WITH MUM Gail Smith a prolific dressage rider, it was inevitable that daughter Robyn would follow in her footsteps.

With her pony Siepke's Celtic, this year Robyn, from Jackton, near East Kilbride, has been part of the Great Britain dressage pony squad, competing in four internationals in Britain, France, Holland and Luxemborg.

Now with her mum's home-bred Foold Uz, Robyn is setting her sights on a place in the junior GB squad.

Gail originally did all pony club activities and was part of the Strathblane and District branch of the pony club, qualifying her ponies for the Horse of the Year Show. She evented to advanced level and then took up showjumping with her good mare Special Blend, who was bought from Germany as an unbacked three-year-old. "They said she was too small and too fine build to keep," said Gail. However, she was incredibly careful, rarely touching a pole which is the reason why Gail didn't try eventing her. Her forte was showjumping, finishing fourth at HOYS in the newcomers final and then went to grade A level.

However, the mare took a bad reaction to a routine flu jag, and Gail was advised not to jump her again. They changed disciplines, taking up dressage, and competed at advanced medium level and finished in the top 10 at the national dressage championships at Goodwood.

Gail was keen to try to continue the succesful bloodlines and have a foal from Special Blend. Her first foal by Dramiro was sold to Italy. Gail then put the mare back in foal, this time to Carnaval Drum. The resultant foal was named Natural Spring, which turned out was very apt. "She was sharp, but the most fantastic eventer," said Gail.

"In two years she didn't have a single jumping fault and was six points off advanced level with Martin Arnott riding."

The logistics of keeping an advanced event horse in Scotland for someone else to ride didn't stack up and Gail decided that Natural Spring would stop eventing. It was also a time when Robyn was small and Gail was wanting to spend time with Robyn and her own ponies.

Special Blend had one more foal – this time Gail had hoped to breed a dressage horse and decided to use Fulton. Foold Uz, known as Spencer, has proved just that and with Gail is established at advanced medium level. Robyn has been riding him at home for the past five years but in the last year has started riding him more.

"I always wanted to produce a horse that was easy to ride," said Gail. He's been ridden by lots of different people, went to the pony club and riding club championships and has qualified for the winter and summer regionals at every level.

Robyn has been lucky to have had several good ponies which have introduced her to the dressage arena. Bracken and the Welsh cob, Maesyfron Rhett, both proved good schoolmasters but it's been with Siepke's Celtic (Cloggs) that has given Robyn a taste of the GB squad. This is the pair's fourth season together, Siepke's Celtic was purchased from Holland and was already established in FEI classes. Last year they won the Scottish medium open championship, the same day as winning the advanced medium title last year with Foold Uz, with Robyn being the youngest ever winner of both championships.

"When I got Cloggs he was scoring 63-64% but now we're regularly scoring 68-69% and there's still more to come," said Robyn, who is in her fifth year at Hutchesons Grammar.

This year Robyn has represented GB individually at at Addington, Leudelange in Luxembourg and Biarritz and was part of the GB team at Roosendaal in the Netherlands.

Individually Robyn was placed second and sixth in the championships with Siepke's Celtic, who was turned out in the field for a holiday when we visited but showed the flashy paces and moves which have been earning him high marks.

At the same time Robyn has also been riding GI Bellmondo (Gio), a striking palomino that purchased in Holland 18 months ago. Although Robyn has still to ride him at FEI level, Gio has been scoring 70-76% at elementary level and they have high hopes for him.

As this is Robyn's last year in ponies, both Cloggs and Gio are for sale, and she moves up to junior classes in January with Spencer. Robyn has been part of the horsescotland dressage performance squad for the last three years as well as the BD Scotland under 25 development squad.

Also waiting in the wings for Robyn is Natural Spring's daughter Evie, she is by the dressage sire Rubinero. Gail has named her Even Better and she was backed this summer and they hope she has been well named. "Evie is tall, leggy and has a tremendous temperament. She also represents the third generation of breeding, it's very exciting and not something I'd planned to do, but so far it's been very good," added Gail.