Working hill pony wins gamekeeper prize of £2,200 rangefinding binoculars

Tyree of Dalnacardoch from the Dalnacardoch Estate in Perthshire has scooped this year’s award for Working Hill Ponies at the GWCT Scottish Game Fair at Scone Palace and won the Estate’s stalker and gamekeeper, Duncan Fernie, a valuable pair of Leica binoculars, ideal for Highland hill stalking.

Rangefinding binoculars perfect for the forthcoming season

Mr Fernie has already put them to good use during this year’s Scottish red stag season, describing them as “a tremendous piece of equipment.”

The winning 11-year-old garron was led by Mr Fernie and shown harnessed with full tack for the hill and a deer saddle. Sixteen other entrants, harnessed with a mixture of deer saddles and panniers, were all handled by ghillies dressed in full estate tweeds.

Second place was awarded to 5-year-old Balmoral Gairn, from Her Majesty The Queen’s Balmoral Estate, carrying pannier baskets and handled by Sylvia Ormiston. Atholl Sorrel, an 8-year-old from the Atholl Estates’ Blair Castle Trekking Centre took third, handled by Debbie Maclauchlan and carrying a deer saddle.

Working Hill Pony Trophy commemorates head stalker on Invermark Estate

The competition was judged by respected ghillie and highland pony breeder Sandy McCarthur.  The winning estate is presented with the Fred Taylor Memorial Trophy for Working Hill Ponies, which commemorates Fred Taylor, who was headstalker on Invermark Estate in Angus for more than three decades. The event is sponsored by Leica Sport Optics, who also presented the pair of Leica 10×42 Geovid HD-B rangefinding binoculars worth £2,200.