A group of young Perthshire riders are celebrating after triumphing at this year’s Horse of the Year Show.
For the Strathearn Pony Club Mounted Games Team Hamish Dath, Iona Wilson, Sophie O’Neil, Sam Ryder, Sophie Targel Worth and Heather Halley capturing the Prince Philip Cup in the televised contest was an emotional moment.
It was the third year in a row that the team had qualified for one of the six places in the competition, which attracted 250 teams at the outset.
“Our games team train so hard, they strive for perfection and work tirelessly to achieve the best,” said the pony club following the success at the NEC in Birmingham.
“They’ve been to Horse of the Year Show the last two years and have come away with their heads held high and acting like true sportsmen and women, and this year they’ve got what they deserve and the hard work has paid off. “
The group’s members are trained by Alistair Brewster and Vaila Leggat, either outside on Randal Wilson’s farm, near Methven, or indoors at Gleneagles.
The mounted games was first envisaged by the Duke of Edinburgh, aimed at “ordinary children on ordinary ponies”.
In the competition, the children have to learn about how to best operate as a team and how to support each other. A pony club mounted games career ends after the year in which the child attains the age of 14.
The children train twice a week for most of the year once a week in the winter generally in wet, muddy fields and compete most weekends in the summer.