3 Minute Read
29th August 2026
Piggy March coasted round the cross-country to maintain her overnight lead in the Scone Palace CCI2*-L on her home-bred Diamond March.
The pair finished inside the 8min 49sec time to take their dressage score of 24.4 forward to Sunday’s showjumping phase.
“I was a bit twitchy before I went because he’s a big baby,” said Piggy, who finished third with him in the one-star last year. “He’s seven, but feels like a six-year-old. But he pricked his ears and felt like he was smiling all the way round, and as fit as anything. I thought maybe there’s a lot more in him than I realised.
“It’s very educational here – with the main arena, Clydesdales and show ponies, there’s a lot for them to take in.”
Piggy added that the fact her husband Thomas bred him adds another dimension.
“Diamond March is incredibly sweet, a big softy,” she said. “He makes me look like a pony-hugger because we’ve had him all the way through, it’s a bit different.”
Diamond March has already finished runner-up on his first attempt at two-star, at Aston-le-Walls, but Piggy is taking nothing for granted, with this his first try at showjumping after cross-country.
“Although he’s showjumping-bred and has plenty of scope, he’s still weak, with an enormous canter and powerful back end,” she added. “Whatever happens tomorrow, this is a positive notch in his education.”
Piggy has one rail in hand over Tom McEwen, who clocked a quick clear on another seven-year-old, Brookfield In The Spotlight, owned by Alison Swinburn and John and Chloe Perry. Tom was part of Britain’s gold medal-winning team at the recent World Championships in Aachen, Germany.
“‘George’ was excellent,” said Tom. “The combinations rode brilliantly, and it was great to go up some hills, especially for a young horse.”
Scottish-based riders fill the next four places, with Wills Oakden (Cooley Cormint) third, Sean Henderson in fourth (Master Of Ballantrae) and fifth (Dignified Augusta Rose), and Cameron Swales (Olievei-Alve D.V) sixth.
