OVER 70 riders and supporters from all over Ireland attended the 2024 Side-Saddle Awards at the Rivercourt Hotel in Kilkenny last Saturday afternoon.

This special event was the culmination of a very busy season on the circuit, and support for the new Carr & Day & Martin National Championship League.

Among those in attendance were several children, reflecting the great enthusiasm going forward.

There has been a remarkable upswing in membership and momentum since the league kicked off, marking the first time that Side-Saddle Ireland has had a title sponsor to help promote the sport.

The 33-round series opened in May at the Kingdom County Fair in Kerry and culminated at Monivea Show in September. This enabled ladies, intermediates and juniors to gain points at a wide variety of shows countrywide.

Side-Saddle Ireland also ran five national breed championships, with sponsorship from Cashelbay Stud (Connemara), Clooneen Stud (Irish Draught), The Traditional Irish Horse Association and Jennifer Haverty (TIHA), Beasley and Co (Irish Sport Horse) and the connections of Corach Rambler (Thoroughbred).

Close battle

The Ladies/Intermediate league was a closely fought battle, with Wicklow-based Mary Rothwell and her Irish Draught gelding Greenhall Stroll in the Park crowned supreme champion. The seven-year-old by Millhollow Stroller – bred in Leitrim by Padraig Fitzpatrick – was also champion Irish Draught.

Only one point behind to stand reserve supreme champion was Rose Scanlan with the TIH Castleivers Cruise. By Cruise On, this 11-year-old gelding is owned by Mary Davoren O’Regan and was bred in Galway by Tom Gardiner.

Some of the biggest cheers on the day were for the junior members and Charlotte O’Connell was thrilled to round off her busy year of pony club and side-saddle by winning this league riding Lavistown Oscar and receive the Rillass Perpetual Trophy. This was first presented in 1986. Lucy Sayers stood reserve with Blinding Beauty Hattie.

Charlotte, whose mother Ciara is a driving force behind SSI and these awards, had done three demonstrations over the summer to bring side-saddle to a wider audience. She was a demo rider at a judge training day, as well as visiting the Kilkenny and Westmeath pony clubs with her pony Oscar.

Charlotte’s sister Lucy also went home with prizes, winning the champion under 123cm award with the Shetland Groveside Buzzy Bee.

Junior riders (l-r) Juliet Fingleton, Clara Cully, Lucy O'Connell, Lucy Sayers and Charlotte O'Connell, who won the overall junior championship \ Antoinette Casey

Connemara champion

Clara Cully (12) beat all the adults when winning the Connemara championship with her 12-year-old chesnut gelding P.I.O.

The junior rider from Co Meath took up riding side-saddle at the age of five and a year later was competing in the lead rein working hunter classes. Since then, she has worked up to jumping 90cm and, in early September, tackled all three phases of a one-day-event at Killossery.

Lucy Sayers (11) also won the coveted First Season Points’ Trophy with Blinding Beauty Hattie and Juliet Fingleton (12) stood reserve champion thoroughbred with Vocal Velocity.

There were new categories and trophies for mares and veteran horses in both the intermediate and ladies’ sections, along with a new trophy for the champion TIH, won by Castleivers Cruise.

The Emily Dillon Memorial Trophy is in honour of a great lady, who was secretary of Trim Show for many years. This role is now held by her daughter-in-law Maureen. Emily’s daughter Louise presented the trophy on the day to his rider Rose Scanlan.

Over the summer, there was a new dimension to the side-saddle classes, with the introduction of the Carr & Day & Martin Best Turned-Out rosettes. The winners of the most rosettes this season were awarded with a beautiful purple sash.

Joint junior winners were Clara Cully and Lucy Sayers, while the ladies’ sashes were awarded to Breda Perrin and Mary Rothwell.

A native of Co Roscommon, Perrin only took up riding-saddle in the spring with her 22-year-old ISH gelding Erronagh Sky (by Cruising) and has had great success this summer, winning their class at the AIRC Festival and going on to take the ridden horse championship at the Longford Show.

Buddy Cully with Romy Bolger, winner of the intermediate title \ Antoinette Casey

Revival

The Side-Saddle Association of Ireland was first founded in 1981 to promote and assist side-saddle riders. Rebranded as Side-Saddle Ireland in 2017, it has enjoyed a revival in recent years. “Covid hit us very hard and two years of no showing meant that our membership absolutely bottomed out,” commented committee member Ciara O’Connell.

“In 2022 and 2023, there was quite a good turn-out for the RDS qualifiers, but apart from that, the entries at other shows were extremely low. As a committee, we felt it was now or never if we were to have any hope of preserving and promoting the sport, so we decided to organise the national championships. Next thing we knew, a box full of trophies were donated to us.

“This year, there was a cohort of riders who concentrated on the RDS qualifiers and a couple of shows to practice for Dublin, but the majority turned to supporting their local shows, which had the butterfly effect of opening the sport up to a wider audience and encouraging those who had a saddle at home gathering dust to sign up and get involved.

“The enthusiasm and goodwill have been infectious all season, with everyone doing their best to help each other and encourage the newcomers to keep turning out to the highest of standards.

“What we really wanted to encourage this year was that there’s something for everyone. You don’t necessarily have to have a big fancy ladies’ hunter, just get out and enjoy it and be part of something really special,” she concluded.

Award winners

Best Turned Out Lady – Mary Rothwell and Breda Murray

Thoroughbred Champion – Sadhbh Gannon

Irish Draught Champion – Mary Rothwell

Connemara Pony Champion – Clara Cully

Champion Ladies’ Mare – Eirn Cleary

Champion Intermediate Mare – Romy Bolger

Best u123cm (Brianna Lynch Memorial) – Lucy O’Connell

Junior Champion ‘Rillass Perpetual Trophy’ – Charlotte O’Connell

Lady Champion ‘Rosspir Rose Bowl’ – Mary Rothwell

Best Turned-Out Junior – Clara Cully and Lucy Sayers

Best Lady Rider – Rose Scanlan

Champion Veteran Intermediate Horse – Ciara Dennigan

Best Rider ‘Gina Galvin Trophy’ – Rose Scanlan

Champion u-133cm – Charlotte O’Connell

Champion u-143cm – Lucy Sayers

Champion o-143cm – Clara Cully

Champion Intermediate – Romy Bolger

Champion TIH (Emily Dillon Memorial Trophy) – Rose Scanlan

First Season Points Award – Lucy Sayers

Champion Veteran Horse – Breda Murray

Irish Sport Horse Plate Champion - Amory McMahon

League Results, Supreme Champion – Mary Rothwell

Junior Champion – Charlotte O’Connell