Despite the horrendous weather conditions which dogged the Gleneagles Equestrian Centre in the preparation for its autumn hunter trials competition, the support for the event was so considerable that competition ran for more than seven hours.
Building upon a successful season at BE100 level eventing, with top 10 placings at Hendersyde, Drumclog and Hopetoun, the open win went to Milnathort rider Amy Crozier.
She purchased her winner, Roxy, as a two-year-old from the Horse Sale event at SNEC back in 2009.
“She’s such a brave, fun, honest, willing cross country horse,” explained Amy fo the seven-year-old by Phanten.
“She loves to jump”. who is quick over the ground, loves to jump.
“We get a lot of support and instruction for our eventing from Louisa Milne Home. She has been a massive help,” explained Amy, who also trains with David Gatherer, David Harland and Sarah Houlden.
This was their first attempt at Gleneagles’ open course: “I was over the moon to win.”
Across the busy intermediate sections, the adult and junior wins went to Alex Allan and Hannah Aitken, respectively.
Alex has enjoyed an incredibly consistent season with her 15-year-old eventer Fabs, both at BE and more recently with a cheeky win in the pairs class at Craigie.
“I was delighted with him at Gleneagles what a great end to our cross country season,” said Alex, who lives in Pitlochry.
Dipping their toes into the world of British Showjumping to ready themselves for next season, Fabs and Alex have recently also been placed at Inchcoonans.
Bell Baxter pupil Hannah, 15, in turn, has also enjoyed a hugely successful hunter trials year having also won in the spring at Craigie.
“This was our third win at 90cm cross country this year,” she explained of her red rosette with Maydown Star, a six-year-old Connemara, known at home in Newburgh as Eclipse.
“We were also lucky to be picked for the novice eventing team for the Fife Hunt Pony Club at interbranch, where I was place sixth individually in my arena.”
This performance helped the Fife team achieve second placing overall and qualification for the novice championships at Kelsall Hill, in Cheshire. “It was a great experience for us both,” she said.
Turning to Gleneagles, she added: “I love the course and Eclipse absolutely flew around.
“We both came back happy Eclipse with his ears pricked and me smiling from ear to ear.”
Meanwhile, the novice section provided a rewarding win for Deborah Law, who topped the adult entry with her former trotting horse Hot and Spicy.
Deborah, who has returned to college to turn her passion for horses into a career by studying Equine Studies at Elmwood and Oatridge, with the aim of becoming a veterinary nurse, bought 14-year-old Danny straight from the track five years ago.
She broke the standard-bred trotter to ride herself and having found a love of jumping in the showjump arena, she thought she would “give cross country a bash”.
“This is only Danny’s first season cross country but he has taken to it so well and seems to be enjoying it as much as I am,” said Deborah.
Prior to the autumn competition, they had been placed fifth at Gleneagles in the spring and fourth at the Kirkton pick-a-fence.
“I am very proud of him. He has done everything that I have ever asked of him.
“Standard-breds are not everyone’s cup of tea, but he is mine and he has taught me so much,” she added.
The pair have also enjoyed considerable success showjumping and at Power X, and for last two years in succession they won the Inchcoonans Derby.
equestrian@thecourier.co.uk Results
Junior nursery novice: 1 Ami Cadger, Kizzys Cadette; 2 Tia Himpson, Sunny; 3 Jack Wilson, Fly. Adult nursery novice: 1 Kirsty McWilliam, Brego; 2 Julie Shaw, Glenfyne Phantom; 3 Pamela Ligget, Solomon. Junior novice: 1 Amy Preston, Lussa Justice; 2 Charlotte Baillie, Lampi; 3 Jessica Smart, Tia. Adult novice: 1 Deborah Law, Hot and Spicy; 2 (equal) Jennifer Doig, Height of Mischief and Richard Munro, Goodbye to Money. Pairs: 1 (equal) Lorna Stirling, Easybay and Tracey Moir, Tommy; Louise Tanner and Astra, Alicia Beveridge, Fiddler; and Sammy Wake, Prince and Eilidh MacAulay, Finn. Junior intermediate: 1 Hannah Aitken, Maydown Star; 2 Alice MacAulay, Joey; 3 Shannon-Louise Maclean, Morning Frost. Adult intermediate: 1 Alex Allan, Fabs; 2 (equal) Lorna Balfour, Harry and Joanna Heaton, Hobo. Open: 1 Amy Crozier, Roxy; 2 Daniel Woods, Orrin; 3 Lizzie McFadzean.