WPCSI Championship Show Tipperary EC \ Mary Carter

THE Welsh Championships Show was held at Tipperary Equestrian Centre last Sunday with kind permission of Tomas Ryan. The day started off with showers pending, however the weather held throughout the day. The competitors came from all over Ireland from Donegal to Cork and it was wonderful to see many new faces. It was also brilliant to see members return who have faithfully supported us and without this support we could not exist. This was the first medal show in the 26 counties since 2019 as we could not have got in judges from outside the country.

Peter de Rade travelled from Wales to officiate in the Welsh ring and found the Ballinacarrig Stud’s Youngstock Champion in Araglen Twylight. The Hobbs Property Section A medal winner was the mare Friarly Supermodel by Knowlton Daylight who also took the nomination to Sharon O’Brien’s Idyllic Quintus. This class was very well supported with five high-quality ponies forward. The Araglen Ponies Section C Championship was awarded to Sasha McAuliffe’s lovely palomino Ridgehill Ryan.

There was a very promising new face forward in the Section D Youngstock with Pat Flynn’s good-moving colt Seiont Wisgi Aur who will be taking up stud duties. The Hobbs Property Champion and medal winner in the Section Ds was the lovely bay gelding Brenig Mellitgedig, owned by Dawn Thomas, with Susan Drum’s Abberpennar Siriol in reserve.

The Section B classes were again well supported in these times with six ponies forward The Youngstock Champion was Ann Grimes’ Sianwood Pretty Penny very well produced and went on to take the Garnagree Stud Overall Section B medal, the Lambay Overall Youngstock and the Balinrahan Stud Overall Purebred Supreme.

The part-bred Youngstock was again strongly contested and Jerry Moloney’s Breeneybeg Hope took the Youngstock Champion and went Reserve Part Bred and also Reserve in the Lambay Overall Youngstock. The Part-bred Medal winner was Orla Whelton’s Whiteleaze Secret Temptation.

Hotly contested

The WPCS of Ireland Gold Medal ridden ponies were very hotly contested with Margaret Greene’s Goldengrove Hermoine taking the Mini Performance Medal and the Kilpatrick Stud part-bred Mini Champion, ridden by Imogen Lawless Greene. The Purebred Min Champion was awarded to Kathy Geoghegan’s Pantycoed Mercutio.

The WPCS of Ireland Ridden Gold Medal and the Kilcreene Stud Overall Part Bred was taken by another Irish-bred ridden pony in Aine Brennan’s Goldengrove Sunrise, both these ponies being by the renowned Holyoake Czar. The Drombeg Stud’s Purebred Ridden Champion was found in Melanie Marnane’s Arhults Hermes, ridden by Emily Marnane, and bred in The Netherlands.

The WPCS of Ireland has had a very active start due to the constraints of Brexit and the pandemic. We have been most fortunate in working with Leisure Horse Ireland in the production of a now approved by DAFM breeding program for pure and part-bred Welsh ponies. Leisure Horse Ireland are now the official holders of the WPCS of Ireland Studbook and issue passports for the Welsh Ponies, pure and part-bred, born in Ireland.