Good entries came forward for the annual Highland Pony Breed Show at Strathallan Castle, Perthshire, which had a wide selection of classes to show the versatility of the Highland pony breed.
Overall in-hand champion was Heather Gow’s home-bred yeld mare Staffa II of Alltnacailleach.
Mrs Gow, of Pitscandly, Forfar, showed the mare to win the non performance yeld mare class before Sandy Baird selected her as his overall champion.
Staffa II of Alltnacailleach is a 10-year-old dun mare by Viscount of Whitefield and out of Kilda of Alltnacailleach.
“She has been busy breeding and been a good brood-mare,” said Heather. “She is also broken to ride and drive.”
Last year at the Royal Highland Show, Staffa was second in the brood-mare class while her foal won its class. Her daughter, Zoe of Alltnacailleach, won the three-year-old filly class at the show.
Reserve champion was the brood-mare Lochlands Madonna from Kate Lawson and Willie Sinclair, of Arbroath.
The home-bred Madonna, by Concorde of Whitefield and out of Lochlands Mandolin, had previously been a ridden pony and campaigned in England with Debbie Spears.
She was shown with her second foal at foot, a May-born colt by Lochlands Royal Flute, that also won its class.
As a two-year-old filly, Madonna was champion at Blair Castle, and in 2013 was champion at Banchory Show and first at the Breed Show.
Kirstin McMurray accounted for two championships with Trailtrow Texa Beag. She first won the working hunter title after winning the novice class, judged by Mary McCall Smith and Jane McNaught.
The eight-year-old mare by Rummlegairie of Trailtrow and out of Texa of Carrick was reserve champion at the Royal Highland after winning the small height ridden class. They were also placed first in the open ridden at Hexham Native Pony Festival.
“She really enjoys the working hunter pony classes and I will be concentrating more on that and getting her fitter,” said Kirstin.
They recently won the Olympia semi final qualifier at the BSPS Scotland Show to qualify for the BSPS Heritage Show at Grantham.
Reserve was Christopher Grant with Dunedin Finale, owned and bred by Anne Mitchell.
The 11-year-old grey mare won the HOYS qualifying ridden class at Lincoln County and will also be aimed at Olympia qualifiers. This is the pairs last season together as Finale will be returning to her breeder next year to become a brood-mare.
Later in the day Kirstin and Texa Beag won the open ridden championship before taking the overall supreme title.
The reserve supreme was the novice champion, Jo Jack riding Carol Jeffrey’s Margaret of Meggernie.
The six-year-old mare is by Tower Clyde and out of Riona of Croila, and was purchased by Carol from Newtonmore as a yearling from the Meggernie Estate.
Jo has only been riding the mare for eight weeks in her first ridden season. Already with a fifth place in the four, five and six-year-old class at the Royal Highland Show, they followed this up with a visit to Doune and Dunblane Show where she was placed second in the ridden class and in-hand champion.
The open reserve champion was Zara Wardop riding her mother Susan’s home-bred gelding Carlung Kilbride.
The won the Horse of the Year Show qualifying class, when ridden by Richard Telford, although Zara rode the nine-year-old in the championship.
Kilbride is by Carlung Ebony, who was presented with the leading sire of Highland ponies award in 2012 from Grandstand Media, and out of the Royal Highland Show champion Fallon of Carlung, who sadly died of grass sickness when Kilbride was two days old.
The novice reserve was Heather Gow’s home-bred Westray of Alltnacailleach, a half sister to the in-hand champion Staffa II of Alltnacailleach. Ridden by Kirsty Williams, this is the six-year-old mare’s first season under saddle as she was a brood-mare last year. This season she was a first prize winner and ridden reserve champion at Angus Show last month.