Better Luck For Sherriff

Following a dramatic week, Dan Sherriffgets back in the saddle to take a PSG win

- Polly Bryan

HAVING been close to withdrawing just two days before his class, Dan Sherriffjustified his decision to compete when winning with FX Bayford Hall Fergus at prix st georges (PSG).

Dan suffered a dramatic fall from Fergus the previous week, when the nine-year-old Uphill gelding took fright out hacking.

“Fergus was feeling fresh and started offering some piaffe steps, which I thought was good, but then he saw a sign that had been recently put up and leapt into the air, nearly going over backwards,” explained Dan. “He shot off into the trees and got even more frightened. I was hanging off the side and made the decision to bail out. I hit the deck, but Fergus only went on about 20 metres before walking back to me.”

Having suffered a facial injury and a lot of soreness, Dan was able to get back on only the day before travelling to the show, with a replacement Charles Owen hat.

“You could see the mark on the back of my hat where I’d hit my head,” said Dan, who warned others on Facebook about the dangers of not replacing a hat after a fall.

“Fergus actually really knuckled down in the test, and it was one of the best he’s done. He is sensitive but not the most coordinated horse, though now he is getting stronger he is getting more confident and the connection is improving. I always thought his niche would be as a small tour horse. He’s an impressive-looking gentle giant — a horse you feel proud to ride,” continued Dan, who is aiming to compete Fergus abroad in 2020.