THE Northern Region of Dressage Ireland hosted last Sunday’s second qualifying round of this year’s Horse Sport Ireland dressage autumn development series at The Meadows, where all bar one of the four age classes were well supported.

Five of the six entries for the seven and eight-year-old qualifier were members of the younger age group, but it was the sole eight-year-old, the Courtney Stuart-owned and ridden Favorino (71.90%), who topped the scores of judge Lynne Cassidy (List 3). Kildare’s Tara Hayes finished second with her mother Fiona’s Sandora BS (69.48), an ISH mare by Spielberg, who won the Cassidy-judged Medium BD61 on 70.52.

A bay Follow Me gelding, Favorino last appeared at a DI show in February; he had an easy year, as Stuart and her husband Chris Akkari welcomed son Rupert into the world on June 15th. ‘Vino’ showed he was well on form on his return to competitive action, as he also won Sunday’s second Advanced Medium class, the two-runner BD98 judged by Michael Moore (List 2s), on a score of 71.05%.

“It was a lovely relaxed show to make my comeback,” commented the delighted owner/rider.

“I have big dreams for this horse as I think he is extremely talented.

"I’m hoping to continue in this HSI series alongside navigating new mum life! My plan is to move Vino up to Advanced by the start of the New Year.”

Stuart and her family at the Gransha Equestrian Centre, Bangor, are hosting a dressage clinic with locally-born Irish international Abi Lyle in early December. At time of writing, this had been extended into three days such was the demand for places.

Killian Gaffney and Gleneden Justified \ Louise O'Brien Photography

Gaffney win

Thirteen combinations came before Moore in the five-year-old qualifier, where Kildare’s Killian Gaffney recorded the only 70%+ score on his Irish Sport Horse gelding Gleneden Justified (71.03). A winner also at the first leg of the series at Ower last month, the Dignified van’t Zorgvliet bay was bred in Co Wicklow by Jim O’Connell out of the Womanizer mare Wonder Woman.

Lisa Dundee finished second and fourth respectively on her own ISH gelding Dunkeeran (68.79%) and Patricia Connon’s home-bred ISH mare RoundThorn Nice N Easy (68.28). Coming out of ponies, event rider Erin Mathieson placed third on her mother Hilary’s Chrome (68.28), an ISH mare who won two well-filled EI100 classes during the summer under her previous owner, Adam Haugh.

It wasn’t a surprise to see Denise Kelly Rice and Pamela Wilson’s Forvanna finish ahead of their eight rivals in the six-year-old qualifier. At the recent DI National Championships in Mullingar, the Newry combination won the JS Horsetruck Elementary Category 2 title, as well as the Para Equestrian Ireland six-year-old title.

Here, Michael Moore awarded Kelly Rice and Forvanna a score of 72.93%, while Joanne Jarden finished second on Rebecca Millar’s Irish Draught gelding Ballygowans Ready Teddy Go (70.86), a bay son of Offaly Clover. A Westfalian mare by Formidable out of Rivanna (by Rheingau 3), Forvanna has been one of the most consistent performers on the affiliated young horse circuit since making a winning debut at Danescroft in May 2021.

The NI chairperson, Joan Adrain (List 6), who finished third in that six-year-old class on VSH Moviestar (68.97%), judged the two-runner four-year-old qualifier, where her winner was the Co Meath combination of Caroline Lynch and her ISH gelding DS Bouncer 007 (66.55). The grey was bred in Co Tipperary by Aisling O’Brien out of the Castlecomer Q mare Duharra Silver Rose.

It was good to see this qualifier being supported by riders throughout the country. The next round in the series, which is sponsored by Horse Sport Ireland in conjunction with the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, also takes place in the Northern Region, with Danescroft hosting the third leg next Saturday, October 21st, when there will also be classes for ponies.

Sunday’s show at The Meadows was the first of the Region’s winter league. Among the other winners was Joanne Jarden who received Joan Adrian’s highest score of the day for her test in the Preliminary BD17A on Diana Cody’s German Sport Horse Lougherne Contessa (71.21%), a nine-year-old bay mare by Cassini I.

Matching her generosity in the seven and eight-year-old qualifier, Lynne Cassidy awarded a second 71.90% to Category 2 rider Casey Webb who topped the Novice DI21 leaderboard with the ISH mare Tykillen Jazz, a five-year-old chesnut daughter of Orestus. Better known as an event rider, Webb, who was making her DI debut on Sunday, had a rewarding day as she also won the Michael Moore-judged Novice BD22 on Sarah O’Shea’s 10-year-old skewbald gelding The Cherokee Flight (68.62).

Moore and Cassidy were more or less agreed on their winner at Elementary level. In the nine-runner BD43, Cassidy awarded her highest score to Category 2 rider Claire Ewing on Silken Art (70.17%) who shared the top of the leaderboard in the Moore-judged five-strong DI55 with Sharon Getty and her ISH mare Taptoo (67.32), a nine-year-old bay by Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan.

While Getty and Taptoo hadn’t competed with DI since the National Winter Finals at the beginning of April, Ewing and the 16-year-old Masurenfuerst gelding Silken Art were returning to the fold as a combination following a six-year break. Ewing, who goes under the surname Sedgeman in her role in Dressage Ireland administration, has competed other horses since but, for various reasons such as two babies plus a broken back and hip, had been out of competition for two and a half years prior to Sunday.