THE South Munster Region of Dressage Ireland held its winter league final and championship show last Sunday at Ballindenisk where league prizes were on offer to those who competed in two earlier legs and on the final day itself.

Two competitors left the Fell family venue with a brace of league wins apiece, the Junior Trailblazer Amber Lane and Category 2 rider Clíona Ní Liatháin. The latter claimed both the Elementary and Medium leagues on her Irish Sport Horse mare MJI Lady Alceis with whom, on Sunday, on a score of 69.03%, she won the five-runner Elementary championship judged by Paula Geiger (List 2).

Bred in Co Antrim by FEI level 4 judge Joanne Jarden, the 10-year-old Antaeus bay MJI Lady Alceis is out of the 1995 mare Thistledown. That daughter of Island Blaze was a half-sister to the Macrocket gelding Drunken Disorderly on whom Mark Kyle represented Ireland in eventing at the Athens Olympics and two European Championships.

The Preliminary league was won by Mary Buttimer on her home-bred ISH gelding Rudolph Valentino. This 11-year-old bay, who is by Connemara stallion Templebready Fear Bui, is out of the Fast Silver mare Moonshine Silver with whom Buttimer competed as an amateur under Show Jumping Ireland rules. On Sunday, the highest score in the Geiger-judged Preliminary championship was achieved by Caroline Marwood riding Inspector P (73.08%).

Seasoned winner

Amber Lane won the Junior Trailblazer Preliminary and Novice leagues on Barkway State Affair with whom, as a member of the Duhallow Branch, the 10-year-old has been selected to represent the Irish Pony Club, and the Republic of Ireland, in the dressage home international at next month’s Royal Windsor Show.

Previously produced in Co Wicklow by the Goor family, from whom Amber’s mother Rachel leases the bay, the 19-year-old British-bred gelding is probably even better known in the show ring than he is in the dressage arena and, while at Windsor, he and Amber will contest the 122cms show hunter pony class.

On Sunday, Amber, who is trained by Meike Biegel, and Barkway State Affair won the two Junior Trailblazer classes judged by Marie Hennessy (List 2), the 11-runner Preliminary DI5A on 72.68% and the Novice DI23, in which there were three starters, on 70.65. The successful combination is now facing into a hectic few weeks of showing and dressage.

Riding two Dutch Warmblood geldings, Sue Smallman and Emily Kate Robinson locked horns twice on Sunday. With her 12-year-old Uphill chesnut Gloriant H (68.09%), Smallman fared the better in the Marie Hennessy-judged Prix St George but it was Robinson and her 14-year-old Christ bay Edvaard who claimed the honours in the Intermediate I which was judged by Donie McNamara (List 1).

McNamara didn’t have too busy a day as Jessica McKenna and her Oldenburg gelding Davidoff 188, a 13-year-old son of Diomedes, were his only starters in the Para Grade 111 classes where he awarded them 67.06% for the team test and 65.74 for the individual.

Narrow win

The Trailblazers’ intro mini league was narrowly won by Carbery Pony Club member Stephanie Fleming with Mountain Ash Of Glendhu. This combination was also successful in Sunday’s Intro championship which was judged by Naomi Donoghue (List 6).

Geiger awarded her top marks (69.14%) in the Novice championship to Katie McKeon riding her six-year-old West Coast Cavalier mare Elden Cavalier Roulette who earlier, on 75.60, topped the leaderboard in the Preliminary DI4 judged by Joan Ahern (List 2).

Ahern also judged the non-championship Novice DI23, won by Bridget McAuley and her home-bred six-year-old Golden Master mare Zena Rising (69.68%), and the three-runner Advanced Medium which was comfortably won by Grainne Murphy with her 10-year-old PRE mare Hogareno SB (71.32).

Geiger judged a fourth championship in the Medium DI65 where she awarded her top score of 68.28% to Jennifer Rea riding her ISH gelding Fermoyle Charles, an eight-year-old bay by S Creevagh Ferro out of the Captain Clover mare Fermoyle Jane who amassed 216 SJI points before retiring.

Eimear Collins recorded two uncontested senior Trailblazer victories in front of Naomi Donoghue, winning the Preliminary on Phoebe Bright’s home-bred ISH gelding Sopwith Pup (61.61), a 10-year-old son of Solo Jordan, and the Novice on board Bright’s ISH mare Fairey Swordfish, a 2010 grey by Gurteen Lad. The pair are out of Bright’s Fulton Lad mare Fair May.