Fife Foxhounds returned to Glenfarg to stage their popular autumn hunter trials across the now well established tracks at Foresterseat.
The adult open class, sponsored by Albert Bartlett & Sons, was topped by Tayside firefighter Laura Collins, who lives in Monikie.
Her winner was the six-year-old mare Donnadoni B, which was contesting its first ever 1m cross country. Laura bought the daughter ofVaillant, which was bred out of Galixy, from Ron Brady during the spring, although she was previously broken and schooled by Jane Ault.
Although the mare, known at home as Fly, has proved particularly successful at showjumping, Laura hopes its future will be concentrated on British Eventing.
They came to the Fife Foxhounds competition having jumped double clear at their first attempt at BE90, at Hopetoun and added no jumping penalties to their dressage again at Drumclog, where they finished 10th.
Following a win from a huge Discovery class and a fifth in the British Novice in the showjumping rings at Blair Castle in August, they also progressed to win the Redhall Trophy at the Strathmore and District Riding Club’s dressage derby, where their score of 75% in the prelim test proved the highest score at that level.
“This was my first time at Foresterseat and it was great. Fly didn’t look at a single fence she just took everything in her stride,” said Laura.
Each of the courses, designed by the Cheape family, presented plenty of questions from skinnies, to steps, ditches and a drop into water.
Laura hopes the autumn hunter trials will put Fly well on track to come out next season at BE100 level. At home, Laura trains regularly with Shelagh Steven and Rebecca Chalmers. She has also recently started to benefit from jump lessons with David Harland.
Having competed at this venue at novice level in the spring, Rowan Laird and Top Dun made the best of their first open at Foresterseat, taking the junior open win. The partnership, regulars at the Fife Hunt Pony Club, have already
been successful at open level this season having topped their class at the wellsupported Strathearn PC hunter trials at Gleneagles Equestrian Centre in the summer.
They were also fourth at Craigie last month and fourth in the 90cm class at Kinnaird at the tail end of last season.
Across the intermediate sections, the adult win went to Lucy Henry and Imperial High Flyer, whilst the red rosette for the juniors went home with local rider Alysa Spittle and her new horse Heracles.
Foresterseat provided the opportunity for Alysa, who celebrated her 18th birthday this week, to get ‘Sparkey’ out for only their second cross country competition together, after purchasing him just recently.
“He has such a nice nature and nothing on the cross country course seems to phase him,” she said of the six-year-old Irish sports horse cross thoroughbred gelding which actually found his way to her with the help of social media.
Alysa has previously competed to novice and one-star level BE and was looking for a horse which she could progress from there.
“We contacted people in our search for a new horse by word of mouth, but my trainer Sarah Oakden also tweeted lots of people. We had a list of horses to see all across the UK and Ireland, and whilst I promised I’d never buy the first
horse I saw, Sparkey was first on our list and we fell in love with him.”
The son of Ramiro B, which also boasts Clover Hill breeding, was being campaigned by Oliver Townend, having arrived from Ireland at the beginning of the year.
“He had done very little in the way of showjumping or eventing, but he has such big potential,” she added.
Local rider Lucinda Baker did the double with a one-two across the adult novice section and taking the class win was her 10-year-old former Irish racehorse Mosca-Pony.
Lucinda, 23, who hails from Bury in Lancashire, but moved to Glenfarg last year, bought the gelding in May this year.
Lucinda said, despite starting out “very green and sharp” with little to no experience of cross country, Mossi is now showing very real potential to be a great eventing prospect.
“This was his first time at a hunter trial and he had only schooled over cross country fences twice since I bought him but he loved it.
“Cross country just really seems to suit him. He travels across the terrain very well and is naturally quick.”
Just pipped by his younger stablemate to the win was Prince Charlie II, which finished in overall second.
The 18-year-old Irish draught cross chestnut has been owned by Stephanie Smith since he was 13.
“I have only been riding him for the last four weeks,” said Lucinda. “One week after I started riding him we took him showjumping for the first time in a year at Inchcoonans and he won both classes.”
Lucinda said Charlie’s former career in the unaffiliated and working hunter show ring is also standing him in good stead to event next year.
Reflecting on Foresterseat, she added: “The course rode beautifully and there was enough in it to get the horses to concentrate and give them experience with a wide variety of fences.
“The whole competition had a lovely friendly feel,” she added.
equestrian@thecourier.co.uk Results
Adult open 1m: 1 Laura Collins, Donnadoni B; 2 Anne Shaw, Bella; 3 Louisa Milne Home, Harry. Junior open 1m: 1 Rowan Laird, Top Dun; 2 Pollyanna Smith, Cookie; 3 Fiona Thomson, Mr T. Adult intermediate 90cm: 1 Lucy Henry, Imperial High Flyer; 2 Susan Young, Spring; 3 Jenna Cushnie, Calli. Junior intermediate 90cm: 1 Alysa Spittle, Heracles; 2 Corrie Hay, Spitfire Jack; 3 Hannah Cuthill, Precious Jewel. Adult novice 70cm: 1 Lucinda Baker, Mosca-Pony; 2 Lucinda Baker, Prince Charles II; 3 Sarah Murray, Storm. Junior novice 70cm: 1 Kate Dalglish, Mr McGregor; 2 Emma Webster, Lomoor Royal Regatta; 3 Robyn Black, Buddy. Nursery novice 60cm: 1 Jacqueline Howat, Phoebe; 2 Janice Greig, Levi; 3 Lucy Henry, Daiquiri. Pairs: 1 Catherine Fraser, It’s All About Me, and Georgie Braithwaite, Touch of Class; 2 Lorna Stirling, Harris, and Tracey Moir, Tommy; 3 Grace Okeefe, Captain Churchill, and Suzanne Arthur, Indian Falls.