The unrelenting popularity of the three-day schedule of British Showjumping across the Blair Castle arenas led to significant class sizes from start to finish.
Competition ran from dusk to dawn through the duration, with entries in the lower height classes so high they had to be split into several sections.
Holding their own amongst professional riders across these classes were Parknowe Equestrian duo Kara Blane and Jenna Brown. The friends, who stable their horses together at the centre near Dairsie, took a win apiece from Saturday and Sunday’s British novice respectively.
Kara, 14, achieved her win and a third in Saturday’s discovery with her new horse Gingero; whilst Jenna, 16, partnered Sissi S, owned by her father Gary, to top both Sunday’s class and take a fifth on Saturday.
Higher up the competition scale, Friday’s hard-fought 1m30 class was won by Fife rider Nicola McArthur and her on-form ride Cadavloro.
From quite late in the running order, Nicola’s plan to “keep flowing” reaped dividends: “The run to the last, a tall vertical, was downhill for the full length of the arena but I knew I could gallop without checking too much and trust Euro to jump it where others were having it down.”
They came to Blair having won the Scottish open outdoor championship at Ayr and strong placings at the Scottish Branch championships all summer.
The feature classes within the main arena drew a good crowd on the Saturday, with the opening class providing a win for St Andrews-based rider Stephen Lohoar, of Drumcarrow. He took the 1m25 win on board the Selle Francais mare L’Aurore Des Vavres, which has previously competed in Switzerland and France.
In the Six Bar Challenge, HorseScotland Coach of the Year David Harland snatched a popular win riding Liz Smith’s Nux D’Amour.
His winning result, clearing 1m50, proved a repeat of their leading performance at Blair 2013.
David explained: “He’s really got the knack of six bar competitions. That’s two times in a row now that he’s won this class here.”
A specialist in speed classes, the 12-year-old Grade B chestnut from Darco lines has only recently returned to competing.
“He’s actually been off for much of the season and Blair was just his third show back for this year,” said the Kirkcaldy-based rider.
“He’d picked up a sixth place in the 1m30 on the Friday though, so I knew he was jumping really well.”
Although David had considered taking Nux D’Amour south for the six bar at Arena UK, an accident last weekend, which resulted in fracture to his left arm, means all plans have been shelved for the time being.
The result of Saturday’s Grand Prix and North East Branch Championship remains unclarified because a number of the horse and rider combinations had not adhered to a rule of entry, which stated they had to have taken part in the 1m30 class on Friday to be eligible.
By the Sunday of competition, class sizes remained no less busy and the excitement continued for spectators with the finale of the Atholl Estates 1m10 and 1m20 championships.
Nailing both wins was Angus rider Lucy Guild, who topped the championships with Bora Bora Van Het Kroonhof and Hugana Van’t Heike respectively.
Making sure to put both horses in the best class position, she took the fastest clear in each first round with horses progressing in reserve order of merit for the jump off showdown.
Bora Bora an eight-year-old Burggraaf gelding, which has been owned by Mike Odonnel and Gillian Paterson since he was a four-year-old has been ridden by Lucy since June.
Forging a top partnership, they jumped six classes during Blair and took five placings including the 1m10 championship win.
“He’s a real trier,” explained Lucy. “It’s the first time I’ve properly put him up against the clock and he really rewarded me.”
Thrilled to witness Bora Bora’s win, Mike added: “He’s a lovely little horse with a big heart. We have big hopes for more success in the future.”
Lucy’s 1m20 championship topping round was produced by her own mare Hugana Van’t Heike, which she owns jointly with Fiona Good.
“She’s just so ultra careful,” reflected another novice win for Parknowe, this time from Kara Blane and Gingero. Lucy of the seven-year-old daughter of Con Spirito R.
Although the mare had a very uncharacteristic fall after getting stuck in the ground in the Foxhunter on Friday, Lucy said it proved testament to her character that she jumped the exact same fence in the same position during the 1m20 championship final “without blinking an eyelid”.
Also included within the roll of class winners, Sandra Low Mitchell, of Balcormo topped the 1m10 open with Soistara, whilst Dundee rider Laura Collins scooped a first in the discovery.
Laura, who works as a firefighter for Tayside Fire and Rescue and who lives in Monikie, took the win with her six-year-old mare Donnadoni B. Sired by Vaillant and out of Galixy, she has jumped double clear at both Hopetoun and Drumclog at BE90 level this year.
The BHS Scotland’s Riding Club Style Jumping championship saw a win for Jade Sturrock and ILPH Little Rock, after qualifying at Inchcoonans.
Jade got ‘Rocky’ from WHW Penny Farm in 2012 and he now has a forever home at the family’s livery at Carlogie Farm, Carnoustie.
Capping a successful Blair, the partnership were also fourth in the Stewarts Building Services Working Hunter final and took BS rosettes from Saturday’s novice and discovery.