For the second year since its inception, the spring fixture at Burgie Horse Trials received a very warm welcome on Scotland’s event calendar.
Riders were vociferous in their praise for organisers Polly and Hamish Lochore and their son and course designer Hugh for providing a much needed early year fixture for the higher echelons of the sport in Scotland.
Taking the ultimate win from the day was professional eventer, Louisa Milne Home, who topped the open intermediate (OI) leaderboard with the 10-year-old Elton John.
Elton jointly owned between Louisa and Susie Wilks arrived at Louisa’s Craigow base as a four-year-old, having been sourced by the Gatherums, at Edenside, St Andrews.
The Lancier-sired gelding has progressed up the grades from intro level in 2009, to intermediate and two-star level just three seasons later. A winner of his Burghley Young Event Horse qualifier as a five-year-old, he has several novice level wins to his credit and was crowned Scottish Novice champion during the 2012 season.
“Elton is a really fun little horse,” explained Louisa, who topped the Burgie OI by adding just 9.2 time across the country to their otherwise faultless 21.8 dressage performance.
Remarkably, this dressage score is not even a personal best for the duo, as they previously achieved a 17.1 at novice level, in 2011, at Floor Castle.
“He has such a great attitude,” explained Louisa, who does much of her training herself, with occasional help on the flat from Liz Mackenzie.
Reflecting on their double clear, Louisa added: “He jumped brilliantly and there was plenty to jump! “All credit to Polly for building such a flowing cross country, with some really good asks. The hills and inclines over
the terrain, as ever, proved influential.
“The water came quite early in the course this time and as far as complexes go, I’d say it was fairly tough.”
Jumping double clear, with the fastest time across the country for the OI to finish in second position was Stirling-based rider Daniel Scott.
His 15-year-old ride Cherry Law owned by Rhona Elliot has now amassed 142BE points, ending last season with an overall fifth placing in the CCI** Young Riders championship at Weston Park International.
This season, their campaign has already included an advanced run with a clear cross country performance at Belton Park, in Lincoln.
Bringing her distinctive yellow colours back to the event circuit for just the second time since the birth of her son Liam, Kinross rider Grace Moran filled third position with her advanced gelding Porthill Rusty Nail.
“Rusty was just brilliant at Burgie,” reflected Grace. “He is such a privilege to ride cross country as he knows and loves his job so well.”
Grace previously took the Aberdeenshire-bred son of Drambuie from intro right up to advanced and three-star before handing his reins to Olympian Caroline Powell for much of the 2011/12 season. His campaign then continued with Louisa last year.
Taking back to the saddle with gusto, Grace and Rusty were the only combination in the OI to take the direct route at fence four a drop fence on a curving three strides to a skinny triple brush: “Burgie always provides
a decent track, but if you attack it, it always jump well,” she said.
Looking towards the CIC*** at Chatsworth, and with the possibility of the Blair three-star on the horizon, Grace said her long term aim with Rusty is just to have fun.
“At 17, he owes absolutely nothing so everything I do with him is bonus.”
Top of the novice competitors was Inverurie’s Harriet Baird, who took the win onboard her eight-year-old gelding The Irish Flash, in what proved a fitting tribute to her father Iain, who passed away this time last year but was a fond supporter of the northern BE event.
Burgie provided competitors with an opportunity to donate funds to Harriet, her brother Fergus and sister Tabitha, ahead of their Edinburgh marathon run in May.
The Bairds are using the run as an opportunity to fundraise for the Brain and Spine Foundation with more than £6000 raised in their father’s honour to date.
Prior to their win at Burgie, Harriet and The Irish Flash have successfully represented Bennachie PC, taking the open dressage win at the Fife Hunt PC’s one-day-event, at Auchlishie, last year.
They then progressed to finish fourth at Aswanley second in the novice class at Wee Burgie at the end of the season.
They began their 2014 campaign with a fifth placing in the novice at Kirrie and a tenth at Dalkeith.
equestrian@thecourier.co.ukResults
BE100 A: 1 Caitlin Padfield, Mr RM, 32,0,0,0=32; 2 Lucinda Crawford, Just Morse, 34,0,0,0=34; 3 Eilidh Herd, Latch Lifter, 30.5,4,0,0=34.5.
BE100 B: 1 Emily Ryder, Enjoy, 25,0,0,0.4=25.4; 2 Shaun Murray, Uno Duo, 27.5,0,0,0=27.5; 3 Emily Ryder, B So Milly, 27.5,0,0,0=27.5.
Novice C: 1 Harriet Baird, The Irish Flash, 28,4,0,12=44; 2 Daniel Scott, Fame Van Thiunas, 35.5,0,0,14.4=4.9; 3 Rosie Pindar, Wings, 38,0,0,13.6=51.6.
Open Intermediate D: 1 Louisa Milne Home, Elton John, 21.8,0,0,9.2=31; 2 Daniel Scott, Cherry Law, 33.6,0,0,5.2=38.8; 3 Grace Moran, Porthill Rusty Nail, 26.8,5,0,7.2=39.
BE90 E: 1 Naidene Urquhart, Trew Chipara, 36.5,0,0,0=36.5; 2 Rebecca Garner, Ruberslaw, 34.5,4,0,0.8=39.3; 3 Claire Fotheringham, Porthill Touch of Class, 36,4,0,0=40.
BE90 F: 1 Amanda Waugh, Fan Daby Angus, 22,0,0,0=22; 2 Rachel Smith, Ibis Diamond in the Dark, 28.5,0,0,0=28.5; 3 Ria Stewart, Autumn Bright Star, 34,0,0,0.4=34.4.
BE80 G: 1 Eilidh Herd, Zuccheros Deff Leppard, 22,0,0,1.6=23.6; 2 Emily Kerr, Whispering King, 25.5,0,0,0.4=25.9; 3 Claire Smith, Brittas Vriend, 25,0,0,1.2=26.2.