COMPETITORS at Drynam Riding Club’s summer show are usually sweltering in the heat at their late August fixture in the National Horse Sport Arena but not last Sunday when you daren’t leave your rain gear out of reach for long – and it was cold too!

However, with the Connolly’s Red Mills/Association of Irish Riding Clubs’ national dressage championships taking place in Mullingar tomorrow, Sunday, riders were keen to have a competitive outing before the day’s judge, Yvonne Monahan, who awarded some high scores.

Cheval’s Gerry O’Byrne topped the overall standings when winning the RCP3 aboard his Connemara gelding Doon Prince (85.18%), a nine-year-old Newbridge Lad grey. Ashbrook’s Jayne Kidd finished second on 79.93 with her 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare Disclosure.

Those two combinations are entered at Mullingar tomorrow as is the RCP2 winner on 80.83%, Tara Hill’s Carol Donnelly with the ISH mare Nazar Diamond. In the Preliminary open, where they scored 74.64, Donnelly and her 16-year-old chesnut daughter of Nazar had to settle for second behind Cheval’s Lauren Cronin riding the 11-year-old Dunbeggan Grey Mist gelding Aengus Óg (77.57).

The Cheval Club initiated a treble on the day when Sarah Cashin topped the leaderboard in the RCP1 with her 17-year-old chesnut mare, Barbi Rio (67.29%). Orla Clarke probably thought she would get Cheval off to a winning start in the Walk/Trot test, but her score of 69.29 was only good enough for second behind Drynam’s Melissa Callan on her 16-year-old Chacoa mare KEC Cloudz (71.43).

Moyglare’s Elaine Kilbane achieved a score of 72.58% for her RCN test on board her eight-year-old Connemara Roisin Star (by Coosheen Stormboy). Kilronan’s Louise Somers won the match for honours in the RCE riding her Irish Draught gelding Indian Mist (63.28), her 15-year-old dark bay by Cappa Cochise.

On board another Irish Draught, Drynam Golden Prince, Drynam secretary Laura Snow won the four and five-year-old class on a score of 71.30%.

Showing the variety of horses that compete within the riding club movement, this 2019 chesnut by Ceide Prince finished ahead of the four-year-old ISH gelding Holywell Knight (67.83), who was ridden by his breeder, Ashbook’s John Gavin, and the thoroughbred Stone Crafter (64.35), a four-year-old Awtaad gelding partnered by Twinfort’s Tabitha Millar Hagerty.

In the jumping section of the show, the winners were Drynam’s Louise Kavanagh on Fred Showtime (newcomers), Greenhills’s Jack Martin with Ballywalter Earl Lady (RC70 open), Rathfarmham’s Emer Ward on Oliver Quick (RC80 open), Cheval’s Catherine Clancy with Goldilocks (RC90 open), Fingal’s Dayna Curtis with Cilnabradden Cuig (RC100 open) and the aforementioned John Gavin with another of his home-breds, the six-year-old ISH gelding Holywell Contender (by Contendro I).

Cheval chair Maria Carrick judged the jumping section over courses built by Shane Brooks.

While the main riding club showing season is over for the year, no one will be resting too long in the North East Region as the Cheval showgrounds will be the venue for a short dressage league next month.

Different clubs will host the first three legs of the series on the first three Saturdays of September with Cheval themselves staging the final on Saturday, September 28th.

Rosettes only, from one to six, will be presented at the qualifying rounds but there will be prizes at the final as long as you compete that day as well as at two of the earlier legs.

All AIRC members are reminded that entries for the Equipeople national eventing championships, which are due to take place at Killossery Lodge Stud on Sunday, September 15th, close at noon on Wednesday next, September 4th.