THE regional committee ran the final leg of the White’s Agri AIRC North Eastern Region autumn dressage league last Saturday at the National Horse Sport Arena in Blanchardstown, where the judge for the day was Copperfield secretary Jane Whitaker (Dressage Ireland List 2).

While the final was a standalone competition, open to all AIRC members, most class winners doubled up as league winners, such as Cal Naidoo who, on a score of 69.38%, secured victory in the RCP1 league on Sunset View, who is better known as Reggie. The Cheval member has been riding the 14-year-old skewbald gelding for the past five years and they also do a bit of show jumping and take part in fun runs.

Cheval’s Geraldine Gaul won the RCP2 league, and topped Saturday’s class on 70.21%, with her 11-year-old piebald gelding Shotgun George. The runner-up in the league was Edel Cunningham with Rio, a 12-year-old Connemara by Glencarrig Ri. That Border Counties combination finished third (68.33) on Saturday behind Mullaghmore’s Lisa O’Gorman on Emmas Blue Ruby (69.58), an eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare by KEC Bluejay Diamond.

Drynam’s Laura Reynolds finished sixth here on Barryswell Rachet (63.54%) but then partnered the Irish Draught gelding, a 10-year-old son of Fintan Himself, to win the RCP open on 66.79.

Representing Cheval, Louise Daly landed the RCN league, when recording an uncontested victory in Saturday’s final round on Joey (63.09%). Daly also won the Novice open competition, where she should have been opposed by clubmate, and RCE competitor, Sue Byrne who sadly broke her knee recently and so missed the final with Billy Bonkers.

There was a close result in the RCP3 class between Ashbrook’s Jayne Kidd and Thornton’s Leah Wigmore. The former claimed the honours on her ISH mare Disclosure (69.54%), an 11-year-old grey by Windgap Blue, while Wigmore had to settle for second on the 17-year-old chesnut mare Jessie Jay. The two filled the same positions in the RCP3 league.

Hard-working regional secretary Sarah Richardson, who is secretary also of Boyneside, recorded a win for her club when landing the walk/trot league on her 10-year-old grey mare Cloondarone Silver, ahead of Cheval’s Orla Clarke on Bills Sparkling Clover.

On Saturday, however, Richardson and Cloondarone Silver had to settle for second (70.48%) behind Fingal’s Nicole Groyer, a nutritionist with Connolly’s Red Mills, and her ISH mare Peninsula Paradis (72.38). This five-year-old bay is a member of the first crop of the little-used ID stallion Rebel Ballad out of an OBOS Quality 004 mare.

Action in the North Eastern Region continues today at the National Horse Sport Arena, where James O’Reilly is the accredited coach for the latest qualifying round in this year’s AIRC grassroots jump training series. Victoria Teuton is coach for tomorrow’s qualifier at Tubberbride EC. At time of writing, no coach had been confirmed for the re-scheduled qualifier at Boswell on Saturday next, October 19th, but Tom Holden will be taking charge of the final at Emerald Equestrian on Saturday, November 2nd.