With the clock ticking down towards the National Grassroots Championships at the 2014 Mitsubishi Badminton Horse Trials, a win at Kirriemuir has given Alison Bogue and her BE90 finalist Westenwind III the ideal start to their campaign.
Alison has owned the 11-year-old 17.2hh Warmblood gelding, by Flemmingh, for the last five years – but their pathway to Badminton did not really begin until they achieved a second placing at Kirrie this time last season.
With regional qualification in hand, Alison took ‘Moley’ south of the Border to Hutton, in Cumbria, to contest the BE90RF at the close of last year.Here, despite rolling two poles in the showjump arena, a 25.5 dressage score and a clean XC sheet was good enough for them to bag fourth placing and secure their Badminton dream.
Proving the consistency of their flatwork, their Kirrie win for 2014 followed a commanding first phase lead in BE90 section D on a score of just 23.
“He’s bred for dressage, so he really finds it easy,” explained Alison, who works as a veterinary nurse for Struthers and Scott, in Doune.
“He was actually bought as a hack for my mum he had only been lightly broken when we got him and he was very green, but he proved himself so nice that I ended up stealing the ride on him.”
After testing the water with working hunter and the odd XC in their early years, they only began eventing ‘properly’ over the last couple of years.
Their progression which has been aided by training with Daniel Scott, with whom they also livery has seen them finish second at Eglinton, fifth at Auchinleck and sixth at Hendersyde.“We actually refused the first fence in the showjumping at Kirrie on Sunday I think Moley came round to it half asleep,” said Alison.
“I was worried about getting time penalties so we flew around the rest of the course in a much more forward rhythm. Thankfully, I didn’t know my dressage was only 23 and we didn’t pick up any more penalties.”The pair head next to the BE100 class at Dalkeith: “The showjumping for the BE90 championship final will be set to 1m, so I’m using Dalkeith as a last preparation for the Badminton Grassroots.
“I’ll just be aiming for a nice, confidence building final run, before all the excitement really begins.”
Want to ride the Kirrie course? Take a spin around the track with BE90 competitor Donna Reid and her horse Diego’s Inferno. [All rights reserved by British Eventing]
Run across four sections, the remaining BE90 winners included West Lothian rider Catriona Meikle and her nine-year-old gelding Whos Vision, and Izzie Bamford, from East Lothian, riding Kirstin Bamford’s 13-year-old grey pony Coosh.
Borders rider and former under 18 title holder Isabella Innes Ker took the best winning score of the day with her six-year-old gelding Cartown Wallabe, which topped BE90 B on their dressage of just 22.5.
A fifth placing on their opening run of the season, at Burgham, set Fife’s Katherine Lindsay and her seven-year-old Shannondale Somax up well for their second consequtive BE100 win at Kirrie.
Katherine (17), who lives at Balcarres, is working hard to fit riding around for AS level studies at Queen Margarets, in Yorkshire.
“I am riding Bear every day now I am on holiday but when I am at school Sarah Sewell hacks her out for me and Bear is so easy and straightforward that she really can produce a lovely dressage test without too much schooling.”
The Fife Hunt Pony Club member, who also has two geldings based with Sarah and James Oakden, bought the mare from Rose Macpherson near the end of the 2012 season.
“I was so pleased with her at Kirrie,” she explained. “The judge gave really positive remarks and said we are a lovely combination.”
Having hunted over the winter and with a clear run at Burgham under their belt, Katherine added: “Bear was amazing cross country like usual.
“She didn’t look at anything, she just flew round and I know she’s definitely ready to move up a level as she jumped round with her eyes shut.”
After making their novice debut at Floors Castle last year, the pair will progress at this level at Dalkeith.
On a commanding dressage of 25, Midlothian’s Taylor Stewart topped the remaining BE100 section with Uni Star II, whilst the open BE100 section was won by Borders rider Lucinda Crawford and the 15.3hh 12-year-old gelding Vattrick, which added nothing to a dressage of only 23.
To read a full report, view pictures and results from the Novice and Open Novice classes at Kirriemuir, click HERE
Results
BE90 A: 1 Catriona Meikle, Whos Vision, 28.5,0,0,0=28.5; 2 Tamara Macdougall, Princess Grange, 28,4,0,0=32; 3 Diana Wrangham, Bo, 35,0,0,0=35; 4 Emma Nicholson, Strike It Lucky, 35.5,0,0,0=35.5; 5 Zoe MacKay, Dungannon Bay, 36.5,0,0,0=36.5; 6 Amanda Waugh, Fan Daby Angus, 35,4,0,0=39.
BE90 B: 1 Isabella Innes Ker, Cartown Wallabe, 22.5,0,0,0=22.5; 2 Amy Wolfe, Dakota Dollar, 26,4,0,0=30; 3 Joanne Moses, Greenburn Sunrise, 26.5,4,0,0=30.5; 4 Kelly Gardiner, Zamaro, 26,8,0,0=34; 5 Louise Cumming, Tobermory Womble, 33.5,4,0,1.2=38.7; 6 Rachel Macinnes, Sioux Dreamcatcher, 34,4,0,1.6=39.6.
BE90 C: 1 Izzie Bamford, Coosh, 25.5,0,0,0=25.5; 2 Jessica England, Eleanor of Aquitain, 30,0,0,0=30; 3 Katie Pearson, Rockwood Joy, 28.5,4,0,0=32.5; 4 Lucy Harley, MGH Maccabee, 33.5,0,0,3.2=36.7; 5 Eryn Douglas, Spot on Seamus, 33,4,0,0=37; 6 Rachel Smith, Ibis Diamond In The Dark, 35.5,4,0,0=39.5.
BE90 D: 1 Alison Bogue, Westernwind III, 23,4,0,0=27; 2 Lucinda Crawford, Just Morse, 30.5,0,0,0=30.5; 3 Hannah Kinsman, Willie Light, 27.5,4,0,0=31.5; 4 Emma Murray, Ballinteskin Felice, 31.5,4,0,0.8=36.3; 5 Lizzie McFadzean, Bright Beginnings, 32.5,4,0,0=36.5; 6 Isabella England, Cloncannon Superstar, 34.5,4,0,0=38.5.
BE100 E: 1 Katherine Lindsay, Shannondale Somax, 26.5,0,0,0=26.5; 2 Caitlin Padfield, Ridinghill Reward, 25,4,0,0.8=29.8; 3 Kirstin Bamford, Gummys Twinkeling, 34,0,0,0=34; 4 Hannah Yule, Mcguire IV, 34.5,0,0,0.4=34.9; 5 Emily Ryder, B So Milly, 31,4,0,0=35; 6 Claudia Claydon, The Ginger King, 32,4,0,2.4=38.4.
BE100 F: 1 Taylor Stewart, Uni Star II, 25,0,0,0=25; 2 Caitlin Padfield, Mr RM, 30.5,0,0,0=30.5; 3 Douglas Edward, Irish Whiskey, 30.5,0,0,0.8=31.3; 4 Emma Lawrie, Bondria, 33,0,0,0.8=33.8; 5 Jenny Drysdale, Caprice Van De Zuuthoeve, 32.5,4,0,0=36.5; 6 Harriet Baird, Sportfield Dashing Bay, 32,0,0,6.0=38.
BE100 open G: 1 Lucinda Crawford, Vattrick, 23,0,0,0=23; 2 Rosa Onslow, Match Point, 25,0,0,4.8=29.8; 3 Douglas Crawford, Jacaranda Prince, 30.0.0.0=30; 4 Julia Craig, Dartangion Van Het Netedal, 33.5,0,0,0=33.5; 5 Hanna Cheape, Hob Nob, 35,0,0,0=35; 6 Alison West, Watt Luck, 31,4,0,2.0=37.