THE Leinster Region of Dressage Ireland ran a two-day show last weekend at the National Horse Sport Arena, where the weather and atmosphere were excellent, but the numbers competing were disappointing.

This could be due to the fact that so many people attended the training camp at Castle Irvine, Necarne, the previous weekend, or were heading to the Wild Atlantic Dressage Festival this weekend, or due to the current trend for riders to compete within their own region, thus supporting their own shows, and rarely venturing further afield.

One Northern Region raider, Courtney Akkari, who knows a lot about organising shows, clinics et cetera at her family’s Gransha Equestrian Centre, could sympathise/empathise with the organisers on the poor entry but, only to a certain extent as, riding and winning on a four-year-old newcomer on Saturday, she did state: “I was delighted it was quiet!”

Sunday’s competitions ranged from Elementary upwards, but no entries were received for six of the classes offered, while judges Vida Tansey (List 1) and Bernie Foley (List 2a) had an easy enough day with only the two non-restricted Elementary classes having more than four participants. Foley was probably pleased enough, as she had spent a very long day in England on Friday as one of a group who attended judges’ upgrading training at the British Dressage premier show in Addington.

Caroline Lynch topped the scores in both of those Elementary classes with her Irish Sport Horse mare Quora, an eight-year-old chesnut by Golden Lariat, who was bred by event rider turned racehorse trainer, Sheila Lavery, out of Killossery Donna (by Don Juan de la Bouverie).

Combination

In the Foley-assessed DI52, where there were 11 starters and they were on 69.44%, the Co Meath combination had a bit in hand over Floyd Mills and Mille Fleurs (67.92). However, in the Tansey-judged BD45, both pairings topped the leaderboard on 70.52, but Lynch claimed the honours with the higher collective score (58 to 57).

Anna O’Connor and her mother Susan’s Dutch-bred Welsh gelding Veentras Grapjas, a 13-year-old palomino by Klein Roderijs Cocktail, saw off their sole opponents to win the Junior DI52 on 62.50% and the Junior BD45 on 69.48.

There were three registered starters in the Medium DI65, but Tansey’s winner on 65.78% was the unregistered Granny Jean’s Unicorn, an eight-year-old three-star eventer by Jack Of Diamonds, who was ridden by one of his joint-owners, Sara Glynn.

Uncontested victories were recorded in front of Tansey by Helen Dunne on Felino (59.09%) in the Advanced Medium (FEI Junior team test), by Lucy Cusack on Gavelle Ter Kwincke (60.15) in the Advanced BD102, by Tara Oliver with Furst Romance (66.41) in the Grand Prix, by Maeve Deverell on Qarma Van Blommerschot (66.14) in the FEI pony team test and by Clodagh Walsh with Chantal 2 (69.17) in the Para Grade 1 Grand Prix A test.

Foley awarded the same combination 68.33% in the B test (where they were also the only starters), while the aforementioned Helen Dunne and Felino (62.79) narrowly saw off Sophia Swan riding Tanzanite Diddly Squat (62.06) in the Advanced Medium DI90.

Two combinations came before Foley in the Medium DI77, where she awarded her higher score to Rhona McNamara on Reenmore Duke (64.43%), while the Prix St George was contested by three starters, Foley’s comfortable winner being Sarah Mellor on Hotshot (67.94).