Houlden and Henry win

PUDDLEDUB: 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.

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