he versatility of Britain’s oldest breed of horse came to the fore at the recent North East Fife Riding Club one-day-event when Libby Thorman and her Cleveland Bay gelding Woody secured a win from the popular competition.
The unaffiliated event, run annually by the club at Kinnaird, outside Cupar, has become a firm favourite of riders from throughout Courier Country and beyond, particularly for educating and giving mileage to young or inexperienced horse-and-rider combinations.
Libby, from Ladybank, said although she has owned the rare breed gelding since he was a three-year-old, a recent ulcer diagnosis has transformed his outlook and way of going.
“He performed the best dressage test he’s ever done for me at Kinnaird,” she said of their 70.5% score which, after a clear showjumping round, left them going into the cross country on 29.5 penalties.
“Where previously I felt he just ‘wouldn’t go’, clearly he was just in pain from his ulcers so now he’s a different horse. Although he does have his occasional bad days, on the days like Kinnaird when he feels right, there is
just no stopping him.”
After coming across Chinashop Woody on the internet, Libby travelled to the Isle of Whyte to purchase him from his breeders.
The 12-year-old gelding, sired by Oaten Tops-l and out of Holmside Monique, has been competing regularly since May following natural treatment to manage his condition. He has won in the showjumping arena at Inchcoonans, has qualified for the style jumping final at Blair and sailed around the pick-a-fence competition at Craigie this year.
After notching up just 1.2 time penalties by going three seconds over the optimum time XC, they topped the first adult novice section on a score of 30.7.
The second of the adult novice sections was topped by former Dundee High School pupil Laura Collins, who works as a firefighter for Tayside Fire and Rescue.
Laura, from Monikie, won on her six-year-old mare Hadise, a Belgian warmblood which she has owned for the last year or so and bought from the Gatherums at Edenside, outside St Andrews.
Hadise just began eventing this year and Kinnaird was her second one-day event, following a fourth placing at Auchlishie.
They achieved their best dressage to date at Kinnaird, scoring 71.5%.
“Although she is still fairly young she is proving to be a bold horse across country she has masses of scope,” said Laura.
With help from riding instructor Shelagh Steven who Laura has been getting flatwork and jumping lessons with since she was just nine-years-old she plans to event at affiliated level next season. With no jumping or time penalties to add to their 28.5% dressage, Laura and Hadise achieved the best winning result of the day.
In the open sections the adult win was taken by Midlothian-based physio Lyndsay Comber and Chinook, a six-year-old Chill Out-sired gelding she purchased just four months previously.
“He’s really just straight off the box from Ireland,” said Lyndsay. “This was his first one-day event,” she said.
“I’m aiming to event him, with lessons from David Harland for jumping and Eric McKechnie for flatwork. He’s fab at jumping but there is still plenty to do with his flatwork.”
Leslie’s Charlotte Gowing took the junior open win on her home-bred 17h2 nine-year-old gelding Eclipse.
“He is the third generation horses we have had,” said Charlotte, who is at Perth College studying an HNC in applied sciences and who also works part-time in the racing yard at Kinneston.
“This was his return to eventing after a break where he was competing in pure dressage with my mum,” she added.
“We’re aiming to affiliate him at BE100 level again by the end of the season as he is going so well.”
Among the remaining sections, Eve McQueen, 13, from nearby Pitscottie, took the junior nursery novice win on her 10-year-old Irish cob Mr B. Although Eve has owned Bazil for the last five years, this is their first competitive year together.
She hopes to affiliate in future, having also taken a second-prize rosette home from the hunter trials at Gleneagles.
“He went very well in all three disciplines and we had a very good time going round the cross country, never imaging we would win.”
Eve, a Madras pupil, gets lessons from Carly Lee.