The agility and versatility of native ponies shone brightly from the top of the scoreboards at Fife Riding Club’s spring hunter trials fixture.
Held bi-annually at Craigie Farm, by Leuchars, Fife courtesy of the Foster family the competition remains a firm favourite amongst Scotland’s riding community.
The first Connemara pony to romp home through the finish line and take a win was Pollyanna Smith’s 11-year-old gelding Cookie.
Entered by Laura Anderson but piloted on this occasion by her 12-year-old daughter, Cookie has proved himself the ultimate family pony.
“Cookie might be just 14hh but he really thinks that he’s 16.2hh,” explained Laura. “He’s just such a really good fun pony. He loves his jumping.”
After setting out “quite steadily”, the Dollar Academy pupil stopped the clock just seven seconds under the optimum to take the lead.
Tackling the open class fences with ease, she said: “Once we were out of the first field Cookie felt fabulous. He jumped really well and got into a good rhythm, so the jumps flowed really well.”
Romping around the course clear to win the junior novice was 15-year-old Bell Baxter High School pupil Hannah Aitken and her Connemara pony Maydown Star.
Known at home in Newburgh as Eclipse, the rising six-year-old bred out of Glenvar Polly and sired by Skyline Robin.
“We purchased Eclipse from an Irish dealer in County Durham as an unbroken two-year-old back in the October of 2010,” explained Hannah.
“I backed him myself and I am still the only person to have ridden him.”
Hannah, a member of the Fife Hunt Pony Club, does a bit of everything with Eclipse, but admits that it is really cross country where together they really gel.
“We both love to do cross country and have been placed in every competition that we have done to date,” she added.
Benefitting from a range of different instructors through the pony club, Hannah, who keeps Eclipse at livery at Glenduckie Farm near to her home, has also been getting lessons from her Aunt, Angela Comrie, of Houston Farm Rising School, at Uphall: “She has taught me to ride since I was only two.”
Looking forwards towards the remainder of 2014, Hannah hopes to achieve selection for the Fife Hunt PC interbranch eventing team: “It was such a great experience last year.”
Taking second to Hannah in this class was 14-year-old Monifieth High School pupil David Robbie and his horse Aurora Borealis.
Going one step better in the following class which was a dead heat he then shared the junior nursery novice class win on his second horse Tazmania with Joanne Bizzarri and her horse Missy.
David has owned Taz a 14.1hh Welsh cross pony for the last two and a half years, stabling him at Mill of Brighty.
“He’s 22-years-young and has been my partner at lots of pony club competitions,” explained the Angus PC member. “He especially loves cross country and we’ve been on the novice interbranch eventing team for the last two years.”
David said Aurora Borealis, a 12-year-old warmblood mare, is a relatively new addition to the family: “I was delighted with their results, they both did me proud.”
With both horses now qualified for the Knockhill Scottish cross country championships, David is looking forward to the competition at Auchlishie in the autumn.
With the adult section of this class proving hugely popular, it was run over two sections.
The first win was awarded to Motherwell’s Lesley McCourt and her six-year-old Billy Stud-bred mare, Poppy a daughter of Billy Congo.
“She is the most amazing horse. She had bilateral stifle surgery as a four-year-old at Clyde Veterinary Group and only came back to work last November,” explained Lesley.
Equally adept in the showjump arena, the partnership recently won three consecutive British Novice classes in three days at Kingsbarn Equestrian Centre.
“Poppy is really laid back and will do anything for food, if she were a dog she’d be a Labrador!” she said.
The latter section win went to Fife RC member Joy Clark and her 12-year-old Welsh cob cross Penhalogen Stardust.
“He had jumped clear around the course this time last year, but finished well outside the time, so this year I started much stronger,” explained Joy, who works for Fife Council as a housing maintenance officer. “We just met every jump pretty much out of a good stride and I just let him get on with it.”
The pair, which finished second last summer at the North East Fife RC one-day-event at Kinnaird, are now looking forward to having a second crack at the Knockhill finals.
“I’m also aiming Dusty at the 90cms class at Gleneagles Hunter Trials in the summer and after that will hope to get to Hopetoun to try our first BE.
“He is such a brilliant horse. I had planned to give up horses when I retired my wee Welsh section C mare Ceilidh. but I’m so glad I found him.”
Meanwhile, an emotional win in the pairs class saw Incharvie duo Steve Donaldson on Samson and Lauren Smith with Miss Fidget cross the finish for the lead.
“Miss Fidget was given just a 50/50 chance of coming sound again last summer when she had to undergo annular ligament surgery,” explained Lauren’s mother Morag Snow.
Lauren took the ride for her owner Judy Bruce, of Balmyre Farms, who stables her horses at Incharvie.
“It was brilliant to see them win especially as Samson is an amazing 22.”
Across the minimus classes, Caitlyn Struth took the junior win with Marmite, whilst the adult class was topped by John Clenaghan and Billy Boy.
“He is a four-year-old that who has only been broken for two weeks,” explained John.
“He is a lovely horse and whilst he can be a little difficult at times, he is hugely affectionate too.
“The course at Craigie was lovely and inviting for a young horse both of my novices horses enjoyed a good experience.”
Results
Open novice: 1 Pollyanna Smith, Cookie; 2 Laura Nash, Diamond Impact; 3 Pauleen Sherriffs Jim and Tonic.
Junior novice: 1 Hannah Aitken, Maydown Star; 2 David Robbie, Aurora Borealis; 3 Lucy Miller-Todd, Logan.
Adult novice: 1 Kari Nicol, Roxy Boy; 2 Hather Macgowan, Summer Breeze; 3 Sharlene Roberts, Fighter.
Pairs: 1 Steve Donaldson, Samson and Lauren Burnett, Fidget; 2 Veronica Simpson, Rios Diamond and Lisa Findlay, Amidayous; 3 Lauren Burnett, Miss Molly Mac and Paige Aitken, Rozel Bay.
Junior nursery novice: 1 (equal) David Robbie, Tazmania and Joanne Bizzarri, Missy; 3 Leigh Taylor, The Ferryman.
Adult nursery novice section A: 1 Lesley McCourt, Poppy; 2 Rose Cartwright, Greno in the Pink; 3 David Kettles, Ballymark.
Adult nursery novice section B: 1 Joy Clark, Penhalogen Stardust; 2 Iona Stewart, Elara; 3 Jen McGregor, Balmyrehorses Kaiser.
Nursery novice schooler clears: Ruby Melville, Rockafella; Abbie Taylor, Live Sparks; Lynda Scobie, Halyard’s Paintbox.
Junior minimus: 1 Caitlyn Struth, Marmite; 2 Sam Gowans, Oreo; 3 Josie Hamilton, Haribo Holly.
Adult minimus: 1 John Clenaghan, Billy Boy; 2 Lesley Colvin, Kilguilkey Twist; 3 Alison McCrickard, Crugiwyd Ellis.
Minimus schooler clears: Vari Jennings, Sting.