THE Thomastown and District quartet of Charlotte Clear (Ramesses B), Eva Brennan (Golden Knight), Sharon O’Brien (Chapelhill Tommie) and Sheena Holt (Wemyss Bay) won the team competition at this year’s Connolly’s Red Mills/Association of Irish Riding Clubs’ national dressage championships.

Having come through a qualification process in the eight AIRC regions, 15 teams lined out at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre on Sunday, September 1st, when the winners, representing the South East, posted a score of 424.265%. From the North East Region, Drynam finished second on 417.445 with Abbeylands, who came forward from West Leinster, finishing third on 414.840.

Many members of the AIRC are also regular competitors on the Dressage Ireland circuit, including Foxborough’s Siofra Pratt, who claimed the RC Medium championship on board her Irish Sport Horse mare Ballarin My Grace. The RC Elementary title was won by the aforementioned Clear on Ramesses B while, down from Inishowen, Cate O’Neill went home as the RC Novice champion, following her success with Carrigfadda Silver Lady.

Charlotte Clear and Ramesses B from Thomastown and District Riding Club won the Elementary Championship at the AIRC dressage championships at Mullingar EC \ Horse Sport Images

At Preliminary levels, the winners were Waterford’s Fidelma Curran on Ballyadam Philip (RC3), Greenvalley’s Ruth Abbott riding CCS Banksy Moon (RC2) and the latter’s clubmate Susanne Cunningham on Doogary Dude (RC1). Ashbrook’s John Gavin ran out a comfortable winner of the young horse championship with his home-bred ISH gelding Holywell Knight.

Earlier in the summer, The Irish Field continued its sponsorship of the dressage section at the AIRC Festival which, over the weekend of June 8th and 9th, was also held in Mullingar.

There are far too many winners to mention here, but team honours went to the Twinfort trio of Owen Smyth (Dark Site), Tabitha Millar (Westeria Lane) and Tara Dalton (Burgomistr), while the Mullingar duo of Niamh Macken (Diamond King Henry) and Christa Dillon (Blackhill Kilcoltrim) topped the scores in the pairs’ competition.