IT may have huffed and puffed, and rained at times, in Co Galway last Sunday, but the Midlands and Western Region were always going ahead with their finals show at the Ower Equestrian Centre, where riders worked their horses in outside, but performed their tests in the large indoor arena.

Dermot Cannon (List 1) judged the morning classes, giving way to Derval Diamond (List 3) for the afternoon session. It was disappointing to see such a small entry, but there were very few withdrawals, the majority of competitors were members of Dressage Ireland and most of these volunteered to help the organisers at some stage during the day, ensuring the smooth running of the show.

Among the championship classes judged by Cannon was the four-runner Novice DI27A, where the highest score was recorded by Category 1 rider Ellen O’Hara on board her 15-year-old bay cob Miss Pollypockets (67.41%). Clodagh O’Toole finished second with another cob, the nine-year-old piebald mare Keadies Kaleigh (66.03).

In the match for honours at Advanced Medium level, Cannon’s winner was Tracy Murphy riding the Dutch Warmbood gelding Kennedy (63.50%), a dark bay nine-year-old by Future out of the Olivi mare Wianannie. The sole combination to appear before the same judge in the six-year-old class was Fran Kastner and the Irish Sport Horse mare Dreamhill Doria (64.40), a chesnut daughter of Ballineen It’s William out of Dreamhill Donna (by Huntingfield Rebel).

Aoife Nee won the FEI Pony Rider championship at Ower riding Maracuja AG \ Lorraine Cribbin

Cannon also judged the non-championship Elementary EI51 which Alana Cazabon won with a new ride, Valerie Murray’s nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Kenwood (68.15%), a half-brother to the Uphill siblings Carlton Hill and Floyd. Cazabon and the bay saw off their sole opponents to win the Cannon-judged Medium DI65 on a score of 67.34.

Derval Diamond’s Preliminary champion was Renee Patience riding the nine-year-old bay gelding Zebe D Rover (74.23%).

Their closest rivals in this DIP6 test were Ruth Carey on her black Welsh cob Aberhosan Commander (70.19), a 10-year-old son of Maesmynach Commander. The day’s turn-out prize was awarded in this class to Ailise Foy with Clew Bay Elegent Eve.

In the non-championship Preliminary class (DIP5A), Diamond awarded her highest score (74.29%) to Sadhbh O’Toole on her home-bred Irish Sports Pony gelding Dawns Sherlock, a four-year-old by Lucarelli out of Clochanard Dawn (by Libero Justice).

Two combinations appeared before the same judge in the FEI Pony Rider championship (individual test), where the comfortable winner was Aoife Nee with Maracuja AG (77.70%), the German Riding Pony on whom she recorded an uncontested victory in the team test (73.71).

This was a poignant victory for the rider, as she is now out of ponies. At the European pony championships in Belgium in July, Nee scored 66.62 on the Movie Star seven-year-old, who was purchased by her late mother Catherine.

Cadhla Curran and Dancing Espri won the FEI children on horses class at the dressage show at Ower \ Lorraine Cribbin

Cadhla Curran, whose mother Carmel was show secretary, was the only competitor in the Diamond-judged FEI children on horses’ classes, where she and Carmel’s Hanoverian mare Dancing Espri, a Denario 12-year-old, scored in 77.84% in the championship individual test and 75.43 in the non-championship team test.