MARK Robinson, who can often be found helping out at the British Horse Society stand at Balmoral Show, put on a dressage display in the P&O Arena late on Thursday afternoon.

The BHS performance coach (BHSI), accredited assessor and dressage judge, performed a freestyle to music test on board Debbie Burns’ Master Caledonia, who has yet to appear in Dressage Ireland affiliated company this year.

“I’m working him at Advanced Medium level and hope to have him out later in the summer,” said Robinson, who didn’t have anyone commentating on the movements he was achieving on the 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding.

Had he known she was around, Mark could have called on Emily-Kate Robinson for the voiceover. The diminutive Co Waterford international dressage rider was at the show to compete in Friday evening’s Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association racehorse to riding horse class, where she finished second on the former Henry de Bromhead-trained A Plus Tard.

The 10-year-old son of Kapgarde, who won eight races in total including two over hurdles in his native France, had to settle for second on this occasion behind the Sean Paul Gilbride-ridden Our Father. At 18 years of age, this grey Shantou gelding, who won three races, is a long time out of training, last running in November 2018 when he was in the care of Gordon Elliott.

Giving her connection to point-to-pointing through the North Down Hunt, we’re surprised that Lesley Jones doesn’t have an ex-racehorse to show but, then again, she is very busy anyway with one of her wins this year coming on Yvonne Pearson’s Cairnview Redwood Guy in the Botanica International Classic side saddle class.