BALLINASLOE’s Katie Gibbons didn’t compete in Sunday’s second leg of the Eventing Ireland Western Region Starter Series, as she stayed at home studying, but her mother, Marie Dunne, who had driven her daughter and two horses to and from Tyrella on Saturday – a four and a half-hour journey each way – attended in her role as regional secretary.

Thankfully, their combined efforts had been rewarded at the Co Down estate, as Gibbons partnered Dunne’s Irish Sport Horse mare Milchem Free Spirit to an all-the-way victory in the 27-runner EI100 (J). The Contra A chesnut lowered one of the coloured poles, but an excellent dressage score of 19 penalties saw them complete on 23, just ahead of Eimhear Donaghy and TMS Freedom (23.5), recent winners of the six and seven-year-old Balmoral Star of the Future qualifier at Hazeldene.