WESTERN Region member Katie Gibbons competed in three classes at last Saturday’s inaugural Northern Region event at Ash Hollow Equestrian.

She was eliminated in the EI90 (P), finished fourth of seven in the EI110 (J) but, against her seniors, won the EI90, on her dressage score, with her mother Marie Dunne’s Traditional Irish Sport Horse mare Bonitas Influence (31.3 penalties).

This was Katie’s first EI start on the six-year-old Hit The Diff grey who, bred in Co Wexford by Walter Kent out of the KEC Bluejay Diamond mare AFS Neptune, was previously ridden by her brother Godfrey. The latter had two rides on Saturday and, although they left Ballinasloe at 4am, they were fortunate to be able to compete.

“We got a blow out at about 6.30am just outside Enniskillen and it took much longer than expected to get tyres repaired,” revealed Dunne who, happily, had a Good Samaritan on side. “Huge thanks to Duncan McFayden who was bringing a horse to the Pony Club Tetrathlon in Necarne for his brother to ride on one of the Scottish teams. He took two of our horses to Ash Hollow so Godfrey and Katie could get started on dressage and I eventually got there at about 10.30!”

Ian McCluggage completed on his dressage score with the second-placed Meadowbank (31.5), as did Ruby Proctor on the fourth-placed Happy Go Lucky (34.5). However, a fence down show jumping proved expensive for Elaine O’Connor who finished third on Tullymurry Masha (34.3) and for Jonny Steele with the fifth-placed Bessie Blue (35.3). Eight show jumping penalties proved the undoing of Erin Mathieson who had been on 27.5 with DG Cool Dawn.

All 19 starters set out across the country but two failed to complete. Of those that did, five picked up jumping penalties including the Ellie Hynds-ridden PSH Let’s Tango who led after dressage (24).

McCluggage had a good day as, on his first phase score, he went on to comfortaby win the EI80 on the seven-year-old Gortfree Hero gelding Meadowspring (25 penalties) who was bringing up a hat-trick of victories, although the first, at Tullymurry (2), had been at EI90 level. Not too surprisingly, the ISH geldings Meadowbank (by Scrapman) and Meadowspring are half-brothers owned by Lindsay Martin whose mother Jan bred the pair out of her Perpendicular mare Drumreagh Diva.

There were 16 starters in this class, two of whom were withdrawn after dressage and one following a clear show jumping round. There was one retirement, following two stops, across the country and one elimination while four others picked up jumping penalties.