THREE young friends from Northern Ireland, who are coached by Rachel Moore Rooney, won classes in Ring 1 at the 2024 Dublin Horse Show, with Co Antrim’s Esther Lowry going that bit further when landing last Sunday’s Southside Contract and Carpet Cleaners show hunter pony championship on her mother Heather’s Annandale Prince Charming.

Lowry, who is just 10 years of age and last season was competing in first year, first ridden classes, has had a brilliant campaign on the 11-year-old Moleview Celebration gelding, who the family purchased prior to his appearance at HOYS last October. Among their wins was the show hunter pony championship at the Irish Pony Society show in Mullingar, while they also won on the local circuit at Saintfield and Lurgan.

With Rachel Moore Rooney and her parents Shirley and Tommy ringside, Esther didn’t want for support, but her father David joined her mother Heather for the day, leaving her two younger brothers, who have no interest in ponies, at home with other members of the family.

Another friend of the three girls, Co Tyrone’s Casey-Lee Millar, who is coached by her mother Eileen, won the starter stakes for the second year running on Bunbury Suarez. Amazingly, this was a fifth successive win in the class for the now 13-year-old Millcroft Beluga gelding.

Professional

Fourteen-year-old Sophie Cathcart has a very professional relationship with Co Donegal owner Gillian Torrens, as they just meet up for shows, as they did last week when the young Enniskillen rider partnered Torrens’ Rosegate Valentine to victory in the 143cm class. In May, they won a similar class at Balmoral while, more recently, they won their class and were reserve champions at the Kildare/North Leinster Area show at Tattersalls.

The Torrens yard was also on the mark in the following 153cm class, with the evergreen Leave It To You. The 16-year-old Brief Encounter gelding was ridden by Katie Wyse, who was also on board when the bay won the show hunter pony championship at Balmoral. Later on Sunday, they stood reserve to Esther Lowry and Annandale Prince Charming.

Co Wicklow exhibitor Mary-Ann Casey obviously thinks a lot of her home-bred Imperial Tiger gelding, as she named the bay after her local area Griffinstown. And perhaps with good reason, as here the five-year-old Traditional Irish Horse was partnered by Sadhbh O’Connor to win the early morning’s Intermediate class.