LISA Dundee continued her excellent start to 2024 last Sunday, when the Northern Region of Dressage Ireland held its second show of the year, and the seventh in its winter league, at Danescroft Equestrian Centre.

Starting at Preliminary level, Dundee comfortably topped the overall leaderboard in the BD17A on the Irish Sport Horse gelding Roundthorn Oreo (72.76%), with fellow Category 3 rider Maggy Williams posting the second highest score on Mullyash Moonlight (68.45). The 10-runner class was judged by Dermot Cannon (List 1), who was among the Dressage Ireland contingent to attend the FEI world cup show in Amsterdam on Thursday and Friday.

As his name would suggest, Linda McIlwaine’s successful Vittorio five-year-old was bred in Co Antrim by RoundThorn Sport Horses’ Patricia Connon. He is the first of three foals registered on CapallOir out of the Sandreo mare Amour RoundThorn, whose six-year-old Formidable half-sister, RoundThorn Nice N Easy, won the Coreen Abernethy-judged Novice BD22 on 70.17 for Dundee and Connon.

On form

Another competitor to record a double on Sunday, in front of Dermot Cannon, was Category 2 rider Roma Oakes, who claimed the Novice DI24A on 69.83% and the Elementary DI51 on 71.11. In both instances, Oakes was on board her Anglo European Studbook-registered Radar, a 14-year-old chesnut by Wolkenderry out of the Dutch Capitol mare Dorette Z.

Just two riders competed in the Medium classes where, in both instances, Ellie McDonald and the German riding pony Dante Alighieri got the better of Casey Webb riding Aprils Pacino Time. In the BD76, judged by Bernie Foley (List 2A), McDonald scored 68.03% on her father Jim’s 14-year-old FS Don’t Worry chesnut, while she was awarded a score of 67.71 by Dermot Cannon in the DI77.

Marguerite Kavanagh was rewarded for her efforts in travelling north, as she won two of Sunday’s open classes, both judged by Foley, the FEI Prix St George (68.38%) and the FEI Intermediate I (65.74), on Danciano SR. Kavanagh had her first start on this Dutch Warmblood gelding in December and this was their second outing of 2024. The 16-year-old bay is by Lanciano out of the Cocktail mare Perginia SR.

Foley also judged the Elementary BD43, where she reserved her highest marks for the very much in-form combination of Joanne McSeveney and Richard Finlay’s British-bred Hanoverian mare Donna Bella (69.31%). This 13-year-old daughter of Don Frederico was imported with 261 British Dressage points to her credit.

Intermediate

The sole combination to come before Dermot Cannon in the FEI Intermediate II was Laragh O’Grady and the ISH gelding Mullentine Emerald Wolfe Tone (65.29%), her 13-year-old chesnut by Jaguar Mail, who was bred in Co Armagh by Heather Allen out of the Cruising mare Mullentine Easy Jet.

Returning to the lower level classes, Nikita Noonan won the two-runner Intro A on her 16-year-old skewbald mare Apple Pie (67.22%), while the above-mentioned Williams landed the 10-strong DI5A on her six-year-old bay gelding Mullyash Moonlight (73.04). Both of these classes were judged by Coreen Abernethy (List 4), who had been on duty at The Meadows on Saturday for the third leg of the Baileys Horse Feeds flexi eventing series.

There was a very poor entry for the advertised Junior classes, with Ellie Campbell recording uncontested victories in both the Preliminary DI5A (70.36%) and the Novice DI24A (64.33) on the Connemara mare Killaspic Arya, a six-year-old grey daughter of Killaspic Rebel, while there were no entries in the FEI Junior classes.

There was just one starter in the Trailblazer section, Dara Currie, who scored 63.93 on Belles Boy in the children’s preliminary class. There were no entries in the sole advertised Para class nor in the three young horse classes. While she may not have been too busy later in the day, Bernie Foley undertook judges’ training on Novice 22 for eight individuals wishing to upgrade to List 5 or enter the Dressage Ireland judges’ panel at List 6.

The next show in the Northern Region is scheduled to take place at Knockagh View Equestrian on Saturday next, February 10th.

Before then, on Wednesday in fact, members, supporters and others are encouraged to meet up for a social occasion in the function room at Knockagh View for the Northern Region’s 2023 awards night, which is being combined with a fun pub quiz. There will be a buffet supper included in the cost of tickets, which are selling for £15 (adults)/£10 (under 18s); bookings close on Tuesday next at 1pm.