A huge horse showing off his athletic talent, an Olympic eventer's recovery, and other things the horse world is talking about

1. An 18.3hh event horse qualifying for a prestigious showjumping final

Rachel Williamson and her striking four-star eventer Kill Bill JX have earned a place at The Wright, Johnston and Mackenzie LLP Young Masters final at the Royal Highland this summer after qualifying at Morris Equestrian. Rachel has owned “Alex” since he was a three-year-old and said she almost sold him owing to his size, but decided to keep him and try eventing. The pair went from BE100 to three-star in a season, and she hopes to qualify him for a four-star long, with five-star the ultimate aim. Rachel is using the young masters classes as “practice rounds”, instead of jumping Alex at home. “He is a big slow coach but we’ve been practising some fast work on the beach, so he’s come out a bit faster this year,” she said.

Find out more about this grey giant

2. An Olympic eventer’s recovery

Australian medallist Shane Rose remains in hospital following surgery last week, but “continues to improve each day”. Shane sustained a broken femur, fractured pelvis and ribs, and concussion in a cross-country schooling accident on 14 March. A spokesman for Shane said he is “very thankful for all the love and support”, and will be in hospital for the “coming days”. Shane will be on bed rest for at least a month and then begin rehab, with the Paris Olympics still on the agenda. “Shane and Virgil are qualified and hopeful that Shane will be able to return to the saddle, prove his fitness and gain selection as a part of the Australian eventing team,” said the spokesman.

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3. Top sporting officials losing their voice

The International Eventing Officials Club (IEOC) has spoken of its disappointment after the FEI terminated its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the organisation. This means the IEOC is no longer recognised as the official organisation representing eventing officials’ views. The FEI said there had been a “breach of trust and general breakdown of the relationship” – while the IEOC said it had been in discussion with the FEI about issues affecting officials, and about the MoU terms, but was unable to resolve the issues amicably.

Read more about this ongoing dispute

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