Ros Cantor Reigns at SPIHT

British Olympic gold medallist Ros Canter has a commanding lead in The Malcolm Group CCI4*-S class at the inaugural Scone Palace International Horse Trials (21-24 August) after the first day of dressage, which took place in warm sunshine in front of a large crowd.

Riding her own and Alex Moody’s 12-year-old dual CCI5* winner Izilot DHI, former world champion Ros scored 21.9. This gives her a 6.9-penalty advantage over her Paris Olympics team-mate Laura Collett, who sits in second with 28.8 on a new ride, Alex van Tuyll’s home-bred Count Onyx.

“I’m delighted with ‘Isaac’,” said Ros. “He felt elastic and was relaxed at the same time. It’s lovely to be back in Scotland with space around us and fantastic support from the crowds.”

Izzy Taylor (GBR) and Barrington Alice, who won the world six-year-old championships at Le Lion d’Angers in 2023, are in third on a mark of 29.7.

New Zealand’s Jonelle Price is in pole position in The Malcolm Group CCI4*-L on David and Katherine Thomson’s 13-year-old Captaine De Hus Z with 28.4 penalties, ahead of Tiana Coudray (USA) with Coeur De L Esprit Z on 30.8 and Britain’s Piggy March, who collected 33.4 penalties on Cooley Goodwood.

A New Zealand rider also tops The Malcolm Group CCI3*-L - Ginny Thomasen, whose score of 26.1 on her own and Phillippa Levy’s Katchafire means she has 5.6 marks in hand over British duo Willa Newton (Hartacker, 31.7) and Hector Payne (Global Lovestory, 31.9).

Charlotte Parry-Ashcroft (GBR) and her own Cover Star CW are in first place in the CCI2*-L with a mark of 29.1, with Scotland’s leading event rider Wills Oakden second by just 0.9 of a penalty on Another Class Cooley.

Wills is also in second place in the CCI1* on Greystone Midnight Harmony (28.6), while Britain’s Heidi Coy leads with 27.8 on Deborah Remijn’s Hegglelane St Louis.

Scottish Grassroots Championships

Scottish rider Hannah Stephens and her own 11-year-old Arkans High Flyer won the BE100 section of the Scottish Grassroots Championships, adding nothing to their dressage score of 29.3

“I’m gobsmacked,” said Hannah, 23, who juggles training and competing “Sonis” around full-time work in medical diagnostics.

“He likes the dressage, and while it was great to be leading, it did put a lot of pressure on for the next day. This is the first time I’ve ridden a format like this, too, with the cross-country and showjumping taking place the following day. I was feeling the nerves ahead of the showjumping as it was so tight between the top few, but he jumped amazingly well and I’m delighted.”

Hannah, who lives and works in Dundee, bought Sonis as a four-year-old. She explained: “He was my very first horse. I’d never done any eventing prior to getting him, but I thought why not give it all a go and see if he’s any good. Turns out, he’s fantastic. We’ve not done a lot over the past two years as I’ve been at university getting a Masters degree in chemistry at St Andrews, and Sonis had an injury. We’ve both come back stronger than ever, though, and the hard work has paid off.”

Hannah added: “Eventing and horses are my favourite hobby. Chilling out with Sonis after work is the best thing ever.”

Second were Rowan Lee and Caheradoo Duchess, only 0.6 of a penalty behind the winners on 29.9. The pair also jumped double clear, as did third-placed Pebbles Walker and Shannondale Flight.

Amy Dixon, 41, and Goodluck II are the BE90 Scottish Grassroots champions, having led throughout the competition and completed on their dressage mark of 25.6.

“‘Ronnie’ isn’t a natural performer, as such,” said Amy. “He worked in the best he ever has before the dressage, and he always shrinks back at me a bit in the ring - it’s just his personality. He did do a nice test , though, and deserved the mark. 

“He was brilliant today in the jumping phases; he was really going on the cross-country but I managed to go down the wrong chute and I had to turn round - that lost us a good 30 seconds, so I had to really put my foot down after that and he finished three seconds inside the time. 

“I did feel the pressure going into the showjumping - both the third and second had jumped clear - but luckily we jumped clear. I really hoped this morning we could do it, but you need a bit of luck and anything can happen. Ronnie’s bred to do dressage; he does this [eventing] because I ask him to, and he tries his absolute best. It was a decent track with testing lines, but this height is within his comfort zone. He’s not an easy horse - he won’t stand still, he’s stressy, he tows you everywhere; he’s an inside worrier - so it isn’t a given that he will go double clear, but if it was easy it wouldn’t be such an interesting challenge.”

Amy works full time running her family’s café business in Cumbria and admits, “It isn’t easy juggling the horses round that; work always comes first, especially during the summer, but there’s nothing better than a day out eventing. I’m really impressed by everything here - the whole site is amazing. You didn’t have to walk too far up on the grassroots eventing site on Queen’s Drive in front of Scone Palace, there was loads of shade, a lovely arena and great ground.”

Amy was the first winner of the Badminton Grassroots Championship at BE90 level in 2010 on a previous horse, and won at Badminton again on Ronnie in 2023, taking the Scottish Grassroots Championship at their previous home of Blair Castle the same year.

Annina Leavey finished runner-up on Indiana Nightlife. They added just one showjumping time-fault to their first-phase score of 28.3 to hold off third-placed Shannon-Louise MacLean (Tullibardine Sgian Dubh, 30.5).

Scone Palace International Horse Trials is the most exciting addition to the national calendar in years, and takes place in the beautiful grounds below Scone Palace in Perthshire, with all the advantages of the excellent permanent facilities of the adjacent Perth Racecourse. As well as international eventing classes and the Scottish Grassroots Championships, there are a multitude of showing classes, arena eventing, Pony Club Games and British Showjumping competitions, including the The Malcolm Group Scone Palace Grand Prix.

There is superb shopping with a carefully curated selection of local and national retailers, excellent food and drink options and hospitality packages, and great evening entertainment.

Scone Palace is on the northern outskirts of Perth, and has excellent accessibility from the newly opened Cross Tay Link Road over the River Tay from the A9 and the A93 and A94.

For more information, including a full timetable, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.sconehorsetrials.com.

Action from all three phases of the international eventing classes can be watched live on ClipMyHorse.TV.