THE first leg of this year’s Sports Pony Challenge, which is run by the working hunter committee of the Irish Pony Society, took place in rather foul weather conditions at Killossery Lodge Stud on Tuesday.

This three-phase competition comprises dressage, performance hunter and show jumping. The European working hunter ponies championships, which are being held in Scotland in early August, will be using the same format so this league provides an ideal opportunity for those hoping to be selected for the trip to the Scottish National Equestrian Centre in Ecclesmachan, West Lothian, to get in some competitive practice.

Tinahely’s Ned Kelly had a great weekend, following up a double at the Wicklow Area show in Spruce Lodge on Saturday with another here on two ponies owned by his mother Lucy.

He struck first in the 133cms class on board the 13-year-old dun gelding Tinnecarrig Milo, finishing ahead of the very much in-form Isla Coad and the 18-year-old skewbald gelding Frosthill Jackaroo.

The Kelly double came up in the 143cms class where the British-bred Rowdown Archer, a 14-year-old gelding by Priory Pipalong, topped the final leaderboard. Here, Co Tipperary’s Evie Kennedy took the blue ribbon with the well-known Connemara gelding Blackwoodland Breeze, a 13-year-old grey son of Glencarrig Prince.

Working hunter champion and reserve show hunter champion at the Botanica International Show of the East at Boswell on Sunday, Dartans Atom Man kept up his good run here when winning the well-supported 153cms class.

Ridden by Aoibhinn Ruane for her mother Helena, the 10-year-old chesnut gelding was second in both the dressage and performance hunter phases and sealed victory when winning the show jumping phase.

Nathalie Mulumba (Slanemore Lad) and Alisha Vard (Galtee Donal) were lying joint second at the end of the competition but, by virtue of her better performance hunter score, the nod went to Nathalie and Tim Hurley’s Connemara gelding Slanemore Lad, a five-year-old dun by Gwennic de Goariva out of a Rocklands Prince mare.

Vard gained some consolation by winning the 158cms class with her mother Yvonne’s Connemara gelding Lookout Bundaburg, a six-year-old grey by Mirahs Oyster Bandit out of a Frederiksminde Hazy Match mare.

As is the norm, there were two dedicated classes for Connemara ponies based on the age of those in the saddle.

That for riders up to 16 was won by the locally-based Maggi Caffrey on board her father Mark’s Loughwell Bobby. Purchased by the Curragha family three years ago from Mairead Ryan, whose son Jimmy recorded many championships wins on the grey, Loughwell Bobby is a 17-year-old gelding by Currachmore Cashel out of an Abbeyleix Owen mare.

The winners, who topped the scores in the dressage and performance hunter phases and were second in show jumping, finished ahead of Isabelle Mahon riding the 12-year-old Gurteen Dara mare Murvey Kate and Hannah Mackey with The General, a 10-year-old son of Glencarrig Prince.

While Mairead Ryan was the judge for the performance hunter section of this first qualifier, she stepped down from her position for this class with Rachel Bennett taking up the role.

Victory for Wyse

There were some very well-known and highly-successful combinations in the class for riders aged 16 and over with the honours on this occasion going to Fethard’s Katie Wyse and her 12-year-old Castleside JJ Junior gelding Illaunurra Bay. The bay was bred in Co Galway by Pat O’Neill out of the Silver Shadow mare, Illaunurra Heather.

Gloria Nolan finished second on the dressage winner, Ardnehue Maxamillion, her home-bred gelding by Burning Daylight. While seven years of age, that grey is but a pup compared to Claire Devlin Byrne’s now 26-year-old Ferdia gelding Blackwood Fernando who was partnered into third place by the owner’s daughter Alicia.

A class for Novice ponies, introduced a few years ago, was well supported and fiercely contested.

Lily Mullins and Scarthy Villa were leading ahead of Kate Moore on Epic Wildfire coming into the show jumping phase where an unlucky pole down put paid to Lily’s chances allowing Kate, with her clear round, to claim the class.

A starter stakes class for riders under 12, consisting of dressage and performance hunter, was won by Co Tipperary’s Andy Kennedy on board his mother Maeve’s Maihem First Edition. Tristan Kelly maintained his family’s good showing on the day by finishing second on his mother Lucy’s nine-year-old Moelview Moonstruck gelding Litton Flashman who, like the winner, was bred in Britain.

Kennedy’s sister Evie won a hotly-contested starter stakes class at Dublin last August on Maihem First Edition who is a 2011 gelding by Ballagh The Boss.

The next leg of this league will take place at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre on Sunday, May 21st when the organisers are hoping that the weather will be much improved