IN spite of the weather conditions, last weekend’s Dressage Ireland National Championships at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre were, in general, considered a success with riders being fulsome in their praise of the arena surfaces.

Although he wasn’t competing at the championships this year, Britain-based Irish international Dane Rawlins attended as usual and, while his visit was brief because of concerns regarding ferry sailings, he did have time to be interviewed by show organiser, Jane Whitaker.

Examinations for judges wishing to upgrade from List 6 (Preliminary level) to List 5 (Novice), from List 4 (Elementary) to List 3 (Medium) and from List 3 to List 3A (Advanced Medium) were held on Friday, the opening day of the championships. Visiting List 1 judges Andrea Smith, Jane Peberdy and Mary-Anne Horn, who are also examiners for British Dressage, officiated. There were two successful candidates, Marian Slattery and Danielle Carey, who were both upgraded from List 4 to List 3.

Horn was one of the judges for the Howden Insurance Medium Category 2 championship which was won by Jennifer Rea with her Irish Sport Horse gelding Fermoyle Charles (235.25), an eight-year-old bay by S Creevagh Ferro. The Category 3 title went to Finn O’Gara who also recorded a combined score of 235.25 on Karen Bennett’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Jinger, a nine-year-old chesnut son of Negro.

Rea and Fermoyle Charles were also winners (226.875) of the North Region Advanced Medium Category 2 championship while the Midland and Western Region Category 3 title went to Bethany Mackey who scored 214.625 on her Dutch Warmblood mare Kalahari, a nine-year-old bay by Ferguson. Hannah Fielding claimed the Northern Region Advanced championship on board her Hanoverian mare Florentina DWS (231.875), an 11-year-old bay by Fidertanz.