DOUGLAS DUFFIN & VOLCANO DAZZLE THE SCOTTISH JUNIOR ACADEMIES!!

Friday 24 February 2012

 As a treat for the Scottish Junior Academies throughout Scotland an evening demonstration with Douglas Duffin was organised to allow the young riders to come and meet one of Scotland’s Superstars, get their photo taken and one lucky Academy member even got to sit on the Horse of the Year Show Champion Volcano for a photo!  With over seventy people attending to get "up close" to this duo Douglas rode and chatted with the audience before spending half an hour signing autographs.  The young riders were able to ask any questions and left the night with a fabulous photo they can keep for life.

Douglas began his amazing career with Trainer Mr Ron Brady at the age of 14 years, where he would spend his summers at the yard working.  At 16 years he left school and went to work for Ron full time and within a few months Douglas was riding horses at various young rider competitions.

Douglas now 30 years old has a string of achievements including representing Great Britain at the Senior Nations Cup in Prague 2009 on Volcano where the team came 3^rd, being placed in the Hickstead Derby, and of course his most recent success winning the Tagg Puissance at Horse of the Year Show 2011 on Volcano.  In his younger years Douglas competed and was placed in the Young Riders Final at Horse of the Year Show, was 3^rd in the Young Riders Final at Olympia and won the Young Masters at the Royal Highland Show.  Douglas also trains the talented Lucy Guild and played a huge role in helping Lucy to win the Young Riders Final at Horse of the Year Show 2011.  To this day although not working for Ron, Douglas is still based at his Trainers yard at Easter Muirhead Stables in Clackmannanshire.

Douglas has a great support network and over the years is extremely grateful to all the loyal owners he has had the pleasure to work with and their commitment to helping him achieve so much.  Most recently Volcano’s owner, Julie McLelland who has ensured Douglas that Volcano will stay with him for as long as their competition partnership requires.  Douglas is also sponsored by AW Jenkinson Forest Products and the Aurora Hotel Collection who again have been a magnificent support over the years.

Craig Hamilton another of Ron Brady’s trainees also took part in the demonstration.  Douglas coached Craig through the course and discussed the technicalities and problems that arose when riding the course with the audience.  Craig has been based with Ron for three years now and is riding Novice to Grade A horses at competitions nationwide.  Could this be Craig following in Douglas’s footsteps?!!

Ron Brady himself was one of Scotland’s most successful riders and for many years was ranked in the top three in this country and top fifty riders in Britain.  Ron has been showjumping for over twenty five years and although he doesn’t jump anymore himself Ron is still a highly successful trainer for competition riders and producing young horses in Scotland.  Ron ended the evening with some super advice “With dedication and hard work anything is possible, myself, Douglas and Craig have had to work from the bottom up and we are the proof that you can get to the top even if you have financial restraints, don’t give up”.

The Scottish Development Officer and the Chairman of Scottish Branch would like to give a very big thank you, for giving their time free of charge, to Douglas Duffin, Craig Hamilton, Ron Brady, the grooms and of course to Volcano and the other horses for putting on a magnificent display at Gleneagles Equestrian Centre.  Also thank you to the staff at Gleneagles who helped make the night a great success.

Photo:  Douglas Duffin, Volcano and the Scottish Junior Academy members - credit Adrian Sinclair, Sinclair Photography 

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