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Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro may be dual Olympic gold-medal winners, but at a village fair in Bury, Greater Mancherster, the dressage duo had to settle for silver.
The model of the stars was beaten to the top spot by an impressive straw replica of Jekyll and Hyde at Birtle’s annual scarecrow competition.
The popular competition was incorporated into The Birtle Fair (Saturday 6 June) with a theme of heroes and villains.
Birtle-based Dave Cooper created the equestrian scarecrow with his wife, his daughter Emily Constable, of Simon Constable’s Veterinary practice, plus his son-in-law.
“As with many dark stories the villain initially triumphs and Charlotte and Valegro were beaten this time by a true villain, Jekyll and Hyde,” Mr Cooper told Horse & Hound.
“Charlotte is wearing my daughter’s jodhpurs and we bought her jacket from a charity shop which we hacked to pieces to make the tails.”
Charlotte and Valegro may have missed out on victory but they fought off stiff competition to secure second place.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
They were up against 30 other scarecrows including Caption Hook, Peter Pan, Cruella De Vil and Shaun the Sheep.
The scarecrows were displayed in front gardens and at the village pub.
“We live on a bridleway and the horses have been taking a bit of a look at her when the come past,” added Mr Cooper.
“All the riders have said Charlotte was the best and she was robbed.
“A local fight will soon be breaking out,” he joked.
The Birtle Fair was held in aid of Birtle and Rochdale Riding for Special Needs, which runs from Birtle Competition and Riding Centre.
Around 2,000 people attended the fair and over £5,000 was raised for the charity which provides riding opportunities for children and young adults with special needs.
For more information visit: www.birtleridingcentre.co.uk
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.