ONE OF the great spectacles of last weekend’s Game Fair, at Scone, was the class for working hill ponies which this year had the added incentive of a prize worth £8500.

The top award went to a working pony shown by Eric Starkie, for Glenprosen Estate. This was the Highland pony, Millfield Miley (Mia), which won the Fred Taylor Memorial Trophy from a field of 19 entries.

“I picked Mia because she stood out in a crowd. She entered the ring on a slack leadrope, her tack was well fitted, she was relaxed and canny and was handled impeccably,” said the judge, Drew Harris, a former stalker and ghillie from the Kilchoan Estate, on Knoydart.

“In a Highland garron, I’m looking for a pony of just over 14hh, a natural looker, flat leg bones and a good walking stride, where the back feet fall in where the front foot departs from,” added Mr Harris.

“I was also looking for a pony that had a connection with the handler and Mia was the canniest pony I’ve seen in a long time. Her tack was well oiled, her britching on her back end was at perfect height, she had lovely conformation and the saddle fit was perfect, with her girth not too tight.

“I also cast an eye to see how the ghillie was turned out. He was tidy, had his telescope in place as if he was about to spy the stalker on his way out the glen.”

This year the event was sponsored by gunmaker, John Rigby and Co, and its brand manager, Simon Barr presented one of Rigby’s much admired and newly launched Highland Stalker 0.275 rifles, with Leica Visus 2.5-10 x 42 scope, to the winner. This will be hand engraved with the estate, pony and winning ghillie’s name on the floor plate – the prize is worth £8,575.

Eric also gets a bronze medal from the Highland Pony Society and a year’s membership and with the rest of the class entrants, received a bottle of Rigby 18-year-old single malt.

Organised by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Association of Deer Management Groups, the free-to-enter competition was held in memory of Fred Taylor, who was headstalker on Invermark Estate, in Angus, for more than three decades.

All the ponies were harnessed with their tack for the hill, either for carrying deer or panniers for grouse and the ghillies were dressed in their estate tweed.

Leading awards

Champion – Eric Starkie, with the Highland pony Millfield Miley, from Glenprosen Estate; runner-up – Debbie McLauchlen, with Atholl Sorrell, a Highland pony from Blair Castle Estate; third – Fiona McCallum, with another Highland pony, Iona of Denwood, from Invercauld Estate (Moors Partnership).