Horse_amp_amp_Hound__06_February_2018

BEST FOR
ADRENALIN JUNKIES
Duke of Beaufort’s
Point-to-Point
When? 3 March
Where? Didmarton, Gloucestershire
Pictures by Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy, aberCPC Alamy, Gary Blake/Alamy, Peter Nixon, PA Archive/PA Images, Sandpolo/Christian Lawson, Gary Blake/Alamy and PA Archive/PA Images
Common Ridings: an adrenalin-pumping ride in the Borders to commemorate a slice of history
BEST FOR GETTING YOUR CULTURAL FIX
Common Ridings
When? Throughout the summer
Where? Eleven towns in the Scottish Borders
What to expect:
Dating back to the lawless 13th and 14th
centuries, Common Ridings began when
townspeople rode their boundaries to check
them and protect them from marauders.
The summer spectacle continues today
with adrenalin-pumping rides across open
country. Multi-medalled eventer Ian Stark
is a regular.
“The first time I took part in the Common
Ridings, I was helping out at a local riding
school, getting the horses ready. When one
of the borrowers didn’t turn up, I got to ride
instead and after that I wanted to go every
year,” he remembers.
Set your alarm early doors to bag a prime
picnic spot — and try to borrow a 4x4 to keep
up with the action.
Free to watch
returntotheridings.co.uk
BEST FOR DRESSING UP
Trooping The Colour
When? 9 June
Where? Horse Guards Parade, London
What to expect:
There is something mesmerising about
watching more than 1,400 officers and
men, 200 gleaming horses, more than
400 musicians from 10 bands and corps
of drums march and play as one on Horse
Guards Parade.
The spectacle of pageantry is in aid of
The Queen’s official birthday — and you can’t
help thinking that her well-trained eye is
mostly focused on the horses of the Household
Cavalry and King’s Troop.
“The Queen’s eye for detail and equestrian
expertise exceeds all others on duty that day,”
says Lieutenant Piers Flay of The Blues and
Royals. “Her eyes and those of the world are
upon our soldiers — there is simply no greater
privilege or honour.”
While tickets are hard fought for the real
deal on 9 June when The Queen takes centre
stage, there are rehearsals the preceding
Saturdays, with The Major General’s Review
on 26 May and The Colonel’s Review on
2 June. The dress code escalates during
these three, culminating in morning dress
for Trooping the Colour.
£5 for The Major General’s Review
£10 for The Colonel’s Review
£35 for Trooping the Colour
householddivision.org.uk
Munnings Exhibition
When? Until 7 May
Where? National Heritage Centre at Palace
House, Newmarket, Suffolk
What to expect:
Horse lovers can’t help but feel inspired —
and a little nostalgic — by the work of Sir
Alfred Munnings, one of England’s finest
equestrian artists.
Head to the Moller Exhibition Gallery at
Palace House in Newmarket for his Painting
Winners exhibition, which looks at how his
work was influenced by Newmarket and racing
scenes. Drawings, sketchbooks, studies and
the finished pieces are on display, alongside
the methodology that he used to create his
masterpieces. And when you’re in need of a
pick-me-up, grab a table at the Tack Room
restaurant next door, where saddles hang from
the walls and jockey silks replace paintings.
Tickets £11 (for general admission to the
whole of Palace House)
palacehousenewmarket.co.uk
Hats, frills and a buzz at York’s Ebor Festival
Ebor Festival
When? 22-25 August
Where? York Racecourse, Yorkshire
What to expect:
Dust off your hats and pray for good weather to
see York Racecourse at its best.
“York’s facilities are second to none with
easy access for racegoers and excellent views
of the horses in both the paddocks and on the
track,” says North Yorkshire-based trainer Brian
Ellison, who landed the Ebor with Moyenne
Corniche in 2011. “If I was to recommend a day
at the races to any racing fan it would be York’s
Ebor Festival. The atmosphere there is electric
and you always feel a real buzz — a sense of
excitement and anticipation.”
Tickets from £12 for the Ebor Festival
yorkracecourse.co.uk
What to expect:
Locate all of your clothes before heading to the
Duke of Beaufort’s Point-to-Point; you’ll need
them at this picture-perfect spot nestled on the
Badminton Estate. But you don’t need to be on
a horse for the adrenalin to start pumping, and
there’s no shortage of steaming food stands to
thaw you out in between races.
Besides the racing there’s a dog show,
bucking bronco and shooting simulator —
but the raffle alone should lure you; last year
£1,000 cash was up for grabs, alongside
a season ticket to Badminton Horse Trials,
and a day’s hunting for two with the Beaufort.
Tickets £12.50 for adults
beauforthunt.com
Bravery, stamina and instinct at the Melton
Melton Hunt Club Ride
When? To be announced in the early autumn.
From November.
Where? Moves around the Quorn, Belvoir and
Cottesmore hunting countries
What to expect:
An adrenalin fix (without putting yourself in
the firing line...) and a terrific spectacle.
“The Melton Hunt Club Ride is one of the
great tests of horse and rider,” says H&H’s
hunting editor Catherine Austen. “Unlike most
other hunt races, there are very few ‘markers’
you have to keep to a certain side of — it is
as much of a test of a competitor’s ability to
‘read’ natural country and decide on a route
that suits their horse as it is a test of bravery,
jumping power and stamina.”
Tickets around £5
melton-hunt-club.org.uk
Tipperary Side-Saddle Meet
When? 17 February, 11am
Where? Cloneen, Co. Tipperary
What to expect: Like an old-fashioned
painting coming to life, “The Tipps” side-saddle
meet will take you back in history, as beautifully
turned-out followers (with nerves of steel…) dig
out their habits and tackle this famous country.
The hunt ball follows that evening at the Hotel
Minella & Leisure Centre in Clonmel.
Free to watch
tipperaryfoxhounds.com H&H
8 February 2018 Horse & Hound 31