Julie returning to Hickstead after two decades

ALMOST two decades since she last qualified for the Royal International Horse Show, Milnathort’s Julie Webster will be making the return trip to Hickstead.

In 1993 she qualified for, and ultimately won, the Southview Winter Showjumping Championships at the RIHS with her 138cm pony True mount Lad.

But now the former show jumper, who works for Perth and Kinross council, has turned to showing and, on her second attempt, she has qualified her homebred Laigh lands Silver Earl for the Small Hunter final.

Home-bred by her father Ogilvy and his brother Allan, this five-year-old full Irish Draught, sired by Rebel Ara, was only lightly shown last year.

This year he began competing within affiliated classes and narrowly missed out of an RIHS qualification on his first attempt at Ingliston, where he finished third.

“He has also qualified for the Irish Draught Horse Society 2012 Blue Chip Challenge,” explained Julie.

“That was our main aim with him so we will also be travelling south to Rugby for that.

“We support the breed show every year with in hand home-bred horses,” she said.

In fact for five years out of the last six we have won the prize for the best colt at the show.

“This is the first time we will be taking a horse under saddle south, but it is fabulous to have qualified for the RIHS at Kingsbarns on top of this.

“We certainly didn’t expect to qualify.”