Nutwood Trivium swept to the top of the supreme championship at the first event of the winter show season – the Puddledub In-hand and Youngstock Show – last weekend.
The three-year-old hack had initially caught the eye of judge Morean Hamilton, from Ayrshire – to top the championships within both the hunter, hack and riding horse and the sports horse and pony rings – granting her passage to the supreme.
Here, she was drawn forward as the top pick of Elizabeth Steel, from Milnathort, Kinross, to the delight of her owners Angus and Karen Young, from nearby Dundee.
Trivium is one of seven horses that Angus and Karen currently have at Middleton Farm.
They bought the filly directly from her breeder Leigh Ilifee as a foal after travelling south to the Nutwood Stud to initially view another of the stud’s progeny.
The daughter of Trifolio – which himself is sired by the Mill Reef son Triple Reef – is three quarters Thoroughbred and one quarter Warmblood, having been bred out of Rowlands Jewel.
This makes her a full sister to Nutwood Trillium, which qualified for both the Horse of the Year Show and the Royal International Horse Show as an intermediate show riding type when she was a four year old, during 2011.
“We showed Trivium locally as a yearling, but she is shortly going to go to Jo Heaton, of Balanced Horsemanship in Fife, for breaking, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to get her out and about to see everything and to begin her education,” explained Karen.
As a result, Trivium was shown in the ring by Jo and the day got them off on a great footing.
“Jo showed her marvellously,” said Karen.
Conceding the filly was a little on her toes at the start of the day, due to being in season, Karen said she was really proud of how she performed.
“She had really settled by the afternoon. She looked stunning and she really can move beautifully.
“She also received some great comments from the judges – scoring two nines within the sports horse section,” she said.
“With showing, the supreme really can be awarded to anyone, so I was utterly delighted that she took the overall win.”
Taking the foal championship, before progressing to stand as reserve supreme, was Lynneann Cameron and Alison Walker’s palomino filly Goldenwood Barbie Doll.
Home-bred at their Goldenwood Stud, outside Fettercairn, this was the Welsh section B’s first show outing.
“She has such a lovely temperament,” explained Lynneann of the filly which is a full sister to the ladies’ successful yearling Cadlanvalley Sweet Elation – also a class winner at the Puddledub event.
Lynneann had purchased the dam of the two fillies, Bluerock Bramble, last season – when she was in foal with Barbie Doll and nursing Sweet Elation at foot – from the Howell and Yvonne Davies, of Foel-Hendre Farm, in Cardigan.
The two prize winners are both sided by Russetwood Elation.
“She went really beautifully, considering it was her first time in the showring,” said Lynneann, admitting she has “big plans” for Barbie’s future.
The reserve for the foal championship was won by another Welsh Section B – Penmarric Boogie-Woogie, from Eleanor Crate.
‘Swing’ was home-bred by Eleanor, in partnership with Susan Hoggans, out of Corkhills Skylark and was sired by Brynoffa Jazz.
Already a top prize winner, the colt stood top of the Welsh B foal class at this year’s Royal Highland – where his dam also topped the broodmare class.
He has since progressed to stand reserve youngstock champion at the Scottish All Welsh, won the show hunter pony foal class at NPS Malvern and was both the best SHP and the best M&M foal at the Scottish Horse Show.