THE Bright Outlook memorial trophy, awarded each year by Richard and Nicky Nesbitt to the person who they regard best embraces the sportsman criteria and ethos, was presented at last Saturday night’s Northern Region awards ball to a stunned but delighted Samantha Dale, who returned to event riding this season following a 24-year break.

Dale, who runs a newsagents business in Carrickfergus and is a judge, safety officer and amateur competitor with Showjumping Ireland, competed the Irish Sport Horse mare Threeseas, a 2011 Ars Vivendi bay, who she bought as a three-year-old in Goresbridge.

Anita Doherty gave the mare a couple of runs in 2020, winning an EI90 first time out at Loughanmore, and then throughout 2021 and 2022, bringing her up to EI110 level.

Dale also show jumped the mare at that stage, earning roughly 120 points, and mixed it between both disciplines throughout 2024.

They rounded off their competition year when, with a pole down show jumping and a small number of time penalties in both jumping phases, they finished 18th of 33 in the CCI1*-Intro at Ballindenisk international in September.

On their previous start, where there was an issue with timing, Dale and Threeseas weren’t acknowledged on the final day as winners of the Childeric Saddles Ireland EI100 (Amateur) title at the Eventing Ireland national championships at Kilguilkey House.

They were reinstated at the top of the leaderboard shortly afterwards and Saturday night’s acclaim really underpinned that win.

The winner of the Childeric Saddles Ireland EI90 (Amateur) National championship at Kilguilkey House was Amy Salmon and she, too, was recognised for her achievement on Saturday night.

A doctor in the A&E Department in the Ulster Hospital along with her husband Dean, Salmon claimed the title on her traditionally-bred ISH gelding Clonaslee Captain Hawk Wing, a five-year-old bay son of Inisfree The Holy Grail.