Trainer Sally Randell holds her first owners' day at Broad Hinton

Written by Tony Millett on 08 December 2015.

Sally introduces Sergeant Dick - 10-year-old owned by Connect EightShe finally got her trainer's licence last month - taking over Andy Turnell's Broad Hinton yard - and now, to mark her takeover, Sally Randell has held her first Owners' Day - on a windy day below Hackpen Hill with just a threatening spatter of rain.

Owners and members of syndicates gathered on Sunday (December 6) to see six of the horses in training put through their paces on the all-weather track and over jumps. 

Leading them were Brodie Hampson on Lee Power's Driftashore and Ben Poste on a new arrival at the yard, five-year old Mandy's Boy - training for the 'Keeping the Dream Alive' Syndicate.  

Sally Randell had been Assistant Trainer to Andy Turnell who is retiring after a stroke affected his right side.  It's a real case of changing places as Andy Turnell is taking on the role of Sally Randell Racing's Assistant Trainer - keeping his experienced eye on the yard's horses.

Then Sally Randell introduced a parade of the fourteen horses she has in full training - and they include some younger horses with exciting prospects.

The yard's next entries will run - ground permitting - at Taunton on Thursday:  Goal (a seven year-old gelding - owned by Mark Hampson and ridden by his daughter Brodie Hampson) and Bel Ami Rich (a five-year-old gelding owned by Paul Rich.)

In the barn with owners' colours Sally RandellKate Leahy with Bel Ami RichAndy Turnell watches the parade

Sally Randell's Horses to Watch:

Driftashore (left with Brodie Hampson) & Mandy's Boy (with Ben Poste)Mandy's Boy: a five-year-old Irish-bred bay gelding.   Stable name - Mandy: "Just joined us.  Won on the flat and over hurdles for Ian Williams.  Well handicapped and ready to run later this month.  Jumps really well - so we are excited he will go novice chasing for us."

Driftashore: eight-year-old Irish-bred bay gelding. Stable name - Drifter: "Purchased from Ireland in 2013 and bolted up in his first point-to-point when I was training him.  Won his maiden hurdle impressively at Ffos Las for Andy last April with Brodie aboard.  Rated 130 and we will be excited to see him run in some Saturday races this winter."

Aristocracy Aristocracy: a four-year-old bay gelding.  Stable name - Alfy:  "Placed in all his juvenile hurdles last year before winning a handicap hurdle at Wincanton last November ridden by Brodie Hampson.  Going really well."    Then he was pulled up at Uttoxeter on November 14 - Sally says:  "He hasn't ran over hurdles in a while so it blew the cobwebs out and a drop down in grade will help for his next race."

Versant - with Sam BurtonVersant: three-year-old bay gelding.   Stable name - Vic: "Unraced half brother to the Godolphin owned True Story who rated 112 on the flat!  In Sam Burton's opinion having ridden out on Vic: 'He is a machine!'   He will be aimed at juvenile bumpers around Christmas."

Click on photos to enlarge them...

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The Parelli training method can forge a firm and lasting relationship between horse and rider

Written by Tony Millett on 30 March 2015.

Sarah Wearing Sarah Wearing is one of only six 3* Parelli Instructors in the United Kingdom.  She has worked with and ridden horses and ponies since she was three years old.  She is based at Suddene Park farm, near Burbage - in partnership with Eileen and Peter Devenish who farmed there for nearly forty years and now run a livery yard.

She keeps her own horses there, and she holds training courses and two Parelli clinics a month during the summer.

In the education of young children there are many theories about how to get the best results: names such as Steiner, Fröbel, Montessori, Piaget have all had followers.  And so it is with the training of horses - there are several different approaches.

There is the traditional method of 'breaking in' young horses - which takes a lot of time and patience. Then there is the original American ‘horse whisperer‘ Monty Roberts whose representative in the UK is Kelly Marks with her Intelligent Horsemanship scheme based in Lambourn.   

There is Gary Witheford - based near Burbage - who is known as a 'horse whisperer', but prefers his skills with horses of doubtful temperament to be known as 'natural horsemanship'.  And there is Parelli.  

The Parelli organisation was founded in the United States in 1981 by Pat Parelli - a life-long horseman, horse trainer, rodeo rider, cowboy and teacher.  In 1993 his wife Linda joined the Parelli organisation.  The Parelli method is becoming much more popular in Britain.

The Parelli approach relies not on training horses, but teaching each horse owner to become their own horse trainer - and to build a relationship of trust and communication with each horse.  It also uses the term 'natural horsemanship'.

Horsemanship skills are taught in the Parelli programme, but the foundation of the method is the relationship with the animal.   It enables horse lovers at all levels and in all disciplines to achieve a series of steps: success without force - partnership without dominance - teamwork without fear - willingness without intimidation - and harmony without coercion.

Parelli uses specially designed halters that are hand-tied with knots in strategic places. They are made from high-quality, light-weight yachting rope, which is soft and strong and comfortable for the horse.

Parelli also uses a 'carrot stick'.  This is not a whip.  Sarah Wearing describes it as "An extension of your arm - a communication tool through touching".  She explains that as horses are long and upright, and the long 'carrot stick' "Levels up the playing field" for horse owners.

Sarah has wide experience in horsemanship having competed in dressage, show jumping and eventing, riding in teams and individually.   Since 2007, she has trained with Parelli at the organisation's Colorado, Florida and Stoneleigh training centres.
 
When Marlborough News Online caught up with Sarah at Suddene Park Farm, she was showing a class of horse owners how to turn their horses: "If you control the hindquarters of a horse, you can control the whole horse."

This is how to do it...

...it's not as easy as it looks...

...that's got it.

She teaches many first time owners, as well as people who come back to riding after a break.  She believes Parelli not only allows people to have a good relationship with their horses, but it also helps to build riders' self-confidence.

Sarah Wearing explains her belief in the Parelli method in convincing and practical terms: "If everyone used Parelli, everybody - including the horses - would be a lot happier and the world would be a lot safer."

What's next?

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The see-saw of eventing: at Boekelo New Zealand qualify for Rio but victory for Britain's Nicola Wilson

Written by Tony Millett on 11 October 2015.

Nicola Wilson's victory circuitWhat goes up must come down - that rule of the eventing world was confirmed at the Boekelo CIC3* event this weekend in Holland.  However, it's the even performance that wins the day as Britain's Nicola Wilson proved taking top honours.  

She was fifth after the dressage, fourth after the cross country, and missed a clear in the show jumping by one time fault to win the overall title.

New Zealand's place at the Rio Games depended on their performance - and their top two riders in this competition fared unevenly.

Mildenhall-based Jonelle Price on Cloud Dancer II was in first place after the dressage, but though she went clear in the cross country, she added 14.8 time penalties to drop to seventh place.  Three fences down and fourteen faults in the show jumping took her to 22nd place.

Marlborough-based Jesse Campbell and Kaapachino went clear in the cross country, adding just 0.4 time penalties to finish the day up from twelfth place to lie second.  But after 21  faults in the show jumping, he was back to 26th place.

But the New Zealand team of Jonelle Price, Jesse Campbell, Tim Price (34th) and Dan Jocelyn (45) did enough to clinch their place for Rio 2016 - and took third place behind Ireland and the USA in the Nations Cup.

Adding to New Zealanders' glee, Blyth Tait (two-time Boekelo winner and winner of an Olympic gold) who was competing as an individual on Xanthus III, was one of only eight combinations to come through the show jumping without a fault - and finished second just 2.1 points behind Nicola Wilson.

The only other team seeking a Rio place in the same Group as New Zealand was Japan.  Their hopes ended when one of their team was eliminated in the cross country.

Relief all round for New Zealand's eventers who are based in the Marlborough area.   As another of them, veteran New Zealand Olympic Sir Mark Todd tweeted: "Yeah!!! NZ have qualified for the Olympics. Well done Dan, Jesse, Tim and Jonelle.  Awesome job."

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The Willis Brothers of Malmesbury to build Rio Olympics cross country course

Written by Tony Millett on 01 June 2015.

Willis Brothers team repairing an obstacle at Barbury Castler Horse Trials 2014The Willis Brothers have been selected to build the cross country course for the eventing competition at the Rio Olympics next year.

The family business based near Malmesbury have specialised for over 30 years in building fixed and portable cross country obstacles for eventing and steeplechase jumps and hurdle fences for the racing industry.

They build and maintain the St James's Place Barbury International Horse Trials cross country course - as well as courses for Badminton, Gatcombe Park and many other events large and small throughout the UK and the world.   

The Willis Brothers built cross country fences and courses for the Olympic Games in Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996) and in Sydney (2000) as well as the World Equestrian Games.

This is their first Olympic Games contract for sixteen years.  As Ashley Willis told Marlborough News Online: "It's an honour - it really is."

For many years the Brothers have sourced some of their most essential materials from Savernake Forest - by arrangement with the Forestry Commission they cut young birch brushwood which they use for jumps at Cheltenham and racecourses far wide.

Six members of the Willis team will go to Brazil in July to build the course for the Olympic test competition at two-star level.   That will stretch the family a bit as July sees the Barbury Castle Horse Trials - so some members of this long-standing family firm will be staying behind to make sure every goes to plan at Wiltshire's premier eventing competition.

The course is being designed by Pierre Michelet who designed the course for last summer's World Equestrian Games in Normandy.

The Rio Olympic eventing competition will take place between 6 and 9 August 2016.  But work has already started and they will soon start shipping fences out to Brazil.

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Trainer Sally Randell leaves Broad Hinton stables to join Fergal O'Brien in the Cotswolds

Written by Tony Millett on 09 August 2016.

Sally Randell at her Broad Hinton yardAfter ten months training at Broad Hinton, Sally Randell is handing in her trainer's licence and moving away from Wiltshire to join her partner Fergal O'Brien who trains at Naunton in the Cotswolds.  She will be his assistant trainer.

Having helped re-establish Andy Turnell's yard after he had a stroke, Sally Randell applied for her licence in July last year.   Speaking to Marlborough.News she said she approached this move "...with a stab of sadness, but with bubbling excitement."

"It's been six tough years since myself and Brodie Hampson started in a caravan in Wales and a handful of point-to-pointers - and it feels like a dream come true that we were granted a licence and most of all that I trained winners!"

After a very successful career as a jockey, Sally Randell retired from riding last year.  In 2009, she became the first woman to win Sandown's Grand Military Gold Cup - riding Oakfield Legend.  She won it again in 2014 on Bradley and again in 2015 on Loose Chips.   
 
"Just over 2 years ago I made the best decision I have ever made and took a gamble and moved to Andy Turnell's yard. I worked under Andy for a year and put a lot of hard work into improving the facilities which had very much deteriorated since Andy's stroke which put him out of physical work for the year prior to taking me on."

"Horse numbers were very low and we built it all back up and as our results started to flow in so did owners!"  

During that year she completed her trainers' courses at the British Racing school, Newmarket:  "Andy was only too happy to let me take on the reins last autumn. I have had a great team all along the way and I owe everything to them."

Sally Randell & Brodie Hampson - with Donna's Palm (2015)Memory of Light & Breezy Kin on the Lambourn gallops (April 2016) On February 28 she had her first winner as a licensed trainer:  Brodie Hampson rode her father's horse Goal to victory at Southwell.  "It's quite fitting too that Goal - in the wonderful colours of the late Mark Hampson - would also give me my first flat winner at Brighton earlier this month."

"Racing is a tough game...and in such a financially testing climate where the cost of living is constantly increasing, we have needed constant support of our owners and with a few owners moving abroad and horses getting injured, we have been hit with a depletion in numbers and I would hate to get into financial difficulty."

Sally also cites the Broad Hinton yard's lack of a work gallop.  The weekly trips to the Lambourn gallops are costly and take up valuable time.   

"I have had a lot of help and support from my family, but with no backing and no big owner to replace horse numbers, we decided that to move forward we needed to join a bigger team with top class facilities."

She says she and Fergal "...are really excited to join our teams and make something even bigger for our futures. Fergal has a fantastic yard of horses ready for the winter season and we will be taking eight horses which I think will really add to an exciting time ahead."

All but one of her owners are going with her to Naunton: "I am really excited about all of the horses I am taking with me, but I am especially eager for Benechenko, Good Man Hughie and Lord of the Island to get back to the track."

Brodie Hampson, Kate Leahy and part-time racing secretary Emma Owen will become part of the team at Fergal O'Brien's yard.

Elm Cross Stables at Broad Hinton are now being marketed by Pilgrim Bond and Brewer at a rental of £2,000.  The yard includes a three-bedroomed semi-detached house, 17 stables, shared use of a horse walker, lunge ring and canter track.

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The Queen watches two of her young horses run at Newbury Racecourse's Spring Trials meeting

Written by Tony Millett on 17 April 2015.

The Queen with jockey Richard HughesIn bright Spring sunshine, Her Majesty the Queen was at Newbury Racecourse on Friday (April 17) to watch two of her horses in the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials meeting - the famous course's first flat meeting of the season.  And she saw them both placed in their races.

Her Majesty, who celebrates her 89th birthday this coming Tuesday, saw Richard Hughes ride her two year-old filly Ring of Truth into second place in the Al Basti Equiworld EBF Stallions Maiden Stakes.  

Ring of Truth is with Marlborough trainer Richard Hannon - as the racecard put it, this "Trainer's newcomers command respect."  The filly's first outing won the Queen £1,925 in prize money.

The race was won by Harvard Man trained by Brian Meehan at Manton and ridden by Italian jockey Antonio Fresu, who is racing in Britain this season.

Later in the afternoon, the Queen's Capel Path was brought home in third place by Ryan Moore in the Dubai Duty Free Full of Surprises Handicap Stakes. 

Capel Path, a three year-old bay colt trained at Newmarket by Sir Michael Stoute, won a maiden race at the end of the last flat season at Newcastle.

The Queen went from the Grandstand to see her horses being saddled and watched them in the ring. 

She was wearing a 'vibrant' magenta coat and matching hat.  Though some people in the crowd thought it was cerise.  And a man who described the colour as 'puce' was sternly put in his place - puce is not, he was told, a Royal colour.

The Queen with her racing adviser, John Warren

Richard Hughes in the Royal silks

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The Value of Horses: How a horse can impact on a 30-something female having a bit of a crisis

Written by Harriet Rochester on 19 November 2014.

(Photo: Will Weaver)Harriet Rochester’s Marlborough Downs Uncovered column gets a bit personal
 

Globally horses play a diverse role.  From a reliant working member of the community in third world countries to a priceless competitor in sports from eventing to horseracing or as a much-loved pet or companion. 

This latter role was highlighted very poignantly earlier this month, when staff at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan granted Sheila Marsh's dying wish, by arranging a visit from her horse to her hospital bed (- photo at right.)  Mrs Marsh died the very next day.
 
It also cannot be ignored that these animals are also a valuable commodity in the horsemeat trade.  At last year’s World Horse Welfare conference, HRH The Princess Royal, who is the charity’s president, controversially highlighted this point.  When she addressed the 400 delegates at this year’s conference, The Princess Royal, perhaps not wanting to stir the pot quite so vigorously, asked: ‘What is the Value of Horses?’ 

It was a question that sparked debate for the remainder of the conference and has prompted me to quiz myself.
 
The value of horses spans money, utility and sentiment. This was demonstrated by several detailed studies across numerous scenarios during the conference.

Jason Hare addresses the conferenceArguably the most thought provoking case was delivered by ex-Royal Marine Jason Hare.  He was “blown up twice” while serving as a Royal Marine, once by a suicide bomber and once by stepping on an improvised explosive device.  Jason suffered catastrophic injuries - losing his left leg, digits on his right hand, his left eye and he also suffered severe facial injuries and had to have his nose amputated. “I lost my facial identity,” he said.
 
It was at HorseBack UK, a charity which aids the recuperation of service men and women who have suffered physical or mental injuries, that Jason’s road to recovery began.
 
“I found working with horses extremely beneficial. It’s hard to be patient when you’re a patient, but working with these animals relaxed me and taught me perseverance.”
 
“In the Royal Marines we say: you have to improvise, adapt and overcome – it’s the same principal in this role.  It might take weeks, months or even a year but this gave me my mobility back - and with dignity.  I never thought I would be a horse owner but as I learnt to walk, my horse learnt new skills – we did it together.”
 
Jason’s words and experience inspired me to ask myself this question - what is the value of the horse to me? In addition to the important fact that a significant part of my PR business revolves around the horse-world, I am a mad keen racegoer and eventing groupie. But for the purpose of this exercise I am going to focus just on Thomas – my horse.
 
I purchased Tom a year ago, he is a former racehorse, who never made much of an impression on the track, despite boasting a rather smart pedigree.   My main aim was to have some fun and have a bash at eventing. 

A year on and we have successfully completed several BE 100’s, we’ve yet to snaffle that elusive rosette, but there’s always next year and I am pretty proud of us and our journey. [BE100 is a British Eventing class where the fences do not exceed 100cms.]
 
Tom came to me during what for me felt like a particularly low spot in my life.  On reflection this now sounds rather hollow, especially when we are reminded so frequently of the cruel curve balls life can throw – and particularly by Jason’s story. But our problems tend to be relative to us, however big or small.
 
Anyway, I was now responsible for a living being, someone who relied upon me to nurture, train and develop him. I began to start making plans, this was anything from Tom’s day-to-day exercise program to setting competition targets. 

Little did I know that I was ‘positive forecasting’ or for those who have read The Secret using ‘the law of attraction’.   Having learned this tool I then began apply it to other areas of my life - foremost to work. And lo and behold new business prospects began cropping up.  It was as if the world was a lamp with a genie within it and all I had to do was put my wish out to the universe, give it a little rub and it was granted. Happy days.
 
So one way I value the horse is its power to teach.  I believe we never stop learning, consciously or sub-consciously and what we gain in one experience we can more often than not transfer that skill into another area of our life, usually to our benefit. 
 
Returning to Jason’s story and the emotional and therapeutic value of the horse: to finish his address he told how he was asked how much he paid his therapist – his reply was "Feed, hay and water". Priceless - in my opinion.
 
Harriet Rochester  of  HRSM Ltd.
@HatRochesterPR

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They've done it! Andrew Nicholson and Avebury clinch their fourth successive title at the Barbury Horse Trials

Written by Tony Millett on 12 July 2015.

Nicholson & Avebury at the Owl HoleLockeridge-based Andrew Nicholson and the 'little' grey' Avebury won the CCI*** title - the feature competition at the St James's Place International Barbury Horse Trials on Sunday (July 12) - for an astounding fourth year running.

No horse in the history of eventing has ever won a class of this stature four times in succession. Last to go after a long afternoon’s tense wait, Rosemary and Mark Barlow’s wonderful 15-year-old grey was flawless across country, finishing 12 seconds inside the optimum time and easily holding his lead.

What was more Andrew Nicholson - a New Zealand Olympic medal winner - and the 15-year-old chestnut gelding Nereo took second place.  After the dressage, show jumping and cross country phases Nereo was a mere 4.4 penalty points behind his stable mate.

Members of the New Zealand elite squad took third (Sir Mark Todd and Leonidas II from Badgerstown) and fifth place (Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy from Mildenhall.)  There were two British entries in the top ten places: Nicola Wilson and Beltane Queen were fourth and Laura Collett and Grand Manoeuvre were sixth.

A sign of the form as the European Championships approach was the placing of two French entries in the top ten - and a third French pair at eleventh.  

The Barlows (who own Avebury) holding trophies - either side of David Bellamy (of St James's Place Wealth Management) with Penny Bunter and Nicholson on the rightA celebratory family group: Andrew with his wife Wiggy and children Lily and ZachThe Championships will be held at Blair castle in Scotland in September - and it is very likely that Nicola Wilson and Laura Collette will have earned their place in the twelve strong British team.

It rained - sometimes very hard - up on the Marlborough Downs during the final cross-country section - and everyone got pretty wet.  But there were very few falls on the 3,910 metre course designed by Sir Mark Phillips. And not many riders overran the 6 minutes and 52 seconds optimum time for the course.

It was noted by the experts that the top five riders had no penalties against them in both the show jumping and cross country - and finished with just their dressage penalties.  A remarkable achievement - especially for those who went round the course later in the somewhat more slippery conditions.

In the final, cross country phase of the competition the riders that top the leader board from the first two phases go last and the crowds certainly stayed to watch the last few riders and see whether Avebury would make history.  

It was a very exciting finish. Not only was there a very tight margin between Nicholson's two horses, but Sir Mark Todd was just one tenth of a penalty point behind Nicholson and Nereo.

Sir Mark & Front StreetEarlier in the day, Sir Mark Todd won the eighth running at Barbury of the Retrained Racehorse Eventing Championship title - a competition for racehorses that have not lasted long on the racetrack and are being retrained in another discipline - in this case as eventers.  

Sir Mark was riding Front Street. After his victory, Todd said: "I love thoroughbreds they have brilliant minds to work with.  I used to train racehorses in New Zealand and now we've just won a big Retraining of Racehorses class here at Barbury proving their versatility.   Front Street is such a genuine fellow and tries his heart out, which is typical of his breed."
 
Front Street, 11 years old, ran a total of eight times.  In his most successful outing  he took third place in a steeplechase at Plumpton. The competition is sponsored by the Retraining of Racehorses charity and the National Trainers Federation- the racehorse trainers' association.

[Click on photos to enlarge them.]

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