The 2024 Racing Foundation conference considered how to help maintain public support

We must change worming habits before it is too late

New guidelines on worm control have been published to try to fight the growing threat of anthelmintic resistance

Household Cavalry Sculptor-in-Residence - After years in a city job, Zoë Carmichael was destined to devote herself to the antique discipline of sculpture and immortalise her favourite subjects - horses - in bronze

I’ve hunted all my life. Growing up, I hunted with the Cotswold and VWH and I’m lucky to have been out with lots of packs, from the Teme Valley in Wales where I learnt the name of almost every hound, to days out with the Beaufort with a field of 200-plus. My greatest moments have been following my best friends over Ledbury hedges. Eventually, I focused on eventing – I did juniors and under-21s. Then I got a four-year-old, Bertie, and took him up to what would be four-star today.

See It, Save It? - Wildlife tourism can be a powerful ally in protecting nature - but it can also harm it. We weigh up the pros and cons.

The sums of wildlife travel aren’t as simple as more tourists equals happier nature. How much did my visit really contribute to the conservation of Lady Liuwa and her habitat – and was that outweighed by carbon emissions from my flights? Did my presence disturb the animals’ natural behaviour more than it reduced the threat of poaching or benefited local communities?The question of whether wildlife travel is, on balance, good for wildlife is a complex one – and there’s no simple answer.

A Nose for Nature -With an uncanny ability to detect elusive species in the wild, dogs are poised to play a vital role in conservation and biosecurity.

Ꮓiba seems to be the perfect colleague: hard-working, efficient and fun to be around. However, Ziba isn't a person; she's a conservation detection dog, especially trained to sniff out the presence of rare bats and birds. The sixyear-old German shorthaired pointer is one of an increasing number of dogs helping to conserve wildlife. Similar to sniffer dogs employed to detect drugs or explosives, these detection dogs are using their extraordinary sense of smell to identify anything from great crested newts to pine martens.

Jump Around - Bagheera Kiplingi - The acrobatic spider with a predilection for veggie food

Spiders eat flies, right? everyone knows that the 45,000 or so spiders in the world are all obligate carnivores, more or less – eating other animals, mainly invertebrates. Nature, however, loves an exception, and one particular spider missed out on that ecological memo. It goes by the wonderful scientific name of Bagheera kiplingi, and its claim to fame is that its diet is – at least mostly – vegetarian.

Duck and Cover - With a comical and heart-warming call, the eider or 'cuddy duck' is a convivial bird that was highly favoured and protected by Northumberland's patron saint, says

Anyone who has spent time on the rugged, castle-fringed coast of Northumberland will be familiar with the call of the eider duck. The male emits a fluty 'ahoooh' that sounds amazed and a little censorious. The female responds with a throaty cackle-Dame Barbara Windsor to the drake's Kenneth Williams, if you like. There's something good humoured, fond and comforting in the eiders' calling. It evokes feelings of nostalgia even in those hearing it for the first time.

Female of the Species - Zebras - A strong sisterhood is key to staying safe

Zebras are masters of confusion. Their collective noun is ‘a dazzle’, which is fitting since their bodies and behaviour have been surprising scientists for centuries.

Mental Health Professional - Mike Delaney helped to introduce equine facilitated psychotherapy to the UK in 2004 and describes how this work feeds his soul besides benefiting people suffering following severe trauma

Mike Delaney helped to introduce equine facilitated psychotherapy to the UK in 2004 and describes how this work feeds his soul besides benefiting people suffering following severe trauma

Understanding What Affects Acceptance of Equestrian Sport - New large-scale research is aimed at digging deeper into what goes into forming public opinion.

New World Horse Welfare research involving more than 5,000 people has aimed to distil what drives public acceptance in horse sports.The project, supported by The Racing Foundation, moves the conversation around public acceptance forward.World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers presented the project at The Racing Foundation conference at Ascot racecourse on 2 October.

Dislocated shoulder fixed in once-in-a-lifetime vet case

Vets were unsure if the incredibly rare procedure would be a success as there have been so few examples in big horses.

Max Warburton

There's never a dull moment for this busy young eventer, fresh from his Burghley debut. Bethany Stone catches a rare free hour to talk British five-stars, naughty ponies and the 26-year-old's biggest influences

The Bishops' Punt pays off

Will Bishop wins the first hunt scurry of the winter season on his wife Harriet's horse

If ponies could fist-bump...

Finding a new home for a pony sets Tessa Waugh reminiscing about her first hunting pony - and the realisation that the mother is just as important as the child in this human-equine relationship

A weekend we'll never forget'

Germany triumphs in the inaugural Longines League of Nations Final and Ireland's Mikey Pender enjoys grand prix success

Godolphin Lifetime Care

The trend for encouraging thoroughbreds to thrive in a second career after racing is growing. Jennifer Donald visits the meticulous” Godolphin outfit to find passion, care and love at the heart of their work

'Bart' proves hard to beat

A formidable combination top an exciting grand prix and beach riding pays off for one Scottish competitor.

The remedy for everything

Autumn trail-hunting is H&H hunting editor Catherine Austen's favourite thing, and she is doing her best to get as many mornings as possible.

Brave Heart powers to freestyle victory

Established stars and international first-time winners contribute to an exciting six days of top-level competition

A victory won through trust

Nina de Haas scores her first three-day event win and credits trainer Andrew Heffernan, whose pupils shine all week

John Whitaker - The Legend

The six-time Olympian is sharing his life story for the first time in a newly released biography - as told to Sarah Peacocke. In the first of this threepart series, H&H gives a sneak peek from the chapter on Ryan's Son, the \"carthorse\" who set John's career alight.

Ethical training on the agenda as dressage's future discussed

Delegates at an FEI meeting agreed the actions that should be taken to move the sport forward.

The • test of time

The Badminton stables have the lure of an oldfashioned toy yard you dreamt of boxing your steed in as a child. Nearly 150 years after they were built, they're still in fine working order, finds Madeleine Silver

Calls for dental checks to be in routine sale vettings

Only a basic mouth check is currently part of the standard pre-purchase examination.

Ensuring everyone feels valued in the horse world

A new action plan and education collaboration are aimed at making the equestrian sector more inclusive

'The world's toughest steeplechase'

The Pardubice is well known to be formidable. Xander Brett asks some of the British raiders how they rose to the challenge

Vet corporatisation: how it has changed the horse world

Vets from both types of practices discussed whether or not they and the industry have benefited

'She's a little rocket'

An amazing Billy Stud auction purchase is untouchable and a Dorset \"family holiday\" proves profitable

Walking up a sweat

Plodding around the hills in the summer is poor preparation for a riding lesson, finds Tessa Waugh, who nonetheless improves from \"granny crouch\" to conjuring a floating trot