Rarely seen in the show ring without a jockey on her back, the decision to show Rhos Emelia in-hand at Central and West Fife was fully vindicated when she glided to stand supreme of the in-hand entries.
“She’s such a lovely mover,” said Elizabeth Montgomery, of Milnathort, as she awarded the Lumsden Trophy to the 12-year-old show pony mare, shown by Charlie Cousens, from outside Edinburgh.
“She clearly has so much scope and offers such a wonderful presence when she comes into the ring.”
With a plethora of ridden show pony championships to her name, this was the first time that Mr Cousens, has opted to show her in-hand.
Rhos Emelia, by Derwent Rainbow Bandit, was recently champion in partnership with 10-year-old rider Olivia Cousens at Kilmaurs and the BSPS spring, and had progressed to take the reserve supreme at scottish Friends of P(UK).
Opting for a similarly fine pony to take overall reserve, Mrs Montgomery drew forward Roseanne Duncan’s home-bred black Welsh section B mare Rosedust Black Lily.
This daughter of Eyarth Mowgli was a prolific winner in her youngstock years and has recently bred three offspring.
She was shown in the Welsh in-hand ring by James Duncan, but went into the overall with rider lauren Jarvis, who will produce her to come out under saddle later this year.
Whilst much of the early showing was carried out in sunny, if slightly blustery conditions, there was no escaping the forecast heavy rain, which drenched the riders who chose to persevere through the final few rings.
As conditions began to deteriorate, the ridden hunter championship was won or lost solely on behaviour and the horses’ wavering ability to maintain composure in the torrential rain.
Ultimately, the championship win was awarded to Hawick’s Hilary MacTaggart, with her seasoned campaigner Windsor Wood.
No stranger to the show ring at Central and West Fife, this eight-year-old lightweight gelding previously stood in the very same position at the show two years previously.
“He behaved impeccably,” said ridden hunter judge Diane Brash.
Windsor Wood has also previously stood as overall hunter champion at Fife show.
When it came to the overall hunter championship, however, the ridden champion was outshone by the Bordergrove’s in-hand hunter champion, Bordergrove Honolulu.
Now three-years-old, this gelding by Hollywood is the reigning holder as the supreme in-hand champion from the Scottish Sports Horse Finals last year. Shown by David Aylward he stood unbeaten across three championships during the morning taking top honours from the in-hand hunters, in-hand sport horses and in-hand horse sections.
He also maintains an unbeaten run at Central and West Fife, having also stood sports horse champion last year.
“He’s a very nice quality horse,” said in-hand hunter judge Loraine Young.
“He’s very light-stepped in his movement and is ultimately a lovely stamp of a horse. There is little doubt he will turn his hoof to any job,” she added.
Both judges were in “full agreement” with their overall hunter decision.
Reflecting on the entry of ridden horses, Diane praised all the horses at the top ends of each working hunter class, which she had judged earlier in the day.
In this ring, both class wins went to Emma Stewart and her mother Freda, with their young novice horse Barnadown Royalty producing a foot perfect performance, belying his six years, to take the championship win ahead of Balero Greenfield, which has been a winner for the Stewarts at Central and West Fife in former years.
“Both these geldings gave a fabulous ride,” said Diane, “Actually, the top four horses all did.”
Giving the nod to Barnadown Royalty, Diane said the battle was “a close-run thing” but that, given his age, he has a “very good future” ahead of him.
These horses had recently stood side by side, with their positions reversed, in the working hunter championship at Drymen.