THE Midlands and Western Region of Dressage Ireland ran all competitions at their Christmas show last Sunday in the indoor arena at Ower Equestrian. This was fortuitous because of the weather, but only possible because of the small entry.

Donie McNamara (List 1) judged the morning session, which covered 10 classes from Elementary level upwards and, during that spell, he was saluted by no more than two riders in any competition and by just one in most.

Uncontested

There were uncontested wins for the returning Leah Treacy and the British Sport Horse gelding Hartpury Sky Is The Limit (66.57%) in the Medium DI77, for the European Junior championships team members Cillian Curran and his mother Carmel’s Dancing Espri (66.62%) in the Prix St George and for Sinead McGrath and her Irish Sport Horse gelding Killard Precision (63.38), a 13-year-old bay by Mermus R, in the Inter I.

Sarah Slattery Madden and her European Para championships ride Savvy/Savona (67.63%) also recorded an uncontested victory in the Grade V Grand Prix B, while Aoife Nee won the FEI pony rider individual test unopposed on Maracuja AG (67.97).

However, she and Carmel Curran’s six-year-old German riding pony by Movie Star did see off one rival combination to comfortably win the team test on 66.86.

There were two starters in both Elementary classes. Sadhbh O’Toole claimed the first of these (DI55) on her five-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Next Diamond (66.61%), who was having his first start at this level.

In the DI51, O’Toole and the Daily Diamond bay had to settle for second (66.11) behind Patricia Frost and her traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding Ballj Spirit (68.33), a five-year-old bay by Spirit House.

Introductory

Marian Slattery (List 3) took charge of the afternoon session, awarding her highest score (75%) in the Introductory Test A to Ella Heraty and the ISH gelding Fusion, a 14-year-old chesnut son of Cut The Mustard.

Cathal Owens landed the Trailblazer Preliminary class with the unregistered Pepsi’s Command (66.36%), a four-year-old ISH mare by Island Commander, who is out of a Limmerick mare out of a Colin Diamond mare.

Pony event rider Zara Walsh topped the leaderboard in both Preliminary classes with the unregistered Kia, scoring 67.40% in the BD15 and 70.89 in the DI5A.

The sole Novice class, in which there were two starters, was won by Judith Wurmel with her Connemara gelding Castle Titan (66.67%), a 16-year-old grey by Laerkens Cascade Dawn, who was competing under DI rules for the first time since August 2021.