Orkney set for biggest horse event yet
Orkney’s Shetland ponies will be putting their best hoof forward this weekend as the county plays host to its largest equine event to date.
The annual Shetland Pony Stud Book Society (SPSBS) breed show, which is hosted in Shetland every ten years, will be coming to Orkney for the first time on Saturday, with 260 Shetland ponies and 60 exhibitors from across the UK set to attend.
Jim Slater, chairman of the Shetland Pony Breeders of Orkney, has been one of the main organisers in making this landmark show happen.
“I think it’s a pretty big deal to have near enough 260 ponies coming into the islands for the first time ever,” Mr Slater told The Orcadian, looking ahead to the show being held at Orkney Auction Mart.
In addition to the ponies and their breeders, judges from as far afield as Australia and Ireland are also on their way to run their expert eyes over the competition.
The main event of the show will be on Saturday, with all of the ponies competing for championships across a full day of classes, involving an astonishing 484 entries for the classes in a single day.
“It’s the first time the breed show has ever been held in Orkney,” explained Susie Manson, secretary and treasurer of Shetland Pony Breeders of Orkney. “This will be the 47th breed show. It usually travels around different counties across the UK, but we were lucky to have the opportunity to take it on this year.
“We’re really proud to represent that here, and the way things are going, we’re really proud of how it’s all laying out as well.”
As the county gets set for an influx of people travelling to the prestigious show, Shetland Pony Breeders Orkney are not only showcasing their ponies, but also the range of Orkney produce and crafts the islands can provide, with a trade stand section and local crafters present to give the show-goers the full Orkney experience.
The annual general meeting of the British Stud Book will also take place in Orkney, adding to the event.
Mr Slater said: “We will also have the continental voices coming across for the national AGM, so there’s nearly 30 people from 17 different countries, so they’re all arriving as well. It’s a pretty big deal, and it’s good to see it.
“Will it ever happen again [in Orkney]? Well, all it needs is a few young enthusiastic people, and I do believe it will happen again.”
Fresh from being showcased at the agricultural shows, Orkney’s own Shetland ponies and studs will be up against some of the best examples of the breed in the world. However, both Mr Slater and Susie, of Millquoy Shetland Pony Stud in Firth, are confident that Orkney’s breeders will hold their own in this international event.
Susie explained: “It’s the best opportunity because it is the breed show, so it’s your best chance for exhibitors to show off their home produce in an environment that everyone’s of the same ilk.
“Everyone loves the breed and is trying to promote the best for the breed so it should be the best of the best that’s coming, and it’s the biggest opportunity for Shetland pony breeders in the UK to do that.”
It has taken two years of hard work to make the show possible, and with many of the county’s local Shetland studs helping the organisers achieve their dream of seeing the show reach Orkney.
Susie said: “We knew it was going to be a lot of work when we took it on, but there’s been so many little things that have been so time consuming compared to what we thought they might have been. I’m hoping that everything goes okay because it’s been a serious labour of love for the last 18 months.”