Astier Nicolas, CCI4*-S and Scottish National Champion, Sam Ecroyd and Daisy Berkeley on the podium overlooked by Blair Castle
An Eventful Life filmed all competitors on cross country at
Land Rover Blair Castle International - find out more here
Ever since my first visit to Blair Castle Horse Trials in Scotland for the FEI European Championships in 2015, I have been addicted to this place.
Having said that, one of its drawbacks can be the weather but this year Scotland joined in on a late-August heatwave that swept through the UK after an unusually wet month. The timing was perfect and, apart from some sogginess on Wednesday, the crowds that flocked to the Highland event on the weekend were treated to balmy conditions, shorts almost outnumbered the kilts and both spectators and the horses enjoyed the fabulous ground for different reasons. While the horses had perfect galloping conditions underfoot, the crowds lounged on the lush grass, soaking up the sun or lying under the shade of the many large trees where those with dogs and babies tended to congregate (there is no shortage of dogs of all shapes and sizes at this event and the babies took on another dimension during the Scottish Grassroots Championships, but more of that in another article ….)
The fantastic weather was a solace for the event that struggled with low eventing entry numbers this year due to a clash with Millstreet International in Ireland, but this certainly didn’t seem to affect the spectators who turned out in droves to watch the cross country on Saturday and Sunday, browse the trade stands and enjoy the other equestrian action happening in this magical setting
On Thursday, as the promised sun started to peek through the clouds late in the day, we caught up with Event Director and cross country course designer Alec Lochore, after some high jinks catching a loose horse who appeared just as we were to start filming, and finding the rider (it has to be said, a show jumping rider) who had parted company whilst hacking around the estate.
Alec talked about the new course design and how, although the clash of eventing fixtures ‘fishing in the same waters’ doesn’t make sense, the event at Blair Castle is still a big one
“We still have a really good quality field, and, although the eventing numbers may be down the other classes are full as they always are. There are still 1800 horses competing here, there are still over 800 stables and we have a lot of horses and competitors here”
The riders who did compete at Blair certainly enjoyed the perfect conditions and most liked the new course layout. The first three days of competition saw the dressage phases of all eventing classes, the cross country phase for the CCI2*-L, CCI3*-L, CCI4*-L classes and the show jumping for the CCI4*-S and Scottish Grassroots Championships at BE90 and BE100 levels (read our Thursday, Friday and Saturday wrap ups with interviews) but Sunday saw the final phases of all classes and a big day of presentations
Sam Ecroyd on DaVinci III
The eventing action then started with the CCI4*-S cross country with Britain’s Daisy Berkeley in the lead heading into the final phase, chased by the ‘young one and the Frenchman’. Running in reverse order, Astier Nicolas piled on the pressure, with the grey eight-year-old Babylon De Gamma producing a clear round in the fastest time with just 5.6 time penalties, while Sam Ecroyd on DaVinci III added ten time penalties, maintaining his second place
Sam Ecroyd
Daisy Berkeley and Ballinteskin Cooper S
Daisy was slightly slower, adding 11.2 time penalties on a course where no-one beat the clock, but she had a nervous wait while 15 penalties for a missed flag at Fence 8 were reviewed and eventually removed, leaving her and Ballinteskin Cooper S in third place
But the victory went to France’s Astier Nicolas with the Olympic team gold and individual silver medallist finding the additional title of Scottish National Champion very ‘exotic’!
The rest of the International classes finished their competition in the show jumping arena under the watchful eye of Blair Castle.
Eleanor Hope and LImestone Romeo
CCI3*-L winner Eleanor Hope needed to keep her nerve on board Limestone Ridge when both Victoria Wilson on Don’t You Know and Ashley Harrison on Zebedee IX put in clear rounds ahead of her to take eventual second and third places. But Eleanor jumped clear to win on 36.1, making her feel that all the hard work was worth it
Hayden Hankey and Cartown Galaxy
The CCI2*-L class provided the first International win for Hayden Hankey, the Cheshire-based eventing rider whose experience as hunting Field Master and racing jockey certainly proved valuable during an impressive save at the water complex on Saturday riding Fools In Love, who finished in ninth place. He also placed fifth on DHI Homana but his win came on board Cartown Galaxy, a six-year-old mare who went into the show jumping in fourth place
A Scottish rider took second place and it was an emotional result for Morven Pringle riding Miss Contender, a horse ridden here by Morven’s best friend Natasha Galpin, who was killed in a fall on the gallops in January.
Josephine Schnaufer and Polly Stockton went into the arena in equal first place but both ladies rolled poles on their leading horses. However, Josephine finished in third place on board Viktor 107 who produced not only a clear round but also showed some lovely German show jumping style. This is yet another lovely young horse produced by Josephine, a rider who consistently produces very good horses such as Vivian, now ridden by Holly Woodhead and Collien P2, ridden by Will Furlong, but sells them as ‘We don’t have the owners in Germany that you have here in Britain so I always have to sell my horses. I buy them as four year olds, produce them as far as I can and when I think I can’t take them any further, I sell them. It’s just a financial decision”
Josephine Schnaufer and Viktor 107 (above) and Emilie Chandler and Gortfadda Diamond (below)
The event concluded with the CCI4*-L show jumping. This class was the one seemingly most affected by the clash with Millstreet with only six competitors going through to the final phase and of those, only four had completed the cross country on Saturday without jumping penalties. Emilie Chandler and Gortfadda Diamond, leaders after the first two phases who had produced a masterful cross country round with just 3.6 time penalties on Saturday, went into the large show jumping arena with three fences in hand over runners-up Rosa Onslow and Diamond Sundance.
Emilie didn’t need the buffer, finishing the event with a clear jumping round and 1.2 time faults, to win on a score of 36.2, well ahead of runner-up Rosa who also jumped clear to finish on 48.90 and Simon Grieve in third place on Mr Fahrenheit II (59.70)
