THE SJI (ShowJumping Ireland) Ulster Region pony awards night just seems to get bigger and better every year. There was huge excitement last Saturday, February 1st, as children, parents, sponsors, show organisers, committee members and invited guests all gathered in Corick House Hotel in Clogher, Co Tyrone for an evening to celebrate the immense talent within the region.

The gleaming cups and trophies to be presented were a spectacle to behold, filling tables which stretched not only across the entire width of the large function room, but also on additional tables at either side. In total, 611 awards, including 137 perpetual cups, were presented to 230 recipients, with around 380 guests in attendance on the night.

Andrew Thompson acted as Master of Ceremonies for the evening and, after the adults were seated, the music started and the children made their entrance, with a procession around the room. With so many awards to be presented, it was then swiftly on to the business of the evening.

The TRI Equestrian NI Spring and Autumn Pony Tours kicked off the proceedings. Shirley McCombe representing TRI had a very busy spell presenting these numerous cups and trophies to the winners. Many of the children were picking up multiple awards, so the very organised events committee laid out all the awards for each child to save multiple visits to the stage.

Guests then enjoyed their soup before the next set of awards were presented. These included the SJI Ulster Region young pony awards, Stars of the Future, Ballinroe Pony Premier, Equijump, National Balmoral Championships, Dublin Horse Show and FEI participation awards, among many others. The main course and dessert were also served in between awards to keep things running smoothly.

The Show of the Year and Venue of the Year were voted for on Facebook, with votes closing about five days before the awards. The Northern Indoor Pony Championships at Eglinton were named Show of the Year, while Castle Irvine, Necarne was named Venue of the Year.

Compassion Award

This year, a very special Compassion Award was presented to Anna Rose Garrity, to acknowledge the kindness and compassion she has shown towards her sister, Emily. When Emily was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, the family was told that the only potential cure was a bone marrow transplant. Finding a suitable donor can be next to impossible, even among siblings, but Anna Rose turned out to be a 100% match.

Anna Rose had dreamt of competing at Balmoral Show and was delighted to qualify for the prestigious Under 10s event. Unfortunately, the date to travel to Bristol Hospital coincided with Balmoral, but Anna Rose graciously gave up her place to donate her stem cells, so her sister could have a bone marrow transplant. Anna Rose was a most worthy recipient for the award.

Arielle Allen receiving The Rock and The Presidents Perpetual Cups for COH from Bree Rutledge at the SJI Ulster Region pony awards night \ Kyra Griffin

Auction

With everyone well-fed and silverware distributed, Andrew Thompson took on the role of auctioneer for an incredible 45 auction lots. These included hampers, hotel stays, stallion nominations, lessons with sought after coaches, x-ray packages and many more. The generosity in the room was amazing, with a staggering figure of over £18,000 being raised – which will go towards the running of Ulster Region pony competitions in the year ahead, including prize money for the spring and autumn pony tours and gilets for Ulster Region riders attending the SJI All-Ireland Inter-provincial finals.

Aside from collecting their awards, the highlight of the evening for the children was probably the raffle. The tables that had accommodated the silverware were restocked with a vast array of toys, jewellery, tack and much more. There was a huge queue of children at the stage, just hoping their name would be called out as the tickets were drawn.

With all the prizes handed out, the dancing could begin, thanks to DJ Johnny – with a special request for Baby Shark getting the little ones onto the dancefloor.

The evening was a great success, due to the massive efforts and incredible generosity of a number of people and businesses. TRI Equestrian NI and manager Gareth McCombe are huge supporters of pony show jumping in the Ulster Region and their sponsorship of the spring and autumn tours cannot be underestimated. The Ulster Region pony committee would like to thank them wholeheartedly for their continued support.

Lily Tunney receiving the Sparkling Stud RDS Perpetual Cup for the 148 Championship winner from Bree Rutledge at the SJI Ulster Region pony awards night \ Kyra Griffin

Highlight of the year

Sincere thanks are also extended to all those who provided auction lots and raffle prizes - there are too many to list individually, but special mention must go to Corick House Hotel; Cameron’s toy shop, Ballymena; Absolute Jewellery; R Barkley and Sons Ltd and photographer Kyra Griffin for going above and beyond!

Aldyth Roulston, chairperson of the Ulster Region Events Committee said afterwards: “I think it is fair to say that this event is firmly established as the highlight of the year in these young athletes’ social calendars. We all had a fantastic night and I would like to thank my hard-working events team, all the people who helped behind the scenes and also those parents who helped on the night.

“Without the support we get from our show jumping community, it would be impossible to make the night the success it was.”

Congratulations to everyone on a super 2024 season and very best wishes to all for a successful 2025!

Zoe Mellett receiving the National Balmoral Manor Architects Perpetual Cup for COH from Derek Reid at the SJI Ulster Region pony awards night \ Kyra Griffin