WHY AACHEN MATTERS?

Why the 2026 World Championships are returning to one of equestrian sport’s most important places Why Aachen matters When the FEI World Championships start tomorrow, they will be returning to one of the most established and celebrated homes of international equestrian sport. For generations of riders and supporters, Aachen has represented something beyond an ordinary competition.…

BylizzieAugust 10, 20260Comments

Horse Channel

HOW THE SA SHOWJUMPING CHAMPIONSHIPS ACTUALLY WORK

The Toyota SA Senior Showjumping Championships are held at Kyalami Park Club this week. Here we explain how the competition works. The Toyota SA Senior Showjumping Championships run at KPC from 5 to 9 August, and the biggest thing to understand is that the championship is not a single class, but rather a three-part system. Two…

BylizzieAugust 4, 20260Comments

Horse Channel

CONFIRMED ENTRY LIST

Four South Africans and Zimbabwe's Charley Barford confirmed for Aachen showjumping. South Africa will send four showjumping combinations to the FEI World Championships in Aachen this month, after the final list of definite entries confirmed the country's place among 179 horse and rider combinations from 55 nations. The confirmed South African combinations are Charlie Bays…

BylizzieAugust 4, 20260Comments

Horse Channel Horse Health Horse Training

FITNESS IS NOT ONE THING

A horse can become less breathless before every tissue in the body is ready to take on more load. Cardiovascular fitness, muscular conditioning, bone adaptation, tendon capacity and technical skill do not progress as one unit at one pace. The problem with ‘he feels fit’ Riders often judge fitness by how easily a horse completes a…

BylizzieAugust 4, 20260Comments

Horse and Rider Horse Health Horse Training

WHAT FATIGUE DOES TO MOVEMENT

A tired horse does not simply perform the same movement with less enthusiasm. Fatigue can alter force production, coordination and stride-to-stride consistency, but it does not create one universal pattern. Movement depends on more than strength Every stride requires the nervous system to recruit muscles in the right sequence and at the right intensity. The horse…

BylizzieAugust 3, 20260Comments

Horse and Rider Horse Health

YOUR HORSE MAY BE TIRED BEFORE HE LOOKS TIRED

Fatigue is not confined to a horse who is blowing hard at the end of a session. It can appear much earlier, and far more subtley, as a loss of strength, coordination, consistency or willingness. What do we mean by fatigue? In ordinary equestrian conversation, we tend to recognise fatigue only at its most obvious: a…

BylizzieAugust 2, 20260Comments

Capital Stud September Broodmare Auction

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CAPITAL STUD’S SEPTEMBER BROODMARE CATALOGUE IS NOW LIVE

Capital Stud has just released its catalogue for their September Broodmare Auction. The collection brings together twenty-six in-foal mares, offering an incredible opportunity for breeders and sporthorse enthusiasts alike. The auction runs online on 4 and 5 September.

BylizzieJuly 31, 20260Comments

Horse Channel

CLEAN SPORT STARTS IN THE STABLE

A new anti-doping course made for grooms When a horse tests positive for a prohibited substance, the conversation almost always centres on the rider. Yet a great deal of what keeps a horse clean, or accidentally does not, happens long before the rider gets on, in the stable, in the hands of the groom who…

BylizzieJuly 30, 20260Comments

Caleb Seton-Smith winning with King Julian

Horse Channel

MEET CALEB SETON-SMITH

And Milkwood King Julian This past month, the Ocean Blue Cup took place in Plett at Robberg Equestrian Park, and one particular combination stole the spotlight - Caleb Seton-Smith and Blue Steel Equestrian’s Milkwood King Julian claimed a hat trick of wins in the big (1.35m/1.40m) classes. We not only love his trusty steed’s name,…

BylizzieJuly 24, 20260Comments

Horse at sunset - peak risk time for AHS

Horse Health

IMPROVED DETECTION OF AHS

How faster diagnosis protects South African horses Researchers at Onderstepoort have refined the PCR assays used to detect African Horse Sickness virus, improving diagnostic sensitivity and speed. For South African breeders and equestrians in endemic and control zones, faster confirmation of AHS status means quicker decisions about movement, treatment and herd management. African Horse Sickness remains…

BylizzieJuly 8, 20260Comments

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