FINGAL Riding Club’s Mary Hagan added to her opening day multiple showing red ribbons at the 2024 Association of Irish Riding Clubs Festival in Mullingar last weekend by winning The Irish Field preliminary three dressage class on Sunday with her 18-year-old My Paddy’s Clover mare Sweetwall on 75.77%.

Reflecting on her performance, the Balbriggan-based rider said: “We have had a great weekend at the festival winning the mares and veteran horse showing championships and now we have picked up a win in the dressage. She is such a consistent mare.

“I love doing the test, we have been doing it all year and we won the league in Cheval. She has a wonderful temperament and I have been very fortunate to train with Yvonne Monahan and Tom Holden.”

Ashbrook Riding Club’s Helena Fitzgerald from Curragha, Ratoath, Co Meath, and her 14-year-old Togher Lad mare Ballymacague Swallow placed second on 74.62%. This result proved good enough for the Kevin McGuinness-trained combination to win the Horse Sport Ireland special award for the highest dressage score by an Irish Draught at the festival and they were also runners-up in the seniors dressage.

Tipperary’s Golden Grove Riding Club, founded just three years ago, scored a festival dressage win when judge Jane Averill awarded a score of 74.78% to Pamela Jackman and Sir Lance for first place in the Seniors class. The versatile Sir Lance and Pamela had a very successful weekend, also winning the TRI Equestrian RC 110 and 120 Table A show jumping class.

Another multi-talented combination, Sarah Louise Keane and Errislannan Potter, from Galway West Riding Club, won the Veteran Horse class on a 74.72% total. At the 2023 festival, the same horse and rider were members of the winning quartet in the TRI Equestrian RC80 team show jumping competition.