CASTLE Irvine, Necarne, was the venue last weekend for Dressage Ireland’s National Winter Finals which could have been better supported by members.

Reasons for the lower-than-anticipated entry included the distance for some members to travel to the Co Fermanagh venue, the cost of living crisis, the lack of qualifying opportunities between the end of November and the end of January and the thankfully since sorted issue of clashing shows.

Those who did compete were delighted that they had at least one British Dressage List 1 judge assessing their performances in each test while the smaller entry resulted in a much more relaxed atmosphere. Those visiting judges were Jane Howard, Penelope Lang and Debby Lush.

One rider who loves competing at Castle Irvine, Necarne, is Carrick-On-Suir’s Rachel Dowley who was rewarded for her patronage with three championship successes. True, that won on her Dutch Warmblood gelding Insticator B.S. (on a combined score of 233.125), a 10-year-old by Florencio, in the Dunmore Gardens Category 3 Advanced Medium Championship was unopposed but she did have to see off rivals to win her other titles.

Dowley landed the SVS Equine Category 3 Novice Championship on her own Dutch Warmblood mare GFL Nava (194), a five-year-old daughter of For Romance, and the Category 3 Midlands and Western Region Preliminary Championship with the seven-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare Showtime Willow (179.25) who she is producing for Karen Bourke.

The Cashel owner was unable to travel to the finals but was delighted with this result. “This is the mare’s first year doing dressage!” she exclaimed. “I bought her in December 2020 from Jennifer Haverty to ride myself but, having been injured since then, I sent her to David Maher at Roscrea Equestrian for most of last year. She only moved to Rachel in January. I love that she is traditionally-bred and she caught my eye as she is really pretty and has a lovely nature. I see her not just as a dressage horse but more of an all-rounder.”

Showtime Willow, who is by the Irish Draught stallion Derg Showtime, was bred in Co Kerry by Dan Dalton. The grey, who has done a small bit of registered show jumping, is out of the Oke Boy mare Last Of The Line.

Among those who won twice at the weekend was Enfield’s former national champion Sarah Mellor who recorded a Balcas-sponsored Big Tour double on her Oldenburg mare Lets Dance, a 16-year-old bay by Sir Donnerhall. They scored 223.25 in the Intermediate II and 294.25 in the Grand Prix.

Double jobbing

Riding her mother Barbara’s Holstein gelding Cashmere, an 11-year-old by Catoo, Marlton’s Josephine Delahoyde won the Dunmore Gardens Prix Saint George on 226.5 and the Balcas-sponsored Intermediate I on 226 for a Small Tour victory.

Delahoyde was double jobbing at the finals as she was also on hand to coach some of her pupils. These included young Isla Coad who, riding her mother Carol’s part-bred Welsh gelding Frosthill Jackaroo, an 18-year-old skewbald by Twyford Jorrocks, won the South Munster Region Category 1 Junior Preliminary Championship on 183.875 and the SVS Equine Category 1 Junior Novice Championship on 197.375. Riding for her father Jim, another competitor to claim two titles was Ellen McDonald. She landed the Category 2 Northern Region Medium Championship on Dante Alighieri (219.125), the 13-year-old Dutch-bred chesnut by FS Dont Worry on whom she represented Ireland at last year’s European Pony Championships in Poland, before recording an uncontested victory in the Balcas-sponsored junior championship with her new ride for this season, the 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Donna Karen JDJ.

There was a nice bit of competition between Category 1 riders Kerry Taylor and Julie Polden.

The former won the Eastern Region Preliminary Championship on board her six-year-old grey gelding Ballylinney Max (174.75) while Polden finished second with Kilnoe Clover (172.5). In the SVS Equine Novice Championship, where they were split by Niamh O’Carroll on Castlelawn (179.125), Polden and her ISH mare Kilnoe Clover, a 16-year-old daughter of Temple Clover, took the honours on 182.5 while Taylor and Ballylinney Max finished third (175).

The Category 2 SVS Novice Championship was won by Sharon Getty on her ISH mare Taptoo (188.5), a nine-year-old bay by Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan, while Lucy Maughan and her ISH mare Cuffestown Flyover Lady (168.375), a 13-year-old grey by Matchmakers Lad, were the only starters in the Category 2 SVS Equine Junior Novice Championship.

Close

There was a rare male winner when OG Sporthorses’ Finn O’Gara topped the combined leaderboard in the Category 3 Leinster Region Elementary Championship with Karen Bennett’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Jinger (244.875) while the junior title at the same level went to Keelan Lynch who scored 221.25 with another KWPN-registered gelding, the 17-year-old FS Harry Potter bay Harley.

There was a very close result in the Category 3 Northern Region Medium Championship where the honours went to Bethany Mackey riding her own Dutch Warmblood mare Kalahari (212.25), an eight-year-old bay by Ferguson, while Elaine Murphy had to settle for the reserve spot with QT An Tainiste (212.125). There was a contrasting result in the Category 2 Dunmore Gardens Advanced Medium Championship where Lydia Dawson recorded a comprehensive victory on Clonswords Alf (234.125), a 14-year-old gelding by Clonswords Mr Jones.

Following the withdrawal of her sole rival, Maeve Deverell won the South Munster Children on Horses Championship with her mother Aisling’s ISH gelding Annaharvey Dunowen (240.5), a 10-year-old home-bred dun by Radolin.