COMBER’s Carolyn Mellor rode two horses at last weekend’s Dressage Ireland national championships in Ballindenisk where she won five titles, most significantly departing the Co Cork venue on Sunday as the 2024 national dressage champion.

“I went down to Ballindenisk thinking I would have a good weekend but what I had was a fantastic one!” said the Co Down international whose trip to the Fell family’s farm didn’t start on a great note as her Vision Sport Horses lorry was nearly forced off a country road at one point. On arrival, she was then dragged along the ground through gravel when unloading a horse she had transported down for someone else.

Though having to ride with a bandaged arm and a swollen leg (“I could barely get my boot on!”), things could only get better – and they did. Particularly early on Saturday evening when Mellor, who had been first into Arena 2 for the four-runner Grand Prix championship, topped the combined scores of British Dressage List 1 judges Gwyneth Lewis and Fiona Lace following her test on VSH Gouverneur M (66.63%).

Limerick-based Tara Oliver finished second with her 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding Furst Romance (65.215%), Co Wicklow’s Josephine Delahoyde placed third on her mother Barbara’s 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Barroso (64.24) and Co Kildare-based Belinda Brereton took fourth with the 16-year-old Deco (63.37), another KWPN-registered gelding.

Only Brereton took on Mellor again in Sunday’s Grand Prix Freestyle but, most disappointingly, she and Deco were eliminated leaving Mellor and Gouverneur M, who again had been first into the arena, to claim the spoils on the 67.44% score they were awarded by Lewis and Lace.

Over the moon

“This was just the second time I competed in the Grand Prix championship,” said Mellor, “so I was over the moon to win. ‘Gucci’ is having a few days’ break and then we’ll prepare for the international at Wellington early next month and possibly a trip to Peelbergen (The Netherlands) in November. My main aim with Gucci is to qualify for next year’s Europeans (the pair represented Ireland in Hagen, Germany, in 2021).”

Gucci’s stable-companion, Ballett’s Bellissima (aka Ava), headed back up to Co Down with three titles to her credit, winning the Category 3 Elementary and Medium championships and the Dressage Ireland six-year-old championship.

At Elementary level, the brown Westphalian mare by Ballettmeister recorded a combined score of 211.625% to see off the Sonya McCormack-ridden seven-year-old Traditional Irish Horse gelding Coosan Lucky Guy (211.375) and the Lisa Dundee-partnered six-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare RoundThorn Nice N Easy (209.125).

In Medium company, where she scored 221.625%, Ava’s closest rivals were Lucy Cusack’s nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Kirktown (217.875) and Elaine Murphy’s 10-year-old ISH mare QT An Tanaiste (215.125). In the DI six-year-old championship, where she scored 77.2%, her only rival was Roundthorn Nice N Easy (64.4).

Proud trainer

While Mellor received many calls and messages congratulating here on her successes, we noted that Pammy Hutton, who appears to have plenty on her plate at present, mentioned the Co Down international in one of her Facebook postings: ‘Puffed with pride as Carolyn Mellor won the Irish Grand Prix Championship and a few others. All “her” hard work paid off and supporting team shed a tear’.

“Pammy has been my main trainer for years,” said the 2024 national champion. “I also receive coaching from Judy Reynolds and Dane Rawlins who just have different views and so different ideas. I don’t have a groom as such but am so lucky to be helped out at shows by my good friends Jackie and Brenda,.

“These national championships were very successful,” continued Mellor.

“The surface at Ballindenisk was very good and everyone you dealt with was very helpful and friendly. Would I go down there again? I’d really have to think about it. It cost a lot in diesel to get there and the stabling was expensive – I barely broke even. When you’re planning trips abroad which you have to fund yourself, you really do need to look at all costs throughout the year.”

Following the championships, Carolyn and her very supportive husband Adrian headed off to Greece for a holiday. “When I get back I have plenty of coaching assignments coming up as I train dressage riders at all levels and plenty of event riders as well.”

When asked if she had any young horses coming up behind Gouverneur M and Ballett’s Bellissima, Mellor answered, “No. When they’re finished, I’m finished! What I am doing is breeding what I hope are top dressage horses to sell and I’d love to see these going to Irish riders.”