MANY congratulations to Longford’s Edel Whyte and Wicklow’s Aoife Madigan who recently passed their A Test, receiving their badges and certificates on the day.

The highest award of the Irish Pony Club, the A Test provides a comprehensive examination in horsemanship and the training of young horses for senior members and associates.

On Monday, September 2nd, a group of eight candidates travelled to the Clonshire Equestrian Centre in Co Limerick where they were examined by William Blane, chairman of training with The Pony Club in Britain, and Nicola Fitter, a BHS Stage 5 performance coach, plus the IPC’s chief examiner, Derval Diamond.

Hopefully, the six candidates who were unsuccessful on this occasion will have benefitted from their training and their experience of the examination and will try again next year.

Last month, all 14 candidates who completed the H Test at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre passed, two of them with honours – Peter Dillon (Kildare) and Ailbhe McGrath (Ward Union).

The other successful candidates were:- Aoife Cronin (Louth), Julia Crowe (Scarteen), Emma Egan (Kildare), Maegen Fleming (Newcastle Lyons), Stephanie French (Muskerry), Megan Gannon (Ward Union), Gaby Mazur (Muskerry), Ronan Molony (Kildare), Molly O’Flynn (Muskerry), Grace Queally (Kildare), Jamie Reynolds-Moore (Ward Union) and Susie Shekelton (Meath).

Congratulations to them and also to the very many IPC members who have passed their Tests at lower levels throughout the country this summer. The final senior proficiency Test, the B+ Test, will be held over the weekend of November 2nd and 3rd in Grennan College, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny.