THE Northern Region of Eventing Ireland held their annual awards ball last Saturday in The Stormont Hotel, Belfast where, decked out in their finery, riders, owners, breeders, supporters, sponsors and landowners enjoyed a night of celebration.

Before the award winners were announced, the night’s Master of Ceremonies, Raymond Bready, first paid tribute to some of the region’s long-serving members, who had passed away since last year’s gathering viz Patricia MacKean, Richard Tolerton and Rosemary Lowry.

Georgia Stubington, Northern Region chair, took to the stage to present the awards with John Gibson of Sporting Images, providing beautiful personalised gift boxes containing wine for the male winners, prosecco for the ladies and sparkling fruit juice for the under-age winners.

His odds would have been prohibitive but, if there was ever a banker in eventing, it would have been Steven Smith who was again presented with the region’s leading rider trophy.

The Gilford competitor got the 2024 season underway at Tyrella on Saturday, April 20th, when he was placed on all five of his rides, and he recorded his first two wins of the campaign at the same venue two weeks later.

Smith, who rounded off his regional season when again placing on all five of his rides at Hazeldene on August 31st, also competed in the south most weekends and nationally he partnered 13 winners from 93 rides, posting the most cross-country clears inside the time (46) and the highest number of show jumping clears (48).

Closely associated with the Iveagh Branch, Smith would have been pleased to see one of its members, Tilley Tumility, being crowned the leading Pony Club rider of the season having accumulated 43 points. The East Downs’ Sarah Gilchrist filled the runner-up slot with 29 points.

Seaforde’s Molly O’Connor, who celebrated her 17th birthday earlier this month, was presented with the Pescetto friendship trophy, having been selected as the most improved Junior rider in the region by the eventing high performance team of Dag Albert and Sue Shortt.

The following riders were honoured for representing the NR on the international stage during 2024: Susie Berry, who rode Wellfields Lincoln on the senior eventing team at the Olympic Games in Paris, France in July; Ellen Douglas, who rode Downshire Rock at the European Young Rider eventing championships at Strzegom, Poland in August; and Steven Smith, who rode Strangford in the CCI3*-L for seven-year-olds at the world breeding championships for young event horses at Le Lion d’Angers, France in October.

A full list of the equine regional award winners appears in pages 108-109 in the results section.

Kim Constable was then called to the stage to pick the winner of the £1,000, which she had donated for any volunteer who had helped at a minimum of six events throughout the year – this in addition to two weekly cash prizes amounting to £250. There were 26 names in the tombola drum and the lucky winner drawn out was Shauna-Lee McCann, who acted as a fence judge on nine occasions. Kim has generously pledged to be on board again for 2025.

The awards night doubles up as the region’s main fundraiser and Raymond Bready rounded off the official proceedings with a very successful auction and raffle before revellers took to the dance floor to the music of The Bizz.