WATCH: A champion day out for Ashleigh Reilly and Aramis at Grantown Show
‘He’s not just a beautiful horse, he’s a beautiful person as well!’
So said proud rider Ashleigh Reilly, astride a true champion of champions, San Cler Aramis, as they prepared to march out to the main arena for overall honours after taking all the accolades on the horse field.
The six-year-old cob saw off the challenge of Michael Robertson’s cross heifer cattle champion Vanessa and the sheep champion a Badger Face Texel ewe lamb to get the nod in the showring as a bumper crowd looked on.
San Cler Aramis was the winner in both the in-hand and the ridden sections at yesterday’s show and has gone unbeaten all season.
“We have absolutely loved the Grantown Show,” said Ms Reilly, of Drumindorsair House, Broallan, by Beauly.
The day had been a joy for both Ms Reilly and her adorable cob enjoying his first season in the saddle.
She said: “I couldn’t have asked any more of him. We’ve had him for a year-and-a-half and he has won every time he’s been out.”
For horse convener Gemma Simpson, of Cromdale, the day could not have gone much better.
“We’ve had an absolutely fabulous day, with a huge turnout of fantastic ponies. You won’t see better livestock anywhere else in the country,” she said.
“The riders have been absolutely fantastic and the in-hand champions superb, all our native horses.
“It’s been a very successful day. If there were any disappointments it was maybe that entries were maybe a bit low in the Shetland ponies section but everywhere else entries were up and the spirit of the show has been absolutely superb.”
There was another bumper crowd for the strath’s big day in the farming calendar.
Scott Pirie, showground convener, (above) said: “We have had a brilliant crowd - the car park was full by noon.
“The level of entries in the cattle, sheep and domestics were all great.”
Over in the sheep pens there was a record entry which was a particularly satisfying for this year’s president Suzie Young: “It’s very good to see the level of interest this year and there are some wonderful animals on show.”
Among them the first badger-face Texel to claim champion status at Grantown.
The strikingly marked ewe lamb claimed a chain of top rosettes for Michelle Hanson and Darren Irvine from Upper Drakemyres Farm in Keith - as she had done as the champion at Turriff too, also emerging as reserve overall at Nairn.
In the domestics tent numbers were well maintained this year, with the ‘star of the show’ the quality of the shortbread entries, according to conveners Gillian Gordon, of Dulnain Bridge and Colin Clark, who hails from Turriff.
“There’s been very good entry all round,” said Mrs Gordon, “with the preserves particularly worthy of comment, but the shortbread this year has been especially good and it’s been a difficult for the judges, who had quite a busy morning all round.
“The overall quality was certainly up to last year’s standard if not even better and, best of all, it’s been a pleasant day without the searing temperatures of last year - some of the entries in 2023 simply melted in front of our eyes, but this year everything has survived!”
