AFTER 35 years, the last ever Defender Blair Castle International Horse Trials took place last weekend and included a full schedule of BE national and FEI international eventing, Arena Eventing, NPS Scotland Showing Finals, British Showjumping, The Highland Pony Society, Hunter and Showing competitions as well as Pony Club Games over the course of five days.

From a one-day event in 1978 to running it’s first three-day in 1989 and plenty of championships in between – including the FEI European Eventing Championships in 2015, it is sad to lose such a premier venue from the international calendar.

Cathy Hamilton began stewarding at Blair in 1997 as a crossing steward on the drive above the castle and she volunteered at the event for 10 years before taking a hiatus.

However she returned last weekend for the final event. “I just had to go back and finish where I started, on a crossing near the back drive above the Castle.

“What fun it has been, as a crossing steward you meet hundreds of people, and their dogs, we reminisced, we discussed the future and we made new contacts. The numbers of people this year were unbelievable, some visiting for the first time, just so they could say they had been to Blair, many that have been every year and those, like myself, returning for the Final Fling.

“There were tears and laughter in equal amounts,” she said.

“The loss of Blair Castle will be huge, not just to the eventing calendar, as we must not forget the local economy of rural Scotland which is reliant on visitor numbers and the horse trials was a huge boost to encouraging people to travel north of Edinburgh and Glasgow.”

The farmland of the Atholl Estate, on which the horse trials are held, is increasing its involvement in regenerative agriculture and in future, the land will require to be managed all year round in a way that is in accordance with its environmental aims. The International horse trials and Scottish National Championships will move to Scone Palace Estate in 2025.

“Without the hills of Blair Castle it will not provide the same test of endurance but has many positive attributes including a slightly shorter journey from the south!” Cathy added.