The inaugural Puddledub in-hand and youngstock show received a warm welcome to Central Scotland’s autumn show calendar.
Introducing new blood into the centre of the rings, organiser Fiona Reed invited Scottish young judges Miss Lauren Aitchison and Gavin Ingram to join David Scott-Downie in deciding the sections.
Lauren oversaw the hunters and hacks, sports horses and ponies and foreign and minority breeds, Gavin mediated within the Welsh and Mountain and Moorland rings, whilst David judged the show ponies and show hunter ponies, the Arabs and part-breds and coloured horse and pony sections.
Murthly’s Heather Innes then stepped in to select the supreme of the day and was also given the additional task of awarding the overall foal championship.
Her nod for the supreme went to the five-year-old pure-bred Connemara mare, Liddelvale Gentle Charm, which had been plaited to stand top of the show and show hunter pony section, was brought to the show from Peebles by owner Emma-Jane Murray.
“It was very true to type with a lovely head and great movement,” commented Heather.
Emma-Jane bought the mare, sired by Gentle Cascade, at the end of July from the Singer family, who have now retired from showing.
They had bred her at their Cumbrian base out of Killiney Keepsake.
“She was one of only two ponies the Singers had left at home,” explained Emma-Jane of the pony she affectionately calls Rhubarb or Roo.
Although Roo had only previously been shown once as a foal, the day before Puddledub, Emma-Jane had taken her to the Kingsbarn Autumn Show, where she was placed first in two classes and also gained a second.
Backed six weeks ago, Emma-Jane now plans to spend the winter hacking with her before trying some novice ridden show classes next season.
The win caps off an amazing summer for Emma-Jane, who is a farmer’s wife and artist and who spends her free time producing ponies.
Earlier in the season, another of her ponies, Castlestrange Wee Sparrow, stood supreme champion at Haddinton and M and M worker champion at the Border Union, whilst Eastlands Rashiebrae, which Emma-Jane shows for the Staveley family, was champion and reserve in the Cuddy at the Royal Highland as well as supreme at Hexham native pony show.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh-based show producer Charlie Cousens lifted the reserve supreme title with his a two-year-old Welsh A, Davdor Spring Muzik.
“He carried himself with a true action of the breed and also had very correct conformation,” explained Heather.
Bred by the late Dorothy Dawson, out of Pinfold Spring Melody, this colt has previously stood reserve at Doune and Dunblane and youngstock champion at NPS Summer this year, whilst last season as a yearling he was reserve overall in-hand pony at Central and West Fife Show, third at the Royal Highland, champion at Kirriemuir and reserve at the Border Union.
He was sired by Idyllic Entrepreneur.
Within the final foal line-up, the championship sash went home to Brampton House, Glenfarg, with Margo Reid and her four-month-old chestnut hunter foal, Ice Cool B.
Sired by Kingdom Clansman and home-bred out of the Purioso II mare, Pippy B, this colt previously stood reserve overall hunter and in-hand hunter champion at Kirriemuir, and reserve at both Perth and Kinross shows.
“He had excellent bone and free movement,” explained Heather, “and he also had exceptional behaviour for such a baby.”
Ayrshire’s Eleanor Crate lifted the reserve with her home-bred Welsh section B filly, Banksy Design.
Eleanor bred the liver chestnut filly, which was foaled in March, out of Brynoffa Savannah, by the stallion Skellorn Graffiti.
Known at home as Elfin, she is the second foal which Eleanor has bred by putting Graffiti onto Savannah. Her full sibling, Banksy Revealed has now been exported to Ireland.
Shown at foot this summer, she stood best of the section B foals at the NPS Summer Champs and also won her foal class at the Royal Highland.
Eleanor plans to retain her for showing as a show hunter pony.