MANY of the country’s top dressage riders competed in last Sunday’s third leg of the Horse Sport Ireland Autumn Development Series at the Ard Chuain Equestrian Centre near Ballina where first-time visitors were impressed with the facilities on offer at the Reape family’s Co Mayo venue.

The judging duties were divided by Mark Ruddock (Arena 1) and Liam Maloney (Arena 2) with the latter assessing horses forward in two of the age classes. Disappointingly, only two combinations came before Maloney in the Preliminary BD15 for four-year-olds where the Killian Gaffney-ridden My Bishophill Rolex scored 65.60% while his rival, Slieve Callan Gael, had to settle for second (64.80) under his Co Clare owner/breeder, Niamh Tottenham.

The winner, a dark brown ISH gelding by Cougar was bred in Co Kildare by Suzanne McGee out of the Diamond Clover mare Bohemian Ruby who McGee used to event and show jump.

John Gavin’s journey over to Ard Chuain from north Dublin proved well-worthwhile as he comfortably won the three-strong Novice BD38 for five-year-olds on his ISH gelding Holywell Spark (72.1) who was bred in Co Tipperary by Jacinta O’Donoghue. The Cobra bay is out of the Contador mare Oneforthenotebook.

Ruddock’s winner of the Elementary BD43 for six-year-olds, which ended up as match, was the Jennifer Rea-owned ISH gelding Fermoy Charles (74.66). This bay by S Creevagh Ferro was bred in Sligo by Henry Gardiner out of the Grade A jumping mare Fermoyle Jane (by Captain Clover).

Ruddock also judged Holywell Spark in the seven-strong Novice qualifier (BD38) but here Gavin’s mount had to share second place with the Tracy Murphy-partnered Kennedy on 71.29. The winner, on 71.94, was the Fiona Geering-owned and ridden Christus (71.94), a 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Christ. Sophie Orr topped Ruddock’s scores in the Preliminary qualifier (BD15) with Laura Seery’s Connemara mare Tirnaskea Starstruck (72.2), a six-year-old grey by Kays Moonlight.

Riding Anita Kelly’s Dutch Warmblood mare, DHI Kikkis, a six-year-old daughter of Netto, Sean Burgess topped the scores in both the Elementary BD43 qualifier (71.38) and the Medium BD73 qualifier (69.56).

Dressage Ireland chair Marguerite Kavanagh also recorded a double on her ISH gelding Fursten, her home-bred nine-year-old by Furstenball out of the Carismo mare My Pretty Woman. The combination saw off their sole rivals, Cillian Curran with Dancing Espri (65), when winning the Advanced Medium BD91 qualifier on 67.95, before recording an uncontested success (67.14) in the Advanced DI100A.

Riding her Dutch Warmblood mare Fidette, an 11-year-old chesnut by Westpoint, Kavanagh also won the two-runner Prix St George on 67.65 with Burgess finishing second with Imperioso WW (66.32).

Show secretary Simone Hession won the Intermediaire I unopposed with the 15-year-old home-bred Gentle Diamond gelding Beezies Double Diamond (63.53) but, on that Irish Draught grey’s year-older half-brother Beezies Big Brother, Hession had to settle for second (61.41) in the Grand Prix won by Sarah Mellor and the Oldenburg mare Let’s Dance (65.43), a 14-year-old bay by Sir Donnerhall.

The series continues tomorrow in Ballindenisk, Co Cork.