Rugby star takes up equine challenge

1 March 2002

Welsh rugby captain, Scott Quinnell, is finding one way of getting away from the pressures of the Six Nations Cup is on his massive Clydesdale, Clyde

The Welsh team may have been struggling in the Six Nations Cup but for captain, Scott Quinnell, the perfect antidote is the time he spends with his family and his 17hh, seven-year-old Clydesdale, Clyde.

Clyde weighs a ton but Scott is no lightweight either. The Welsh rugby captain measures 6ft 4ins and weighs 18st 8lbs.

Clayde was bought by his wife Nicola last summer for Scott to accompany the Welsh pony they had just bought for their daughter, Samantha.

“I’m a novice rider, ” said Scott. “But Clyde’s like a big donkey – he’s a great confidence giver.

“It’s nice to get away from everything and I enjoy going down to the stables and mucking him out and then going for a hack.

“It’s also great to have a new challenge – riding is such a different type of sport. I’m finding muscles that I didn’t know I had.”

Scott owns a farm with more than 11 acres in Llanelli and now his family – truly bitten by the horse bug – is expecting a new arrival, a part-bred Thoroughbred/ Shire gelding forNichola to hack.

“I think he’s going to be a bit more forward going than Clyde. So between them we should have a nice combination,” said Scott.

And looking forward to the matches to come, he said: “We did well against France and hope we can build on that for the rest of the games.”

• Click here to read about Boris Becker’s horse.

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