THE versatility of the breed is very evident in Rachel Brew’s Caraun Ferdy, who won Section B of the eight to 15-year-old RDS Connemara performance hunter qualifier at Rincoola last Saturday.

The nine-year-old Martan Phaidin Mhoir gelding, who was bred in Co Sligo by Niamh Howley out of the Glenayre Silver Fox mare Carraun Sacha, had just failed to qualify at both Tullylish and Scarteen. However, he made it third time lucky here under the owner’s 18-year-old daughter, Eliza-Jane Queally, when scoring 251 points. The combination recorded one of only two clear rounds in their section, the other being posted by the 13-year-old Ashfield Romeo stallion Brock Blizzard (248.5) who, ridden by Cait Hennessy for Valerie O’Gorman, qualified in second.

Recently, Carraun Ferdy had been competing in Minimus company, where he was ridden by Eliza-Jane’s 12-year-old twin sisters, Gloria and Georgia, representing the Kildare Branch of the Irish Pony Club. He was partnered by both girls when, along with Nia Webbon and Olivia Condon, they finished fourth as the Kildare Tigers in the team competition at the Overlander/IPC national minimus championships, where they won the riding prize. More recently, Gloria and the grey were on the Ireland White team, who finished third in the international regional championships in England.

While Eliza-Jane has supposedly passed on the ride to the twins, she not only competed Caraun Ferdy in these qualifiers, but also in the CCI1*-Intro at Ballindenisk in April when, with some cross-country time penalties, they finished sixth of the 14 starters.

Section A went the way of Co Tipperary’s Tom Hayden, who claimed the first qualifying ticket with his mother Mary’s Derryveeney Cruise (240.5 points), on whom he competes at EI100 level with Eventing Ireland. This 13-year-old Cashelbay Cruise stallion was bred in Co Mayo by Anthony O’Neill out of Comet Princess (by Crusheen Comet).

Eimear White qualified in second on board Rebecca Coveney’s eventing pony Houndswood Moonbay (237), a nine-year-old Hazel Rock Silver Fox gelding who, too, is out of a Moy Hazy Cove mare, in this case the simply-named Katie.

Diarmuid Ryan and Galtee Setanta won Section A of the five to seven-year-old RDS Connemara Performance Hunter qualifier at Rincoola \ Aisling Deverell/ Bit-Media

Five to seven-year-olds

As both the winning and joint-second-placed ponies, the Diarmuid Ryan-ridden Galtee Setanta (237.5 points) and the Paul Dempsey-partnered Carnhill Stormy Boy (235), had already qualified, the tickets on offer in Section A of the five to seven-year-old class were awarded to the other joint-second Knocknippy Nidge and the fourth-placed Crimlon Dylan (224.5).

Owned by Kathy Rispin and ridden by Emelie Larkin, the seven-year-old Kippure Alkatraz gelding Knocknippy Nidge is out of the Shadow’s Dun mare Carrabean Queen, while Crimlon Dylan, who was ridden by Becky Scott for Maria O’Callaghan, is a six-year-old gelding by Menlough Owen out of Holly (by Garryhinch Finn).

Having secured a Dublin ladies’ side saddle ticket the previous Sunday, Co Wicklow’s Alicia Devlin Byrne concentrated her attention last weekend on this qualifier in Rincoola, where she won Section B of the younger pony class with I Love You Jazz (242.5 points). This seven-year-old I Love You Melody stallion, who was home-bred by his owner Peter Lawlor out of Cashelane Chloe (by Hojbjerg’s Bright Star), finished equal second at Dublin last August.

David Kiely claimed the second qualifying ticket here on the runner-up, Barbara Seifert’s Coosheen Thady Quill (241.5), on whom he competes in 148cm classes under Show Jumping Ireland rules. The six-year-old Grange Finian Sparrow gelding was bred by Elizabeth Petch out of Coosheen Sea Mist (by Glencarrig Prince).