Five-star rider welcomes new baby, an incredible rescue, and more things the horse world is talking about
‘Sheer joy’
Five-star event rider Lissa Green and her partner Giorgio Audino have welcomed a daughter, Emilia Rose, who was born on 20 March. “We have dreamt about this little bundle of perfection for so long,” said Lissa. “It’s just amazing; you can’t believe they’re half you and half the person you have been so lucky to find.” Lissa said she hopes to have a few horses ready to compete at Blenheim in September, and she would like to go to Chatsworth in May, but that this is “a loose plan”, with no pressure. “It’s such a fun journey,” she said. “We’re very lucky.”
An incredible rescue
Fire crews who winched a 21-year-old mare to safety, after she became stuck in a river, have been praised by the horse’s owner. Shannon-Leigh Sweeney fell when her appaloosa Magenta spooked on a hack on Easter Monday, and the mare slid down the bank and into the river. She was rescued by crews from Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service and Shannon-Leigh said the horse “would have died without them”. “They were a godsend,” Shannon-Leigh said. “As stressed as we were, they were calm and knew exactly what to do and when to do it. It’s one of the best services I’ve ever witnessed.” She added that Magenta is now “as happy as Larry” and “ate her dinner like nothing had happened.”
Future of riding schools
Pammy Hutton reflects on the future of dressage and of British riding schools in her exclusive H&H column. Pammy said that she and fellow riding school owner Tim Downes are “talking again about hacking to 10 Downing Street to get the plight of riding schools noticed by those who could help”. “The British Horse Society continues to offer practical qualifications and works hard via its career transition fund to encourage people into the riding school industry. But will any riding schools be left for emerging professionals to work in?” she said.
Find out what else Pammy had to say
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