A popular rescue horse known fondly as a “loveable brute” by staff at Bransby Horses for his mischievous nature, has been put down aged 10 after developing colic.
“Rock star” Ferguson was taken in by the charity as a two-year-old colt in 2013 after he was discovered wandering on common land with painful overgrown hooves and severe sores covering his legs. He immediately received veterinary and farriery treatment at Bransby‘s Walklands Farm and was later gelded.
A spokesman for the charity said Ferguson became friends with Dom and Oscar and was “very much the leader” of the cob herd.
“He knew his own mind and didn’t shy away from letting everyone know it, often giving our teams and his field friends the run around with his rebellious nature,” he said.
“Revered for his devilishly good looks, he was given his ‘rock star’ moniker by his handlers, but was also nicknamed ‘Ferg’, ‘Fer-goose’ and ‘Goose’ – and was only referred to in full when he was up to mischief. His tresses were his trademark, sporting a long flowing mane or a low maintenance, yet stylish Mohawk.”
The gelding had a “close connection” with Louise Hanson, deputy team leader of Bransby’s Barlings site.
“I handled him during my five years at Walklands. He was always a bit of a brute, but a lovable brute. I was leading him in from the field one day and there was a big puddle, instead of walking through it, he did the biggest jump over it, and it was at that point I was smitten with him” said Louise.
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“He loved attention and food; he really enjoyed the summer fair when the public doted on him, so it seemed appropriate that he then became a sponsorship star.”
The spokesman added Ferguson was a “cheeky chap” and “full of character” which made him very popular with visitors.
“Walklands Farm has been closed to visitors since lockdown, so while he hadn’t enjoyed many human visitors in the past year, he still got up to plenty of mischief with Dom and Oscar,” said the spokesman.
Ferguson developed colic on 4 June, but despite being transferred to the equine hospital for 24-hour monitoring and treatment, he didn’t recover and was put down.
“[He was] such a firm favourite with team members across the charity and supporters alike, this devastating loss has come as a great shock to us all,” said the spokesman.
“As a popular sponsorship star, Ferguson’s supporters have been notified of his passing by letter. Sponsorship contributions helped with the on-going care of his leg treatment and supported Ferguson and his friends to lead a happy, healthy life, here at Bransby Horses.”
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
