Caithness riders triumph at Burgie Horse Trials
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Two Caithness riders jumped their way to victory at Burgie Horse Trials this month, taking home first prizes in their respective classes.
Emma Coghill, of East Clyth, riding her own Rainbows Little Rock (Sol), took the top spot in the open novice section after a faultless cross-country phase incurring no time faults only one of two riders in the section to achieve this.
Making her first outing eventing in over a year, Mary Miller – riding her own 12-year-old Irish Sports Horse, Mademoiselle Buffet (Poppy) – came first in her BE90 class.
She put in an amazing performance in the dressage scoring a very respectable 23 with her test and then went on to go clear in both the show jumping and cross-country. Mary incurred a few time penalties in the final phase but managed to hold on to her lead by just .2 penalties.
She said: "Winning was a nice surprise – with no score tent I had no idea I was in good position."
Commenting on her horse Poppy, she said: "She has fitted well around family life, quickly adapting to being entered into competitions."
In the BE100 section Khara Findlater, riding Whaupshill Touche, came eighth, while Elisa Miller, a native of Caithness, was fourth in the BE80 training section with Willows Darling, a horse that came from the county.
Meanwhile, Emma (25) and nine-year-old Sol have been enjoying an amazing eventing season once again, moving up to intermediate where she is competing against mainly professional riders.
This year she has already competed south of the border three times, coming ninth in the open novice at Frenchfield, Penrith, at the beginning of May, then sixth at Warwick Hall, Carlisle, later the same month and 12th in her first intermediate at Belsay International – putting in a superb performance where she had a double clear over a showjumping track with a maximum height of 1.25m and a very demanding cross-country course taking everything in her stride.
At Hopetoun on June 12-13, the first Scottish event of the year, Emma,who is studying for a PhD with the University of the Highlands and Islands, came seventh in the intermediate section, the highest placed amateur rider.
Emma said: "I'm delighted with my results this year so far. Our first intermediate was very challenging and not the best one to have chosen as our first. Many of the jumps were bigger than Sol but he managed with plenty of scope to spare.
"It was great to win at our ‘local’ event at Burgie, we have come out much faster and bolder this season so my aim was to make the cross-country inside the time, so the win was a fantastic bonus. I have entered our first international 3* at Burgham in Northumberland which will be a great practice before our campaign at Blair Castle horse trials."
Emma's exciting cross-country round at Belsay was captured on a professionally produced video which she has proudly displayed on her Facebook page.
