ALTHOUGH the emphasis at present in Pony Club ranks is on Tetrathlon, some members are more interested in other disciplines and last Saturday, the Seskinore Branch hosted the Area 17 dressage qualifier at Omagh showgrounds.

The Iveagh Branch won half of the six team competitions, thanks to the efforts of their Novice, PC80 and Unassisted Walk/Trot squads.

A mixed East Down/Mid Antrim trio won the Intermediate team title, an East Antrim quartet claimed the honours at PC70 level and an East Down trio recorded an eight-point success in the Walk/Trot Assisted class.

The Mid Antrims’ ever-competitive Hannah Thompson won the individual Intermediate title with her Irish Sport Horse mare Jemeela Charm, the 14-year-old Loughry Lad mare she partnered to victory in an EI100 Amateur at The Clare last month.

Thompson also rode Jemeela Charm in the Novice competition, where they finished second (73.18%) in Section A to the Iveaghs’ Jessica Mulgrew on S.J Figaro (74.32).

The Iveaghs also won Section B through Catherine Cowan on Lady Remarque (70.5%), the three-runner Open through Poppy Moore on D’Imagine That (67.12) and, at the opposite end of the scale, the Walk/Trot Unassisted class, where Lucy Davidson scored 71 on board My Perfect Puzzle.

The East Downs won three individual classes, starting with Georgia Linehan, who recorded the highest score of the day (76.67%) in Section A of the PC80 class on Karma Is My Middle Name.

Fellow Branch member Elly Rebbeck topped the final leaderboard in Section A of the PC70 class on Celtic Dream (71.2) as did Grace Scott on Bunbury Sorbet (73.75) in the Walk/Trot Assisted class.

The North Down Branch struck in Section B of the PC80 class, where Alice Salters rode the winning test on Hesh Hans Free (71.25%); a score of 69.6 secured victory in Section B of the PC70 class for Tullylagan’s Martha McAvoy on Sally; and the host Branch, Seskinore, claimed the win in the PC70+ class though Lily Beatty on Newtown Melody.