THE Dressage and Combined Training Committee of the Irish Pony Club has named the team selected to travel to the five-day Royal Windsor Show at the beginning of May for the Pony Club dressage home international.

The Committee received over 40 applications from members of IPC Branches throughout the country for a place on the squad and their selection was based on the scores for the applicants’ videos of the relevant tests, as assessed by a List 3 Dressage Ireland judge.

Those selected are – Open, Tipperary’s Evie Kennedy with the Connemara gelding Blackwoodland Breeze, a 14-year-old grey by Glencarrig Prince, and Waterford’s Lilly Larkin with the Irish Sport Horse mare Pippas Harlequin Lady, an eight-year-old chesnut by Harlequin du Carel; Intermediate, Meath’s Anna Sharkey with the 23-year-old gelding Carbury and the same Branch’s Grace Hanna with the former two-star eventer Clerkson, a 13-year-old bay Clerkenwell gelding; and Novice, Carberry’s Sinead O’Regan with the Connemara gelding Alana’s Rambler, an eight-year-old Loughmor Rambler grey.

The competition takes place in the Adelaide Arena at Royal Windsor on Friday, May 3rd, when the Irish quintet will face opposition from teams representing Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

While Anna Sharkey will be working hard to further improve her dressage over the next few weeks, she is going to take some time off flatwork tomorrow. The 13-year-old is competing in the Junior competition at the Ward Union Antler Challenge at Primrose Park Farm, Kilsallaghan, where she rides the 15-year-old ISH mare Maperath Mollie, a skewbald daughter of Atlantic Sparkey.

Two of Anna’s Meath clubmates, Harriet Mangan and Daniel Callery, have been named on the IPC team set to contest the DAKS Pony Club home international mounted games competition at Royal Windsor. Also due to start in the Castle Arena from Thursday, May 2nd, to Sunday, May 5th, are Shillelagh’s Robin Gahan Darcy, Carlow’s Conor Buckley and Bray’s Lulu Fitzsimons. The reserve player is Kildare’s Nicky Bolton, while Eilidh Hyland is team coach.