Houlden and Henry win at Fife show

Riders jostle for Royal International Horse Show qualifiers

Scotland’s equestrian showing elite converged on Fife this week to jostle for the plethora of Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) qualifiers up for grabs at the Puddledub Spring Show.

Enjoying its third year staged at Highfield at Howe, the show offered golden tickets to Hickstead across its hunter, amateur, hack, riding horse, cob and working hunter sections.

Lifting several qualifiers across the various rings was professional rider Kirsty Aird, who competes from a base at J&J Wilkie’s arable farm and equestrian centre at Netherton, Aberargie.

Her principal winner was the young novice hunter Hegglelane Hollywood, owned and home-bred by Denise Richardson-Rowell, from Penrith.

Hollywood, which is now a five-yearold, is in his first season under saddle but has enjoyed a successful in-hand career to date, including championship wins at Cumberland, Newton Rigg and Dumfries. He won the novice ridden hunter class before also topping the lightweight RIHS qualifier and the hunter section championship.

Kirsty also rode Gwen and Stewart’s recent acquisition Encore VI to the RIHS heavyweight hunter qualifier win.

The eight-year-old gelding, of unknown breeding, was previously owned and campaigned by Sarah Tait, from Aberdeen, qualifying for the RIHS across both the amateur and hunter categories between 2014 and 2016.

Kirsty said: “It’s great to pick up a qualification so early in the season as it will give us the chance to focus upon jumping now, ahead of the HOYS qualifiers. We’d like to give him the chance to develop a career over fences.”

In the working hunter ring, Graeme Barclay’s “exceptional” course required plenty of jumping – yielding only one clear from the field.

While ultimately the class win went to 18-year-old William Pittendrigh and Sligo Better Value, taking second place and scooping qualification to the Royal International was Sarah Houlden, from Strathearn at Methven.

Sarah rode Secret Solitair, a 10-yearold mare, which she home-bred alongside her mother Hazel England, by the Voltaire-son Solitair, out of the former event mare It’s a Secret.

“We’re just ecstatic with how she has matured as we’ve taken her forward quite quietly,” said Hazel.

“She took the ticket to the RI with the top jump marks from the class, but we were both thrilled with her performance as Graeme’s track, as ever, asked quite a few questions of all the horses, with some big fences to ride at.”

Sarah added: “She jumped a beautifully smooth round – qualifying for the Royal International was beyond all expectations.”

The partnership, which has only just stepped up to this level, won at the RHASS arena event at Ingliston earlier this year and stood working hunter champions at Fife Show in 2016.

Previously, they topped the workers championships at Kirriemuir and

Pictures: Sinclair Photography. Sarah Houlden qualified for the RIHS with Secret Solitair in the workers.

Laura Henry and Kinshaldy Rags were veteran champions.