A Perthshire vaulting team has ridden to great success this last season, winning both the British and Scottish championships.
Pegasus Vaulting Group from Killiecrankie won a plethora of rosettes and trophies at both Oatridge College near Edinburgh in September and in Beverley in Yorkshire earlier this month.
The small group retained its 2019 British Championship glory this year after events were cancelled last year.
And membership has continued to grow, with organisers having to increase the number of sessions as a result.
‘From strength to strength’
Despite the challenges posed by Covid, the 34-strong team worked hard to practice where possible.
Club secretary Anne-Marie Blair said: “This small most northerly vaulting group continue to go from strength to strength despite what the world has thrown at them this last two years.
“After finishing the 2019 season as British Champions with their One Star Squad, competing came to halt due to the pandemic.
“This hardy bunch continued training when allowed under guidelines and online competitions sprung up.
“Having lost three team members after the 2019 season it was time for the team to regroup and pull together to continue their success, and they did just that under the guidance of their head coach Kirsty Campbell.
“It was fantastic.”
What’s next for the team?
Having taken on the British and Scottish Championships, the team has its sights set on international success.
Having registered as a Scottish charity, the club is now looking for sponsors to help jet off abroad.
They are hardy people, training in the cold weather and dark nights.”
Anne-Marie Blair.
Anne-Marie added: “We are hoping to get the team over to Holland or Belgium.
“But it depends on the fundraising. The cost of taking the horses across is quite high.”
She added: “They are an amazing group of people.
“They are hardy people, training in the cold weather and dark nights.”
What is vaulting?
Also known as gymnastics on horseback, vaulting is a growing sport and often takes place with music in the background.
There are around 12 vaulting clubs in Scotland, with more across the UK.
It was first introduced to Britain in the 1980s.