THE weather was very much onside as Kilronan Riding Club’s Summer Show returned to the calendar last Sunday at the Dawson family’s popular venue of the Kilronan Equestrian Centre, Cloghran.

As usual, host, and club chairman, Helena Dawson had put much time, thought and energy into designing and building the Derby tracks and Kilronan members acknowledge that it is her commitment which makes this show such a success.

Male riders didn’t feature as winners in the dressage section but Meath’s Peter King (RC80 Open) and Ian Quinlan (RC1m) plus Mo Chara’s Niall Dunne (RC90) won three of the Horse First-sponsored Derbys. Midlands Region club Mo Chara had a second Derby winner in Kitty Shanahan (RC90 Open) while, in the remaining classes, the honours were divided among five clubs based in the North East Region.

The Derbys were judged by Laura Connell who awarded the ‘Round of the Day’ prize to Mo Chara’s Graham Fleming who finished fourth in the RC90 on his 15-year-old Hi Kilrainey gelding, Diesel Power.

HEC sponsored the dressage section of the show where the classes were judged by Jane Whitaker (Arena 1) and Jean Halpenny (Arena 2).

Ashbrook’s Anne O’Dowd won both the Veteran and RCE classes with FCD Touch Of Class and Until Proven Guilty respectively, while Drynam struck twice through Jenny Webb (RCP1) and club secretary Laura Snow (RCP2 Open) as did Tara Hill thanks to Maura Walsh (RCP3) and Elaine Kilbane (RCN). Club secretary Sarah Richardson won the Walk/Trot test for Boyneside while Ard Lú treasurer Rosie Hollywood topped the RCP2 scores.

Cheval show

Tomorrow, Cheval Riding Club hosts its pre-Festival show at Jordanstown, Oldtown, while, next weekend, members of the Association of Irish Riding Clubs will descend on the Mullingar Equestrian Centre for the two-day AIRC Festival as it too makes a welcome return to the equestrian calendar.