THE Northern Region of Dressage Ireland staged their regional finals at an increasingly busy Castle Irvine, Necarne last Sunday.

Lucy McDowell proved unbeatable at Novice level as she won both classes on the Connemara gelding Forest View Boy, a 13-year-old grey by Forestiew JJ out of the Ashfield Bobby Sparrow mare, Millenium Sparrow.

Maeve Lunny landed the Preliminary BD15 on her 12-year-old chesnut mare Jojo (70%) but, in the BD17A, they only achieved a score of 65 as Ciara McLoughlin claimed the honours on 72.76 with the Irish Draught gelding Clonakilty Diamond Hero, a chesnut 10-year-old by Clonakilty Hero out of Comber Line (by Gentle Diamond).

Supported

At Novice level, Ruth Logan won the DI21 on her Irish Sport Horse gelding O To Be Posh (71.21), a 12-year-old bay by Obelix. In the better supported BD37A, the honours went to Penny Murphy with another Irish Draught, Kontiki (68.70).

This seven-year-old gelding by Killinick Bouncer is out of the Holy Cross mare Glen Cross. Mary Devine recorded a comfortable victory in the Medium DI77 on her nine-year-old black gelding Kingsman (73.57), as did Ellen McDonald (mentioned elsewhere in this page) on the 11-year-old Dutch Riding Pony Dante Alighieri (by FS Don’t Worry) in the DI65.

Only three combinations contested the Advance Medium (FEI Junior Individual test) competition where judge Michael Moore had joint winners in Karen McKeown on the Dutch Warmblood gelding VSH Gangster and Yvette Truesdale riding the 11-year-old Obelix gelding Homegrown Ajax. Both combinations scored 68.09 with a collective mark of 14.

Robyn Rick topped the scores in the combined Trailblazer classes on the 128cms grey gelding Cornamaddy Jack (67.65), while McDonald and Dante Alighieri were awarded a score of 73.14 by Moore for their unopposed performance in the FEI Pony team test.

Fiona Gerring scored 64.71 to win the open ‘Pick Your Own’ on the 19-year-old Dutch Sport Horse gelding Jumping Fox, while a mark of 64.17 saw Naomi Elkin land the combined Para competition with Apollo.