THE Eastern Region of Dressage Ireland held their annual members’ meeting last Friday night in The Park View Hotel, Newtownmountkennedy.

Chairperson Gillian Kyle thanked all the volunteers who helped throughout 2024 and also the Delahoyde family for the use of their venue, Marlton. She then made two special presentations, one to the legendary call-up steward, Peter Roberts and the other to regional secretary, Katriona Hall.

Barbara Delahoyde was the recipient of the 2024 Advanced award for her results on Marlton Scout, with Daphne Lush claiming the Elementary title with the traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding Millpoint Carnival. Tonya Costello was the winner of the Novice award with Enniskerry Dark Knight.

Kirsty Kirkwood was the star of the show, as not only did she win the Preliminary award with her traditionally-bred ISH mare Ballycapple Brigade Cruise, but she was also crowned leading rider of the year. Her willing partner is an 11-year-old grey by Clover Brigade, who was bred in Co Wicklow by Henry Fleming out of the Chair Lift mare Bally Capple Cruise.

Gillian Kyle made two special presentations, one to the legendary call-up steward Peter Roberts and the other to regional secretary Katriona Hall at the Eastern Region of Dressage Ireland annual members’ meeting \ Louise O'Brien Photography

There was no opportunity for a lie-in on Saturday, as the region held their monthly show at Marlton, where all four title winners were in action.

Dermot Cannon (List 1) judged all classes from Medium upwards, but wasn’t too hard pressed in the FEI underage classes, where Sophia Doheny won both the Junior Individual test on the Dutch Warmblood gelding Gucci du Feuillard (67.35%) and the Team Test on the Belgian Warmblood gelding SJL Jackson (67.27), who was making his Dressage Ireland debut. Both horses are owned by the rider’s mother, Louise. Josephine Delahoyde had a solo run in the FEI Inter II on the KWPN-registered gelding Barroso (66.32).

Four combinations appeared before Cannon in the FEI Prix St George, where his leaderboard was topped by Tara Hayes riding her mother Fiona’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Ferrero K (72.21%). The Hayes team were also on the mark at Advanced level, winning the FEI Young Riders’ Preliminary test with Ferrero K (72.81) and the DI100 with their home-bred ISH mare, Sandora BS (67.86).

The only other starters in that class where they scored 62.43%, Ger McNulty and his British Warmblood gelding Dionysus II, saw off their sole rivals in the Advanced Medium DI90 on a mark of 65, while Barbara Delahoyde and Marlton Scout recorded an uncontested victory in the FEI Junior Preliminary test (63.33).

There were just two starters in the Medium DI67 won by Rika Schmeling on her Rheinlander mare Florine (65%), but seven in the DI65, where the overall winner was Category 3 rider Finn O’Gara with Karen Bennet’s Jinger (70), another Dutch Warmblood gelding.

O’Gara also struck in the well-filled Novice DI24A with Phillipa Teggin’s Irish Draught mare Toberpatrick Peaches And Cream, a seven-year-old chesnut daughter of Dunbeggan Grey Mist. There were 21 starters in that class, which was judged by Ruth Daunt (List 4) and 18 in the DI21, where the overall winner, as judged by Jean Halpenny (List 4), was Ellie Kavanagh with the unregistered Barravalley Maximus (67.93), a 10-year-old Connemara gelding by Barravalley Jack.

Joanne Logue won the Elementary DI52 with Little Lottie at Marlton \ Louise O'Brien Photography

The day’s Elementary winners were Leah Cox with Maria Kenny’s 10-year-old bay gelding Limestone Spartacus (69.07%) in the DI51 and Joanne Logue with her own ISH mare Little Lottie (70.42), a seven-year-old Cormint bay, in the DI52. At Preliminary level, the winners were Molly Byrne with Michael Boyd’s German Riding Pony Rostrevor Ard Ri (68.08 in the DI8), while, by virtue of a higher collective score, Ger McNulty topped the overall leaderboard in the DI18 with the unregistered Kannan eight-year-old RBS Man On Fire (67.92).

Jean Halpenny awarded the day’s highest score to Clodagh Cross riding the 16-year-old bay gelding Rathfarnham Bustamove (73.82%) in the four-runner Mini Trailblazers’ class.