Royal Highland Show 2013 (Entry 5 - Showjumping/Working Hunter Pony)

Pictures under the cut!

I'm not entirely sure what class this one was but I missed most of it so its a bit of a jumble I'm afraid. I took some shots in the warmup ring first, then moved over to the jumping ring.





I think this is the third year I've seen this pair at the show. I really ought to find out who they are, lol.



This was the water jump - do you think he's given it enough clearance? XD











This guy made me laugh so much as he had a big massive grin on his face for the entire round. Most people have a really determined look on their face when jumping but this guy...



...was just...

...so happy...

...to be jumping!

I always enjoy watching showjumping but find the adult classes get a little boring after a while - bring on the ponies! Luckily for me, the Working Hunter Pony class started later in the afternoon so I could get a good dose of bouncy pony action! Unfortunately it took ages to set up the arena and my feet were absolutely killing me so I had to go for a walk in search of somewhere I could sit down. (a journey which proved useless as all available seats were taken so I ended up chatting to the guy at the Saltire Stables stand about the show, the weather and not having a horse of my own)

When I came back they were still setting up so I stalked the warmup ring for a bit.

I loved this little welshie who was built like a tank.





...then came this roan who absolutely swept me away with his colour.







He wasn't the only one either, this attractive chestnut roan was really nice too.



There was a succession of lovely greys but this one really stood out for me.

This palomino had a really fanastic scope too.



Finally the arena was ready and the first ponies went through. My camera battery was almost completely dead by this point so I had to be quite choosy about my shots. Even then, the autofocus kept getting confused by the tree branches and a lot of the jump photos ended up horribly out of focus which was a shame. :(

This class was WHP (not exceeding 122cm) I think so all the ponies were tiny. ^^

There wasn't a single clear round for this class as nearly every horse refused at least one fence. Personally I think it was because the course designers had put the 'trees' too close to the inside of the fences and they couldn't see all the way through properly.

Here's that little chunky pony again - isn't he adorable? ^^

The bay roan was up next...

It was all going so well until...






Second time lucky!



Unfortunately the refusals just kept on coming...






I recognised this pair from last year.



The wee girl's position was a bit all over the place at times but her pony had an absolutely massive jump who left her behind a lot of the time!

Unfortunately they had two stops at the same fence and were eliminated. :(

...and the award for most like a Thelwell illustration goes to...

No brakes! XD

And finally, Sally the Logging Horse!