Bumper entries came forward for the opening day at the 152nd Perth Show at South Inch.
Lifting the overall horse championship, after heading the hunter championship, was Mrs Sandra Auld’s brood-mare Off Piste.
Despite the in-hand hunter classes being one of the first sections to complete, the 11-year-old home-bred lightweight brood-mare still shone at the end of the day to give a mannerly show to supreme judge Dorothy Thomson from Milnathort.
“She was just exceptional, she had fantastic conformation, and moved like a dream, with action to die for,” said Mrs Thomson afterwards.
Prior to judging the overall horse championship, Mrs Thomson adjudicated the hunter championship and had no hesitation in selecting the brood-mare as champion.
“She was just my type and I’d happily take her home.
“She’s is a tremendous type and looks like she has a good temperament and is passing this onto her foal. She is a horse I’d like to have a day’s hunting on,” added Mrs Thomson.
Off Piste is home-bred by Sandar [sired by Mourne Mountains] and her dam Snowflake, was champion at Perth Show back when she had Off Piste at foot.
Having previously been shown in-hand, winning many championships before being broken to ride, she then took part in British Eventing competitions, firstly ridden by Grant Turnbull before daughter Samantha took over.
However, after a successful ridden career, she was put in foal and had her first foal at foot, a colt by the Irish TB Grade A showjumping stallion Loughehoe Guy, himself champion at Dublin.
Standing in the reserve position was the ridden Arab champion Razelle, shown by Joy Mclean. The nine-year-old pure-bred grey mare is by Star Of The Seasons and out of mare Rawen, who Joy raced in Arab racing, and was previously champion
mare in 2001. This season she was supreme at Glenfoot Show and second at the Royal Highland.
“I really liked theArab, it was correct and just floated over the ground,” added Mrs Thomson.
Lifting the overall supreme title was the mini riding pony champion Oranmore Sweet Millie, from Emma Cowie.
The eight-year-old first ridden pony is by Twylands Celebrity and out of Caedwalla Chantilly.
This season she was champion at BSPS Summer, Doune and Dunblane and reserve at Braco, and she was ridden by Emma’s daughter, nine-year-old Hilary Cowie.
Fiona Reed, judging, said: “I had real quality ponies forward today.
“For a first ridden pony it went so mannerly and really looked after its jockey.”
Reserve was the mountain and moorland working hunter pony champion, Cadlan Valley Picasso, ridden by Maia Fleming.
Sarah Gemmell’s Greggs Cavalier was a double winner when accounting for the show hunter pony championship before lifting the open working hunter tricolour.
After falling off and breaking both arms only four weeks ago, young Daisy Fleming was determined to be back riding.
Perth Show marked her first time back in the saddle, as she was riding with metal splints on both arms, but she went through the mountain and moorland card to stand mini champion with her lead rein pony Moelwyn Kracker before being Miss Pat Rennie from the Lomondside Stud’s choice to take the overall mountain and moorland title.
Showing the versatility of the Shetland pony was the Perthshire pony champion, who only two days earlier had been part of the racing Shetlands at Perth Racecourse.
This was Struie Polly, shown by Ms Lisa Allison, from Glenfarg, and ridden by five-year-old son Scott.