Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Blair Castle Horse Trials set to draw more than 45,000 worldwide visitors

Chuffy Clarke and Second Supreme competing at Blair Horse Trials.
Chuffy Clarke and Second Supreme competing at Blair Horse Trials.

Excitement is mounting for the Land Rover Blair Castle International Horse Trials, with more than 45,000 people expected to journey to Perthshire for Scotland’s premier equestrian event.

Visitors will travel from across the globe to watch an estimated 1,800 horses compete in the extravaganza, which runs from Thursday until Sunday.

Set against the stunning backdrop of fairytale Blair Castle, attendees will be able to watch a number of events taking place during the four days, including the exciting cross country, Highland pony show, British Show Jumping and Pony Club mounted games.

One of the major highlights of the weekend will be watching international riders competing in the finale of the Event Rider Masters series.

World number one Oliver Townend has seven horses entered for the event while Piggy French has several including Quarrycrest Echo who has just been named in the squad for the World Equestrian Games. She’ll also be competing on Cooley Monsoon, owned by actress Jennifer Saunders, so there might be an opportunity for a bit of star spotting.

The unique Bruadar Country Fair will also be on site, featuring falconry displays, terrier racing, pig racing, a vintage and classic tractor cavalcade, the famous antics of the ducks and dogs in Quack Commandos and the excitement of the Horsepower Cossack stunt show.

Tackling the cross country course at Blair Horse Trials 2017.

The historic grounds will also host a pop-up shopping village foe the duration of the event, with more than 200 stalls catering for all tastes – horsey and non-horsey – with culinary delights, gorgeous home accessories, stylish country clothing and gifts just some of the things on offer.

Whisky lovers can book tickets to an exclusive tasting session with official drinks partner Bruadar, with all proceeds being donated to the chosen charity for this year’s International Horse Trials, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.

Andrew Bruce Wooton, the general manager at Atholl Estates, said: “The Land Rover Blair Castle International Horse Trials always prove to be an incredible few days, with a wealth of local and international visitors coming together to cheer on talented equestrians.

“Blair Castle is the perfect setting for this prestigious event, with both the venue and the Horse Trials steeped in history.

“The perfect summer day out for families and individuals alike, we look forward to welcoming both participants and visitors to the Estate and would like to wish everyone taking part the best of luck.”

The Pony Club mounted games are great fun!

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s director of events, added: “The event is a key fixture in our annual calendar of events, helping drive Scotland’s visitor economy by attracting equestrian fans from across the world to our shores.

“With Blair Castle providing the perfect stage for Scotland’s biggest equestrian event, the packed programme of events and activities alongside the trials makes for a great day out.”

 

Tickets are available online and start at £12. They can also be bought on the day. www.blairhorsetrails.co.uk.