Elisedene

Because my numbers were low, I bought Elise from Scott McGregor in December 2001 as a weaned filly foal. She is extremely pretty and combines all the best Ballinton bloodlines. She was a June foal and so will not be shown until she has caught up in height with the other yearlings. She's cream dun and has a lovely nature. Her future here will be as a brood mare.

At Gargunnock Show in June 2003, Elise was first in her class and Reserve Champion. We were very pleased with this result!

Following on from her success at Gargunnock, we took Elise to the Royal Highland Show, where to our delight, she sparkled and won her class and went on to be Reserve Champion Female, beating off competition from the mature mares.

At the NPS Show at Malvern, we were disappointed that Elise was fifth, but at the Malvern Highland Pony Show, Alan Baird placed her first and made her Reserve Female Champion.

In 2004, Elise has been served by Kestrel. She was seventh at the Royal Highland Show, third at Doune and Dunblane and fifth at the HPS Breed Show. She took the Youngstock Championship at the "Scottish Farmer" Show and the next day, at Central Scotland Highland Pony Club Show, she was first three year old, In Hand Champion and Supreme Champion. She also took Reserve Champion at NPS Youngstock Show in November. As a result of a good year, she was Youngstock Champion of Central Scotland Highland Pony Club Performance Points and won the Oakcroft Trophy.

The birth of Elise's first foal, a colt by Kestrel, on 1st May was a bit traumatic. I had left Elise with her friends who are a year younger, intending to bring her in to foal. However, she didn't wax and she foaled out with the younger ponies. All seemed normal at first with the colt looking for milk and the mare cleansed. Scott McGregor came over to see the foal and thought it hadn't been sucking. The three of us managed with difficulty to get Elise and her foal to the yard and into a stable. We all spent the whole day trying to get milk off the mare and to get the foal sucking. Because the foal hadn't had milk, he was uncomfortable because he hadn't passed meconium and Elise was in pain because she hadn't been sucked. By 7.30pm, the foal was sucking and Elise was fine. He's a lovely dark coloured foal and in recognition of all Scott's efforts, he'll be called H. S. of Fourmerk.

Doune and Dunblane Show 2005 was a great day for Elise. She was first brood mare and her colt foal was also first. She wnet on to take the In Hand Championship, her foal was Foal Champion and he was also Best Opposite Sex to Champion, beating the all mature geldings. I'm absolutely delighted with this result and came home with three cups. I don't think this has ever been done before.

She also did well at NPS Malvern Summer Show where she was third in an M&M mare class, first in a Highland brood mare class and second brood mare at the Malvern HP Show.

Elise needed a break afrer all the showing and the long journeys so we didn't show her again until 3rd September when we took her and H.S. to the "Scottish farmer" Championship Final at Strathallan. We were very pleased when Elise won the brood mare class and H.S. won the foal class. Elise then went on to be Mature Champion and in competition against the Youngstock Champion, she was pulled forward as the Overall In Hand Champion.

2006 has been a good year for Elise. She was first at Gargunnock, Reserve Champion at NPS Scotland Summer Show, first at the Royal Highland Show, second at Kinross and second at Drymen. She has been served again by Kestrel.

Elise took dreadfully ill at RHS in 2007. She had liver failure and there was no known cause. She and her filly foal spent two months at the Dick Vet, during which time she slipped the foal she was carrying by Kestrel. She has made a full recovery and has been served in 2008 by Kestrel.

A slideshow of Elise: