Dressage trainer and judge Alex Gingell has vowed never again to pull riders up for “egg-shaped” circles – after one of his chickens laid a perfectly round egg.
In what has been described as a “one in a billion” occurrence – although the British Egg Industry Council has said they are “unusual but not rare”, Alex found his on 2 November.
“We’ve got nine chickens and three bantams; my girlfriend rescued the chickens as she didn’t want them to be slaughtered, but she doesn’t even like eggs!” he said.
“So I always do them, and I sing the Rooster Song to them, to help them lay more.”
Alex, an FEI and list 3A British Dressage judge, and trainer who also runs Alex Gingell Ringcraft, admitted that he is prone to criticising riders for egg-shaped circles.
“Now I can’t!” he said. “I apologise to anyone whose circles I’ve commented that about as it’s inaccurate, and some egg-shaped circles must deserve top marks!”
Alex is trying to sell the egg on eBay, to raise funds for the British Hen Welfare Trust. Unfortunately, he did have an accident while trying to make a video of the egg so there is a hole in it.
“The Sun came to photograph it and that happened the day before,” he said. “The photographer said that was fine, it proved it was real!”
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