The Goldenwood Stud from Fettercairn lifted the Mindy Mason Memorial Trophy as supreme in-hand champions of the Scottish Welsh Pony and Cob Association’s Winter Show for the third successive time.
The overall contest at the national show at Ingliston, Bishopton, was adjudicated by Ceri Fell, of the Brynseion Stud, at Redhill Farm, in Gloucestershire, alongside Ayrshire-based show producer and rider Kimberley Nicoll and Margaret Barbour.
Anticipation mounted throughout the afternoon championship performances, which brought glitz and glamour to the show ring.
This year the performance was kick-started by a new addition: a parade of 14 stallions, representing a variety of breeds, held in memory of founder member and former SWPCA president Gladys Dale, who passed away in May.
Standing foal and youngstock champion before taking supreme for Lynneann Cameron and Alison Walker, who have nine ponies at their Goldenwood Stud in Laurencekirk, was April-born filly Cadlanvalley Sweet Elation.
Lynneann bought the palomino Welsh section B filly when she was only a couple of days old from breeders Howell and Yvonne Davies of the Cadlanvalley Stud, in Cardigan, Dyfed.
After deciding to buy her dam, Blue Rock Bramble, Lynneann and Alison brought the pair north to Scotland on their return from the Royal Welsh Show. Sweet Elation’s sire, Russetwood Elation, has previously thrown two Royal Welsh champions: Cadlanvalley Georgette and her sister Cadlanvalley Georgia.
Georgette is also mother of Lynneann’s Royal Welsh winner Cadlanvalley Georgie Boy, supreme at the SWPCA winter show in 2011 and last year.
At her first show since coming north to the Goldenwood Stud, Sweet Elation won the in-hand mountain and moorland championship at the Brechin Autumn Show.
She has remained unbeaten in her classes on each of her following outings and was reserve champion of the Welsh pony section at the inaugural Puddledub in-hand and youngstock show at Inchcoonans.
Recently she topped Welsh section B foal class at the North of Scotland WCPA Winter Show, at Fountain Equestrian.
Edinburgh producer Charlie Cousens, of Haugh Farm, Newburgh, had two Welsh section B ponies forward for the in-hand supreme: his two- and three-year-old champion Davdor Spring Muzik and relative newcomer to the showring Centurion Quicksilver, which had taken the adult Welsh tricolour.
Quicksilver shone through to run out with the reserve overall in-hand title.
This four-year-old gelding was sired by Gwynrhosyn Harrods and was bred by Alan Charlesworth out of the Bengad Chive-sired mare Cosford Mellana.
Charlie bought Quicksilver last winter as a colt to be a potential first ridden from Simon Charlesworth, having seen him briefly in the dark in winter 2011. Having been taken with him Charlie tracked him down and bought him and since breaking him in the spring he has won twice under saddle.
Supreme champion of ridden entrants, judged by Margaret Barbour, Kimmy Nicoll and Marguerite Osborne, was members’ champion and mini champion Starloch Principle Boy. This son of 2013 HOYS finalist Cromagtir Dylan was bred by Shona Thomson of the Starloch Stud home to Pennal the Great in Dalry, Ayrshire, out of Friars Fancy Posy.
He was bought last year by Sharon Quinlan for her daughter Georgia, who has been the jockey of Cromagtir Dylan for the last four years.
Georgia has recently been helping five-year-old Morgan McLaughlan to learn how to ride, and this was Morgan’s lead-rein debut outing on the six-year-old Welsh section A gelding.
Drew Milne was on the end of the rein at Ingliston.
Known as Leo at home, the gelding notched up many championships as a youngster and stood supreme in-hand youngstock champion at the SWPCA show as a yearling.
Three-times HOYS finalist Small-land Smokescreen achieved reserve supreme ridden success for Allison and Samantha Burkhill, Clairinsh, Balloch.
The 11-year-old gelding, which won through to the supreme courtesy of taking the show hunter pony championship, reached HOYS in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and also qualified for the Royal International in 2011. The son of Small-land Roma was bred by the Small-Land Pony Stud, in Carmarthen, Dyfed, out of Small-land Maytino.
Ridden by Samantha, this year he won the supreme ridden horse and reserve show hunter pony championships at Kilmaurs, was champion at Doune and Dunblane, reserve overall hunter champion and show hunter pony champion at Braco Show and stood show hunter pony champion at Perth.
Among the show’s other top winners was Gavin Ingram’s home-bred April-born grey Welsh section A colt foal Comalegy Flash Dance, which, fresh from his supreme in-hand championship at the NSWPCA show at Fountain, took the reserve overall foal title.
Blair Castle overall mountain and moorland working hunter pony champions Kayleigh Evans, from Turriff, and her eight-year-old Welsh section C mare Gems Isabella bred by Richard Deptford out of Gurnos Welsh Pollen and sired by Tireve Mighty Atom took the open working hunter tricolour, before progressing to take the overall reserve worker title.
Newmachar’s Julia Lyon and her part-bred Welsh Balhagarty King George notched up a double of reserves in both the M and M in-hand and in the mixed in-hand championships.
This eight-year-old gelding, sired by the Welsh stallion Llansantffraed Owen Coch, was bred by the Balhagarty Stud, at Laurencekirk, out of the Scottish Sports Horse mare, Outburst.