A move from British Eventing to British Showjumping has been vindicated by a run of winnings for Forfar rider Suzanne Lumgair.
She rose to the top of the leaderboard in the ultimate class at Inchcoonans recent affiliated showjumping competition.
Taking the 1m10 win for Suzanne was Jack Up, a nine-year-old gelding which she pilots for local farrier Scott Campbell.
Scott bought the “very cool” gelding two years ago and together with Suzanne they have notched up several wins.
“Last year we won 1m20 classes at both Tillyoch and the Cabin and took a second at at SNEC. We also won a 1m10 second round at Inchcoonans,” said Suzanne, who now plans to contest some of the Royal Highland amateur qualifiers and test the gelding out over some “bigger tracks”.
Going into the jump of with a placing guaranteed, Suzanne said she didn’t feel any need to put her foot down: “It was really just a fun outing,” she explained.
Suzanne praise the venue for it’s atmosphere: “The team at Inchcoonans will do anything for you from harrowing between classes to supplying great food.”
But although Suzanne, who has concentrated on eventing for the best part of the last two decades at national and international level, has made the decision to leave the BE behind in favour of a focus on showjumping, she said she does still have pangs about going cross country: “I don’t have the luck to event anymore and sadly, financially, it just does not add up. I will still badly miss it though.”
Taking second in the 1m10, but topping the 1m05 national amateur win was Aberdeenshire rider Vikki Wight and her six-year-old gelding, Don Adelheid Z.
Vikki, who works in the facilities engineering group for US oil company Chevron North Sea, uses her free time to breed a small number of pedigree horses for showjumping, which she bases on her parents’ yard at Upper Haddo Stud, at Laurencekirk.
Vikki bought Don Adelheid Z, or Jake, in Holland as five-year-old last year. The son of Dutch Capitol, bred out of a Zandigo mare, currently has five siblings contesting 1m60 level, including the top Zangersheide stallion Quartz Z.
“Jake is a very talented young horse with easily enough scope and ability to go beyond 1m30,” explained Vikki.
“Although he initially started out a little nervous, he has really settled down and loves his job he has lots of character.”
The duo are now out competing consistently up to Foxhunter level having previously been placed last year in the Winter Novice Qualifier, for Hickstead.
Vikki said her main aim for Jake now this year is both the Newcomer and Fox second rounds, but she will also be keeping a keen eye on the Royal Highland qualifiers.
“It is unlikely I will get the chance to produce him right through the grades as he has already attracted a lot of interest,” she conceded, “I expect he will likely be sold in the near future.”
Vikki’s vast experience with producing horses over recent years has seen her enjoy the success of numerous similar rides including the stallion Zenith UHS (Lupicor x Nimmerdor), which she bought in Holland as an unbroken three-year-old. After initially producing the stallion herself, licencing him with the AES, Zenith’s ride was passed on to Scott Brash, with whom he achieved a fifth placing in the Foxhunter and seven-year-old finals at the Horse of the Year Show, back in 2011.
“He was then sold on to America where he is consistently winning at 1m50 level,” added Vikki.
Back at Upper Haddo, Vikki is also now getting the opportunity to see just some of her home-bred youngsters coming through under saddle.
“I have a four-year-old by Zenith UHS currently being broken looking like it will also follow in his father’s footsteps.
“But one of the most exciting youngster we have so far is the five-year-old son of Lupicor, Andicor UHS.
“His mother jumped 1m40’s and is by the legendary late Argentinus,” she added. “Andicor’s showing a lot of ability and talent over fences but he’s also a spectacular looking horse.”
The coming year’s crop of foals also brings cause for excitement: “We are awaiting the arrival of a foal by Ludgar Beebaums up and coming seven-year-old stallion Black Jack [a son of Cornet Obolensky] out of our Argetinus mare. This is a stallion hotly tipped for future stardom,” explained Vikki.
Victorious in the British Novice class courtesy of the only double clear was Forgandenny’s Isla Thomson.
Isla, who is currently studying at the former Scottish Agricultural College, now SRUC, in Aberdeen, snatched the lead with her home-bred pure Irish Draught Kinnaird Fingers and Thumbs.
Known at home as Chance, the mare has been a consistent jumper for Isla over recent years, taking numerous placings and winnings at BS up to Discovery level, but also in working hunter and cross country disciplines too.
“I’m aiming to continue doing showjumping with her, progressing to do more discovery level classes and then some 1m05’s,” explained Isla, who keeps the mare at home on her family’s farm.
“She has been placed in many working hunter class and at cross country too, so I will continue that this coming season also. She is a very lovely horse who is just so easy to do.”
Adding more rosettes to her haul for the day at Inchcoonans, Isla progressed from her win to take a second placing in the 1m05 on board Chance’s stable mate, Umoristico.
Meanwhile, Dundee’s Catherine Paterson topped the entry within the 85cms amateur class.
She has owned her winner Warchant, a 15h2 skewbald of unknown breeding, for the last four years.
The 12-year-old multi-talented gelding, which has previously done a lot of British Eventing and pony club activities, originally hails from Ireland, but was imported into the UK by British Eventing accredited riding instructor and top event horse and pony producer Helen Bell, from Thirsk, in Yorkshire.
During his time with Catherine, who works with young people through Perth and Kinross council, Warchant has proved himself a “great all rounder”, taking Catherine around a number of BE competitions over the last few years, including fifth in the BE90 at Scone Palace, as well as to BS, BD and all riding club activities. Catherine now plans to spend this coming season building on previous successes, whilst trying “a bit of everything”.
“He has already qualified for the amateur second rounds and has totted up several double clears,” she added.
“I have lessons with David Gatherer, who has helped us a great deal.”
Catherine praised Inchcoonans her local venue for providing such a wide range of competitions on its calendar: “It’s a great venue and I always enjoy the showjumping courses there,” she reflected.
“They are well built and up to height with a good range of fillers.
She added: “Warchant is naturally forward going when he is jumping so our win followed a round where I just jumped out of a nice forward rhythm. He is usually fairly consistent and careful.”
Results
BS club/unaff 70cms: 1 Kevin Keillor, Master Mac Euro; 2 Pamela Seivwright, Zaffaran Pearl; 3 Pamela Seivwright, Ullrich XI.
BS club/unaff 80cms: 1 Heather Johnson, Tilly; 2 Lynne Mallinoon, Car-Ga-Dee Rough Diamond; 3 Pamela Seivwright, Zaffaran Pearl.
85cms national amateur: 1 Catherine Patterson, Warchant; 2 Victoria Wight, E Andicor Uhs; 3 Linda Moffat, Tiny Dynamo.
British novice: 1 Isla Thomson, Kinnaird Fingers and Thumbs; 2 Larisa Cathro, Champagne Supa Nova; 3 Jane Gilchrist, Desander.
95cms national amateur: 1 Linda Moffat, Tiny Dynamo; 2 Kayleigh Lindsay, Honest and True; 3 Lewis Mclean, Queens Mach 3.
1m05 national amateur: 1 Victoria Wight, Don Adelheid Z; 2 Isla Thomson, Umoristico; 3 Suzanne Lumgair, Bally Revenge.
1m10 national amateur: 1 Suzanne Lumgair, Jack Up; 2 Victoria Wight, Don Adelheid Z.