THE South Munster Region of Dressage Ireland held the first leg of its O’Brien Saddlery summer league at Maryville Stables last Thursday week with an afternoon/evening show which attracted such a large entry that a cap of 75 will be implemented for the two remaining qualifiers.

Rebecca Hayes warmed up for her mounted trek across Mongolia by competing in two classes with her ex-racehorse Hash Brown. The 14-year-old Vinnie Roe gelding, who won three hurdle races and two chases when trained by Michael Hourigan, topped the scores on 70.21% in the Preliminary DI18 judged by Joan Ahern (List 2)

While he achieved a qualifying score of 67.5% in the Novice BD23, the chesnut was some way off the winner, Karen O’Sullivan’s British Warmblood mare Hillgrounds Flamenco (74.58), an eight-year-old bay by Franklyn Sugar who was ridden by Gwyn Holmes. That pairing also won the Novice DI24A on the 72.83 they were awarded by Marie Hennessy (List 2).

The only other double was an uncontested one recorded in the FEI Grade IV Para Tests by Rosemary Gaffney and her Hanoverian gelding Freedom who achieved 72.50% in the Ahern-judged Grand Prix A while Shelley Lombard (List 6) awarded them 70.69 in the Grand Prix B.

Lombard’s highest score of the day went to Beth Coveney and Ruth Furney’s unregistered Coppenagh Russel (76.43%) in the Trailblazer Junior Preliminary DI5A. Coveney and the seven-year-old bay gelding were second in two EI80(Q) classes in May.