Eventer Ginny Howe survived a hairy moment when her girth snapped over a fence at Osberton International Horse Trials.
Ginny was riding her sister Rachael Sheppard’s horse Echo P in the CCI2* at the Nottinghamshire event (27 September – 1 October) when the incident happened.
“[The break] was inside the girth — there was no way to tell it was going to break,” said Ginny.
“We are really thorough with [checking] the tack before every event. Sue [Corbett, who works with the Howes] and my mum are so pernickety about stitching.
“Both straps came away from the girth underneath the leather.”
Ginny had used the same girth on both her other horses that weekend and said that although it was disappointing, she was “very lucky” it gave way when it did, rather than at a worse moment or on a horse who would not have coped so well.
“We were both fine,” she added.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
