Organisers and competitors at the Fife Foxhounds pick-a-fence cross country competition breathed a sigh of relief when dense fog lifted from Glenfarg.
Although entry numbers were below previous years, hunt secretary Liz Bell said everyone from ‘wee tots’ to the elder generation had a fabulous time.
“The Cheapes and Colin Campbell had built an excellent course, making full use of the undulating terrain,” said Liz.
“Fife Foxhounds were very grateful to be able to make use of the course.”
Jumping all the bigger options from the opening class of the day the open pre-novice Ayrshire’s Vicki Silvera, who has been a native of Kinross for the last five years, took the first win with her striking coloured mare
Harroway Serendipity.
“I had originally planned to have a go at the next class up, but in the end I wanted to give her a confidence building run over the pre-novice class and have another good run under her belt,” said Vicki of the seven-year-old, which missed out on last season due to a hind-foot abscess.
After a “long slog” of a recovery, Vicki said it has been great to get going this year and see the mare, which is sired by Harroway Mr Harlequin, do so well.
Vicki, who works for Campbell Dallas accountants in their Perth office, bought Betty as a two-year-old.
As members of Fife Riding Club, they have been out at a number of training and competition events and have been successful in dressage, showjuming and showing including coming second at Perth Show this year.
This was their third cross country, having fallen just shy of the placings at NEFRC’s one-day-event at Kinnaird and also at Strathearn’s hunter trials.
Making it two wins on the bounce was Kincardineshire Pony Club member Laura Moore and her horse Brook, which came to Glenfarg fresh from a win around Craigie.
Laura, 14, from outside Brechin, earlier in the year had a fifth placing with the seven-year-old 15.2hh thoroughbred mare in the novice eventing competition of the Pony Club interbranch at Burgie.
This was their last cross country outing until spring. They will spend a couple of months concentrating on dressage and showjumping before taking a break over Christmas.
In the open classes Gillian Fotheringham took Ruth McLean’s appaloosa gelding Quinn to the adult win, while young event rider Douglas Crawford, from Prestonpans, stopped the clock with the fastest clear round of the junior open class to win on his own dun pony Amontillado.
Along with all of the top four riders in the class, Douglas and Tino tallied a maximum jump score from the cross country fences.
Although Douglas, 15, has been riding the seven-year-old 14hh gelding three years ago, they started affiliated eventing just last year, taking a third place at Hopetoun on their debut outing.
This season, they notched up three top 10 placings at BE90 level, including a win from the Pony Club section at Eden Valley, in Cumbria, this July.
Douglas came to the competition having spent the previous week on work experience with international four-star rider Louisa Milne Home at her Kinross base.
Douglas and Tino also previously won the West Perthshire Pony Club open pick-a-fence earlier in the year.
He credited Tino as being “very brave and fast cross country”, adding: “We also do quite a lot of dressage, winning one of the British Dressage/Pony Club talent development events and qualifying for the final at SNEC at
the end of October.
“Sadly Tino is for sale now after three great years of competing together,” he said.
“I have grown too tall for him and I’d like to find an event horse to progress my BE career,” said Douglas, who aspires to become a professional event rider with his own event yard.