THE Kildare Branch of the IDHBA put on an excellent show in Punchestown recently. Under new chairman Eamonn O’Connor (Rathangan), this branch, which was established in 2017 by Mrs Trish Young, has been growing steadily.

Now with 35 members, it is one of the biggest of the 13 branches nationwide. The branch treasurer, Robert Draper is now National Chairman since April this year and has great plans for the national organisation.

Not only is the branch growing in stature, so were the entries for this year’s show. With over 100 entries, it was the biggest show the branch has held to date. Kildare IDHBA has a keen interest in the ridden Irish Draughts and this year offered Irish Draught enthusiasts two ridden classes and three different height performance classes. With a prize fund of just over €3,000 across 15 classes, including TIH, Connemara and breeders’ prizes, the branch ensured there was something for most in the leisure horse sector and this was proven by the huge entries for the day.

On the Thursday before the May 21st show, the chairman was delighted to get the news that Kildare IDHBA was going to be a successful recipient of €1,500 from the HSI Breeding Grant Initiative to allocate for prize money to winners and breeders in nominated classes at the show.

Renowned father and son team, George and Aubrey Chapman were invited to judge. They started the day with the four-year-old ridden class. George Chapman remarked about how impressed he was with the quality of four-year-olds on show. “They were very green – as you would expect at this stage of the year for four-year-olds – but a class of very nice, well produced horses that I would be very encouraged by,” said George.

“The winner, Katherine Charlton’s liver chestnut gelding Two Mile Mattie, by King Vinny and bred by Jerry McMahon, was particularly well balanced and rode beautifully for Aubrey”. In second place was another lovely upstanding grey gelding, Russell, by WRS Sun Rise, bred by Joseph O’Mahony in Dunmanway Co Cork, now owned, produced and ridden by Helen Keatley from Ballitore, Co Kildare.

In the older ridden class, it was well known TV personality Tracy Piggott who immediately caught the judges’ eye with her upstanding liver chesnut mare Graigueaverne Rose. By Bellamont and bred by Laois Branch member Dr Annette Brennan, this six-year-old stood winner and went on to be the judges’ Ridden Champion.

Aubrey commented on how well she rode and moved and that she has the makings of a proper ridden hunter, while George commented that she had everything he looks for in a ridden Irish Draught horse, super temperament, size and has the good bone of a traditional Draught. Second in this class was Cloonan Hector for Chris Carter. This horse is the epitome of the Irish Draught according to George Chapman, a good model of a horse, with a great temperament for any discipline. The Reserve champion ridden horse went to the four-year-old winner, Katherine Charlton’s Two Mile Mattie.

Hotly contested

Then the popular performance classes started with a good entry of 18 exhibits in the 80cm performance class, testimony to the huge numbers now producing and competing young Irish Draughts. This class was designed as a class for all the young Irish Draughts aiming for the RDS qualifiers and anyone who wants to jump a less intimidating course than the full up 1m course that caters for the older Draughts planning on competing in Open Workers classes or indeed the RDS qualifiers.

A lovely inviting course was presented which offered plenty of opportunity to impress judge Aubrey Chapman and the numerous spectators gathered around the ring. The big all-weather arena in Punchestown is spacious and allows for a long flowing course on a lovely surface.

According to Aubrey, it was really the horses that were best produced and able to do the best flatwork that came to the fore in the Performance classes. Most are now jumping good solid clear rounds so it’s the finer points of the flatwork that is dividing the placings in the performance classes. Aubrey’s winner in each class was decided on the ride that the top scorers received after the jumping and flatwork phases and again, he remarked that the really well schooled and balanced horses stand out.

Barry Higgins riding Castana Sky by Welcome Emperor won the 80cm performance class with top marks for flatwork, jumping, conformation and ride. Grace Kavanagh and Mountain Emerald were the winners of the 90cm class. This duo are well known for being consistent top scorers in the performance classes and brought home the Championship from this show two years ago.

Laura Snow and her home-bred stallion Drynam Hero (Gortfree Hero) gave an impressive display of how to win a performance ID class. Aubrey Chapman commented that he was an absolute pleasure to ride. ‘Bradley’ as he is affectionately known, is going to further his show jumping career for this season where he is currently jumping 1.20m tracks. As the winner of last year’s performance Irish Draught class at Dublin Horse Show, he is precluded from returning to challenge for that title again this year. He is not currently available for stud but Laura and co-owner Bob Hare will reassess that for the 2024 breeding season. Drynam Hero was the Performance Champion with Castana Sky reserve.

TIH and Connemara division

The organisers included classes for TIH and Connemaras in the schedule and these were well supported. Liz Keegan Comerford and Edoxtown Cash Cruise by CC Captain Cruise were winners of this class and took home a nice cash prize, co-sponsored by the IDHBA and the TIHA. The Connemara class was won by the ever consistent Gloria Nolan with her handsome seven-year-old home-bred gelding Ardnehue Maxamillion. This combination also won the 1m Open Class.

Along with the ridden classes, the branch wanted to expand the show and include youngstock in-hand classes. With numbers in this area low all across the country at shows so far this year, the branch did well to have enough entries to run classes for yearlings, two and three year olds.

George judged the youngstock and commented that while the numbers were disappointing the quality made up for it. The Champion young horse was Amelia Bailey’s Clogheen Seamus, a three-year-old gelding, by Cloneyhea Spellbound, bred by Daniel Molloy out of his 2017 RDS winning mare Clogheen Jenny. In reserve was Fiona Monné’s three-year-old Eden’s Diamond Lady, by Mountain Diamond out of a Sir Stormy Breeze, mare, bred by Carmel Duggan in Co Cork. The judge commented that the champion had great presence about him along with lovely movement.

Along with the winners’ prize money, there was additional prize money for the breeders of winners in the HSI nominated classes. Breeders can expect a form in the post this week and need to use that to claim their winnings from HSI. The organising committee would like to thank all the show sponsors, members and HSI for their support of this show that is going from strength to strength each year.