SOME horses and ponies performed just the one test at last weekend’s Wild Atlantic Dressage Festival, including the Anne Marie Dunphy-owned and ridden Pedigree OK.
This Dutch Warmblood mare, who won the four-year-old class sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Horse Sport Ireland on a score of 76.6%, is by Formidable out of Let’s Go, a Ferguson half-sister to the Grand Prix dressage horses Friend (a gelding by Rousseau) and Jovian (a stallion by Apache).
Linda McIlwaine claimed the five-year-old class on Roundthorn Oreo (70.8%), who has 107 Dressage Ireland points to his credit. As his name would suggest, this Irish Sport Horse gelding by Vittorio was bred in Co Antrim by Patricia Connon. His dam is the KWPN-registered skewbald Amour Roundthorn (by Sandreo).
Young riders were also catered for at the Ard Chuain Equestrian Centre, where the winners of the Attymas Country Shop Trailblazers’ classes were Caitlin McMullion on Hollycreek Sir Sidney (71.17% in the Mini), Tallula Hughes with Lightning McQueen (68.57 in the Under 12s) and Lucy Carr riding Tullibards Ice Lacy (69.82 in the 12 to 16-year-old riders’ class).