London gunmaker John Rigby & Co. is once again sponsoring the sixth annual Fred Taylor Memorial Trophy for Working Hill Ponies at Scotland’s largest outdoor country fair, the GWCT Scottish Game Fair, which is being held from Friday 29 June until Sunday 1 July at Scone Palace in Perthshire.
The overall winning estate will receive one of Rigby’s much admired and newly launched Highland Stalker rifles in .275 Rigby. Hailed as a classic deerstalking rifle, the Highland Stalker’s striking slim lines and rounded grip shape gives it a very traditional feel plus its lightweight frame makes it ideal for the hill.
Not only will the rifle be hand engraved with the estate, pony and winning ghillie’s name on a special silver shield inlaid into the stock, they will receive a wood upgrade making the top prize worth a staggering £12,000.
Organised by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Association of Deer Management Groups, the free-to-enter competition is held in memory of Fred Taylor, who was headstalker on Invermark Estate in Angus for more than three decades. Up to 20 ponies and their ghillies will parade in the main arena on the Sunday of the show at 1:30pm. A judging panel will rate all the competing ponies, harnessed with their tack for the hill, either for carrying deer or panniers for grouse and the ghillies will be dressed in their estate tweed.
To qualify for entry, each pony must be working on the estate during the season. Deadline for entries is Friday 25 May. For more details on how to enter, contact 01738 554826.
Can you provide info on who won the gun at this years Scone Game Fair on 1st July 2018. I’ve looked on google and in the press but haven’t found anything yet. Since you presented a substantial prize I assume at least for marketing purposes you will have some information on the winner, pony and estate.
Please see the following which has been taken directly from our Facebook Page “Congratulations to Archie Hay and nine year old mare Spey of Invercauld Estate, Aberdeenshire who were presented a John Rigby & Co. Highland Stalker rifle in .275 Rigby by Rigby Patron and Lady of Adventure Selena Barr at the GWCT Scottish Game Fair today for winning the 2018 Fred Taylor Memorial Trophy for Working Hill Ponies. The award winning rifle which will have a silver shield inlaid in the stock inscribed with both Archie and Spey’s names to commemorate the win is worth £11k. The field of 13 ponies were all beautifully turned out despite unseasonably hot weather at Scone Palace, Perthshire which the team at Rigby are hugely grateful for. Jubilant Archie said he was ‘proud and to have won this prize having spent a week preparing and over 10 hours combing Spey’s mane’. Rigby are deeply honoured to have sponsored the Fred Taylor Memorial Trophy for Working Hill Ponies for a second year running. Taking deer and grouse from the hill with a traditional hill pony is a practice Rigby would like help continue by supporting this important competition.”