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H&H Champs: ‘cheeky’ Fergus springs into the lead

Playlist 19 Videos H&H Champs: 71-year-old Sally Pidsley takes the 70cm honours 02:36 H&H Champs: Journey from Scotland pays off for victorious young rider and pony 00:55 H&H Champs: 'I've felt sick all day' — rider fights off nerves to secure 90cm victory 00:55 H&H Champs: 'I held my breath' — islander takes 80cm spoils 00:54 H&H Champs: Schoolgirl and pony dominate after cross-country 01:14 H&H Champs: 90cm class goes down to the wire on cross-country day 01:35 H&H Champs: catch ride rewarded after 15 hour journey 01:05 H&H Champs: 'cheeky' Fergus springs into the lead 01:40 H&H Champs: Super Szuca posts personal best to take the lead 03:00 One-eyed racehorse excelling in falconry career 02:24 Watch what happens when a sprinter compares training regimes with a racehorse 03:02 'He's a once in a lifetime horse': history repeats itself at HOYS Cob of the Year championship 00:46 'It has been a long time coming': rider returns to win back Blenheim title after 16-year gap 00:36 Blenheim win for Christopher Burton by narrowest of margins 00:51 All eyes on Tokyo 2020: meet the team behind Britain’s renewed eventing success 01:26 Ever wondered what it takes to be a doctor at Burghley? Watch this video to find out… 01:43 'It's effort after effort': top riders share their thoughts on the 2017 Burghley cross-country course 03:45 What do Zara Tindall, Mark Todd and Harry Meade make of the 2017 Burghley course? 03:47 Amy Woodhead: how working for Carl Hester has set her up for success 06:14

  • A stylish test secured the lead in the 90cm progressive section of the Horse & Hound Grassroots Eventing Championships for Amanda Bettle and Ysgwn Fawr Fergus.

    The combination scored 22.25 in the dressage phase, with Tayla Brooks and Springwind Catwalk close behind on 23.75.

    Amanda, who runs a livery yard, bought the gelding as a three-year-old and broke him in herself.

    “He can do a really good test, but sometimes he can get a little bit irritated,” Amanda told H&H.

    “So I hoped he would do a nice test and he was very well behaved.”

    Amanda Bettle

    A back injury as a youngster put Fergus’s training on hold and he did not start competing until he was rising seven.

    “He is a bit of a late starter,” explained Amanda.

    “He is cheeky, he likes to carry his feed bucket and put it back in the feed room and he likes to eat you – but in a nice way – [he will nibble] your collar and your coat.”

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    Amanda also has three of his elder half-brothers.

    “He has a good jump and moves nicely, but he is a bit different to the others because he can be a bit more opinionated at times,” she added.

    “We evented last year at British Eventing 90 level we had some quite good places towards the end of the year – it took him a bit of time to get going.

    “I thought it [the championships] would be a really good thing to aim for and achieve.”

    Don’t miss a full report from the Horse & Hound Grassroots Eventing Championships in next week’s issue (8 June)

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