Trials could jump to new venue

NEGOTIATIONS WHICH would safeguard the future of one of the UK’s top equestrian events are at a “delicate stage”, the organisers have confirmed to The Courier.

The long-term prospects for the popular Central Scotland Horse trials were jeopardised earlier this year when they lost their Perthshire venue.

Staged in the grounds of Scone Palace for more than two decades (pictured right), the “bombshell” announcement that they would not be welcome back next year was broken in September.

However, news the trials could soon have a new, as yet unannounced, home will be warmly welcomed among the eventing fraternity.

The organisers of the event, which attracts riders from as far as Sweden and Germany, spoke at the time of their “surprise and disappointment” at the decision to sever their long-standing relationship with Scone.

Dating back to 1952, the Central Scotland Horse Trials are second only to Badminton as the UK’s oldest trials and attracted fields of up to 500 competitors.

Since 1990 the event, held in April and August each year, had been a permanent fixture at Scone.

Run by a dedicated band of volunteers, organiser James Oakden said they had been left reeling by the decision by the palace to no longer make the venue available to them.

In a letter to the trials, the palace had said following a review of the events held in the grounds and challenging weather conditions, it was felt they were unable to accommodate the equestrian event.

This week Mr Oakden, a farmer near Newburgh, was hopeful the bleak news about Scone could be soon be forgotten if the future of trials is secured.

“We are quite optimistic – we have just visited a central new venue which offers a great deal of scope,” said Mr Oakden.

“We will just to need to sit down and make sure we can negotiate the small print. It is very encouraging.

“We are under a lot of pressure from British Eventing, who want to finalise their calendar. I hope we will have something positive to say in the next 10 days.”

Mr Oakden said they had looked at a number of possibilities as a new venue but the latest candidate was their favourite.

As negotiations were at a delicate stage he declined to elaborate on where the new venue was situated, other than to confirm it was “central”.

However, he confirmed if all went well they would hope to stage their first event there in May next year.