‘HAVE horse, will travel’ certainly seems to be the motto of those seeking qualifying tickets for the side saddle classes at Dublin Horse Show and, on the last weekend to secure these, some competitors went to the Flavours of Fingal show on Saturday and, if that attempt failed, it was on to Ballyfoyle or Charleville on Sunday.

The ladies’ class at Newbridge House and Farm was judged by Megan Connell (ride) and Suzanne Garrigan (conformation), whose final line-up was topped by Co Galway’s Amory McMahon on her own and her mother Kate’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Woodfieldfarm Baloo. This eight-year-old bay by Spirit House, who also qualified last year and in 2022 when he finished third, was bred in Co Waterford by Rosemary Connors, out of her top show and performance mare Woodfield Valier (by Lucky Valier).

The second and third-placed tickets went to Co Limerick’s Lynsey O’Brien and Co Kildare’s Hazel Valentine on Tilly. O’Brien, a regular visitor to this show, partnered her own and her father Tim’s Irish Draught gelding Creevaghstables Mr Bloomfield, an eight-year-old Gortfree Hero grey who, too, will be bidding to make it third time lucky at Dublin next month.

The winner of the best rider award in this class went to Alicia Devlin Byrne, who topped the original line-up on The Duchess Of Allen, but was dropped to fourth; they qualified at Ballyfoyle on Sunday. The turn-out prize was awarded to Jessica O’Brien on the fifth-placed Majestical Dancer.

Intermediate

As she has a horse qualified for the class herself, Connell stepped down from officiating in the intermediate class, where Garrigan’s winner was Co Tipperary’s Stephanie Moore and her 10-year-old bay mare Dynamite Replay, who has no recorded pedigree. This partnership finished fifth in their small hunter class at Dublin last year and second in their intermediate working hunter pony class.

Qualifying in second place was Armagh’s Katie Crozier on Caroline Chambers’s Whitethorn Lane, who was competing in her first side saddle class.

This 13-year-old grey by Kildromin Major, who was bred in Co Kilkenny by Elizabeth Ann Davies out of the Kings Servant mare Kings Cleo, will continue to compete in show jumping, dressage and arena eventing with her owner until shortly before the Dublin Horse Show.

Not long back from a successful outing to the Royal Highland Show with the Connemara gelding Fiery Diplomat, Aoife Flynn bagged the third qualifying ticket in this intermediate class on the 10-year-old bay gelding Rock Houdini, who she events with the Irish Pony Club and competes in working hunter classes with the Irish Pony Society.

The turn-out prize here was awarded to the Lisa O’Gorman-ridden Carrenrush Liberty Belle, who finished fourth, while Kitty Concannon, who placed sixth with Bridgos Knight, was judged the best rider in the class.

Those who secured qualifying tickets, and others, are reminded that entries for the Dublin Horse Show close at 5pm on Monday and must be submitted online.