THE weather did its best to spoil the final of the Eventing Ireland Western Region/Sealac eventing starter series which was staged at the Milchem Equestrian Centre of regional chairman Ralph Conroy on Easter Monday. Thankfully, it failed to do so.

“What a day!” exclaimed regional and show secretary Marie Dunne. “We had everything from torrential downpours – some of the pony combinations competed in awful conditions – to beautiful sunshine to a hail storm in the middle of the six and seven-year olds.

“Ralph and the entire team in Milchem had put great work into preparing the course for the final with lots of new and challenging fences on the cross-country phase (fences eight to 15 following seven show jumping fences). The most influential was ‘Ralph’s Cottage’ in front of the water as it proved troublesome for many especially in the pony class. Interestingly, it didn’t cause as many issues in the six and seven-year-old section where horses had to jump the cottage straight into the water.”

There was an excellent prize-fund of €13,000 on offer on Monday, most of which had been finalised in advance of the series start. However, there was a welcome late addition to the list of supporters in Horse Sport Ireland which provided extra sponsorship towards the pony and age classes including €1,000 for the breeders of the winners in each of these sections.

“I judged some really nice horses,” said The Irish Field’s sport horse sales and eventing correspondent Sally Parkyn who assessed the jumping performance phase. “I was particularly pleased that, unusually, there were a few smart types in the six and seven-year-old class.”

The flat work phase was scrutinised by north Co Dublin’s Jane Whitaker, a List 3a judge with Dressage Ireland, who was delighted to adhere to the series brief of assessing the future potential of the 65 horses/ponies forward – not their riders’ dressage skills.

Narrow win for Gervada

HSI didn’t contribute towards the Treo Eile-sponsored class for thoroughbreds which was narrowly won by Co Westmeath’s Charlie Walshe and her five-year-old Vadamos gelding Gervada (138 marks). Patricia Newman finished second on Cry Of The Dreamer (137.8), a nine-year-old Campaign Swing gelding she rode herself in bumpers and point-to-points, while Sadhbh Gannon was a close-up third on the seven-year-old Alhebayeb gelding Dingle Bay (137).

Gervada ran once when in training with Ciaran Murphy, finishing eighth of 13 in a three-year-old maiden hurdle at Ballinrobe in August 2021. Bred by Rory O’Brien out of the Deposit Ticket mare Gerobies Girl, he is a half-brother to the Kodiac gelding Bear Behind (three wins and Listed-placed) and Free Code (five wins) and to the Statue of Liberty mare Ufallya (two wins).

“My daughter Sofie and I got the horse the following October and rode him a bit before giving him a break,” revealed Walshe. “When he came back in, Sofie did some registered jumping with him and, last October, competed him in the HSI development series class for four-year-olds at Punchestown. As she is in her final six months of a Masters in primary school teaching, Sofie hasn’t time to compete him these days which is how I got the ride!”

Walshe senior and Gervada won three of the Western Region qualifiers en route to the final and having finished second the first day, won the second qualifier at the Stepping Stones league in Wexford Equestrian.