THE North Tipperary Hunt Challenge returns to Tullaheady in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, again this year, following an extremely successful inaugural event last December.

By kind permission of Tommy and Ann Elizabeth Rigg Miller, this year’s challenge will take place on Saturday, December 9th, and is now open for entries.

Along with the open challenge, the teams of four challenge and the junior challenge, this year’s event will see the addition of a novice challenge, which will be run over the same course as the junior challenge.

This year also, the junior challenge will be divided into U14 and U16 categories.

The open and teams of four course is over approximately two and a half miles of natural Tipperary hunting country, with a mixture of banks, drains and ditches in the mix.

There will be a maximum of 40 runners and riders in the open challenge, which last year was oversubscribed and saw riders come from as far as Northern Ireland to run.

Prizes on the day will be donated by Arrabawn Co Op, Nenagh, and Kellers’ Carry Out, Nenagh, while the HP Cairns Cup, the Martin McCarthy Memorial Cup, the Dermot Sheridan Memorial Cup and John and Nancy Riggs Miller Memorial Cup are also all up for grabs. It promises to be a fun day out. Last year was a huge success, with riders, coming from hunts all over the country, enjoying great sport with their horses and ponies.

Speaking ahead of the event, North Tipperary Foxhounds hunt secretary Ciara Cairns said: “Last year was a huge success with riders coming from as far as Kerry, Meath, Cork, Kildare and all the way from Northern Ireland. I rode in it myself and it was a such a thrill, I’ve completed the Silver Spur and the Scurry of East Sussex in England, but it was great to get such a good spin around our own country. Entries are filling up, we’ve some lovely prizes sponsored by Arrabawn Co-op for the day, we have a number of various memorial cups for the day, as well as bottles of champagne. It’s going to be a great day out.”

Head to the North Tipps Hunt Challenge Facebook page for more information.