Scurry sponsor Jeff Osborne experienced the highs and lows of his sport at the New Forest Show on Wednesday, 28 July, when his 11-year-old pony Pendley Sculpture had to be put down.
“Zig” was euthanased by injection after sustaining a compound fracture of the fetlock in the large scurry class.
Mr Osbourne had qualified his small pair, Gavin and Stacey, for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in the morning.
“It was a freak accident,” Mr Osbourne told H&H. “Zig slipped and went under the other pony; there was nothing anyone could do.
“I’ve been doing scurry driving for 30 years and never even had a pony come out of the ring lame before.”
Pendley Sculpture’s half-brother, Pendley Replica, will replace him in the “Zig and Zag” pair, said Mr Osbourne.
A spokesman for the show, held from 27-29 July at Brockenhurst, Hampshire, said: “It was a very sad occurrence which thankfully does not happen very often.
“We had vets on hand and the incident was dealt with quickly.”
• A report from the show will be in next week’s issue of Horse & Hound (12 August)
This article was first published in Horse & Hound (5 August, ’10)
