NEWS JUST IN
“HJ Hampton Center of Partnership Dispute
In a dispute surrounding the partnership interests of HJ Hampton, on November 2nd Linda Martin took HJ Hampton from Peter Atkins’ barn without his permission or knowledge.
Atkins was extremely concerned for the horse’s well being. On November 17th, Atkins obtained a court order that required Ms. Martin to surrender the horse to Atkins and further restrains Ms. Martin from selling, transferring, or otherwise taking any action affecting Atkins’ rights to HJ Hampton.
A hearing is scheduled for November 29, 2010 to determine whether the order will be extended pending a trial on the merits of the dispute. HJ Hampton is a nine year-old Argentine-bred Selle Francais gelding. Atkins has been his exclusive rider, trainer, and caregiver since 2007. Atkins and HJ Hampton represented Australia in the 2010 World Equestrian Games, where they finished 24th.”
So another fantastic partnership between horse and man is about to end thanks to the almighty dollar. It is a disgrace, we have an amazing sport that is built upon the ultimate level of trust and partnership between the athlete (the horse) and their jockey (us Eventers). You cannot make a horse do eventing, they must enjoy it, love XC and overall the level of trust between horse and man must be extremely high.
Unfortunately it is a reality that the average rider or even elite rider can only afford to own a few of their own horses. The riders then rely on building partnerships with “Owners” who support the riders by helping to pay the bills or buy that magical horse.
However since WEG we have also seen the dark side of this relationship between Rider and Owner. First off the rank was Totilas who was sold from under his partner Edward Gal, even whilst he was competing to take out the World Championships of Dressage.
Next came Michael Jung’s horse Sam, who was taken from Michael’s farm without his permission and has since been returned following legal action. Regardless of what happens this has gotten ugly and is likely to continue for some time yet.
And again news has emerged late this week, that internet sensation and youtube superstar HJ Hampton – more commonly known as “Henny” or “RunHennyRun” was taken from Peter Atkins’ farm without his permission.
It is understood the owner is trying to find a buyer. There is a lot to this story that I don’t know but the press release says a lot, even by what it doesn’t say.
How can we as a sport stop this happening? I don’t know, but I do know that this is CRAP, or even more strongly BULLSHIT. The behavior of the owners in these circumstances leaves a lot to be desired.
Check out Henny’s BIO on his facebook page, he was in no fit state to do much of anything only 2 short years ago. Since then Peter has put in a lot of hard work and following his catch rider at WEG and subsequent success suddenly he has a huge figure on his price tag. This is very disappointing in so many ways. I was truly looking forward to seeing Henny at Red Hills early next year and very hopeful to see both Peter and Henny in the Green and Gold again in London.
Now it seems both may not happen. Why? Dollars. What a pity. Just imagine how this little boy is feeling right now.
Owen and Henny at WEG 2010
Eventing Safety and Risk Management 