Adose of patience and time for Kinross rider Lisa Garrett and her horse Rusticana has paved the way for an exciting season.
Their 2014 campaign was kick started with an open class win at Strathearn Pony Club’s well supported hunter trials fixture, staged at Gleneagles Equestrian Centre.
Lisa has owned the eight-year-old coloured warmblood cross thoroughbred mare for the last two and a half years.
“We bought her from Jo Luton, in the Borders, who had trained her and taken her out to several BE competitions during 2011,” said Lisa.
“She was still fairly inexperienced and a little green though, so we have given her plenty of time to mature.”
Lisa said she’s spent the last couple of years bringing the mare on slowly: “It really seems to have paid off.
“Rusticana has come out this year much more calm,” Lisa added.
“She can still have her moments, but she’s a very gentle horse that always gives you kisses and hugs.”
The 15-year-old Kinross High School pupil has been riding since the age of two and has a long term aspiration to ride at international level.
She is also currently working towards her B-test so that she can progress towards BHS stages in years to come.
But competition doesn’t come without its difficulties as Lisa suffers from diabetes, which can be adversely affected by adrenalin levels.
Nonetheless, careful management has allowed her to begin competing and she has been able to get out and about with Rusticana since last year.
“I’m hoping to get out to do some more BE later this year,” explained Lisa, who began the season with an outing to Auchlishie to take part in Kirriemuir’s BE90 section.
Reflecting on the tracks at Gleneagles she said: “I thought the course was great.
“We had perfect wether for it cool and dry and it is a really good training course as it flows on quite easily and it is also really flat.”
Whilst the open pony club win went home with Fife Hunt PC member Rowan Laird and Top Dun, the 13 to 14-year-old PC contest was won by on form duo Daniel Woods and Orrin, representing East Stirlingshire.
Already a winner of two previous hunter trials this season including at the Fife Foxhounds event at Foresterseat the Larbert High School pupil used the competition as a warm up for the upcoming Junior Regionals, of Tetrathlon, in Milton Keynes.
He has already represented the Scottish junior boys team for the last two consecutive years on another of his ponies, Prince, but this year takes the 16h3 Dutch warmblood Orrin south for the first occasion.
“He’s known as a big dafty in our family,” he said. “But once he has worked out how to do something, he is very good at it.”
As well as keeping them fresh for cross country, the outing to Gleneagles also provided Daniel with a chance to let Orrin find his feet on grass with studs in, as they will be competing in the showjumping arena at the Royal Windor Horse Show this weekend.
Daniel, who trains with Will Dunn, but who also benefits from occasional lessons at Pony Club and the BSJA academy with David Harland said: “We really just went to Gleneagles for the additional experience and to practice some combinations, but the win was a very nice little bonus.
“He wasnt fazed by anything, so I have high hopes for a clear at Windsor.”
In the adult intermediate section, the result was a dead heat for Isla Thomson and Fraces Pearson.
Adopting her sister Skye’s pony for the day, Isla took the red rosette with Prinz a seven-year-old Welsh cross gelding which has been in the Thomson family, since he was just two.
“We broke him to ride ourselves and we love him to pieces,” said Isla. “He’s a very special pony.”
Isla, who is in her third year as a student nurse at Dundee University added: “We often come to Gleaneagles. The course was lovely the ground conditions on the day were great.”
For Prinz, the outing provided his first hunter trials win, although he has been regularly placed top of affiliated showjumping classes with Skye at the reins.
Meanwhile, a change of discipline in favour of jumping proved highly rewarding for dressage and endurance rider and side-saddle aficionado Marjorie Grant and her multi-talented Highland pony, Trailtrow Eriskay.
“This is the first time we have ever done a cross country competition,” explained Marjorie.
“I took her training and found out that she is a good jumper and since then she has come on leaps and bounds,” she explained, adding that teacher Shelagh Steven has instilled her with confidence, whilst BHS Scotland is also to thank for offering great training.
As the only Highland pony to gain gold and then platinum status in the equestrian sport of endurance, Trailtrow Eriskay and Marjorie have represented Scotland in the home international team for a number of years now and they also compete successfully in the show ring, side-saddle.
“It’s been more than 10 years since I last went cross country in a competition, but Eriskay was great. She jumped all of the fences out of her stride.
“She was just fabulous I’m still smiling and winning was just the cherry on the top.”
Results
Strathearn Trophy winners: Samantha Binnie, Phoebe Ramsay-Stagg, Sammy Wake, Heather Halley, Blair Morton and Jemima Cross.
Open: 1 Lisa Garrett, Amorica Rusticana; 2 Gillian Fotheringham, Capitall Quinn; 3 Katy Cepok, Nanga Parbat. Open PC: 1 Rowan Laird, Top Dun (Fife Hunt); 2 Louise Tanner, Astra (Perth Hunt); 3 Samantha Binnie, Merlyn
(Strathearn).
PC 13 to 14 years: 1 Daniel Woods, Orrin (East Stirlingshire); 2 Rosie Mitchell, Lucky Talisman (Moray & Nairn); 3 Phoebe Ramsay-Stagg, Patrick (Strathearn).
Adult Intermediate: 1 (equal) Isla Thomson, Kinnairds Fingers and Thumbs and Frances Pearson, Rockwood Joy; 3 Diana McLaren, Cult Desire.
PC 13 years and over: 1 Sammy Wake, Prince (Strathearn); 2 Sophie Cierans, Frankie (Glenrothes); 3 Sally Duncan, Danny (Strathblane & District).
PC 11 to 12 years: 1 Heather Halley, Teddy (Strathearn); 2 Brook Walker, Tino (Angus); 3 Tara Brown, Carnhill Glory (Moray & Nairn).
Adult novice: 1 Iona Stewart, Prinz; 2 (equal) Tommy Smyth, Jasper and Kevin Keillor, Master Macellro.
PC over 10 years: 1 Kerstin Dodd, Mystical Spot (Dumfreisshire); 2 Blair Morton, Kincon Lass (Strathearn); 3 Honor Ashcroft, Scoobie (Glenrothes).
10 years and under: 1 Jemima Cross, Zebedee (Strathearn); 2 Susie Roberts, Lucy (Strathearn); 3 James Houlden, Sidan (Strathearn).
Adult nursery novice: 1 Marjorie Grant, Trailtrow Eriskay; 2 Vari Jennings, Sting; 3 Fiona Mathieson, Fallon.