FANTASTIC sunshine greeted riders at the South East Region’s dressage team qualifier, sponsored by Connolly’s Red Mills, held last Sunday, June 23rd.

A late change of venue saw the qualifier being staged in the pristine grounds of Fernhill Sport Horses, Kilkenny, by kind permission of Carol Gee and her team. Each competitor rode two tests under the watchful eyes of Dressage Ireland judges, Brona O’Mahony (List 4) and Ciara Egan (List 5).

The Barrow Valley club was well represented on the day and two of its members topped the combined scores at RCP1 and RCP2 level. Jacqueline Kellet Bevan won the RCP1 qualifier with the traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse mare Macroney Sue. The 12-year-old, who was bred in Co Cork by Michael O’Donoghue, is by the Irish Draught stallion WRS Sun Rich out of a non-winning thoroughbred mare by Corrouge.

Isobelle Gould’s winner of the RCP2 was another ISH mare, Foxy Furisto, an 18-year-old Furisto’s Diamond chesnut, who was home-bred out of Gentle Flight. The latter was one of only seven foals registered on CapallOir by the once-raced Good Thyne stallion Good And Gentle.

Carne’s Isabelle Rouviere claimed the honours at RCP3 level on her Belgium Warmblood mare Jasmine Van Ter Notelaere, a 15-year-old bay by Non-Stop. Riding her ISH gelding Golden Knight, an 18-year-old chesnut son of Aughrim Knight, Thomastown and District’s Eva Brennan held off a two-pronged attack from Tinahely’s Rita Naughton, who had to settle for second and third with Diamonds Babalou and Action’s Bond Girl W.

The winner of the RCE was Thomastown and District’s Charlotte Clear on the ISH gelding Ramesses B, a 14-year-old son of Ramiro B, while Warrington’s Roisin McGrath won the young horse class with Carrownurlaur Dom, her five-year-old grey Connemara gelding by Glencarrig Ri.

With all pertinent results totted up, there were loud cheers from the Thomastown and District members present, when their Blue squad of Charlotte Clear (Ramesses B), Eva Brennan (Golden Knight), Sheena Hold (Wymess Bay) and Sharon O’Brien (Chapelhill Tommy) were announced as winners, followed by Barrow Valley and Carne.