THE weather may have been a wild and wintery at The Cabin EC’s recent four-day show held in their fabulous outdoor arena, but with a great schedule and their usual warm and welcoming atmosphere, every rider had a great time whether in the money or not.

Several Highland show qualifiers were the main draw once again with two Foxhunters, an Amateur, a B+C and a Young Masters built around a selection of novice classes.

Declan Irvine and Richard Duncan are only just home from a trip to France, where Declan had five top three placings with their faithful campaigner, Keeford Carousel, in Le Mans and St Lo.

Back on home soil and earning his keep riding in every class from the British novice upwards he was picking up plenty of placings as well as a couple of wins on Zandeur Clover.

Then it was on to Angie Main’s Horatio Van Ter Hulst, which had nothing to lose in the B+C qualifier having already won a qualifier at Tillyoch before they headed abroad.

Flying round, they stood at the head of the class allowing the qualifying ticket to pass down the line.

In second place was another young rider just home from abroad. Jodie Maher has been travelling around France and Holland chasing 2* shows with her top horse Editor.

Arriving home, having had mileage at international 1.35m, this pair rode a super round to finish second to Declan and earn them the RHS ticket.

Emma Crawford looks to have made the move from ponies to horses smoothly, partnering the 11-year-old grand- daughter of Lucky Boy, Frauke de Bonheur.

Imported from Belgium four years ago, where she’d had two foals, this mare looks to be handy enough, having already qualified for the foxhunter final a few weeks prior.

Their third place here will see them contest two finals so far, although at this point in the show their weekend’s haul was not over.

The first of two foxhunter qualifiers was slightly quieter, but the winner was the only one to leave the fences standing throughout.

Margo King, who, along with husband, John, runs the Rockbank Cattery, in Caldercruix, took time out to steer her own Aldatos Choice round both rounds clear to be the deserved and delighted winners.

A 12-year-old, by Aldato out of a Copper King mare, Aldatos Choice had been jumped in Ireland up until joining Margo’s daughter, Laura, in 2015, with Marg taking over the reins at the end of last summer.

Emma Crawford had just missed out on qualifying Ferragamo until this class, when her second place earned her her first ticket on this former Laura Hutt ride.

Lucy Guild came out tops in the second foxhunter qualifier run on the final day of the show.

The Lohoar family’s home-bred mare, Gucci LSH, may currently be for sale but she is proving ultra-consistent having been placed almost every day in Vilamoura.

By Je T’Aime Flamenco this six-year-old was fractionally quicker than stablemate, Idem Dito VD Hemelse Breedte, with Stephen Lohoar, who is also not long home from Vilamoura.

A nine-year-old Idem Dito had an easy start to his career since joining the Lohoars as a two-year-old. Allowed to grow he started competing at seven and earlier this season qualified for the winter novice final for RIHS.

It was a bit of a family affair in the Young Masters/1.3m when Lucy’s sister, Aimee Bell, took top spot on Cameron Poe; Lucy was second on Hugana Vant Heike and Stephen third on Dante.

But, with Lucy and Aimee already qualified, the young masters' tickets passed down the line to local rider, Sarah Gibb, on the ever enthusiastic Tweeduizend M and Emma Crawford completing her weekend with Frauke de Bonheur.

The RHS amateur qualifiers are as always proving very popular and once again it was Rachel Duff who won outright on her super mare, Zonieke.

Having already qualified earlier in the season at SNEC, this left the ticket to move down the line

Sarah Gibb had her flashy bay, Wotnot, on form to slot into second whilst the third qualifier was also double clear, Annabelle Brown on Sun View Star.

Carol Wivell took some time out from running her own Inchcoonans Equestrian centre to compete for a few days with some good results on her own Carneils Black Betty, an 11-year-old by Sandro Boy Junior. They made light work of two discoveries and a 1m novice.

Jodie Maher was busy collecting qualifying tickets on her open horse but has a team of nice young horses on the go just now.

The bay HBF Delta is a five-year old bred by Laura Tinto. They popped round a British novice for a win while Jodie also partnered Darino Van De Vallei, a former ride of Andre Jacinto, to win a 1m championship.

University student, Caitlin Padfield, had a super weekend, opening with three wins on the first day starting with George A in the British novice then Quincy IV in a discovery before winning a newcomers on Chapel Down.

All three went on to compete at Dalkieth, with George A winning a BE100 and Quincy IV, an eight-year-old by Quintender, taking a strong novice section with both winning on just their dressage scores, rounding off a dream weekend for the Inverurie-based rider.

LEADING awards

The Cabin April 20 17. Club 80cm – 1, Tentore Patch, E Bell; 2, Thornfield Flight, R Doubleday; 3, Purdey, N Evans. Club pony 80cm – 1, Little Xanthos, R Evans. Debut novice championship – 1, Locarna, S Coull; 2, Grand Illusion, A Field; 3, Apache Flash, F Quennell. British novice – 1, George A, C Padfield; 2, Lena III, D Ockenden; 3, Contarno V, J King. 90cm open – 1, Bright Eyes T, E McIntosh. Discovery – 1, Quincy IV, C Padfield; 2, Balnashallog Diamond, A Beck; 3, Lena III. 1m open – 1, Beamish Ales, K Wylie. Newcomers – 1, Chapel Down, C Padfield; 2, Quincy IV; 3, Moment In Life, D Ockenden. Foxhunter – 1, Zandeur Clover, D Irvine. 1.25m open – 1, Don Adelheide Z, V Wight. Club 80cm – 1, Thornfield Flight; 2, Hamlett B, S Lumgair; 3, Groovy Chick, S Gibb. Club Pony 80cm – 1, Winnie B, L Watson. British novice – 1, Zahara Song, K Reid; 2, Aurelian enny, J Maher; 3, Hamlett B. 90cm open Championship – 1, Darino Van De Vallei, J Maher; 2, Beamish Ales; 3, India, D Irvine. Discovery – 1, Carneils Black Betty, C Wivell; 2, Grande Dame Sunshine, A West; 3, Frits D’Artevelde, L Thomson. Newcomers – 1, Vurelise, L Templeton; 2, Firado, C Andrews; 3, Hero II, J Thomson. Foxhunter – 1, Zandeur CloveR; 2, CMS Capitol, A Ogilvie; 3, Clarabelle, R Duff. RHS B+C – 1, Horatio Van Der Holst, D Irvine; 2, Editor, J Maher; 3, Frauke De Bonheur, E Crawford. Club 80cm – 1, Farra IV, L Patterson; 2, Safari, H Lawson; 3, Vegas, D Irvine. Club pony 80cm – 1, Winnie B; 2, Drumkeeragh Abbey Rose, R Davidson.

British novice – 1, HBF Delta, J Maher; 2, Balhagarty Harvest Gold, G McClelland; 3, Leandro VD Eikelboscherheide. 90cm – 1, Bright Eyes T; 2, Thornfield Flight. 1m novice – 1, Carneils Black Betty, C Wivell; 2, Kilcooley Francaise, L Calder; 3, Mademoiselle Kroongraaf, L Calder. 1.05m adventurer – 1, Wouwske, L Rice; 2, Darino Van De Vallei; 3, Ettorio L, F Cluness. Newcomers – 1, Zonieke, R Duff; 2, Merllyns Mondena, S Muirhead; 3, Fearless JB, H Miller. RHS foxhunter – 1, Aldatos Choice, M King; 2, Ferragamo L, E Crawford; 3, Zandeur Clover. RHS amateur – 1, Zonieke; 2, Wotnot, S Gibb; 3, Sun View Star, A Brown. Club 80cms – 1, Tourmakeady, T Forrest; 2, Domino, J Marks; 3, Regal Cavalier, K Alexander. Club pony 80cm – 1, Winnie B.

British novice – 1, Leandro VD Eikelboscherheide; 2, Ella Bella, H Higham; 3, Golddigger TB, J Reid. 90cm open – 1, Mademoisell Kroongraaf; 2, Une Fille, L Wiseman; 3, Kilcooley Francaise. Discovery – 1, Carneils Black Betty; 2, India; 3, Ficolino, A Lohoar. 1m open – 1, Darino Van De Vallei; 2, El Siera, RR Sinclair; 3, Bright Eyes T. Newcomers – 1, Miss Rolo, B Kreigstein; 2, Penny Blue, L Yeoman; 3, Wouwske. RHS foxhunter – 1, Gucci LSH, L Guild; 2, Idem Dito VD Hemelse Breedte, S Lohoar; 3, Cyrano Will Reign. 1.30m/young masters – 1, Cameron Poe, A Bell; 2, Hugana Vant Heike, L Guild; 3, Dante, S Lohoar.