Results: International events overseas 4th – 8th April

Held in Taupō, the 2026 Bates New Zealand Dressage Championships (5-7 March) once again saw Wendi Williamson and Don Vito MH claim the CDI Grand Prix Championship for the third year running.

The prestigious Maryland 5 Star will not take place in 2026, as financial and organisational changes prompt a pause at Fair Hill. Plans remain for the CCI3*-L, and there are hopes the five-star will return in 2027.

Horse owners worry over recurring colic is justified. When a horse suffers nephrosplenic entrapment, a specific type of displacement colic, the risk of it happening again can be elevated. Preventative laparoscopic closure surgery has been widely used for years, and now a five-year study by the Ontario Veterinary College in Canada has evaluated its benefits.