THE line-up of supreme championship contenders in the sunlit Mullingar arena at the Traditional Irish Horse Association (TIHA) performance championships last Sunday evening was a snapshot of the best traditional bloodline ingredients.

You had the elegant Kipling; the Irish Draught influence seen in Majestical Dancer and Clandeboye; an evergreen Connemara ambassador Blackwood Fernando and Ann Lambert’s classic thoroughbred-Irish Draught filly.

And it was the Model County filly the combined judges panel opted for. It was obvious the win meant a lot to Lambert, a champion of traditional breeding.

“I bought ‘Sky’, her stable name, from Caitriona Lang and Tony Morrissey as a foal. They’re great supporters of mine through the years, so it was great for them to get prize money for all their hard work over the years,” said Ann about her loose jumping class winner.

Her pedigree would certainly have appealed to Ann as the filly, ably shown by young Jessie Murphy, is by the now Belgian-based thoroughbred Jack The Robin out of Lady of the North, by another of the Lambert family’s stallions, Killinick Bouncer.

“Ado Moran started her education and brought her to Goresbridge sales for me, where she never got a bid.” All for luck it proved, as the filly then qualified for the Dublin potential event horse class.

“I took over the reins and did her for Dublin. It has just taken time to learn her way of going, her body is only starting to develop in the last month. I’ll break her over the winter months, show her hounds and hopefully be ready for some young horse eventing classes next year, if she’s not sold in the meantime.

“I have Jessie and my niece Katie Walsh, both 16 years old, helping over the summer holidays and giving them a crash course on showing three-year-olds!

“And I have to say many thanks to all the sponsors, Horse Sport Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Tattersalls Ireland and Westmeath County Council for their sponsorship which makes days like this happen. It was special to win the lovely Hugh Leonard perpetual plate, which his daughter Louise presented, in honour of Hugh. He has worked so hard promoting the Traditional Irish Horse and thank you too to all the TIHA members for organising this lovely day.”

It was a weekend of birthdays, including Hugh’s 90th, for the ‘TIHA family’ but Sunday’s team were like veritable Energizer Bunnies, including Liam Lynskey’s two children Katie and William.

Clockwork

The first class, for ridden four/five-year-olds, started on the dot at nine o’clock and was judged by Philip Scott (conformation) and Rosie Wentges (ride). This excellent combination later judged the loose jumping class where Lambert’s filly won ahead of Seamus Dermody’s Flexible filly Tankardstown Flexi.

The day’s first winner was in that ridden class where Una O’Donnell’s exceedingly handsome home-bred Kipling stood top of the line in this Westmeath County Council-sponsored class.

By the Puissance son Imperial Tiger out of the Ghareeb dam Ghareeb’s Girl, he was piloted here for his usual jockey Alice Copithorne by Maura Rooney.

The now Mexico-based Scrapman had two winners on Sunday, starting with Evan Henry’s Majestical Dancer. Second to this seven-year-old mare was the busy Cloonan Hector, ridden champion at the IDHS national show the previous day for owners Chris Carter and Damien McCormack.

John and Evan Henry with the TIHA reserve supreme champion, Majestical Dancer, owned by Pat Mullen, at the Traditional Irish Horse Association (TIHA) performance championships at Mullingar \ Susan Finnerty

The second Scrapman winner was Louise Lyons’ pure-bred Draught Clandeboye, bred by Miriam Burney. This combination won the four/five-year-old performance class which ran like oiled clockwork as Mullingar’s large arena meant as soon as Janet Murray had assessed the flatwork phase, each entry moved immediately to the cross-country course, scored by Denise Norton and to the far end of the arena where James Murphy - and it was good to see him back judging after a workplace accident last spring - judged conformation.

Blackwood Fernando (Ferdia) may have had 21 more candles on his birthday cake this year than the five-year-old Clandeboye but the spring-heeled veteran scored another win in the six-year-old and over performance class, ahead of two other native breeds: Jenny Williams’ Gneeve King William (Treanlaur Rocky) and Cloonan Hector.

In the supreme championship, the tension built as the five judges assessed their contenders before Ann Lambert’s Sky was called forward as the supreme with Evan Henry aboard Majestical Dancer in reserve.

Majestical Dancer’s owner Pat Mullen was an absentee. “He’s at the World Cup rugby in France!” said Cowtown-based Evan. “I’m an engineer by trade but I keep a small yard of horses that I compete in showing and eventing and of course hunting goes through my veins as my dad is John Henry, the Meath Hunt huntsman.

“I got ‘Darcy’, her pet name, a month before Dublin where she started her showing career with me. She was thrown in the deep end very quickly and took it all in her stride, which shows her Irish Draught-thoroughbred breeding and temperament.

“She was third in the older lightweight mare class at Dublin and I hope to show her again next season and have her much more prepared. She’s not for sale as Pat, who bred her, wants to keep her and breed from her in a couple of years.”

Expanding

“It’s a super show and extremely well-run,” Denise Norton commented afterwards. “I congratulated Liam [Lynskey] and his team on all their work. His daughter Katie expertly scribed for me all day, his son William collected sheets from the the judges, put fences back up, made sure we had water and anything else we needed. They were invaluable.

“The course was very well presented and the horses needed to be balanced and in a good rhythm to show themselves to their best, which the majority did. The five judges were in total agreement with the champion and reserve choices. The TIHA show committee make it look easy, it was a really lovely atmosphere and everyone was so welcoming.”

From 40 entries in its inaugural year to over 100 on Sunday, this championship has really found its place and as entries continue to expand, separate Irish Draught and Connemara classes could be another welcome addition.

TIHA chairman Kevin Noone was delighted with how the day went. “It’s a very successful event which is growing year on year, helped by the excellent facilities at Mullingar Equestrian Centre.

“Without our sponsors it would be impossible for us to hold these events. We really appreciate Horse Sport Ireland’s continued support and were delighted to have Denis Duggan and the Mayor of Athlone, Louise Heavin, here to present the prizes in their sponsored classes.

“Tattersalls Ireland are another loyal sponsor and we’re so grateful for their sponsorship of the Tattersalls supreme championship.

“It’s a great reward for us as an association to see the growth of the event with entries up over 40% on last year and the quality of the horses, resulting in two fabulous supreme and reserve champions and both future traditional broodmares.

“A special thanks to all those that brought out their horses to participate on the day making it such a success and the help of those that officiated, ensuring the smooth running of the event,” continued the affable chairman.

“As always, if anybody has any ideas on how we can further develop the show, please contact us or indeed, if you have any ideas on how to further the Traditional Irish Horse we’re always delighted to hear from you.”