Here’s what you need to know about this month
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OLYMPIC GAMES
Fans of equestrian sport will be focusing their attentions on the Palace of Versailles this summer when the 2024 Olympic Games takes place in Paris (26 July-11 August), followed by the Paralympic Games (28 August8 September). The grounds of the former royal palace will be the venue for the dressage, showjumping, eventing and para dressage competitions, as well as all five phases of the modern pentathlon competition, which includes showjumping for the final time this year.
The action starts on the first sporting day of the Games (27 July), with eventing dressage, followed by cross-country the following day (28 July) and showjumping and the medal ceremonies on 29 July. The 5.3km cross-country course runs through woods and includes a pontoon crossing of the Grand Canal as part of the track.
Grand prix dressage will be held on 30 and 31 July. The showjumping team competition will be contested on 1 and 2 August, followed by the dressage grand prix special on 3 August and grand prix freestyle on 4 August. The final equestrian competition of the Olympics will be the individual showjumping rounds on 5 and 6 August.
The main arena, where the dressage and showjumping will take place, seats 16,000 spectators and is situated at the end of the Grand Canal, with the Palace of Versailles promising a great backdrop to the action.
British Equestrian World Class performance director Helen Nicholls said: “The excitement ahead of Paris is really beginning to build and the team is working hard behind the scenes on the final touches to prepare and support our horses and riders.”
Tickets to all Olympic sessions are now sold out, but the action will be available to watch on demand through BBC Sport, Eurosport and Discovery+.
RESCUE UPDATE
Clydesdale Seamus had been left to quietly starve to death when World Horse Welfare (WHW) field officer Seema Ritson found him in a barren field in the north of England.
“There was no grass, hay, or haylage; he wasn’t being fed at all,” said Seema. “He was very underweight and had absolutely no muscle.”
Seamus was taken to WHW’s Lancashire rescue and rehoming centre where he underwent eight months of intensive care to safely return him to a healthy weight.
Clydesdales are a heavy breed rated as ‘at risk’ by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST). They were traditionally bred in Scotland to work on farms, but the charity says that Seamus was so weak he could barely carry himself.
“When I saw Seamus, I was shocked to see a giant skeleton, with bare patches of skin where there should have been a thick, brown coat,” said Seema. “I could see h
