Marulan based Rebecca Ferguson's prized shire stallion Southern Cross Apollo has won the award of champion shire stallion at this year's Sydney Royal Easter Show.
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Apollo has also won first place at the ridden shire competition with Marulan's Rebecca Ferguson riding the stallion.
Rebecca Ferguson comes from a dressage background and has trained Apollo for the competitions. She is the owner of the private barn Speciosissima Stables which is based in Marulan and has a special interest in equine-assisted therapies and the healing qualities of horses for humans with disabilities.
"I was pleasantly surprised at the win because Apollo has had only 10 rides in total and it was his first competition under saddle at Sydney Royal Easter Show. I had taken a break from riding as well so it's quite a mean feat for us to get into the competition and emerge as champions," Rebecca said.
Due to illness, Rebecca took a break from horses in general and had recently started to get back on her feet. "We have a good team here and decided to give it another shot and went for the competitions at Sydney Royal Easter Show," she said.
Both Rebecca Apollo underwent rigorous training for the competition that started two weeks in advance. Apollo is seven years old and weighs under a ton.
The stallion has been trained in the saddle and also to harness. "The aim will be to solidify the training under saddle and get out in harness in next Sydney Royal Easter Show," Rebecca added.
The Sydney Royal Horse Show, that is a part of Sydney Royal Easter Show, is one of the largest event attracting over 5,500 entries exhibiting the most prized horses in Australia and New Zealand.
It includes competitions and exhibitions including saddle horse, riding, breed classes, harness, showjumping, pony club, vaulting, campdrafting, rodeo, tent pegging, polo and polocrosse.
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