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Stuart Hollings: the ‘lesser spotted’ plain snaffle [H&H VIP]
I always consider the busy Cheshire, Lincoln and Royal Highland week to be the half-way point in the showing season, so you could look on this comment as a sort of half-term report. My concern over...
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Stuart Hollings: Nurturing enthusiasm [H&H VIP]
Last month I enjoyed two back-to-back judging appointments at polar ends of the equestrian spectrum. First I was at Royal Norfolk, which kicked off with a pre-show dinner attended by HRH Prince...
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Stuart Hollings: Should jumping be king for working hunters? [H&H VIP]
It appears the working hunter pony/working hunter (WHP/WH) community remains divided on whether their classes should be treated as a performance class where jumping is king or judged as a showing...
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Stuart Hollings: All the fun of the championships [H&H VIP]
By the time you read this, the principal national championship shows will have taken place and many competitors will be focusing their attention on the grand finale of the season — the Horse of the...
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Stuart Hollings: New class provides eclectic mix [H&H VIP]
All eyes will be upon the inaugural ridden part-bred pony of the year class on the final day of the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS, 8-12 October). This is open to Welsh and Arab part-bred ponies and has...
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Stuart Hollings: A sunny season despite ‘bonnet drama’ and bitting concerns...
Pharrell Williams’ top-selling single Happy dominated the airwaves in 2014 and summed up the general ambience of the showing season. Competition was strong in the show ring, with better entries at many...
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Stuart Hollings: Competitors are not always on their best form at a show [H&H...
There is an old show business saying: “Never work with children and animals”. And yet in equestrian circles many judges give up their valuable time to do just that, relishing every minute. Ponies...
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Stuart Hollings: Varying opinions are no bad thing [H&H VIP]
It seems like only yesterday that I was pressed into service at the last minute to replace Kevin Walker and judge the Blue Chip Native BSPS Heritage Supreme Championship at Olympia, so invigorating...
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Stuart Hollings: ‘you wouldn’t drink flat champagne’ [H&H VIP]
Despite year-round competition, springtime still heralds the start of the showing season for many competitors, as well as being “conference time” for our distinguished judges. The hot topics at the...
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Stuart Hollings: ‘like a scene from the Muppet Show’ [H&H VIP]
It may not seem a milestone compared to the Royal Bath & West Show, which was founded in 1777, nor compete with the outstanding achievements of AP McCoy, but I was proud nevertheless to celebrate...
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Stuart Hollings: How many handlers does it take to show a shire? [H&H VIP]
I ticked another box when paying a first-time visit to the National Shire Horse Show in March, and came away both fascinated and alarmed. It seemed odd watching the shire horses enter the ring on the...
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Stuart Hollings: Stop scrimping on judges *H&H VIP*
How does your half-term showing report read? Are you producing consistent results to maintain impressive form or must you try harder? Mine highlights the trend for lone judges and an overdue return to...
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Stuart Hollings: Show secretaries aren’t pantomime villains *H&H VIP*
Forget Big Brother or I’m a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here! — a camera in most show secretaries’ offices on show day would make better viewing. This would be even more intriguing when the marks sheets...
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Stuart Hollings: Be careful what you wish for *H&H VIP*
Last month I came across Master Horseman, the 1980 biography of the late showman Jack Gittins. Jack won many major awards, including six supreme hunter championships at Dublin with Mighty Atom, Mighty...
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Stuart Hollings: a stroke of genius *H&H VIP*
Maybe I caught a glimpse of the future when attending the National Hunter Show on Staffordshire showground, incorporated within the showjumping Scope Festival. The idea was a stroke of genius, setting...
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Stuart Hollings: Has showing become a travelling professional circuit? *H&H VIP*
The highlight of the 2015 showing season for me has been the duel for supremacy in the maxi-cobs between Hallmark IX and Starry Night, culminating in a battle royal at the Horse of the Year Show...
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Stuart Hollings: Judges need to be reminded of their responsibilities *H&H VIP*
Here we are again on the brink of another busy showing season, and it’s occurred to me that all our aspirations, careers and reputations as owners, riders, breeders and trainers are at the mercy of...
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Stuart Hollings: Don’t tell porkies about your horse’s age *H&H VIP*
Years ago with competing and reporting, I often knew more about the ponies — their history, breeding and age — than the riders themselves. Once, judging at a show, I left a jockey dumbfounded when I...
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Stuart Hollings: The most bizarre requests made by competitors *H&H VIP*
The unnecessary hullabaloo regarding high-profile competitors having their entries returned by Royal Windsor proved one point: the general apathy shown towards closing dates by some modern-day...
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Stuart Hollings: ‘Short show jackets look ridiculous’ *H&H VIP*
Napoleon Bonaparte commented that “fashion condemns us to many follies”. He is certainly correct regarding the modern-day trend for short equestrian jackets, not only seen in the show ring but also on...
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