Irish dressage team rider Abi Lyle was due to testify in court in the trial for the murder and rape of young Irish showjumper Katie Simpson at the hands of Jonathan Creswell. More than a decade ago Abi was violently abused by Creswell who got jailed for six months in 2010 after pleading guilty to assaulting Lyle. Fourteen years later Creswell had to re-appear in court for raping and murdering Simpson (21) in 2020. Following an incident on 3 August 2020, Simpson died in Altnagelvin Hospital six days later, having never regained consciousness. Creswell was not in custody as he had been granted bail at the High Court in Belfast in April 2021. He was found dead at his home on 24 April 2024, a day after his trial got under way. Abi spoke to the BBC on the the abuse and court trial. She is encouraging others in abusive relationships to seek help.
German groom Lars Seefeld has left Kristy Oatley's employment and accepted a job as groom for Cathrine Dufour. This marks his return to Denmark, where he has worked previously at Blue Hors stud and for Daniel Bachmann Andersen.
The Swedish Veterinary Association has sent an open letter to Swedish TV station SVT for trivializing the pain of horses in its coverage of the 2024 World Cup Finals in Riyadh, where Swedish Patrik Kittel won. The Veterinary Association writes that they expect SVT to be base its coverage on current animal welfare legislation and confirms that even though FEI rules do not explicitly "forbid" blue tongues, they should adhere to Swedish animal welfare legislation. Aftonbladet, which published the controversial blue tongue article a month ago, reported on this open letter.
Dutch professional rider Lotje Schoots gave birth to her first child on 22 March 2024. She delivered a girl, Nikki Grace Berends-Schoots. The girl measured 49 centimeters and weight 3578 grams at birth. Schoots and Patrick Berends married in June 2023.
Tidningen Ridsport reported that Swedish horse insurance company Agria has revealed the top 10 of most used foal names in Sweden in 2023. They are: Luna, Stella, Diva, Freja, Hector, Saga, Helga, Hilda, Hugo, and Humla.