Highland Pony Centenary Showcase at Scottish Smallholders Festival

Come and support us! We have a great line up of 6 ponies to present to our audience at The Highland Hall, Royal Highland Showground at Ingliston.
14th October: doors open 0900 and our displays are 1000 and 1400hrs.
Tickets at www.festival.scot

The Equine Showcase at the Scottish Smallholders Festival has been a regular feature since its inception 12 years ago. Run under the patronage of the Rare Breed Survival Trust, most of our native breeds have been exhibited with demonstrations, commentary and the chance to speak with all the exhibitors at their respective pens.
This year, the Festival has moved to The Highland Hall at Ingliston, the Royal Highland Showground, and the Equine Showcase promises to be bigger and better, with all the same representation of our native breeds.

As a special feature, and to celebrate the centenary of the Highland Pony Society, there will be a display of Highland Ponies on show. These ponies, along with their Eriskay counterparts, were the original crofters draught horse of the Highlands and Islands; used for carrying peats, seaweed, bracken, supplies (including illegal whisky) and for draught work such as ploughing, haymaking, cart work.
More recently, Highland Ponies have enjoyed a huge surge in popularity as ridden ponies, both in leisure and competitive showing. Their versatility in this area of sport is wide and varied, with ponies competing in Ridden Showing, Dressage, Working Hunter, Eventing, Trec, Endurance, Side Saddle, Western, Hunting, Carriage Driving, Riding for the Disabled and, of course, still working on farms, forestry, hills and estates.

Sporting Estate work, where the ponies carry deer and grouse off the hills, is also enjoying a resurgence: they are a cleaner, greener mode of transport, and a lot better looking! The Scottish Game Fair this year saw 18 entrants for the prestigious Working Hill Pony competition: a spectacular sight.
The Highland Pony Centenary Showcase will be part of the RBST Equine Showcase at the Smallholders Festival: they will demonstrate modern day uses for this multitalented breed and their owners will be available for discussion at the pens.