CHARLEVILLE

ONE of the many highlights of Charleville (June 24th-25th) is the atmosphere-filled evening supreme championship for Saturday’s pony winners.

Now the pony championship will be matched the following day by a new ridden horse supreme championship.

“The Dick Johnson perpetual trophy for the supreme champion ridden horse, selected from the champions and reserves in the working hunter, ridden hunter and riding horse rings, will be presented this year,” explained show secretary Elaine Goold.

“Dick greatly developed the showing section in the early years of the show, enthusiastic to get young people involved and was the soft encouraging voice on the microphone in his last few years of attending the show.”

While Dick, a retired veterinary surgeon with a deep knowledge of bloodlines and north Cork equine history, can’t attend this year, the trophy will be presented by his wife Margaret and family. Well done Charleville - a fitting tribute to honour Dick’s contribution to the show.

This is Elaine’s second year as secretary of Charleville - one of the few remaining two-day agricultural shows in the country - after stepping into the role vacated by Eleanor Fleming. “Eleanor is another who has given so much to the show and will be there helping out on show day,” added the equally efficient Elaine.

“The soft, encouraging voice on the microphone”: Charleville Show commentator Dick Johnson on duty at the 2015 event \ Susan Finnerty

Country and western singers John McNicholl and Dermot Lyons are this year’s musical entertainment at the 42nd anniversary of Charleville Show. There’s also a health and wellness village and an advisory clinic on wellbeing, complimentary therapies and sports.

Charleville run a tight ship, always providing an excellent catalogue and full results afterwards. Entries close tomorrow (Sunday) for its huge range of classes, including RDS qualifiers for the ladies and intermediate side-saddle classes. And it’s the penultimate round of The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship qualifiers, proving lucky last year for Patrick Wafer’s now-retired Parkmore Evita and her Tyson filly foal, winners of the eventing section final at Dublin.

WEST CLARE

“Never in the history of a cheap bottle of fizz had there been as much mileage as that photo of Jenny Glynn and the committee!” remarked West Clare secretary Bridgette Coghlan. That presentation was made last year to mark local breeder Jenny’s achievement in breeding Capels Hollow Drift, after the former Le Lion d’Angers silver medallist top-20 result on his Badminton debut last year.

Since then, the Shannondale Sarco gelding and Tom Jackson have firmly established themselves at five-star level and were runners-up at Burghley CCI5*-L in the autumn. One of the youngest Irish Sport Horse ambassadors at five-star level eventing, the grey was back at Badminton this year when he finished fifth, watched on by Jenny and Bridgette who had travelled over.

“Twenty years since its revival in 2003, Saturday, July 1st will be the 18th show, having missed two because of Covid. We’ve had an Olympic show jumping rider and horse - Greg Broderick and MHS Going Global - compete in the show jumping classes and breeders of Olympic horses, five-star event horses and the family of a Grand National winner all compete here.”

West Clare, dubbed “the little show by the lake” by Simon Clancy, the voice on the PA system, is where MHS Going Global took an impromptu swim in the nearby Tullabrack lake.

The Kilrush show is also the final opportunity for aspiring finalists to qualify for The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship as it hosts the last of this year’s four nationwide qualifiers. Young horses classes, a foal championship, plus a three-year-old lunging class with the top-two finishers securing places in Cavan’s Elite Sale in August are also on the schedule.

And cattle. “There will be over 20 classes of commercial and pedigree classes added to this year’s schedule. The locals are thrilled to see the new classes and when the cattle get their wash, cut and blowdry they’ll be ready for action in Tullabrack. We can’t wait!”

LONGFORD

Eircodes are part and parcel of travelling to a show nowadays. There’s a new one to enter on the sat-nav systems (N39 WK53) for Longford showgoers as the show has moved this year to Enybegs, 10 minutes from Longford town.

Sunday, July 2nd is the 121st anniversary of Longford, which always has a real country show atmosphere and live music.

Longford is where a young Eddie Macken competed at one of his earliest shows and with already good entries in, there’s an early start scheduled for Ring 2 (10am) which will also feature the Frank Kilkenny working hunter championship.

Last year was the inaugural championship, sponsored by Kilkenny family members including Frank’s grandson, the US-based show jumper Jordan.

Frank, the late stallion master who stood 1980s household names stallions such as Impeder and Nelgonde, also produced the three-time Dublin hunter mare winner Limelkiln Lilly.

In keeping with that stallion master tradition of supporting breeders, a number of studs have offered free nominations for this year’s Longford prizewinners.

The traditionally-bred young horse champion will receive a Bridgehouse Stud nomination; Liscahill Stud has donated a free covering to Democrat for the broodmare class winner and Tullaghansleek Stud has put up a Gwennic de Goariva service to the winner of the Connemara mare class.

Secretary Bernie Whyte and the Longford team are constantly adding to their schedule. “This year, we have a new class, the Treo Eile Racehorse to Riding Horse class and an All Ireland qualifier for Ardrahan,” said Bernie whose family originally produced Sam Watson’s 2018 WEG team silver medallist horse Ardagh Highlight.

Catalogues are always good value for money when details are included by exhibitors entering on time. Entries for all Longford horse and pony classes close next Friday (June 23rd).