THE combined training league staged by the Western Region of Eventing Ireland concluded last Sunday at the Milchem Equestrian Centre of regional chairman, Ralph Conroy.

“It was a very successful series and I would like to thank all judges, stewards and volunteers who officiated or assisted over the four legs,” said Conroy.

“Riders benefitted hugely from the comments on the judges’ sheets and we received a lot of positive feedback. We’re now looking forward to the Sealac Starter Stakes Series which begins on March 5th.”

The most competitive section of the combined training league was the EI80cms class. Each week, there were two divisions with 19 combinations qualifying for the final where, again, a large entry saw the day’s dressage judge John Lyttle (List 2) faced with fields of 16 and 18 starters.

The league champion was Rachel Counihan who landed Section B on Sunday on her joint-winning flat work mark with her Irish Sport Horse gelding Jackawho (32.5 penalties). This combination went into the final in third place on eight points but, on 13 points, claimed the honours with this win. Bred in Co Galway by Patrick McGarry, Jackawho is a five-year-old chesnut gelding by the ISH stallion Jackaroo out of the Voltaire mare Smoocheen Nestor.

Victory on Sunday gave Counihan the edge over Jason Doerflinger riding Conroy’s home-bred ISH mare Milchem Ladybird, a four-year-old chesnut by Ganesh Hero Z. They also amassed 13 league points but could only finish third in the final on 32.75. The pair were split by young rider Ellie Rogan who also completed on her first phase score with the well-known Connemara Tullaree Fear Bui (32.5).

Regional secretary Marie Dunne, who went into Sunday’s final in joint-first place on Bundee (aka the seven-year-old Friary Clover mare Ahascragh Clover Lady), had a disappointing result in Section B where she finished ninth and thus dropped to third on the overall standings with 11 points.

In Section A, the honours went to Anita Algierowicz on the dressage phase winner, the ISH mare Cairnview Crystal Springs (28.75), a chesnut Tolan R five-year-old out of Cairnview Clover Crystal (by Clover Hill).

Disappointingly, but not unusually, the higher graded classes received less support.

Narrow win

Nine combinations qualified for the final round of the EI100 competition headed by Rebecca Scott with the ISH mare Athea Clover Dew who, as dual winners, had 10 points to their credit ahead of Katie Gibbons with her mother Marie Dunne’s dun pony Milchem Mischief (eight), a seven-year-old mare by Carnill Bertas Lad.

Gibbons recorded a comprehensive victory on Sunday when she comfortably topped Lyttle’s dressage marks on 25.5 penalties which saw her pick up an additional five league points having recorded one of four clear rounds.

However, in finishing second on her flat work mark of 32.75 for four points, Scott claimed the series title by a single point.

Scott and Athea Clover Dew, who has 14 Eventing Ireland and 58 Show Jumping Ireland points to her credit, rounded off last season with a sixth-place finish in the CCI2*-L at Ballindenisk in September. Bred in Co Limerick by John Joe Tierney, she is out of the Clover Clon VII mare, Athea Clover Breeze.

Only two combinations qualified for the final of the EI110 competition – Godfrey Gibbons and Dunne’s Milchem Free Spirit, who were on 10 points, and Nenagh Pony Club member Evanna Howard with Stellar Reward who were on eight.

The 11-year-old Contra A mare Milchem Free Spirit, with whom Gibbons won team silver and placed fifth individually at last year’s European Junior eventing championships in Hartpury, led after dressage on 32.5 penalties. However, she was withdrawn before show jumping leaving league honours to be claimed and Stellar Reward.

That eight-year-old ISH mare by Financial Reward, was bred in Co Wexford by Deirdre French out of the Beauty Bath mare Norway Lodge.

Gibbons finished second in Sunday’s class with the seven-year-old Glasgow Vant Merelsnest mare Milchem Miami (42.75) who had a fence down show jumping.