Horse briefs: shaving ban starts, vale Ross Marriott and a new date for Adelaide 3DE

THE Australia-wide rule to prevent the removal of whiskers from horses’ noses and eyebrows comes in to effect from July 1.

There has been worldwide discussion with the opinion that the whiskers play an important role in their sensory awareness system. Whiskers present on both upper and lower eyelids provide an automatic blink response when horses encounter something like a fly or contact with an object, which helps protect the eye.

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NEWS that the Melbourne Cup-winning stallion Americain had been put down after suffering a paddock accident was a blow to equestrian competitors as well as racing fans.

The horse was a handsome, athletic type and any of his progeny that did not shape up on the racetrack were quickly snapped up as an eventing prospects.

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THE heavy horse community is mourning the loss of one of its own.

Ross Marriott, who with his family has been a part of the famous display of Clydesdale horses at the Royal Melbourne Show for generations, passed away on June 14 at the age of 77.

A thanksgiving service was held at Christ Church Anglican Church in Foster, Gippsland, yesterday.

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MALEAH Lang-McMahon will be among the 30 young showjumping riders from six countries who will compete at the FEI Youth Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, from June 28 to July 3.

The riders are aged between 15 and 18 years and will compete in individual and team jumping competitions, with each qualified nation competing as part of a five-member continental team.

They will individually draw their horses, as done in previous games, with the same combinations required to compete in both the team and individual rounds. The team competition will begin on June 29 and will be followed by the individual competition on July 2.

Maleah, 18, from Queensland, beat three of Australia’s top young jumping riders – Charlie Richardson (NSW), Chloe Versteegen (WA) and Hayden Parker (VIC) to the team spot after an intensive two-day selection program.

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THE Australian International Three-Day Event is relaunching the internationally acclaimed equestrian competition as the Adelaide Equestrian Festival with a new program and a new autumn date for 2023.

After being cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic, the Adelaide Equestrian Festival will move from October to April and include a more expansive offering to entice both local and international audiences.

At the festival’s core will still be the Adelaide International FEI5* eventing competition, one of only seven events in the world held to the highest level and attracting Australia and New Zealand’s best eventing horses and riders.

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AGRICULTURAL shows around the country are finding it hard to fill working committees and it seems the same is happening with equestrian sport.

After the recent Equestrian South Australia Show Horse working party resignation, the Show Horse membership had the opportunity to present themselves to become committee members of a new temporary working party but got no takers. although it was through the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.

ESA sought out alternatives for the immediate short-term whereby the Equestrian Australia National Show Horse Committee (EANSHC), will tentatively aim to run the Equestrian SA Show Horse of the Year, and have offered assistance to ESA and will be in attendance to co-ordinate and run the event with the aid of EA and SA volunteers. They also need specific tasks to be taken into the hands of capable volunteers, ideally that live in SA.