Becher's Brook
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Becher's Brook is a fence jumped during the Grand National horse race at Aintree, Liverpool, England.
It is negotiated twice during the race - as the sixth fence, and the twenty-second fence.
The fence took its name from Captain Becher, who fell there from his mount Conrad in the first Aintree Grand National in 1839, and who sheltered in the small brook running along the landing side of the fence while the remainder of the field thundered over.
It Stands 4'10 high, but measure 6'9 on the landing side- a drop of 1'11 from takeoff, causing horses to "nod" or "peck" on landing. This is when the horses heads shoot downwards when they hit the ground.
It is generally considered to be the most formidable of the Aintree Grand National Fences, but it isn't the highest. That honour goes to The Chair, which is 5'2 High.
It has always been a notorious and controversial obstacle during this most severe of sporting events. Following the deaths of two horses, Brown Trix and Seeandem, at the fence during the 1989 Grand National won by Little Polveir, the course executive bowed to public pressure and levelled off a tricky backward slope on the landing side of the fence to remove a hidden trap that had caused many horses to fall. At the same time they also removed the water from the brook as there was a risk that a fallen horse could drown.
| Year | Fallers |
| 1998 | 2 |
| 1999 | 7 |
| 2000 | 3 |
| 2001 | 3 |
| 2002 | 2 |
| 2003 | 4 |
| 2004 | 8 |
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2006 | 2 |
( Statistics include Unseated Riders and Carried Out Riders)
