Horses being killed on Britain’s roads, and other things the equestrian world is talking about
1. Three people and 66 horses killed in 2023
The British Horse Society has released its annual statistics covering incidents involving horses on the road for 2023 – and the results are concerning. They show that three people died, which is the highest number of human fatalities since 2018, and an additional 94 people were injured. Also 66 horses died and 86 were injured. These figures compare to 2022 when 68 horses were killed, 125 injured, and 139 riders were hurt. “These figures are a stark reminder that road incidents involving equestrians continue to persist across the UK,” said a spokesman. “This is despite the changes implemented in the Highway Code in 2022, which set out clear guidance for passing equestrians safely.”
2. Farewell to John Tulloch
The eventing community has been remembering John Tulloch, who died on 23 January after a short illness, aged 83. John was heavily involved in the sport as a rider, organiser, official, parent and grandparent throughout his life. He competed at the highest level over two decades, including at Badminton, ran Lockerbie Horse Trials for many years, and officiated as an FEI technical delegate, including at Blenheim and Burghley. John was described by Hugh Thomas, former Badminton director and BEF chairman, as “one of my oldest and best friends within the equestrian world”, and “a real leader without being showy. He was tactful, charming, clear-sighted as to the future of the sport and a man of the greatest integrity.”
3. Rider’s success prompts an early end to dry January
Daniel Coyle and Ariel Grange’s Legacy jump to a second successive World Cup victory in Amsterdam.
Irish showjumper Daniel Coyle may be a “dry January” regular, but two World Cup wins in recent weeks have prompted him to break his tradition and “have a few beers” to celebrate. Daniel and Ariel Grange’s super talented mare Legacy added a win in the World Cup class in Amsterdam to their success the previous week in the World Cup in Leipzig. They finished nearly 3sec ahead of Dutch rider Willem Greve on Highway TN NOP to claim the top spot on the podium.
Catch up with all the weekend’s international showjumping news
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