THERE is a lot happening on the mounted games front at present with an Irish Pony Club team and one from Area 17 of The Pony Club (Northern Ireland) currently competing at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in England.

Trained by Conor O’Leary, the IPC team comprises Zach Furlong and Mollie Kinsella of the Shillelagh & District Branch, Ali McPhilips (Kildare), Matt Sinnott (Island) and Jane O’Meara (Duhallow). John Nolan of the Laois Branch is reserve.

Last weekend, seven IPC teams (three of them senior) travelled over to Shewsbury where the United Pack Branch of The Pony Club hosted a friendly games competition at the local showground. The competitions took place on Sunday and Monday.

The Eilidh Hyland-led team of Meath’s Annie Martin, Rachel Crowe and Gina Murray plus Ava Chamney (Island) and Kate Collins (Shillelagh) won the B final. In the Junior section, the Kildares won the A final beating 20 teams from all over Britain; the Duhallows were sixth in the B final.

The United Pack were the perfect hosts, looking after all team members and juggling the order of the finals on Monday so that those being contested by Irish teams were held first allowing the visitors catch the evening ferry from Holyhead.

Round two of the IPC mounted games spring league takes place today in Baltinglass while at 9am next Thursday, teams from Area 17 will line out to contest the UMEX Pony Club games at the 150th Balmoral Show.

SILVER MEDAL

As younger members of the Irish Pony Club are now in full training for next month’s Holmestead Saddlery minimus championships at Punchestown, we recall past members who have moved on through Pony Club Tetrathlon to Modern Pentathlon.

Last weekend, Pentathlon Ireland had five athletes competing at a World Cup III event in Hungary – Natalya Coyle, Kate Coleman, Eilidh Prise, Arthur Lanigan O’Keeffe and Mike Healy – who travelled out there with high performance coach Dr Walid Sayed. Arthur and Eilidh qualified for the individual finals, where they finish eighth and 21st respectively.

The mixed relay was the highlight for the Irish with Kate Coleman (ex Meath Pony Club) and Mike Healy (ex-Warrington) competing as a pair for the first time. They were third after a strong swim and finished sixth in the fencing competition. With a double clear and just five time penalties, they won the show jumping phase with the highest score of the day and with a good run/shoot phase finished second overall to claim the silver medal.

The athletes have two weeks’ training before heading to the next World Cup in Bulgaria on May 22nd.