Scotland’s premier equestrian event, Scone Palace International Horse Trials, will host its first Ladies’ Day on the Friday of this year’s event, which takes place on 27-30 August.
All the ladies at the horse trials will be in with a chance of being crowned Best Dressed Lady 2026 as the event’s team will be keeping their eyes peeled throughout the day to find 10 standout looks.
Shortlisted finalists will be invited into the main arena for the final judging where elegance and practicality are expected to score highly. One winner will take home the accolade of Best Dressed Lady.
“Ladies’ Day is one of our most popular annual racing occasions, and we’re aiming to recreate that sense of fun at the horse trials,” said Morag Connaghan, director of operations at Perth Racecourse.
“The Best Dressed Lady competition is our way of recognising the loyal equestrian women who support events like these year after year.
“We’ll be looking for outfits that capture the essence of modern country style – elegant, practical and full of personality.
“It promises to be a fantastic addition to Friday’s programme and a wonderful celebration of the people who make our sport so special.”
Changes
Other new additions for visitors to this year’s event include an altered layout to improve the customer experience around the central hub, a shuttle service between the camping ground and the main site, and a third big screen to improve cross-country viewing.
Competitors will see tweaks to the international and grassroots cross-country courses and further investment into and work on the ground, changes to the horse walks between the stables and the competition areas, and the relocation of the international stabling area and the warm-up areas in the centre of Perth Racecourse’s track.
“The first year of an event the size and variety of Scone Palace International Horse Trials is always something of an experiment – you learn so much about how a site works in year one,” said event director Alec Lochore.
“We were delighted with many aspects of it and by the public reaction to it. Now we need to consolidate, to build on what we have and to continue to make tweaks and improvements wherever possible.
“We are refining the aspects of the event that went so well and are making some changes to other areas.”
Image © Fraser Band.
