Charity thrills and spills: Watch eventers and jockeys test their stickability [video]
A team of jockeys went head-to-head against a team of eventers on Saturday (1 February) night to find out who had the best stickability.
The riders tested out their rodeo skills to see who could stay on the longest on a mechanical bucking horse.
The evening was organised by Claire Lomas — who was paralysed in an eventing fall in 2007 — in aid of the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation.
Some of the riders made it seem more difficult than others. William Fox-Pitt’s long legs were not enough to save him and he only lasted a disappointing 20sec on the horse.
Tina Cook, Bruce Haskell and AP McCoy didn’t fare much better in the stickability stakes.
In the end jockey Sam Thomas and eventer Laura Collett proved to have the greatest balance and grip.
In the final round to decide the winner, Laura managed to stay on for more than 6 minutes and was eventually allowed to dismount from the horse.
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The evening raised more than £10,000 for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation who fund medical research to try and find a cure for spinal cord injury.
To make a donation please visit Claire’s website
Videos courtesy of MDR Photo via The Eventing Stig
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Sophia Heath joined Horse & Hound in July 2013 having previously worked for the Daily Telegraph's Olympics website, CNN International and Omnisport. A Durham graduate with a Masters in journalism from City University, Sophia has evented, showjumped and hunted. Sophia left Horse & Hound in early 2015 to join an international boating website.