MADONNA: THE EMPRESS OF MATERIAL GIRLS

The Queen of Pop - here riding a horse in her own video - has just returned to New York after another supremely successful world tour in which she reclaimed the title of highest-grossing solo touring artist Needless to say, the tour has not been without controversies, otherwise it wouldn't have been "Bitch, I'm "still" Madonna", the title of her latest single.

I haven't bought an album by Madonna since "Ray of Light" Her music of the 21st millennium doesn't much appeal to me, although I still love the early stuff. Madonna has always been a performance artist par excellence and, like the Empress Cleopatra, age has not withered her in this regard.* In other respects, her achievements are more mixed, and it may be argued that Madonna has played a significant role in creating - or at least facilitating - the modern shallow narcissistic social media culture in which appearance is everything. Discuss!

Yet that would be to sell Madonna, undoubtedly one of the world's most successful businesswomen, short. One might, alternatively, make a comparison with the visual artist Tracey Emin, another material girl but not in the same league as Madonna. I find Emin's art uninteresting, but what she says about her work is often thought-provoking. In Madonna's case, I can't recall her having said anything memorable, but what she does is interesting.

Whatever Madonna does, she does well. This includes horse riding, which the "Queen of Pop" only took up in middle age. Yet, having been out of the saddle for some time, here she is riding out in the style recommended by the great equine performance coach, and mentor of Victoria Pendleton, Yogi Breisner: " in balance, forward, with rhythm." That's how we all should try to live!

*"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety: other women cloy
The appetites they feed: but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies.." (Shakespeare)

Correction:  the quotation assigned to Yogi Breisner actually came from his mentor Lars Sederholm.

SOME REFLECTIONS ON (HORSE) MANAGEMENT

I recently caused some unintended offence by suggesting that consideration be given to a horse's management regime. With hindsight, options would have been a better word to use than regime. However, I was doing some research on Iran at the time. Better still, I might have initiated a discussion about the objectives of horse management. For me, these are encapsulated in the soundness, wellbeing and safety of animal and keeper or rider. Others may have more aspirational objectives for their horses, but "soundness, wellbeing and safety" are values which many organisations - the National Health Service, for instance - would do well to make central to their management.

ALL THE WORLD'S A SHOW JUMPING ARENA

The UK's Scott Brash and Ben Maher on the international show jumping circuit

The recent case of a British doctor struck off for moonlighting as an international show jumping commentator - having taken repeated sick leave from his NHS hospital employer (1) - has caused me to reflect on the apparent rude health of UK show jumping as reflected on the global circuit.

Scotsman Scott Brash is currently Number 1 in the Longlines International Equestrian Federation (FEI) world rankings, having been preceded in this position by fellow Briton Ben Maher. Both are pictured above with large cheques at Florida's Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (2).

Horse and Hound magazine recently gave 17 reasons why "the flying Scotsman" is the world number 1 show jumper "for the 12th consecutive month, making him the first show jumper since Germany’s Marcus Ehning in 2006" to achieve this feat (3).

Meanwhile, off course, Scott Brash earlier this year purchased the Essex house of ex-glamour model  businesswoman and fellow equestrian Katie Price, whilst she bought Conservative Party grandee Francis Maud's former home (4).

The disgraced NHS urologist might want to consider retraining as a plastic surgeon and seek a private sector employer more sympathetic to his pursuing a second business. After all, a former GP and now health care entrepreneur was the winning horse trainer in this year's Grand National (5).

Notes
1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2803787/Junior-doctor-struck-taking-sick-leave-work-jumping-TV-coverage-Urologist-caught-colleague-recognised-voice-commentary.html

2. http://www.ijrc.org/scott-brash-hello-sanctos-steal-show-500000-fti-consulting-finale-grand-prix-csi-5

3.  http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/scott-brash-world-number-one-pictures/

4.  http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/katie-price-buys-new-mansion-4463372

5.  http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/national-sport/pineau-de-re-wins-grand-6925172

Postscript - Equestrian enthusiasts may find these Coursera Moocs of interest: https://www.coursera.org/course/equinenutrition and https://www.coursera.org/course/thehorsecourse

UK PROPERTY AND THE NEW GLOBAL ORDER

Household Cavalry pass "world's most expensive apartments" (Telegraph)

"We could view the threats and challenges we face today as the difficult birth-pangs of a new global order – and our task now as nothing less than making the transition through a new internationalism to the benefits of an expanding global society...." Gordon - "how I saved the world" - Brown 2009

I enjoyed the benefits of lunch with the FT today and, in particular, a front-page article entitled "Tax haven buyers set off property alarm". According to research by the newspaper based on Land Registry data: "At least £122 billion of property in England and Wales is held through companies in off-shore tax havens". To put this in context, the figure is "more than the total value of all housing stock in Westminster and the City of London". Just under two thirds of the property is in London, with centres like Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds also targets for this type of investment. Land Registry data do not allow a breakdown between residential and commercial property. The full article can be found at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6cb11114-18aa-11e4-a51a-00144feabdc0.html?siteedition=uk#axzz398lMX18s

The government is currently in the process of privatising the Land Registry - http://civitas.org.uk/newblog/2014/06/why-is-the-government-privatising-the-land-registry/ - which may make it more difficult to unravel UK real estate ownership by off-shore vehicles in the future. However, even under present arrangements records show "only the owner or entity holding a property, not the ultimate owner of the company through which the asset is held" according to the FT. This is despite existing anti-money laundering regulations, and an announcement by the Prime Minister earlier this year that full ownership information about UK-based companies would be made publicly available.

The FT analysis cites the example of "One Hyde Park, London's most expensive block of flats" which "epitomises how the rich stash their money through off-shore companies in luxurious property that can remain empty for much of the year". A global market for this type of investment is the main reason why the near-by home of the Household Cavalry, Hyde Park Barracks, is up for sale with a price tag of £600m and prospective buyers lined up -  http://www.arabianbusiness.com/abu-dhabi-s-mubadala-considers-purchase-of-historic-london-property-report-556845.html  as reported in Arabian Business. Although one commentator on this article asks perceptively:"Aren't experts warning about London property bubble????"

Meanwhile, the FT's Philip Stephens - a Rip Van Winkle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rip_Van_Winkle) type columnist who seems to live in a prelapsarian Blair world*, rather than the alternative universe of Gordon Brown - complains of Britain's increasing hostility to capitalists and immigrants (possibly because of our dysfuctional economy ????)

*According to another FT columnist Blair "ruled in a prelapsarian age, when faith in public figures (and, I would argue, policy) was yet to be blown apart by financial meltdown" - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bedfb93c-10c5-11e4-812b-00144feabdc0.html#axzz398lMX18s

DCMS: MORE CULTURE, LESS MEDIA AND SPORT

A recent version of the famous Arabian Nights

Earlier this week, I wrote to the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Sajid Javid about the possibility of his department supporting a series of Massive Open Online Courses (Moocs) on the cultural heritage of the Muslim world. This follows an excellent mooc sponsored by the Danish Government and led by the University of Copenhagen on the subject of "Constitutional Struggles in the Muslim World" - https://www.coursera.org/course/muslimworld - around which there was much online discussion of cultural themes, including music and literature.

Now Sajid Javid's appointment has been met with some teeth-grinding amongst UK arts institutions because he appears to come to DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) with little cultural background, having previously been a banker and subsequently, after his election as MP for Bromsgrove, Financial Secretary to the Treasury. As it happens, however, I can see a literary connection between these two roles and offer some recommended summer holiday reading to Mr Javid. "The Man Who Counted" - http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/count.pdf - is, according to its wikipedia entry, "a series of tales in the style of the Arabian Nights, but revolving around mathematical puzzles and curiosities. The book is ostensibly a translation by Brazilian scholar Breno de Alencar Bianco of an original manuscript by Malba Tahan, a (fictitious) thirteenth-century Persian scholar of the Islamic Empire"(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Counted)*

"The Man Who Counted" was recently recommended on the BBC Radio 4 statistical programme "More or Less" -  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qshd - in which presenter Tim Harford "explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life". However, with regard to the running of his new department, my advice to the Secretary of State is mathematically straightforward: "More Culture, Less Media and Sport", with the exception of equestrian show jumping and eventing which need more coverage on the BBC.

Postscript: On the subject of *Latin American-Middle Eastern intersectionality, a forthcoming Coursera Latin American Culture Mooc might provide a model for something similar on the Muslim world - https://www.coursera.org/course/latinamericanculture

COSSACK HORSEMAN AND KIEV PRO-EU PROTEST

HORSE MEAT: DAVID STARKEY ON PRINCESS ANNE

The Duchess of York and Sir David Starkey in The Tatler magazine

Let me preface this post by saying that I love horses and good satire in that order. I also rather like Sir David Starkey, have some respect for Princess Anne and no particular objection to the Duchess of York (of whom nor more shall be written here). Nevertheless, it's fair to say that all three royals - Starkey, after all, is a historian of the monarchy - bring some controversy to the table.

So it was last week when Princess Anne used her speech at a World Horse Welfare event to suggest that eating horses may be good for their health. Now horse welfare is a complex subject which I do not propose to discuss in detail here, save to say that management of the equine population through appropriate breeding (including its prevention) practices is fundamental to this. End of life management is also a key issue and Princess Anne has done no harm in drawing attention to this. It should also be said that World Horse Welfare and similar charities do some excellent work in dealing with a range of problems facing equine populations in the UK, as well as in less developed countries where many animals labour and die in the most difficult of circumstances.

It was in to this uncomfortable discourse that Sir David Starkey too lept last week, when he suggested on the BBC Radio 4 panel show "Any Questions?" that Princess Anne looked like a horse - a comment that I'm sure the good lady would take as a compliment - and, with more than a touch of irony, that her advocacy of horse meat consumption revealed an unexpected "satirist".

Of course, it was Sir David and not Her Royal Highness who had spotted a satirical opportunity and chose to exploit this to the discomfiture of his more politically correct panel contestants and their audience. Likening Princess Ann's comments to Jonathan Swift's famous satire "A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick"*, Starkey went on to debunk her suggestion. In doing so, he returned the issue of horse meat consumption to a wider welfare context, thereby displaying some deft satirical footwork, which was unfortunately lost on his companions from across the politically correct spectrum.

Instead, Sir David Starkey brought ire upon himself from those who missed his ironic analogy and interpreted his comments as sexist. Although the subsequent media indignation was not so great as that sparked by Princess Anne herself, it was nonetheless significant, with the Huffington Post and its followers on Twitter getting into a considerable huff over the matter.

What all this reveals is that rational debate around challenging issues is increasingly difficult in an age of so-called emotional intelligence, and that it is no longer just North Americans who lack a sense of irony. With contemporary sensibilities so easily offended on these and a whole range of other matters it is hardly surprising that public discourse in Britain is in such a parlous state.

*  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal

EUROPE WILL BE WINNER OF LONDON 2012

During a year when Euroscepticism is very much in vogue, I'll wage a bet that Europe will be the winner of London 2012. Britain may win the medal count amongst European partners, but the continent looks set to have a majority of countries amongst the top ten performers and is likely to be the ultimate victor of the 2012 Olympics.

So whilst the UK may have beaten its main rival Germany in equestrian sports, with outstanding performances by our dressage and showjumping teams, it is the German horse industry which could secure more international business from the Olympics than our own. This has much to do with the dominance of northern European warmbloods in the sports horse market, reflecting the superior organisation of breeding in countries like Germany and the Netherlands. The German equestrian sector is also particularly well positioned for export markets as shown in their website: www.ghindustry.com

In addition, other European countries will be the undoubted beneficiaries of foreign tourists discouraged from coming to Britain during the Olympic year, at a time when the continent is already providing a greater attraction for the international visitor market. There is also the question of how many Britons will choose to holiday abroad.

So whilst national pride is rightly running high, it behoves British politicians and the media to curb the Eurosceptic spirit which has run riot in recent months, and focus instead on creating a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Olympics which extends well beyond the capital. In this context, the development of a national facility capable of staging the World Equestrian Games is something that requires serious consideration. The UK is currently without one despite being a global leader in horse sports, whereas a number of European countries have long-established centres of excellence, which bring together a major international competition circuit with valuable trade and visitor markets.

OLYMPICS: LADY GODIVA RIDES FOR BRITAIN

As the British Eventing Team won a very well-deserved silver medal yesterday, a cycle drawn Lady Godiva made her way from the Midlands to London. Although this Godiva is clothed in the interests of public decently, a naked lady on horse back petitioned the prime minister a few years ago to support the creation of a national Museum of the Horse: www.museumofthehorse.org The promoters of this project point out that we are one of the few great horse-loving countries without such an attraction, and the choice of Greenwich Park as Britain's Olympic equestrian venue means that there can be no permanent legacy on this site, a theme I have covered at http://eponaland.wordpress.com

A Feminist Take On The New Royal Family And Other Matters

Image by courtesy of Wikipedia

Feminism, like support for slow growth, skepticism of nuclear power, and, indeed, socialism, is out of fashion. As a not-so-fashionista, I will, therefore, use her as lens to look upon yesterday's Royal Wedding. I should also point out that I don't mind a bit of Gentleman's Relish* in the humour department, although my tastes almost certainly differ from those of our Prime Minister and his deputy.

Yesterday, I had intended a diet free of royal nuptials, but was overcome by a strong desire to sit down in front of the television and do nothing for a couple of hours, as well as the excuse for a glass of alcohol at lunchtime, along with most other Britons. It all turned out to be quite enjoyable : my only criticism being that the equestrian formation which escorted the newly weds back to the palace occasionally looked like something out of a John Wayne film.

This set me wondering what Princess Ann made of it all: the horses, I mean. Now there's a lady that could keep David Cameron on the bit : there would certainly be no "Calm down, Ma'ams" or other speaking out of turn, nor any kind of misbehaviour tolerated amongst the two grey geldings - and their postilions - leading the Coalition Government carriage. She would also, I am sure, bluntly advise the Leader of the Opposition to have the other Mr Ed re-schooled.

Moving on to the matter of succession, I'm glad that this has come up again recently. Personally, I would favour positive discrimination in favour of female offspring, starting with Princess Ann who would succeed her brother Charles as quickly as possible, leaving Zara and her soon to be rugby-player husband as the New Royal Couple. This should continue the reign of stalwart women exemplified in the present Queen Elizabeth.

As to the event of yesterday, surely this was an apotheosis of the spirit of New Labour, but with its prime movers left to be ghosts at the feast, with Ken Livingstone invited instead. It just goes to show that the general matter of transport, and not just getting a wedding party to and from one's palace, may be close to Her Majesty's heart and that the former - and possibly future - London Mayor's introduction of the congestion charge is well regarded in Royal Zones.

* A condiment (? by Royal Appointment)

"Captain" Johnson vs "The Nutty Professor"

In recent posts I've reflected upon the importance of maintaining a sense humour in public life, and in the unseemly wrangle between the Home Secretary and Professor Nutt we may observe a classic failure in this regard.

At the time of the local government and EU elections earlier this year, when it became clear that New Labour had suffered a disaster, a Staffordshire councillor referred to "Corporal" Johnson : a reference to the character of Jonesy in Dad's Army who's famous by-line is "Don't Panic, Don't Panic". However, in his sacking of Professor Nutt from his position as a leading government advisor on drugs, Johnson comes across more like Captain Mannering who doesn't like to have his views challenged by sub-ordinates.

In some respects, nevertheless, the Professor is fair game. Nut must be one of the few people to have simultaneously succeeded in upsetting both New Labour and the Horse and Hound Magazine with his views on the relative dangers of drugs and equestrianism, even managing to bring in some class politics by accusing politicians of treating scientific advisers like "serfs".

Unfortunately, the Professor doesn't have the class act of Eddy Murphy in his role as "The Nutty Professor", a charming and talented scientist who is also extremely fat. Seeking a more svelte form - and in a nice take on the tale of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - the Professor concocts a slimming drug which certainly reduces his girth, but at the same time unleashes a dastardly alter ego, also played by Murphy with much panache. The behaviour of this other personality is not socially acceptable, alienates the Professor's girlfriend and, ultimately, like his slimming drug, has to be suppressed.

"The Nutty Professor" could also serve as a cautionary tale on so-called recreational drugs, including alcohol and cigarettes, which can have unforeseen side-effects that need to be taken account by people contemplating their use. However, for many people a rational and sensible approach to intoxicants - and indeed horse management and riding - is not possible, and this is precisely why we need effective regulation of such activities, and, in this case, science mediated through policy.

More on Riding & Road Safety

In my previous blog I reflected on whether a compulsory road safety test should be imposed upon horse riders. On further consideration, I think the following approach would be be preferable.

1. Equestrian "Movement" support for lower speed limits on rural roads as proposed by, amongst others, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).
2. Better general road safety training in schools for children and young people.
3. More effective promotion of the British Horse Society Riding and Road Safety Test

I intend to put forward some suggestions for a campaign by the BHS and others in respect of the above in a future blog.

Riding & Road Safety

My intolerance to bureaucracy is on a par with some people's reaction to foods which strongly disagree with them. Nevertheless, I do wonder whether a "road safety" test should be made compulsory for unsupervised horse riders ie those unaccompanied by a qualified person, such as a riding instructor. I should point out that I have arrived at this point of view over several years, and from different perspectives. In addition to having been a qualified car driver for 27 years, although I do not use a motor vehicle just now, I am a pedestrian, cyclist and horse rider. I am also professionally involved in planning and transport related areas, and a sometime environmental activist, concerned with, amongst many other things, road safety issues. Some years ago I passed the British Horse Society's Riding and Road Safety Test (on my second attempt), and organised the test on behalf of other horse riders : an increasingly bureaucratic experience. In the meantime, there are more cars and other vehicles on the road, especially in semi-rural areas, and the standard of driving has probably declined, and this not exclusively, by any means, amongst young people. Like most horse-riders, I have had my share of near misses and have friends who have not been so lucky. Yet is has to be said that some of the same horse people who complain about conditions on the road - and in some cases will no longer ride out on it - are precisely the kind of driver you would not like to meet on a horse ie they drive too fast for the road conditions and sometimes inattentively. Equally, most horse riders have not undertaken any formal road safety training, let alone their BHS Test, and this is all too visible in an increasing amount of "bad" riding on the road. Indeed, in many cases, it is fortunate that horses have more sense than their riders. So, all in all, perhaps it is time for compulsory testing.

Equestrian Craft Skills

Following my earlier post on "Horse Welfare and the Household Cavalry", which some may find hard on "equestrian professionals", I thought something positive on this subject might be in order. Some of the most important contributions to horse welfare come from what are often referred to as the equestrian "trades", including good saddlers and farriers. In my experience, the Household Cavalry has produced some very good people here, and it may well be argued that their role is just as significant as the equestrian pageantry for which this institution rightly renowned.

Horse Welfare & The Household Cavalry

On yesterday's BBC1 "Midlands Today" there was an interesting story about equine welfare. The item concerned the horses of the Household Cavalry, which, as the presenter noted in his introduction, form part of what many people regard to be amongst the best of British heritage. However, on this occasion the presence of some Household Cavalry horses in a muddy field in South Worcestershire had met not with public applause, but with disapproval. In short, several people had called the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), and one local horsewoman was considering writing to the Queen.

A Household Cavalry vet was duly interviewed and maintained that the health and welfare of their horses was not at all compromised, although they would shortly be moving back to London. No action on the matter is being taken by the RSPCA.

I have to say that this story evoked very mixed feelings in me. Having had some horse dealings with serving and former Household Cavalry people, including their vets, a part of me was delighted that someone had put them on the spot, and not a particularly comfortable one at that.
For the fault of these people, in my view, is their own over-preoccupation with how things appear, and propensity to "tell tales" themselves if things don't "look right". Perhaps a bit more attention to substance rather than show is required here ! Incidentally, this applies to the horse world as a whole, and particularly perhaps in Middle England.

For this story - like all stories - has another side to it. As someone was has been based in Worcestershire for five years, I have noticed a propensity amongst local horseowners to contact the RSPCA when they feel the horses of other people are being neglected, even when the animals in question are quite healthy, which appeared to be the case with the Household Cavalry horses. These callers to the RSPCA tend to be people either relatively new to horses, and/or those with strong views about how how horses should be managed, such as a preference for maximum clipping, rugging and stabling in (ie up to 24 hours a day) during the "winter".

The fact is that a genuine cavalry horse, as distinct from a show or sports horse, should be capable of dealing with "harsh" conditions, including bad weather and muddy ground. The big problem for horse welfare in Worcestershire, from my perspective, is animals who are "not fit for purpose". This lack of "fitness" typically has several attributes. Firstly, it is difficult to obtain a good hardy middle weight horse (as distinct from pony) of the "cavalry type" these days. Secondly, animals are often insufficiently "fittened" by their owners and become chronically unsound. Thirdly, there is tendency to mollycoddle, and "vet", to the point of cruelty.

This brings me back to the subject of "vetting". For, in my opinion, some of the major contributors to poor horse "fitness", as I have described it, and consequently welfare, are to be found amongst the vetinary community, as well as other "equestrian professionals".

Summission to British Equestrian Federation

London 2012 – Equestrian Sports & Legacy Proposals[1]

This paper deals with 2 related matters :
the location of Horse Trials in the London 2012 Olympics; and
the equestrian legacy of the Games in South East London

1. Location of equestrian sports in the 2012 Olympics
Although Greenwich Park and Blackheath are identified as the focus for equestrian sports, there has been some debate about whether these sites offer the most appropriate venue. However, it is accepted here they will accommodate the show jumping and dressage components of the Games (? including Para Olympics). The Royal Artillery campus at Woolwich is to host shooting sports and it is proposed that “The Military” (the name formerly given to Horse Trials) also takes place in the vicinity of Woolwich Common/Shooters Hill (the latter area accommodating a good part of the cross country section). The equestrian component (and other parts ?) of the Modern Pentathlon might also take place at Woolwich instead of Greenwich.

The reasons for the above suggestions (in addition to the kind of issues raised in recent correspondence in the equestrian media) are as follows :
environmental/sustainability
regeneration/legacy

Legacy issues are covered below. Although London 2012 has made much much of its “green” and “sustainability” credentials, many people (including myself !) have questioned these. “Cramming” all equestrian sports into the Greenwich World Heritage Site is another example of the capacity of the local environment being overriden. The “Equestrian Establishment”, as represented in the British Equestrian Federation, also needs to properly tackle the imperative of environmental sustainability. There is little evidence of this to date.
(I am happy to expand on this issue !)

2. Equestrian Legacy of the 2012 Games
The discussion here is primarily focussed on South East London, but it is accepted that the legacy should extend beyond this and particularly take in regeneration areas north of the river ie in the Lea Valley, London Docklands and adjoining parts of the Thames Gateway. The legacy should also acknowledge the multi-ethnic nature of local communities, and the fact that non-white groups are not well represented in equestrian sports; as well as the perception (and to some extent reality) that equestrianism (“at the higher levels”) – and particularly dressage and horse trials - is a sport for social elites.

It is therefore proposed that an “Equestrian Centre of Excellence”, with strong links to other local riding establishments, be established in the vicinity of the Royal Artillery campus at Woolwich. This Centre of Excellence should include :
An indoor “Riding House” of great architectural as well as technical merit
A permanent cross-country course based on the Olympic one described above
? Polo Grounds on Woolwich Common

In terms of its “organisation”, this Centre of Excellence would probably involve a partnership between The Army and British Equestrian Federation. It should also involve a partnership between the public, private, non-government and community-based sectors.
[1] From Janet Mackinnon 25.8.2006 (email : janet.mackinnon@tiscali.co.uk web: www.epona-land.co.uk)