PONY rider Oisin McDonagh and senior rider Becky Scott recorded doubles last Sunday at Milchem Equestrian, where regional chair, Ralph Conroy, hosted the third round, and final qualifying leg, of the Eventing Ireland Western Region’s 2024 combined training league.

While Scott and partner Duncan McFadyen are based at Milchem, 14-year-old McDonagh would like to spend all his time there as well, according to his father, Martin, owner of Sunday’s EI90 class winner, Full Moon Magic. Speaking to the Irish Horse World, McDonagh senior said: “Oisin would be up in Ralph’s every weekend and all during his holidays. This week, he’ll be up there all the time, as it’s mid-term.”

On a cold day, but under blue skies, just six combinations came before Scarteen’s Sue Ryan for the dressage phase of Sunday’s EI90 class, where the top three finished clear of the remainder on their first phase scores. These were McDonagh and Full Moon Magic (27.5), the previous weekend’s winners, Jane Field and the Connemara gelding Clonmoylan Red Hugh (28) and Duncan McFadyen riding Leanorth Special (29.25).

Registered as an Irish Sports Pony, Full Moon Magic, who has 50 Show jumping Ireland points, is a seven-year-old gelding by the Connemara stallion Bog Mac Bobby. Partnered by Oisin, the bay finished in the first five in all five of his EI90 (P) starts last season, winning a four-runner class at Rosanna (2) in mid-June. His rider also had an excellent 2023 campaign with Conroy’s Milchem My Lady, on whom he landed a 13-strong EI100 (P) class at Crecora (2) towards the end of July.

First love

“Show jumping was Oisin’s first love but, since teaming up with Ralph, he now prefers eventing,” said McDonagh senior. “He’ll still do some jumping, as we have six or seven ponies to compete, but the aim this year is for him to go up through the levels in eventing and take it from there. His sister, Sorcha, who’s 19, will be jumping the horses. She’s away in Belgium at present, as part of an equine studies course she is doing at Galway Community College.”

Heading into tomorrow’s league final at Milchem, where the best two qualifying scores plus points on finals day will count towards the league placings, Field and Clonmoylan Red Hugh top the EI90 leaderboard on 11 points, ahead of McDonagh and Full Moon Magic (nine points). Jointly-third on six points apiece are McFadyen and Leanorth Special and Carol Spain with Martini On The House.

McDonagh initiated his Sunday double on board Conroy’s five-year-old bay mare Milchem Twilight in Section A of the EI80 class where, on 28.75, they recorded the only sub-30 penalty score. A winner seven days earlier, Kate Noone finished second on the six-year-old mare K Autumn Pride (30.75), while Sligo solicitor Donnacha Anhold slotted into third with his ISH gelding Rushfield Gortermore Colandro (33), a five-year-old son of Colandro.

The runaway winners of Section B were Rebecca McGrath and her father Fintan’s 21-year-old chesnut mare Tickerlevan Sun Rise, who completed on their flat work mark of 25 penalties to make it three wins from three starts. They head the EI80 league on 15 points, ahead of Noone and K Autumn Pride and McDonagh with Milchem Twilight, who are on 11 points apiece.

Last Sunday, McGrath finished well clear of Lara Field and the ISH mare Creganna Gypsy O (32.5), a five-year-old by Road To Happiness, and Duncan McFadyen with Milchem Candy Man (32.75). McFadyen finished fourth on the same score with RDM Ring Of Happiness, who had a fence down show jumping.

Tim MacDonagh in action at Milchem

Great Scott

Becky Scott landed the four-runner EI100 with her Crecora (2) EI90 winner from last year, RDM Ring Of Mercury (29 penalties), a five-year-old gelding by Calvaro van de Rechri, whose nearest rival was the Hazel McCann-ridden eight-year-old dun mare Glenara Dun Dancer (34.5). In the three-runner EI110, Scott had 12.5 points in hand when completing on her dressage score with the ISH mare Athea Clover Dew (27.8), her 10-year-old bay by Sibon W.

In the leagues, Leagh Daniels and her ISH gelding Blackmoor Crest, a 22-year-old chesnut by Sea Crest, top the EI100 leaderboard on 11 points, ahead of Scott and RDM Ring Of Mercury (nine) and McCann with Glenara Dun Dancer (eight). With two wins to their credit, Scott and Athea Clover Dew on 10 points have a one-point lead in the EI110 league over Godfrey Gibbons and the ISH gelding DS Conn Boy, a seven-year-old by DS Are You With Me.

As she finished her judging duties on Saturday, Sue Ryan commented that she noted some nice young horses competing, who she hoped would appear before her husband Chris, when he judges the first leg of the Western Region’s Sealac starter series at Clare Equestrian Centre on Sunday, next, February 25th. Qualifiers are also scheduled to take place on the first four Sundays in March, with the final down for decision on Easter Sunday, March 31st. It’s all go in the Western Region!