A VERY busy period for Pony Club members throughout Ireland continues this weekend.
The United and Carbery Branches are hosting a round of the Connolly’s Red Mills/Irish Pony Club eventing series today at Ballindenisk, while the Island Branch is hosting a round tomorrow at Frankfort Stud.
And there are still legs to come at the Tinahely Riding Club grounds on Saturday, August 3rd (hosted by the Shillelagh Branch), at Ballindenisk again on Sunday, August 4th (hosted by Area 5) with the final qualifier being staged by Area 7 at Killossery Lodge Stud on Saturday, August 10th.
On Monday, the three-day IPC Festival commences at Barnadown and, on Friday next, July 26th, Punchestown racecourse will be the focus of attention for those competing in the Conlans Defender National Tetrathlon Championships. There will be added excitement at the Co Kildare venue, as teams from Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the United States are competing in an international competition.
The second half of this international competition is being hosted by Area 17 of The Pony Club at Castle Irvine, Necarne over the weekend of August 2nd to 4th, while this weekend the Area Tetrathlon is being hosted by the Tullylagan Branch with the run and ride phases taking place at Hazeldene Farm.
Disappointed
Last Sunday, the Area eventing was hosted by the East Antrim Branch at Lusk Equestrian, where there were many disappointed young riders who failed to complete. It’s understandable that the organisers want the strongest teams and individuals to qualify for The Pony Club Championships, but perhaps some time-consuming alternatives should be incorporated into the cross-country tracks to ensure more riders get home.
The only squad who completed in the Kevin Ross Bloodstock PC100 team competition were the Iveagh Collies quartet of Sophie Nesbitt, Katie Robinson, Zoe Daniel and Beth Wishart.
The very experienced Hannah Thompson, a member of the Mid-Antrim Branch, led from start to finish in the individual competition, despite having a pole down show jumping with Jemeela Charm. A week earlier, Thompson and her 14-year-old traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse mare by Loughry Lad won the EI100 Amateur class at The Clare.
Nine teams lined out for the Island Safety PC90 competition and here, five teams completed, headed by the East Antrim Wasps foursome of Sophia Bingham, Eve Lindsay, Katelyn Irvine and Erin McCrea, who recorded a three-rider counting score of 87.1 penalties. McCrea won Section A of the individual competition on the 12-year-old OB Active mare Rubane Candy, while the leaderboard in Section B was topped by the Iveaghs’ Catherine Cowan riding the 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, Lady Remarque.
Catherine Cowan representing the Iveagh Branch, winner of the 90cm class at the Area 17 Eventing at Lusk Equestrian \ JRS Photography
Five squads also completed in the Barron Transport PC80 team competition, where the four-rider Iveagh Dalmatians (128.7) got the better of the Iveagh Orcas (179.1), who had no discard score. The winning team comprised Isaac McCarthy, Isabelle Kehoe, Freddie Castles and Jack Cowan. Kehoe doubled up as the winner of Section A on Goldengrove Royal Wedding with East Antrim’s Sarah Wilson claiming the honours in Section B on board Parcglas Spendid Attraction.
Sarah Wilson of East Antrim Pony Club, winner of the 80cm class at the Area 17 Eventing at Lusk Equestrian \ JRS Photography
Close competition
Six of the eight teams who started in the Thomas McCrea PC70 competition recorded a completion score and just 0.4 of a penalty divided the winning Iveagh Pandas quartet of Susannah Tate, Ava Wickie, Lily Park and Rosie Strain (106) from the East Antrim Bees trio of Cynthia-Jane O’Brien, Elsa O’Kane and Paige Erwin (106.4). Park won the sole individual competition with Knocklishen Willow on 31.2, just ahead of O’Brien riding Coolgarrane Candypops (31.6).
Two Connolly’s Red Mills/Irish Pony Club eventing qualifiers were held in the past week, the first being staged by the Tipperary Branch at Grove last Sunday, with the Killinicks running their traditional mid-week qualifier at Sleedagh Farm on Wednesday.
Eleven classes were held at Grove including an eight-runner Open, where the Wexford Branch’s Rebekah Rochowiak completed on her winning dressage score with Greannanstown Vivendi Girl, her 11-year-old bay mare by Ars Vivendi.
No club won more than one class, apart from the hosts, whose Ailbhe Hally and Lucy Healy landed Sections A and D of the Junior competition.
There was no Open at Sleedagh Farm, where the Killinicks won three classes thanks to the efforts of Jessica Murphy (Intro Intermediate Section A), Ava Murphy (Junior Section A) and Lily Walsh (Junior Section C).