A top rider’s comeback from injury, a rising star leaves Britain and more things the horse world is talking about

Trevor Breen’s comeback

On the latest episode of The Horse & Hound Podcast, Irish showjumper Trevor Breen speaks about his comeback from a serious fall in the Hamburg grand prix in May 2024. This 158th episode is in partnership with STX-UK, the official UK importer of Stephex horseboxes. “I hit the ground head first and crushed my spine, which did the damage. It wouldn’t even appear in a list of the top 10 falls I’ve had in my career, but it’s the first fall I’ve had where I haven’t got up and walked away from it,” said Trevor.

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British mare joins Olympic champion

Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl has the ride on promising nine-year-old Times Kismet, who won multiple national titles and competed to small tour with Charlotte Dujardin. Times Kismet was previously owned by her breeder, Peter Belshaw, who confirmed to H&H that the mare had been sold and secured for Jessica by her partners – now the legal owners. “Bret Willson made contact and was able to offer an alternative plan that I had to give serious thought to,” he said. “These decisions are not easy and with the uncertainty of the investigation, the uncertainty of the road back for Charlotte and the time this will take while Kismet is heading towards her prime years, the proposal from Jessica and her partners made a lot of sense for Kismet’s welfare and future career.”

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Mark Phillips’ thoughts on the season

Mark Phillips reflects on the 2024 season in his exclusive H&H column this week – and looks ahead to 2025, when Britain will host the European Eventing Championships. “After a dry Burghley, the European five-star season finale at Pau was not so lucky, as rain all day Friday and Saturday resulted in the course being shortened to just over nine minutes, with going more often found out hunting than at a five-star,” he says. “Many riders were trying to pick the best footing for their horses with an eye on next year, rather than the clock. All credit, though, to Caroline Harris with D. Day, who made light of the conditions.” He adds that it is “fantastic news” that Blenheim has negotiated a deal with the FEI to run next year’s Europeans and that “it is hoped” Britain will be able to field eight individuals, which would give future stars a chance to experience a championship early in their careers.

Find out what else Mark had to say

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H&H senior news writer

Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.