In a testament to the steadfast popularity of Craigie Hunter Trials more than 200 competitors happily braved adverse weather to take part in its 25th anniversary running.
The autumn fixture of Fife Riding Club, held by kind permission of Mr and Mrs John Foster, attracted a strong field of horses and riders from all over Scotland.
Topping off a great season with her 12-year-old Irish draught cross thoroughbred, Diamond Impact, to take the win from the open class was Milnathort policewoman Laura Nash.
Laura has owned the gelding since 2011, but said this year has seen them make the most headway.
“We have been competing at British Eventing, making the move up to BE100 height classes,” she said.
“We’ve made fantastic progress.
“I have travelled all over the country in order to compete most weekends,” she said of her season, which has seen her make the trip south into England on several occasions, collecting a seventh placing at BE90 level at Hutton in the Forest, in Cumbria, and an eighth in the BE100 section at Burgham, in Northumberland.
Laura said despite some bad weather and high winds, which actually caused the Tay Road Bridge to be closed for a period of time and prevented some competitors from reaching the event, the ground was “fantastic as always”.
“The course rode really well, even the rider frightener trakhener fence in the middle of the woods.”
Stopping the clock bang on the optimum time to stand at the top the junior novice section leaderboard and in doing so also beating her sister was Laura Moore, from just outside Brechin.
The 14-year-old achieved the win on her 15.2hh seven-year-old thoroughbred mare Brook, with which she is an active member of Kincardineshire branch of the Pony Club.
Earlier this year she came fifth overall with Brook in the novice eventing at the Pony Club interbranch at Burgie, but they are also regular competitors of both the showjumping and hunter trials competitions at Brechin Castle Equestrian, where they have collected numerous wins.
“We competed in the 75cm course at Craigie in the spring, but this was my first time going round the 90cm course,” she said.
In the adult novice class St Andrews’ Jemma Christie brought her summer season, which has been peppered by a season of lows, towards a close on a high note by winning and coming third with horses Kizzy and Reggie respectively.
Kizzy, a 22-year-old Irish mare, came to Jemma two years ago with the aim of taking her eventing.
“It’s taken a while to get to know her as she is exceedingly hot to ride,” explained Jemma, who produces children’s ponies and is a member of the Fife Hunt PC.
Reggie, on the other hand, has only been with Jemma for the last year.
“He has spent this season gaining mileage and experience,” she said of the nine-year-old pure-bred Connemara pony.
“The course at Craigie is always challenging as it winds through woods and covers undulating terrain, but this year it proved a great day out for me,” added Jemma, who plans to take both horses to affiliated BE competitions
next year.
“Despite a season full of ups and downs, everything has really started to pick up over the last few weekends for me,” she said.
Making the most out of her first competitive experience with Joanne Carle’s ex-racehorse Jack was Hannah Aitken, who took the win in the junior nursery novice class.
Jack previously raced under the name Blackout and was trained by Jim Barclay.
Joanne has owned the 18-year-old gelding for the last year.
“I jumped at the chance to take him around Craigie for her,” explained Hannah, who was also placed at Craigie with her own two ponies.
“My baby Maydown Star, who is only five, was fifth in the junior novice class and my little first pony, who is now 16 but only 11.2hh, jumped round the pairs class clear with Daisy Galbraith and her pony Cara to take third.
“It was a great day. This was my first win at Craigie,” she added.
Meanwhile, Incharvie Equestrian manager Morag Snow picked up a “completely unexpected” win in one of the two adult nursery novice sections.
Her winner, Carlton Kardashian, which is known as Blossom at home, was bought in Ireland as a four-year-old by Maggie Mills, who had her until June this year.
The seven-year-old coloured sports horse has hunted with the North Cotswolds for the past two seasons and will now hunt this year with the Fife.
If this proves successful, Morag said, she may be campaigned at BE100 level in the early summer of next year, before being turned out for a well-earned rest at Balmyle.