HILARY McKee, another graduate of the Eventing Ireland Northern Region’s trainee dressage judges’ programme, had the daunting task of assessing 36 combinations in the Intro A at last Saturday’s second leg of the 2025 Baileys Horse Feeds Flexi Eventing series at The Meadows.

Topping her scores on 76.5% were the well-known pairing of Kaiti McCann and the 16-year-old skewbald mare Boyher Cookies N Creme, the winners of two EI90 classes last season. Katie McKee finished a close second on another skewbald, the 10-year-old gelding Water Paint (75.8). As McKee and ‘Bear’ won seven days earlier, they have taken an early lead in the Flexi Eventing series.

Riding Cleggan Cyrss to a score of 75%, Armagh schoolgirl Ella Rose Sands won the 26-strong Intro, which was judged by Janet Hall. Sands and the 14-year-old black mare made their EI debuts last season, winning first time out at Tyrella 3. The only other rider to score over 70% was the vastly more experienced Lucca Stubington, who did so with the Irish Sport Horse mare Phoebe, a daughter of Tolan R, who was home-bred by her owners, Sheelagh and Michael Irwin.

Hall also judged the seven-runner Novice class, where the final leaderboard was comfortably headed by Lesley Jones on board Yvonne Pearson’s ISH gelding Quality Choice (73.8%). Jones and the 2017 OBOS Quality 004 gelding had an excellent campaign last year under EI Rules, rounding off the season by finishing second of 33 in the CCI1*-Intro at Ballindenisk in late September, having previously placed eighth of 35 in the EI100 national championship at Kilguilkey House.

For the second week running, Denis Currie had to settle for the runner-up spot on Arodstown Aramis (69), his 20-year-old ISH gelding by Shannondale St Ghyvan.

Kaiti McCann riding Cookie, winners of the Intro A dressage at the Meadows EC Flexi Eventing on January 18th \ Tori O'Connor Photography

Intermediate

Three of the four starters who appeared before Hall in the Intermediate competition breached the 70% mark, Molly O’Connor finishing first on Sarah Hughes’s 20-year-old KWPN-registered gelding Alcatraz (79.4) and second with her father Paul’s traditionally-bred ISH mare Stillbrook Alfie, a nine-year-old Watermill Swatch mare she competed at CCI3*-S level last season.

In common with Hilary McKee, Corey Mawhinney judged only one class on Saturday, but he probably didn’t complain as there were 39 starters in the Pre Novice, seven of whom scored 70% or higher.

These included the aforementioned Katie McKee and Water Paint but, on 74.5, they again had to settle for second, as the honours went to Anna McErlean who, riding for Smith Brothers Eventing, scored 75.5 on board Ann Bowe’s ISH gelding The Kings Ransom.

Last season, this now nine-year-old traditionally-bred bay by Kings Master was campaigned by another young rider attached to the Smiths’ Gilford yard, Hannah Groves, who partnered him to land the EI100 (Junior) championship at Kilguilkey House on their final start. However, the Co Kildare native had the weekend off to celebrate her 18th birthday. For her part, McErlean also had a good 2024 season, particularly from early June to early August, when she never finished outside the top nine in six starts with the ISH gelding Kilmanahan Cool Star.

Third place on Saturday went to Gracie Thompson-Logan riding the Connemara mare Fiddain Dash (73.3), a grey daughter of Fairyhill Hawk on whom she won twice last season at EI90 (P) level, seeing out the 2024 campaign with a fourth-place finish of 25 in the EI90 (P) championship at Kilguilkey.

For the second week running, Jane Bruce won the Treo Eile qualifier at 80cm level on Minnie The Minx, an unraced seven-year-old Court Cave mare, who was bred by Siobhan Mackinnon and has a handful of EI starts to her credit.

Currently, 193 separate combinations have completed 430 activities across dressage, show jumping and arena eventing, which proves the popularity of this Baileys Horse Feeds Flexi Eventing series at The Meadows. It continues today and every Saturday until February 22nd.