The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Duo at Dale Farm producing horses full of Caithness class
James Munro and Russell Skelton have been going regularly to the Horse of the Year Show since getting together in 2009
Caithness may seem an unlikely place for producing top-class show horses, but that is exactly what Russell Skelton and James Munro are doing successfully from their base at Dale Farm, Halkirk.
Qualifying and competing at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) is the pinnacle for show producers in the UK, and Team Skelton have been regulars there since they got together in 2009.
They won with a coloured horse in 2010, but without doubt, their greatest achievement to date was taking the small hunter championship in 2017 with Freda Newton’s Ebony King.
Russell said: “We bought him unseen, but from a reliable source in Ireland, as a three-year-old and sold him to Freda, who has all her hunters produced by us.
“We were inundated with requests to buy him but we are glad to still have him to campaign this year.
“He has already qualified for the Royal International.”
From Cumbria, Russell has a background in horses, but until moving to Caithness, he had a full-time job as a logistics manager and project co-ordinator, while James retired last October after 26 years with North Highland College where he was head of equine studies.
James is a qualified BHS II and has always been involved in the Caithness horse scene, teaching at riding and pony clubs and helping people with their horses in all disciplines. He still teaches most weekends through the winter.
One of his pupils is nine-year-old Jess Calder, who came to James barely able to ride and now she has three ponies based at Dale Farm, which she successfully competes in show hunter and working hunter classes, qualifying Cui Flint for HOYS last year.
James and Russell make a good team, along with some dedicated helpers in the area.
They prefer to buy three-year-olds that have been untouched.
Russell said: “I find the most satisfying aspect of my job is buying a rough, untouched three-year-old and turning it round to be a well-behaved, well turnedout show horse.”
He does all the groundwork with the youngsters, Alasdair Matheson backs them and then James brings them on.
They also get help from local breeder and exhibitor, Ashley Anderson and employ two part-time students.
James said: “We take our time with horses and respect the fact they are all different.
“Everything goes in a snaffle and we do not believe in pushing them.
“The only time anyone else rides them is before a show when we ask people we trust to sit on them so they are ready for a judge to ride.”
Both Russell and James are in demand as judges and, last year, James had a busy HOYS when he judged the coloured horses as well as competing.
Mares and youngstock are out-wintered on about 30 acres of rough ground, while the show horses are kept
“The most satisfying aspect of my job is buying a rough, untouched threeyear-old and turning it round to be a well-behaved, well turned-out show horse
in 20 stables in an American-style barn, but everything gets turnout and Russell says they are not mollycoddled by overrugging, or over-fed.
One of the frustrating parts about living so far north is that there are few local shows to get the youngsters out to experience the atmosphere.
Russell said that the horses get used to long journeys south and that if they are going to England, they break the journey at Greenlands at Carlisle for at least one night.
The pair are building a great reputation and can now afford to be a bit more choosy about the horses they accept.
Russell said: “We have now decided to concentrate on hunters. We used to produce a lot of coloured horses, and we do still like them but find that we are away too long at shows, with hunters always on the first day and coloured on the last.”
The Royal Highland Show in June is one of their favourite events and a great social occasion.
This year they are planning to take eight or nine horses, but the last few years have seen them drive down with 10 or 12, and last year, James took the supreme hunter championship with Ebony King, while Russell showed Freda’s Sports horse in hand to take the tri-colour.