Emma rides to success at Burgie
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Caithness rider Emma Coghill has had an amazing end to the eventing season with a win in the novice section at Wee Burgie.
After a respectable dressage of 35, Emma and her young horse Rainbow's Little Rock (Sol) rode a faultless showjumping round and achieved the fastest time on the hilly Burgie cross-country, with just 3.2 time penalties, which saw them finishing on a score of 38.2 – a remarkable12.8 penalties ahead of her closest rival.
Emma, who celebrates her 24th birthday this month, said: "I have had a fantastic season from start to finish, which is very rare when it comes to horses.
The win at Burgie was a fantastic way to end the season and I think Sol deserved it.
"Sol has been a star to have progressed from competing at BE100 level to international level in one season.
"I am delighted to have achieved a lifetime goal of competing in the international competition at Blair Castle Horse Trials, and completing with a clear cross-country was such a bonus.
"The win at Burgie was a fantastic way to end the season and I think Sol deserved it."
Emma, who is studying for a PhD through the UHI in Inverness, completed the CCI2* long format competition in August at Blair, where she had a clear round over a challenging track and gained valuable experience for the seasons to come.
Her horse, known by his stable name of Sol, is a seven-year-old, 15.2hh bay gelding by VDL Arkansas, and has now amassed a total of 13 eventing points.
In July, this exciting partnership won the open showjumping at the Area 1 Pony Club qualifiers as well as the 110cm eventing section, and was part of the fourth-placed intermediate dressage team.
The young rider, who is a member of both the local pony club and riding club, said: "Hopefully our success will carry on next year and we can continue to move up the levels."
The work Emma is doing in her PhD, based in the UHI department of diabetes and cardiovascular science, will examine improvements that can be made to catheter-based treatment of heart diseases using nitric oxide.
She regularly travels up the road to her parents' home at East Clyth to school her horse, while her mother Maureen Coghill helps to keep Sol fit during the week and acts as lorry driver and head groom at events. Dad Harry is the chief mechanic.
