BETH Coveney had two ponies to compete this year, the eight-year-old gelding Coppenagh Russel, who ended his campaign with a third-place finish in the EI90 (P) national championship at Kilguilkey House last month, and the 10-year-old mare Forans Daylight on whom the Co Cork rider won the EI100P three-day challenge at Ballindenisk last weekend.

Providing young riders with the opportunity of taking part in a long format competition with its running order of dressage, cross-country, show jumping and trot-ups, etc, the competition attracted 16 entries, three of whom didn’t start. Two combinations withdrew after the dressage phase judged by Ireland’s Joanne Jarden (C) and Spain’s Felicisimo Aguado Arroyo and they included the flatwork winner, Avril Rea, with Blessington Black Shadow (32.1 penalties).

Coveney was then left in the lead with Forans Daylight and she completed on her first phase score (32.4) to beat David Kiely who, too, recorded double clear on Highland Carol (33.9), and Anna Radford who had a fence down show jumping on Essenar Double Dutch (37.7). Kiely also finished fourth with Paddys Best, whose total of 44.7 included 3.6 cross-country time penalties.

Like Coppenagh Russel, the Irish Sport Horse mare Forans Daylight, a 10-year-old chesnut by OBOS Quality 004, is owned by Coveney’s mother Ruth Furney, who commented: “This was a great result, as Beth only got this pony at the start of the year and the mare had only done show jumping before that (has 359 SJI points). We were fortunate that the cross-country for this class took place on Saturday, when the weather was lovely.

“Sunday was very challenging for everyone. Our trot-up was on very early and then we didn’t show jump until 3pm or so.

"That was Beth’s first time to do a long-format class and very much enjoyed the experience.

It was disappointing that there wasn’t a mounted presentation and a lap of honour, but Joyce and Peter Fell did their best with the indoor presentation. The party on Friday night for the young riders was great and so too was the buddy system between riders.

“Beth is the eldest of three girls and next year her sister Jessica is going to take over the younger pony. She wasn’t on the high performance squad, but benefitted from youth training with Jane Kinsella and Sue Shortt, while Sue and Sue Smallman offered their help to everyone in the pony class at the weekend.”

Coveney, who is an active member of the South Union Branch of the Irish Pony Club, is coached at home by Eimear White, Mike Ryan and Emma Ryan, while she is still sometimes helped out by Ruth’s brother-in-law, Sean Kelly, who taught her how to ride.

On the market

Sadly for David Kiely, his days in pony competitions are now over, so both Highland Carol and Paddys Best are on the market.

“David will be 16 in December, so that’s it for him and ponies,” revealed the rider’s father Roger. “I have to say he did a great job, as he produced those ponies himself and there’s more to them than their Eventing Ireland records. He qualified Paddys Best, who’s just a five-year-old for the working hunters at Dublin, where they finished fourth in their class and that pony jumps 1.10m with ShowJumping Ireland.

“David is very good at what he does. We want him to do his Leaving Cert, but he’d love to get a job as a junior rider in an eventing yard; his older brother Peter is going down the point-to-point route. He gets help with his dressage from Sian Coleman, who has been brilliant to him. The only interest he has besides riding is hurling and he plays for Newmarket.”

While his riding skills have seen him mentioned in these pages numerous times, David also featured as a two-time winner of the hunting horn competition at the Irish Pony Club’s national hunter trials championships, where he represented the Duhallow Branch.

Anna Radford was disappointed to have a pole down (her second of the year) with Essenar Double Dutch, but she and her mother Maria’s 13-year-old Luidam mare go into the winter break as the EI100 (P) national champions, their victory at Kilquilkey House coming after an excellent first season together. The family bought ‘Dutch’ as a three-year-old and waited for Anna to grow into her.