THE Northern Region of Eventing Ireland lost out badly when the recent National Championships were switched from Necarne to Kilguilkey House but its members were prepared to travel in their numbers to the Co Cork venue where they won four national titles, all three Horse Sport Ireland Studbook series finals and two of the three series leagues.

Through their Commedagh Commanders quartet and their Donard Stars foursome, the Northern Region also won two of the three regional competitions in what was termed the Youth Team Challenge (Pony, Junior and Young Riders). Their wins came at EI90 level and under and at EI100 level but not at EI110 level and above where the honours went to the North Leinster Rubies.

Thirteen teams were declared for the highest-graded regional competition which saw the winners complete on a combined total of 99.4 penalties. The quartet’s lowest score (26.5) was supplied by the Yeomanstown Stud EI110 (J) championship winner, Matthew Love, riding his father Mickey’s nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, DSL Allegra.

Love was backed up by Susie Shekleton, who finished sixth in the HSI Studbook Series EI110 for six-year-olds on Dick McElligott’s ISH gelding Greenhall Good Decision (29.8), with whom she was the leading rider under 25 in the league, and Ciara O’Sullivan who placed eighth in the NutriScience EI110 championship with her own 18-year-old skewbald gelding, Garveys Joy (43.1). Finishing seven places further back in that non-restricted competition, Lexi Kilfeather supplied the discard score on her mother Everina’s 16-year-old Selle Francais gelding Haschich de Talma.

Three victories

Caitie Slater has enjoyed a very successful season riding for Richard Ames’ Belline Equestrian and, although she failed to land any of the championships at Kilguilkey House, she came away with three victories to her credit. Firstly, as winner of the Horse Sport Ireland Studbook series five-year-old league, where she was the leading rider under 25 with Ames’ ISH gelding Belline JFH Golden Spear, and then as a member of the Northern Donard Stars.

While based in Piltown, Co Kilkenny, Slater maintains her membership of EI through the Northern Region. “I will probably always consider myself as a Northern Region rider,” the 22-year-old told Irish Horse World. “When I started eventing, we had very little idea about the sport but received so much support from Dora (Beacom), the Northern Region team and many of the senior riders that I think that I’ll always feel part of them.

“I love the Northern events, particularly Tyrella and Loughanmore. It’s a shame that we have lost some great venues recently but it’s great that there are new venues like The Clare and Hazeldene.”

In the EI100 regional team competition, Slater’s score of 29.2 penalties was recorded when finishing eighth on Ames’ ISH gelding Belline Imperial Diamond in the HSI five-year-old class.

Also contributing to the Northern Donard Stars’ combined total of 85.4 were Katie McKee, who finished a highly-creditable fourth in the EI100 championship on Summit (27.4), and Lucy Toombes, winner of the EI100 (Amateur) title on Bluestone Ice (28.8). Here, the discard score was that of Kaiti McCann and Boyher Cookies And Creme (EI100 championship).

Holly Rice was another young NR rider who left Kilguilkey with plenty of prizes. Firstly, on board her mother Julie’s ex-racehorse Supreme Dream, the 16-year-old Iveagh Pony Club member finished a close-up second, on her dressage score (23.3), in the EI80 championship which saw the combination claim the Treo Eile-sponsored prize for the highest-placed thoroughbred. They were also on the Northern Commedagh Commanders squad which won the regional EI90 and under team competition.

Also contributing to the successful combined total of 80 penalties were Lauren Madine, who placed fourth in the EI80 national championship on her Connemara gelding Esker Hill Spiddal (26.2), and Emily Black who finished sixth in the EI90 (P) championship on Donn Boy (30.5), a Connemara gelding owned by her aunt Fiona McMillan. The discard score was supplied by first season rider Abbie Connor on Tullymurry Now Or Never in the EI80 championship.

Senior rider Melanie Purcell, winner of that EI80 championship, was one of the organisers of the youth team challenge along with parents’ committee members Chris Crozier, Aoife McSweeney and Fran Rowlatt-McCormick. All four paid tribute to the absent Michael Adams, designer of the results page for the challenge which was sponsored by packhorse.ie and a group of generous parents.