Press
Subaru Scottish Grassroots BE90 title goes to the wire
2 Minute Read
27th August 2026
The Subaru BE90 Scottish Grassroots Championship at Scone Palace International Horse Trials was poised on a knife edge until the final competitor. Just one pole covered the top 16 after cross-country. Rona Gunn, riding her 15-year-old gelding Oakingham Raphael, held her nerve to capitalise on her cross-country lead and take the winner’s sash.
“It feels amazing, unbelievable, it hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Rona, who works full-time in the oil and gas industry. “These things don’t happen to me. He was brilliant, I’m over the moon.
“I’ve been telling people it didn’t matter, but it means the world to me to be Scottish champion and qualify for Badminton – a dream come true. He’s the sweetest, kindest, most forgiving horse.”
Rona was 0.2pen off the dressage leader, Eilidh Herd, who retired Zuccheros Deff Leppard across country. The eventual runner-up Alexa Ekin finished just 0.8pen adrift, aboard the grey Kilcorban Blue Brigade, also on a clean sheet.
“It was too close!” said Alexa, who’s based in Edinburgh. “His dressage is really good but he did an unrequired flying change in his canter so I got fours for that – he was showing off!
“He is used to jumping bigger but I was very nervous he might knock one. But I loved how well he jumped today. He’s 14 now and I feel the penny’s dropped this past year. He’s won four times – long may it last!”
The hard-luck story was Claire Johnstone, who went into showjumping in third place riding Hanleen Armani, but her one rail dropped her down to 16th. Ellis Simister finished third on Dunally Jane.
