Strathmore and District Riding Club became one of the first clubs to stage a Courier/BHS Scotland working hunter series qualifier for the 2014 final at Blair Castle International Horse Trials.
The top two places in the class, and the only two clears, were by open winner hunter trophy winners Kirstie Williams and Teisha and second placed Jo Orr and her coloured horse Bryn.
Third-placed Gillian Fotheringham and Quinn also scooped a Blair ticket.
Kirstie has owned 13-year-old Teisha for the last eight years, progressing up the levels at British Eventing to novice together.
Regular competitors at the club, they have previously stood top of the open showjumping league, began competing at elementary level dressage this year and also qualified for the working hunter finals at Blair this year, but were
unable to go due to a minor injury.
Kirstie hopes to make it third time lucky at Blair in 2014 after also reaching the final in 2011, resulting in one “unlucky refusal”, which was followed by a third placing in the riding horse showing classes at the event.
“She is a great fun little horse and will turn her hand to whatever you ask of her,” said Kirstie, who works as a freelance groom throughout Angus.
Taking the intermediate win before progressing to be the top choice of judge Diana Ewart, from Kingennie, to stand overall champion, was Dundee’s Kate Clark and her upstanding hunter gelding Fergus.
Eve Beveridge and her palomino mare Winnie took the reserve. Fergus’s win adds the Torran Trophy, awarded in memory of Gordon McIntosh, to the considerable haul of silverware he has amassed from this season after standing overall hunter champion at Kirriemuir for the second year in succession, champion at Alyth and winning the reserve novice title from the Royal Highland Show.
The eight-year-old gelding, more than 17hh, was bred by Norman Smith out of Roliske and sired by Wyzer Diamonds.
He also events to BE100 level with Kate’s friend Gillian Nelson, jumping double clear at Hendersyde on his last BE outing, and was fourth in the BE90 at Kirriemuir at the start of the year.
Gillian rode Fergus to come third in the middle/heavyweight showing class at Blair Castle in August, because he stood on Kate’s foot a week before the show, fracturing her fifth metatarsal.
The SDRC show was Kate’s first outing since being back on two feet.
The show was held at the club’s show field, at South Leckaway, where the previous day the highest scoring riders from the dressage leagues came together to ride both their own and each other’s horses for the Shepherd Trophy,
in memory of Gordie of Melfort.
Gaining the highest average score, 68.33%, for the win was club secretary Suzanne Cargill. Her horse, Ellie-AT, also had the highest average score of the day, when ridden by all four competitors.
The club recently held the final competition of its autumn showjumping league at South Leckaway.
Debbie Soutar and her Belgian warmblood mare Nitouche nailed the senior open win.
Debbie, who bought Nik as a just backed four-year-old, bought her just over five years ago from a dealer outside of Doncaster, who specialises in importing horses from Europe.
The pair were in a serious road accident with a car around four years ago.
“It severely affected us both,” said Debbie. “But with patience, perseverance and the help of Fiona Watson we seemed to have turned a corner.”
Last year their progression saw them qualify for the TSF/Rowallan dressage finals: “We weren’t able to go, but hopefully we will get out and about to do more showjumping and dressage again over the winter.”