A LARGE contingent representing Area 17 of The Pony Club headed over to Morris Equestrian near Kilmarnock last weekend for the Scotland and Northern Ireland Barrier Spring Festival Finals in dressage, arena eventing and show jumping.
In dressage, the best result came in the Grassroots championship ride-off which Zara Reid of the North Down Branch won on her father Gary’s Greylands Diamond Girl.
Previously campaigned by Alex O’Hare, the 13-year-old bay mare is a new ride this season for Zara but they haven’t taken long to bond.
This most recent success came just days after their win in the EI80(Q) at the Eventing Ireland Northern Region one-day event at Tyrella while, back in February, they finished third in the Baileys Horse Feeds flexi-eventing league at The Meadows.
On a score of 64.06%, Mid Antrim’s Hannah Thompson partnered her traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse mare Jemeela Charm, a 13-year-old grey by Loughry Lad, to finished sixth in the Novice championship ride-off which was won by Scotland’s Holly Burgess (Bennachie Branch) on Apache Joe (70.52). The pair had clashed in their arena qualifier where Burgess finished first (75.63) with Thompson placing second (72.71).
East Down’s Anna Morrow was seventh in the Intermediate championship on the 13-year-old Connemara gelding Ballyvary Ripple while Mid Antrim’s Holly Logan was third in the Novice freestyle to music with Nails Lady.
In arena eventing, Reid and Greylands Diamond Girl competed at PC80 level but, although clear with a cross-country time of 138.73, they had to settle for second, sandwiched between two other Area 17 combinations.
Here, the honours went to Katelyn Irvine of East Antrim on the Irish Sport Horse mare Kensington Absolute (140.89), a six-year-old daughter of Beach Ball, while Jessica Mark of Mid Antrim finished third with the similarly-aged ISH gelding Greenan Milo (138.19), a bay by Greenan Fort.
There were top 10 finishes for East Antrim’s Eve Lindsay (Kilcurry Gem) and Cayleigh Erwin (Island Beauty Seventh).
In show jumping, Area 17’s best result came in the Debut championship which was won by East Antrim’s Ellie Bingham riding the 15-year-old 128cms Grade A mare One In The Making. There were top 10 finishes at this level for Iveagh’s Amy Clarke (Fire Heart Flash) and Bingham again with Little Pretender.
Mid Antrim’s Holly Logan partnered the former Grade A 128cms pony Mini Digger to finish fourth in the Foundation championship, where Harry Hannaway of the Iveagh Branch was eighth on Lucky Number, while in the Olympia Pony Club mini/major qualifier, there were top 10 finishes for Ellie Bingham (Dat’ill Do) and East Down’s Charlotte Nelson (Sugar Dolly).
Many of those who travelled to Scotland are sure to meet up again on Easter Monday when the East Down Branch is holding its annual two-phase at Tyrella. Pony Club parents and guardians can compete as well as this event is open to all.