THE Eastern Region of Dressage Ireland ran a very successful show last Sunday at Marlton where, on a sunny day, British Dressage List 1 judge Andrew Bennie joined the home-based quartet of Jane Whitaker (List 2), David Lee (List 3), Eithne O’Kelly (List 5) and Alison Thorne (List 6).

Here, we will first concentrate on the senior rank classes judged by Bennie, who awarded his highest score of the day in the FEI competition for four-year-old horses to the Ross O’Hare-ridden Pompidou AF (72%). Jack Lynch’s bay Dutch Warmblood stallion, who was making his DI debut, is by Desperado out of the Florencio mare Gina.

There was just one horse forward before him in the five-year-old class, Sue Chadwick’s Foxy Lady R. Another DI newcomer, this liver chesnut Westphalian mare by For Gold scored 71% in the hands of Ruth Hayes, a Horse Sport Ireland Level 3 dressage coach, based in Aughrim.

At Advanced Medium level, six combinations contested the DI90, where the winner was Co Galway’s Padraig Flanagan with Vida Tansey’s home-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding by Quaterback, Qeannaire An Tainiste (71.03%). Only three pairings started in the FEI Junior Preliminary test, won by Tara Hayes with her mother Fiona’s ISH mare Sandora BS (68), an eight-year-old Spielberg bay. Hayes recorded an uncontested Advanced win in the BD101 on board Ferrero K (69.05), Fiona’s 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Apache.

Emily Kate Robinson and Edvaard won the FEI Prix St George and FEI Intermediate I at Marlton Stud \ Louise O'Brien Photography

Robinson double

Up from Co Waterford with two horses, Emily Kate Robinson won both the three-runner FEI Prix St George (69.26%) and the FEI Intermediate I (68.24), in which there was just one other starter, riding the Dutch Warmblood gelding Edvaard, her 15-year-old brown son of Christ.

Also recording a double before Bennie was Mai Monahan who, with her mother Penny’s 11-year-old Connemara gelding Carrickfad Cloud Break (by Castle Gigolo), scored 66.43% in the two-runner FEI pony rider team test and 65.41 in the individual test, where she was the only competitor.

Other winners of Bennie-judged non-restricted classes were Gwyn Holmes on Karen O’Sullivan’s nine-year-old British Warmblood mare Hillgrounds Flamenco (70.18% in the five-strong Elementary BD57), Millie Dawn McBride with her 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Goldwin (65.63 in the five-runner Medium DI65) and Rika Schmeling on the 15-year-old Rheinlander mare Florine (66.90 in the four-runner Medium BD61).

David Lee judged two classes and at Elementary level agreed with Bennie as his winner of the DI52, in which there were 10 starters, was Glwyn Holmes and Hillgrounds Flamenco (68.47%). Lee faced 20 starters in the Novice DI21, where his overall leaderboard was topped by Sonya McCormack riding Oakfield Jappeloup (70.52), Annmarie Walsh’s five-year-old ISH gelding by Rebel Mountain.

On 74.31%, McCormack and Oakfield Jappeloup were also winners of the Preliminary BD17A. Here, 18 combinations started before Alison Thorne who, along with Meabh Hennessy, was a recent addition to Dressage Ireland’s list of judges. Thorne’s other winners were Pippa Howitt on Bridgetown Dancer (66.61), the only starter in the Welcome to Dressage class, Olivia Linnane with Golden Dasher (67.68) in a competitive Trailblazers’ Preliminary class and the same partnership on 65.81 in the two-runner Trailblazers’ Novice class.