THE CCIP2*-L at last week’s Millstreet international horse trials attracted 25 starters, 17 of whom completed. Most riders who recorded a good result hope to be considered for selection for the European championships team by Horse Sport Ireland’s pony eventing high performance manager, Jane Kinsella.

This is certainly the case with regard to Carla Williamson, who won the class on her third-placed dressage score with her mother Janet’s 10-year-old chesnut gelding Galco (27.7 penalties). Zara McCarthy moved up from fifth to second on her father Tom’s ISH gelding Romans Special Envoy (29.6), an eight-year-old dun son of Sligo Candy Boy, while Isabelle Walsh moved up from 11th to third on the Love family’s traditional home-bred mare Lucky For Some (31.9).

Williamson, who is in her final year in ponies, was on the bronze medal-winning team last year in Le Mans with Galco, her grasp on the individual gold slipping away in the final show jumping phase. This season, the Co Meath combination won their two completed EI110 (P) starts. Like many of her rivals in the class, Williamson is sitting her Junior Cert this year.

Unfortunately, this was something of a bittersweet victory for the rider, her mother and others, as Carla’s second ride in the class, Jane Hancock’s Ardeo Fireman, who had been lying second after dressage (26.9) and had taken the lead, with Galco lying second, after cross-country, was withdrawn before Sunday’s inspection.

“Unfortunately, Ardeo Fireman niggled an old injury and won’t be eventing again this season,” reported Janet Williamson of the 17-year-old Tinkas Boy gelding. One combination was eliminated in Sunday’s show jumping phase, while six combinations suffered the same fate across the country.

In winning on Sunday, Carla Williamson became the first recipient of the Grace Tyrrell perpetual trophy, which was presented by the Tyrrell family in memory of their daughter/sister Grace, a member of the bronze medal-winning Irish team at the European pony eventing championships at Strzegom in 2019. The cup was presented to Carla by Grace’s mother, Maria.