DURING a busy year of coaching here and in Britain, and of filling the role of Chairperson of Dressage Ireland, one can sense that Mark Ruddock was genuine when saying: “I’m very fortunate to work with a Board that have innovative ideas and plans and that, as a collective, we have supported, developed and accomplished many projects”.

One of those projects was the staging of a dedicated Youth Championships, which came to fruition at CoilÓg in late August. “The two days went really well,” commented DI Board member and List 2 judge Jane Whitaker, one of the driving forces behind the fixture. “I’d always hoped that one day we would have a dedicated Youth Championships and to see it materialise was fantastic. We had 16 riders trotting up the centre line in the Junior Category 1 Championship, which was just wonderful.

“It was a pity we clashed with the Irish Pony Club Eventing Championships, but we had some multi-discipline riders competing, such as Amber Lane and Evie Kennedy, who both won working hunter pony classes at Dublin. We also had a mixture of horses and ponies, especially among the Category 1 and 2 Junior competitors. The standard of riding is now very high with our young riders, who are obviously benefitting from correct training. It was also great to see so many of the riders smiling throughout the two days.”

Membership goals

Another target was achieved in 2024, when membership of DI hit the 1,000 mark for the first time. This figure can be broken down into roughly 500 adult riding members, over 170 Junior members and nearly 80 Trailblazer members. The remaining members comprise non-riding owners, parents, judges and officials. “It was great to reach this figure,” commented Whitaker. “We on the Board are working for our members and we listen to what our members have to say.”

In another break from tradition, DI’s three-day National Championships were held in Munster for the first time this year, when taking place at Ballindenisk in early September.

The Nationals were covered extensively in The Irish Field of Saturday, September 13th, when Ruddock was quoted as saying: “The Fell family went above and beyond in making sure that everything was perfect... You felt that we, Dressage Ireland, were the clients and that the Fells wanted this event to work both for us and for them.”

Mark Ruddock, Hannah Fielding and Paul Nolan \ Lorraine O'Sullivan

The decision to bring over two FEI level stewards from Britain to “ensure adherence to the rules on bitting, tack and horse welfare and also to ensure fair play in the competition environment” was not without consequence.

“There were numerous eliminations for incorrectly fitted bits and spurs from all levels of riders on the Friday,” reported Ruddock. “That was very disappointing for them and annoying really, as all they had to do if in any doubt was to bring their bridle, or their spurs, to the stewards before tacking up and these issues would have been avoided.”

National champion

While we cannot mention all the title winners here, we must pay tribute to Carolyn Mellor, who headed home to Comber as the 2024 national dressage champion following her win in the Grand Prix on her 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding VSH Gouverneur M.

This year’s national championships were restricted to riders over 16, as younger members of DI had their previously referred to dedicated Youth Championships in CoilÓg, where they received title sponsorship from the Eastern Region and where over 140 competitors rode 261 tests.

Unfortunately, the National Winter Finals, which were scheduled for Mullingar over the first weekend of April, were cancelled at a late stage because of Storm Kathleen. An understandable decision in light of the deteriorating weather conditions and justified by safety concerns, but a harsh one for those who had already travelled and had stabled their horses at the Co Westmeath venue.

Regional Festivals were hosted by Leinster at CoilÓg in June, by the Northern Region at Castle Irvine, Necarne in July and by the South East Region at Spruce Lodge in early August. The popular but non-regional Wild Atlantic Dressage Festival was held at the Ard Chuain Equestrian Centre in early May but, disappointingly, will not be going ahead in 2025.

The competitive year nationally ended with the DAFM Studbook Series qualifiers and subsequent final during a Leinster Region show at CoilÓg on Sunday, November 3rd. In addition to regional shows, there then followed the annual general meeting in the Green Isle Hotel, Dublin, the very well attended judges’ gala at Kildalton Agricultural College and the inaugural DI black tie ball at the Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim.