THREE young horse classes, judged more on potential than performance, took place on Saturday at the South East Region’s NutriScience Classic in Spruce Lodge where four combinations lined out in both the FEI competition for four-year-olds and the Dressage Ireland national young horse test for five-year-olds.

These classes, which were sponsored by Shanaclune Equine Dentistry, were commented on by visiting judges, Jeanette Wolfs and Karen Retera from The Netherlands, who provided riders with direct feedback at the conclusion of each test.

“We saw some very nice horses with good gaits and balance. The top horses were correctly ridden with a soft contact, the way a young horse should be shown. We made some small comments on liking more impulsion at times but overall positive.”

Carrick-On-Suir’s Rachel Dowley partnered two of the four-year-olds, winning on her recent Castle Irvine, Necarne Preliminary champion GFL Nava (79.2), a Dutch Warmblood mare by For Romance whose stable-companion, GFL Flashdance (67) finished third. The pair were split by the Finn O’Gara-partnered Never Too Late (77.2), a Dutch Warmblood gelding by High Five U.S.

Northern Region chair Joan Adrain topped the rankings in the five-year-old class with Carolyn Mellor’s VSH Moviestar (78), a Dutch Warmblood gelding by Johnson. Here, Kate Dwyer placed second with the Vida Tansey-bred Ri Ra An Tanaiste (75.6), an ISH gelding by Revolution.

While Adrain won the Category 3 Novice championship with VSH Moviestar (141.14), Dowley and Dwyer locked horns in the Category 3 Preliminary championship where the latter came out on top with Ri Ra An Tanaiste (145.2), just marginally ahead of Dowley and GFL Nava (145).

Just one rider, Aine Ryan, competed in the DI national young horse test for six-year-olds where she scored 73.2 on her Dutch Warmblood gelding Leejoy, a bay by Fürsten-Look out of the Goodtimes mare U-Two.

On a total of 139.94, Ryan and Leejoy won the weekend’s Advanced Medium championship where seven combinations competed both days. Here, Anne Marie Dunphy finished second with LEB Hugo (134.84), a position she and her nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Woodlander Rockstar also filled on a score of 138.55 in the Advanced championship which was won by Josephine Delahoyde with her mother Barbara’s Cashmere (139.7), a 10-year-old Holstein gelding by Catoo.

Since Monday, Dunphy (who is a member of the SER committee) has been in Poland as the Irish team she manages competes at the European pony dressage championships in Strzegom.