Two direct passes to next year’s Royal International Horse show were on offer at the Scottish National Equestrian Centre based within Oatridge college campus in the Winter Novice qualifier, in which 45 came forward to vie for the top spots.

What a shame this ‘novice’ qualifier is now run over two rounds and what resulted was a fast and furious jump off with long gallops and tight turns rather than over the original three round format in which the results were decided by jumping and not by speed.

Nine remained clear all the way with the times just getting faster and faster throughout.

David Harland emerged victorious with Caroline Paxton’s Earnest, an eight-year-old gelding by Hemmingway, which has competed to novice level BE as well as been show jumping with Caroline before coming to David.

With this, the horse’s biggest test to date and David having only ridden him in a handful of classes, they were delighted with their jump-off which was fast but careful and accurate to stop the clock on 35.74s.

Alistair Gatherum, winner of the warm up class with Edenside Bedazzled, has had a good year with his five-year-old Elvis Ter Putte/Lys De Darmen gelding, Edenside Elvis, which earlier in the season had headed a strong five-year-old Grand Prix at Arena UK.

A little bit slower on the clock but turning tighter back to fences, they finished in second place on 36.71s.

Adrian Speight made his way up from Grimsby with a relatively new ride, the six-year-old Ramiro De Belle Vue-sired Flocon De Belle Vue, to settle for third. Bought out of Belgium earlier this year, this grey gelding was ridden out of Marie Edgar’s yard until Adrian took over the ride in September.

The pairing has really clicked with their double clear here only slightly adrift in 38.19s.

One young rider to keep an eye on as he gradually heads over from ponies to horses is Edinburgh based Sandy McLean.

Having spent the past couple of years mainly focussing on ponies he has also been seen being successful in Children on Horses, under 16s and young rider classes but partnering Richard Duncan’s Eclipse XII he beat the rest of the seniors to take the £200 first prize sponsored by Andrew Black Haulage and Storage in the final class of the show, the grand prix.

Currently on the market, Sandy, who also helps riding the youngsters at Richard’s yard, will be hoping the Scottish-bred Eclipse doesn’t attract too many buyers as their relationship looks useful, containing wins at home and abroad this season.

HOYS Grade C finalist, Lisa Jones, travelled from Doncaster to steer her own Diana P into second. By the Scottish-based stallion, Silverstone, this white grey mare has had a busy few weeks from HOYS through to Aintree and Addington before settling for runner up spot this time.

Katrina Frew was the only other double clear to collect third with her own Elo II.

Sandy Laird struck lucky when he bought his chestnut Womanizer-sired Dali out of Goresbridge. A winner of a good class at the Scottish premier he also stormed round a newcomers/1.1m here to add another £50 to their card.

Ailsa Black rode yet another Scottish-bred horse into pole position this time in the foxhunter/1.2m open. The grey, Zara Zing, bred in Dumfries-shire by Louise McTurk out of Dutch Falco mother by Eurocmmerce Zurich and found for her by uncle, Jack McGeoch, made no mistakes to win and be the highest paced foxhunter horse in the class.

It was a chilly weekend for those attending The Cabin’s three-day show but several riders braved the cold and hit form with a few good placings or wins.

It was good to see Fraser MacDonald back out again with another home-bred youngster. Now spending his time coaching, Fraser used to compete at grand prix level on his good mares, Tiger Lil and Ice Maiden, breeding from both these mares with the latter producing Kalou Balou, by Balou De Rouet.

This pair has had some time off but it wont be long before they are back up to speed starting with a 1m win and a couple of 1.1m placings this weekend.

Sophie Scott had a short break earlier this year when she started looking for a new horse but a day trip to London after responding to an advert on a website resulted in her trying and buying the big bay gelding, Turlough Duggie.

Taking their time to get to know each other they are now starting to get great results including placings at Aintree the previous weekend then a first and second in the 1.2m classes here.

Harriet Ross had a bit of a four fault run at the recent Scottish Premier with her Arezzo-sired Elottie but they were back to their normal form on the Sunday of this show to return a perfect double clear and head the final 1.2m.

Aberdeen’s Aileen Field was delighted with her own Grand Illusion, a six-year-old son of Ben Nevis, which remained foot perfect to head two British novices whist Caitlin Padfield was there or thereabouts all weekend with her Quincy and George A.

LEADING awards

The Cabin EC

Club 80cm – 1, Freckleton Maarifa, P Rawling; 2, Balloch Bailey, K Godwin; 3, Coco Bean, G Kynoch. British novice – 1, Domino X, J Marks; 2, Limerick Legend, K Donald; 3, Minty McNash, K Morton. 90cm – 1, Chiricahua, E Bain; 2, Thornfield Flight, R Doubleday. Discovery – 1, Quincy IV, C Padfield; 2, George A, C Padfield; 3, Domino X. 1m open – 1, Athos D’Edouard, V Davidson; 2, Becconsall Storm, T Van Someren. Newcomers/1.1m – 1, Quincy IV; 2, Becconsall Storm; 3, George A. Foxhunter/1.2m – 1, Turlough Duggie, S Scott; 2, Quincy V; 3, All Saint; 3, J Fox. Club 70cm – 1, Haverdale Picasso, J Hendry; 2, Bylands Music Man, J Hendry. Club 80cm – 1, Max, J Slack; 2, Lexus, Z McDonald; 3, Rosie, J Jack. Junior 80cm – 1, Bylands Music Man; 2, Haverdale Picasso. British Novice – 1, Grand Illusion, A Field; 2, Zahara Song, K Reid; 3, Limerick Legend, K Donald. 90cm – 1, Tomahawk, S Hendry; 2, Kalou Balou, F MacDonald; 3, Buddaire, G Morrison. Discovery – 1, Christinas Pride, K Slater; 2, Carden Flame, S Murray; 3, Hamilton Hill, K Stenhouse. 1m Open – 1, Skye V; 2, All Saint; 3, Clone Temptress, K Donald. Newcomers/1.1m – 1, Welshpool Lad, M Bruce; 2, Athos D’Edouard; 3, Skye. Club 80cm –1, Cloudy, K More; 2, Cushiestons Brute, C Hardie; 3, Coco Bean. British Novice – 1, Grand Illusion; 2, Cushiestons Brute. 90cm – 1, Thornfield Flight; 2, Apache Flash, F Quennell; 3, Budstar, A Field. Discovery-1, Zahara Song; 2, Matteo-K VanT Kattenheye, R McRonald; 3, L Singa, H Ross. 1m Open – 1, Kalou Balou; 2, Becconsall Storm. Newcomers/1.10-1, Becconsall Storm; 2, Kalou Balou; 3, L Singa. Foxhunter/1.2m – 1, Elottie, H Ross; 2, Turlough Duggie; 3, Funka A.

SNEC

1.05m warm up – 1, Edenside Bedazzled, A Gatherum; 2, Glamour TN, J Storrie; 3, Valencia, H Leal Pedrose. Winter Novice – 1, Earnest, D Harland; 2, Edenside Elvis, A Gatherum; 3, Flocon De Belle Vue, A Speight. Newcomers/1.1m – 1, Dali, S Laird; 2, HHS Dramarko, H Pele; 3, Cruise On Tina, I Lindsay. Foxhunter/1.2m – 1, Zara Zing, A Black; 2, Fauber, D Harland; 3, Glow DK, L Stewart. Andrew Black grand prix – 1, Eclipse, S McLean; 2, Diana P, L Jones; 3, Elo, K Frew.