Scotland trip 2010
Ivan, Myself, Michael & Tanja decided many months ago that we should visit Shetland and
Aberdeen to see the pony sales and visit some studs in Shetland.
So on the 02/10/10 we left Denmark and drove to Holland and the team of 4 was 5 as Emilia age 10 months came too.
We had a good journey and reached the port of Ijmuden with no problems and plenty of time.
We sailed on the King of Scandinavia and took the chance to relax and rest after the long drive.
Next morning we left the port of Newcastle and then drove north to South Riccalton and Connie where we showed Michael and Tanya the ”old“ girls, who we all agreed looked really well as you can see from the photos below.

The countryside at Riccalton is impressive and on a good day you can see for miles.
Michael & Tanja stayed at a local bed & breakfast and spent the next day sightseeing checking out the abbey In
Jedburgh and the local deer park, while I helped Connie with her computer and Ivan mucked some stables out!
We all met up each evening for a meal in the local pub, the Horse & Hound.
Tuesday and we said goodbye to Connie and travelled north to Aberdeen, arriving in plenty of time for
the evening sail to Shetland, On Wednesday morning we drove through Lerwick to the house we had rented,
So now the serious stuff “Stud visits”
We started off with trip to the Merkisayre Stud, where George showed us their ponies
Starting with the foals and then young stock, mares, colts and finally the stallions and George’s latest build,
a wonderful riding hall, which will enable them to train their ponies through the harsh Shetland winter,
when the days are short and the nights long (something a bit like here!)

We left Burra and travelled west to Jackie and the Schiehallion and Simonside studs
Jackie also keeps a traditional Shetland croft, so we not only saw all the ponies but Shetland cows and sheep.
We left Jackie and travelled back to Walls and the Vatna stud where we met Alistair and his daughter Beth. I had wanted to call on Beth since early summer when I first saw her colt foal Vatna Frokn, a ˝ brother to Nelson,
Time was running and after a very quick visit to my house in Skeld we travelled the short distance to our good friends Lauraine and Allan Manson’s and the Swarthoull, Hestigarth and Arg studs.
Here we saw the ponies they had at home, it is just as here, ponies starting to “come home” from summer grass
ready for the start of winter and as the light began to fade we set off back to Lerwick and a Chinese take away!
Thursday and a dryer day we drove south to Robin’s Brae where Irvine and his father very kindly showed us
the mares and youngstock and then took us to see their young stallion we were so impressed with last year
and he looks just as good this year! We left Irvine and family busy getting foals ready for the evening show
and drove to the southern most tip of Shetland were we took in the beautiful scenery.

Back to Lerwick to get ready
for the Lerwick Shetland pony sale show, held the evening before the sale. Here any one entering a foal to the sale
can forward their foal, then the “final” takes place.
The best filly and colt from the nights show competes against the summer show winners, so if your foal won at any
of the summer shows you can bring it this evening and compete for the title of best Shetland foal 2010
We finished with another Chinese and a lot of discussion on the foals and ponies we had seen and the sale tomorrow!
We rose early on Friday and got to the marts with time to walk the pens before the sale started.
It was a sad sale with many foals not getting a bid and having to be taken home, a sign of the times I’m afraid.
We were also disappointed at the many not forwarded !!
The sale finished just after lunch and we rushed to Lerwick to do some “retail therapy”
After which Tanja requested a “quick” drive back to Merkisayre to see the mares again,
we luckily bumped into George on the road and he took us to see some mares we hadn’t seen the day before.

We drove back to Lerwick and Michael cooked us supper ! and the evening was spent discussing
the ponies we had seen and what was to come.
Saturday morning arrived and we packed the car and set of north to visit Steve and Jane Rendall
and the Hollydell and Katfirth Studs, they have cut down on the number of ponies they keep and breed but we had a wonderful time with them and as both Jane and Steve were also going to Aberdeen on the boat we left them to pack

We drove to Lerwick and as the queue grew it seemed that all the people we had seen over the
last few days were also going south to the sale in Aberdeen, so a very nice evening was had.
Sunday morning and we drove north from Aberdeen to our cottage just outside Alford and
made ready for the evening show at the Thainstone marts.
The evening was very interesting with rings for standard and miniature judged by David Hodge and Julian Walters respectively. The standard ring Champion was Email of St Ninian
our friend Allan Manson’s big black stallion. (on his birthday as well! that’s Allan of course not Email!)
and so back to the cottage and again much discussion.

Monday morning and we arrived at the marts in time to see the ponies in their pens before the sale began.
the day was ok but again with ponies not reaching a good price. The end of the sale and a chance
to catch up with many old friends. We drove back to the house changed and went to a
local Hotel for our evening meal , where again we had a lot of pony talk!
Tuesday we drove from Alford to Newcastle and we boarded the Princess of Norway and sailed back to Holland.
Wednesday and the long drive home with more talk of ponies and people on the way.
Ivan and I would like to thank Tanja, Michael and a very well behaved Emilia for their good company on the trip,
A very special thanks to all the people who took time out to show us their ponies
and to the friends we met and chatted to at both sales.
I must say to Catherine, if id known you were sat behind me I am not sure I would have seen any of the ponies
but it was wonderful to catch up again!
So many people and never enough space to name everyone!