If you’re going to end up deep in a hedge you’d intended to jump, it’s always best if there’s a friend on hand to catch it on camera.
That’s exactly what happened to vet Paul Thomason at the weekend, when out with the Cheshire; the young horse he was riding unexpectedly took aversion to one of the hedges and he landed in it. Luckily eventer Hayden Hankey was there to record the aftermath for posterity.
“He took a flying lesson, didn’t he!” Hayden told H&H.
Not much of Paul other than his boots is visible through the branches on Hayden’s video; only his voice can be heard asking if someone could catch his horse, who is standing politely peering down at his rider. As another rider takes the reins, a man comes to Paul’s aid – but is laughing so much, he’s unable to help.
“We were at the Horton meet and the hedges there are notoriously big and wide,” Hayden said. “All the lads on the quads, who are usually busy laying the trail, couldn’t help as they were laughing too much and all you could hear was Paul, on his back in the hedge and laughing. It didn’t slow him down either – he was straight back on.”
Hayden said he was also on a young horse, who had gone a bit green so was standing still, which meant he was perfectly placed to take a video.
“It’s had nearly 8,000 likes on social media, which is a bit crazy,” he said. “Paul and I are friends and have done a lot of team chasing, and this was quite an amusing day, to say the least!
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
