Hot on the heels of a record-breaking 25th anniversary Blair Castle Horse Trials, organisers are already looking forward two years.
A record number of competitors and spectators took part in this year’s event, which brought together some of the world’s finest riders and horses, among them an impressive list of Olympians and World Championship medallists from 17 countries.
Although the event may already appear to be one of the highlights of the annual events calendar, the focus will fall on Highland Perthshire in 2015 as never before.
The trials will play host to the European Championships which, in addition to being a high-profile event in its own right, will also offer one final chance to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Organisers began planning for the championships at this year’s event, with a revised site layout, new gates and a new traffic management system in place.
The changes are necessary to accommodate what will surely be the biggest trials in the event’s history and, generally, found favour with visitors at the weekend.
More than 40,000 passed through the gates at Blair Castle, enjoying fine weather throughout. As he took part in the clear-up, event director Alec Lochore praised his large team for their hard work.