RUTH Edge will be among a record entry at this year’s Hexham Horse Trials, which are taking place today and tomorrow.

Now in its 22nd year, the British Eventing affiliated competition will host around 550 horses, competing in BE 90, BE100, novice and Intermediate classes. There are around 25 trade stands.

Cumbria-based Ruth Edge will be competing on six horses over the two days, while County Durham-born Angus Smailes is travelling up from his yard in Leicester with four.

Top-10 rider Nick Gauntlet is bringing five from Gloucestershire and there are even competitors travelling from Sweden.

The event is held annually on land owned by Fell pony breeders Bob Charlton and his wife Sarah, who run the Linnel Stud.

Charlton said: “They like this event, particularly the intermediate because the course is quite testing but very fair. There are four tracks on the course, seven dressage arenas and the showjumping.

“When we finish on Sunday we will start again for next year.

“We make a variety of changes to the cross country.

“We have an international top designer Ronald Alexander, who is actually an architect by trade but goes all over the world designing courses.”

Charlton, whose grandfather started the Fell pony stud a century ago, used to event himself in his 20s when he qualified for Burghley and won an Open Intermediate.

The family is now involved in showing and have just qualified Linnel Winder, a five-year old mare, for the Picton National Pony Society Show at Malvern at her first show last week.

Charlton said: “It was a phenomenal surprise to us.”