With entries now open for Scotland’s first competition of the 2014 horse trials calendar at Kirriemuir and the start of the new season now imminent, here’s a look back at The Courier’s report from the 2013 event to whet your appetite…
A record number of horses and riders descended on Auchlishie Farm to contest the first fixture of Scotland’s 2013 British eventing calendar Kirriemuir Horse Trials.
Although torrential early morning rain, which led to vehicles being towed on and off the site, meant the continuation of the event was “touch and go” at 9am, organiser and farm owner James Helyer made the decision that the horse trials would go on.
Competitors were vociferous in their praise for his courage.
“I know the ground well, so I was happy to continue the event through the morning’s spell of heavy rain,” said James.
He led a real family effort in the running of the trials alongside his wife Nicky, son Thomas and daughter Louise.
“Under normal circumstances competition would have had to be abandoned given the rainfall.
“But, as we have a public road adjacent to the farm that would give paramedics access to the back end of the course, we were able to keep going ahead as planned,” he said.
Ultimately, he said, the organising team were keen to continue regardless of the rain as they wanted to give every one of the 271 entries forward the opportunity to run.
He said the decision was particularly important given the bad season of event cancellations and abandonments last year, and the fact that there are no other affiliated grassroots competitions left for horse riders in the area this year.
“It seems as though everyone has been very happy that we continued to run,” he said.
“The drying conditions throughout the day made for a fantastic event.”
Top of the leaderboard in the ultimate class of the day, novice section H1, was Fife-based professional rider Wills oakden, from Dunbog Farm, outside Newburgh.
His winner was the six-year-old gelding Chapeau, which he owns jointly with Strathallan accounts assistant Laura Grieve.
Laura bought ‘Dudley’ in a “moment of madness” over the phone from Vectholm Sport Horses, in the Peak district, after having viewed a 58-second YouTube clip of him as a youngster on the Horsequest website because his name at the top of the advert caught her eye, matching that of her mum’s dog.
He arrived with Laura on April 1 two years ago.
Although Wills initially conceded the ride, Dudley and Laura progressed to achieve five top-10 placings out of five BE100 runs during 2012. This included a 27.5 win on their outing to Eglinton, in Ayrshire.
The pair now plan to share him throughout this season at novice.
“He produced a fantastic dressage he just moves so well,” said Wills of his test, which scored 33.5 and put Chapeau second competitively after the initial dressage phase.
“He’s the type of horse which you know just won’t touch a pole in the showjumping, and Laura has produced him to be as straight as a die cross country,” Wills added.
“He really covers the ground, too, but just loses a little time and energy in the air over a cross country (XC) fence,” he said.
With just 5.6 time penalties, their round, which proved the quickest of the section, secured them the win on a final score of 39.1.
They head next to Burgie and Burgham.
Wills also took second and third in novice section H, on Cindy Onslow’s Cooley Bouncer and his aunt Frances Hay-Smith’s Chiara D respectively.
Both horses had come to kirrie for their first novice outing after a win apiece in their BE100 sections at Oasby.
Wills was denied the win in section H by East Lothian-based management consultant Sonya Cunningham and the 11-year-old gelding Dryfe Royal Cavalier, known at home as BB.
Sonya is best known on Scotland’s event circuit as the owner of the late stallion King Cotton Gold.
Although Sonya sadly lost Ping last year, BB is one of his many successful offspring, and he was the reason Sonya bought the renowned black stallion in the first place.
“I love kirriemuir,” said Sonya. “My family are from nearby, so it feels like a local venue for me.
“The cross country is just my kind of course, too you just get out there and kick on,” she said.
“Although he is little,” she added of the 15.1hh horse, “dressage judges just love him.
“My trainer robert wilson, from Aberdeenshire, had his work cut out with me as dressage wasn’t my forte, but BB is so elegant he produces great marks.
“He also gave me his first clear showjumping at an event for a very long time at Kirrie and because he has some thoroughbred in him he really covers the ground xc, so he came home just outside the optimum time.
“He is like a 12.2 pony with a 16.2’s legs,” she added.
Although Sonya did not event BB properly until he was a nine-year-old, he progressed through the grades to finish 12th at Blair Castle CCI* in 2012.
He made his intermediate debut at Lincoln and continues at that level at Auchinleck.
Sonya’s second win came in BE100 section F, courtesy of her six-year-old home-bred mare opposition Eclipse II, which jumped double clear, inside the time, to win on a score of just 25.
“It was my personal best dressage, and her personal best by about 10 marks,” said Sonya.
“She was quite slow across country last year.
“It has taken her a while to learn to gallop.
“However, at kirrie she just took hold of the bit and went.”
Overcoming a couple of early morning mishaps, St Leonards school pupil Katherine Lindsay, from Balcarres, Colinsburgh, rose to the top of the leaderboard in section E with her new horse Shannondale Somax.
Katherine who is a member of the Fife Hunt Pony Club and trains with Sarah and James Oakden bought the rising six-year-old mare, known as Bear at home, from Rose Macpherson at the end of 2012.
A borrowed bridle did not impair their 28 dressage, and a winter spent hunting meant forgotten studs didn’t matter to the sure-footed pair cross country.
“Bear got a great dressage, but I didn’t feel it was my best, so it’s great to know there is room for improvement,” said Katherine.
“She showjumped so well, too, and we were lucky to get out early cross country so got the best of the ground,” she added.
Katherine aims to progress Bear to novice during the 2013 season, to contest under-18 classes, whilst they will also compete interbranch PC.
The BE100 open win went to Cousland Park livery-based Aimee Gardiner, who has just taken on the ride of Kevin Hart’s nine-year-old gelding and Kilhalle which has won at Kirriemuir in previous years.
Results – Kirriemuir 2013 (Dr, SJ, XC, XCT = total penalties).
BE90A: 1 Amy Farrow, Rockhill Roulette, 37.0,0,0,1.6=36.6; 2 Daniel Scott, Scottish Law, 31.0,0,0,8.8=39.8; 3 Tricia Hynd, Evergreen, 34.5,0,0,9.2=43.7; 4 Katie Mellis, Ibis Diamond Questor, 43.0,0,0,0.8=43.8; 5 Sarah Wiliamson, Cavaliers Kingdom, 37.0,4,0,3.6=44.6; 6 Kirsty Matheson, Whitton Edge, 34.0,0,0,11.2=45.2.
BE90B: 1 Caitlin Padfield, Ridinghill Reward, 29.0,0,0,0=29.0; 2 Michelle Chalmers, Maybe Marble, 29.5,0,0,0=29.5; 3 Aileen Ferrari, Miss Daffy Duck, 32.0,0,0,0=32.0; 4 Lucinda Crawford, The Raindancer, 35.0,0,0,2.4=37.4;5 Emily Gray, Touchdown Boris, 35.5,4,0,0.4=39.9; 6 Sarah Hislop, Cooley Foundation, 36.5,4,0,0=40.5.
BE90C: 1 Karon Carson, Excellent II, 24.5,0,0,0=24.5; 2 Joanne Moses, Greenburn Sunrise, 25.0,0,0,2.0=27.0; 3 Tamara Macdougall, Princess Grange, 25.5,4,0,0.4=29.9; 4 Olivia Morison, Flagmount, 30.5,0,0,0=30.5; 5 Caitlin Padfield, Mr RM, 33.0,0,0,0=33.0; 6 Daniella Page, Willie Light, 29.0,4,0,2.0=35.0.
BE90D: 1 George Crawford, Cairnside Ambition, 32.0,0,0,0=32.0; 2 Alison Bogue, Westendwind III, 31.5,4,0,0=35.5; 3 Laura Halil, Karate Z, 29.5,0,0,6.0=35.5; 4 Gillian Nelson, Fergus VI, 38.5,0,0,2.0=40.5; 5 Suzanne Lumgair,Greyford Boy, 32.5,4,0,4.4=40.9; 6 Grace Reilly, Rhode Rimmer, 32.0,9,0,2.8=43.8.
BE100E: 1 Katherine Lindsay, Shannondale Somax, 28.0,0,0,2.8=30.8; 2 Isabelle Mackenzie, Apaches Blaze, 31.5,0,0,0=31.5; 3 Fiona Robertson, Spiral, 27.0,4,0,2.8=33.8; 4 Wendy Cochran, Kirkton Hugo, 30.5,0,0,5.2=35.7; 5 Charlotte Meil, Midoak Mayday, 34.5,0,0,2.0=36.5; 6 Avril Johnston, Greywacke, 32.5,0,0,4.0=36.5.
BE100F: 1 Sonya Cunningham, Opposition Eclipse II, 25. 0,0,0,0 =25.0; 2 Mhairi Polson, South Esk Cyrus, 24.0,0,0,4.8=28.8; 3 Arran Lally, Dante VI, 26.0,0,0,3.6=29.6; 4 Alan Gilbert, Mr Green, 25.0,0,0,4.8=29.8; 5 Eilidh-Jane Middleton, Ballinteskin Hero, 25.0,0,0,6.4=31.4; 6 Jessica Horne, No Opposition, 26.0,6,0,1.2=33.2.
BE100 open G: 1 Aimee Gardiner, Kilhalle, 28.5,0,0,0=28.5; 2 Lorna Balfour, Made To Order, 29.0,0,0,0=29.0; 3 Harriet Baird, Rebel Stone, 28.5,0,0,4.0=32.5; 4 Catherine Chichester, Ginja Ninja II, 34.5,0,0,0=34.5; 5 Maja Knowland, Bingo Z, 32.5,0,0,2.8=35.3; 6 Andrew Manson, My Red Alert, 32.5,4,0,0=36.5.
Novice H: 1 Sonya Cunningham, Dryfe Royal Cavalier, 31.0,0,0,1.2=32.2; 2 Wills Oakden, Cooley Bouncer, 35.0,0,0,0=35.0; 3 Wills Oakden, Chiara D, 37.5,0,0,4.8=42.3; 4 Cindy Onslow, Diamond Sundance, 35.5,4,0,10.0=49.5;5 Emma Gilchrist, Celtic Echo, 45.0,4,0,4.4=53.4; 6 Angus Macara, Bonne Chance, 38.0,0,0,16.8=54.8.
Novice H1: 1 Wills Oakden, Chapeau, 33.5,0,0,5.6=39.1; 2 Daniel Scott, Queens Diplomacy, 35.0,0,0,7.2=42.2; 3 Morven Pringle,Dunbog Gypsy Rose, 33.5,4,0,9.2; 4 Emma Murray, Clonbrock Misty, 38.5,0,0,9.2=47.7; 5 Ellen Cameron, Hanleen Crown Jewels, 35.5,4,0,8.8=48.3; 6 Emily Parker, Hillary VD Bisschop, 32.5,0,0,17.2=49.7.