THE Festival Supreme pony working hunter champion of 2022 is Emily McGowan’s Connemara gelding Tullaree Fear Buí who claimed the title ahead of British-bred mare, Comberton Coda who was ridden for Janet Williamson by her daughter Carla.

While McGowan has partnered the grey to his championship successes at Balmoral and Dublin, Lesley Jones was in the saddle at this year’s Northern Ireland Festival in Cavan Equestrian Centre as his owner has been working hard running her Millbank Farm Shop in Saintfield. While it’s good to be busy, it looks as if Jones will also be on board Tullaree Fear Buí when he competes at Balmoral and in the Dublin Horse Show Connemara performance hunter championship qualifiers.

At Cavan, Jones and the gelding qualified for Sunday evening’s pony finale when winning the Festival Mountain and Moorland working hunter final for ponies exceeding 143cms earlier in the day while they also won the Connemara working hunter class for riders over 16 on the Friday.

Tullaree Fear Buí was bred in Co Kerry by Clive Swindell. The nine-year-old by Templebready Fear Bui is out of the Dunlewey Rigmarole mare Tullaree Silver.

McGowan gave Tullaree Fear Bui one outing under Eventing Ireland rules last year when, with a small number of cross-country time penalties, they finished seventh of 21 in an EI90 class at Glenpatrick in May when, in a normal year, they would have been competing at Balmoral.

Excellent record

In contrast, the reserve supreme champion Comberton Coda has an excellent eventing record both in Ireland and Britain where she was first campaigned by Alice Homer, granddaughter of leading show horse producer David Tatlow who also competed the pony in working hunter classes.

Janet and Norman Williamson purchased the now 10-year-old bay three years ago initially for son Josh to ride but then Covid intervened and in a truncated 2020 campaign, the combination were placed many times at EI90 and EI100 level. Last year, Comberton Coda was partnered by senior rider, Amanda Goldsbury and they won the EI100 title at the Horse Sport Ireland/Eventing Ireland national championships at Kilquilkey House in September.

Carla Williamson (13) took over the ride on the mare this season and, on the last of three starts, they won the EI100 (P) at Lisgarvan House earlier this month. En route to being judged Festival reserve supreme pony working hunter champion on Sunday, the Co Westmeath duo won the 143cms Festival working hunter final earlier in the day, while they were second (to Aoibhinn Ruane and Clonad Rose) in the HOYS 143cms working hunter final the previous afternoon.

To no great surprise, Comberton Coda, who is by the skewbald Hessen stallion Stanhopes Diddicoy, was bred at the Comberton Stud, Worcester out of the Chiddock Time Limit mare, Comberton Carmell.

Carla had a second ride on the Connemara gelding Oh Dakota Justice on whom she frustratingly also finished runner-up (to Isla Coad and Frosthill Jackaroo) in the 133cms HOYS working hunter qualifier. Janet and Carla will be travelling to Britain for HOYS qualifiers this summer. Their more immediate target is Balmoral while there will be plenty of eventing as well.