THE sport of pony show jumping is very much a family affair. It takes a village to transport ponies, tack, feed, shavings, electric scooters, barbecues and gazebos around the country to these stay away shows. This is not the kind of job that can be farmed out to anybody, so usually mums, dads, brothers, sisters and even the occasional granny and granddad get roped in to keep the show on the road.

For most show jumping families, the National Pony Championships held annually in Mullingar Equestrian Centre, right in the heart of the country, marks the end of the summer show jumping season, but sadly, summer did not make much of an appearance and barbecues and gazebos were in short supply, replaced by waterproof coats and soggy shoes as the weather gods blew and threw just about anything they could over the four days. Sport, as they say, is character building, so there were plenty of characters being built in Mullingar!

With competitions ranging from Newcomers 50cm to 148 1.30m as well as classes for U18s on horses and National Finals for all levels competing in five arenas, stables were in high demand and sold out within 10 minutes, however the Fagan family and staff made a huge effort to accommodate everyone with 600 stables onsite and 150 more within 2km. In total there were 3,898 entries over the four days, which is up on previous years and shows the demand for this hugely popular show.

The first major final was held in International Sand on Thursday with the climax of the Boomerang.ie-sponsored Starfinder for six/seven-year-old 148cm ponies. Following on from his win in the equivalent class in the RDS last week, Charlie Flynn and the seven-year-old JDF Montana were dominant once more, taking the win by a 3.5 second margin from Peter Morton and the six-year-old Blueoak Shelby. Alice Moloney took third place on the six-year-old MHS Colorado, a pony that is a full-brother to both MHS Going Global and, bizarrely, the enormous MHS High Hopes, proving that they come in all shapes and sizes.

Young ponies

Friday was a very busy day with eleven major finals being decided. The Mullingar Horse Auctions Young Pony Series Finals, which encourages the production of young ponies, took up the entire day in Plusvital Sand 1 with 253 combinations taking part, underlining the popularity of the series.

First up was the 128 six/seven-year-old 90cm class where Rachel Sheehan and Heartbreaker Charlie took the win, with Josh Fitzgerald and Inchala Du Roudoutous in second and Lucy Kent with Watergrange JoJo rounding out the top three.

The 138 six/seven-year-old 1m class saw James Ryan and Happy Harry take the top spot, with Zoe Mellett and Lynncot Lady Eleanora in second and Libby O’Shaughnessy and Cec Merida in third. Ted Fagan didn’t have far to travel to take the win in the 148 six/seven-year-old class with Hachtag Kerbotin, another combination who were fresh from their success in the RDS. Alex Sheehan and Tallyho The Glimmer Man took second place with Chloe Fenton and Burdal Miami picking up third place.

The four/five-year-old Young Pony Series is a judged class that rewards rideability and style, as well as that all important future potential. The first of these was the 128 four/five-year-old where Finn Russell and Maybrock Dolly Mixture took the top spot, with Dylan Cregan and Scott Two in second place and Orla Cleary and Fudge finishing third.

Finn Russell and Maybrock Dolly Mixture, winners of the 128 four/five-year-old 80cm Mullingar Horse Auctions YPS Finals, with Davy Russell, at the National Pony Championships \ Jane Emilly Potter jumpinaction.net

Cathal McKeon-Devaney and Kitty SB took the win in the 138 four/five-year-old class, with Joe Widger and Poyntstown Penny taking second place and James Ryan with Calla Berti taking third. The 148 four/five-year-old class was won by Harry Rush and Happy Hooker STS Z, with Alanna Fagan and Little Miss Susie taking second place and Medb Kinney and S J Caledonia taking third.

Future champions

The International Sand played host to the 148cm Bob Sweeney Future Champions Final where Ronan Gilvarry and Dexter Leam Prancer came out on top of a field of over 65 starters. Sophia Bingham and her speedy coloured, Morepark Alamo, took second place, with James Derwin picking up third with Westmount Custard Cream.

The 128 U10 Bob Sweeney Future Champions Final was held in Theault Sand 2. Tim Morton with Tuscan Star took top honours, just 0.06 of a second clear of Julia Sheehan and Pineview Bo, with Amelia Stafford and Astral JJ less than a second adrift in third.

Lauren McGrath and Deelside Silver came out on top of the 128 1m, while Caitie McEvoy and Tynan Petal took second place with Willow Gavin and Foxhall Ranson rounding out the top three.

The 138 1.05 Final saw yet another closely fought contest where the top three were divided by just 0.14 of a second. Mark Mellett and Knocknagaron Fear Bui Falcon came out on the right side of the decimal points. Isabelle Mangan and RTS Killult Dawn picked up second place, with Sarah Egan and Rebel Gealach close behind in third.

The final class of the day in Theault Sand 2 was the highly anticipated final of the Walter Reape 50cm. The overall winner here was Hayden Campbell from Leinster and the four regional winners, Caleb Mitchel (U), Elaine Briscoe (C), Hvar Kelly (L) and Rory Delaney (M) went home with coolers and sashes, while there were saddle cloths for the top six as well as generous prizes for all who participated.

The last class of the day in International Sand was the hugely popular two fence challenge which saw just three combinations brave enough to tackle the big red wall in front of a vocal crowd of spectators. Eugenie Sheehy was the only one to clear 1.80m with Millfield My Time and proved a hugely popular winner.