PONY riders were to the fore at Balmoral Show on Saturday when the show jumpers competed in the Main Arena while those entered in the ridden pony and working hunter pony classes did so in the two arenas closer to the stabling area.

Nigel Fuller and Janet Hoyle judged the morning’s ridden classes in the P&O Arena where the first championship sash of the day was placed around the neck of the Greylands Maid At Sundown, winner of the show hunter championship. This 10-year-old chesnut mare, who claimed the 133cms class en route, was bred in Wales by Judith Thomas. She was ridden by Chloe Salley for her grandmother, Margaret Miller.

Holly Logan partnered Team Torrens’s Rosegate Valentine to win the 143cms class and then to stand reserve with this Cynhinsha Cracker Jack gelding who was bred in Britain by the Rosegate Stud.

Sadhbh O’Connor and her mother Aoife’s Imperial High Tide, who won this championship last September, had to settle for the runner-up spot in this year’s 153cms class behind the 17-year-old Kings Master mare Knocklucas Chloe who was ridden by Max McDonnell for his mother Mary.

In the open ridden championship, Jocelyn Hutchinson claimed the honours on Heather Steele’s 128cms class winner, Brookllan Lady Isabella. This five-year-old black daughter of Derwent Rainbow Bandit, who was bred by John McCormick out of the Hanmere Icon mare Brookvale Whispering Breeze, was part-bred champion at the Northern Ireland Festival.

Team Torrens recorded uncontested victories in the other two height classes with Romanno Willow The Wisp winning the 138cms class, en route to reserve honours, while Lindeth Tycoon was the sole entry in the 148cms class.

Julia Milligan, who partnered the latter, was awarded a commendation from the John Kirkpatrick legacy having “demonstrated a noteworthy degree of empathy with her mount”.

Lisburn’s Charles Latto owned the top two in the first ridden class, the seven-year-old Wildzangs Sunstar mare Gryngallt Pizzicato and four-year-old palomino gelding, Monorlea Calipo. However, when it came to the supreme championship, it was the two lead rein ponies who ruled the roost. Bearing the red rosette from her class was Roisin Cathcart’s Hightopps Hunny Bunny, a 10-year-old black mare by Hightopps Hugo, while second, and reserve supreme, was Kathryn Barry’s seven-year-old Rhosaur Vee gelding Rhydygrug Peter Pan.

Two skewbalds found favour with judges Lynn Black and Charlotte Miller when it came to the afternoon’s working hunter championship which was not open to the first and second from the starter stakes class, Molly Marner on Rossfad Runaway and Annabelle Betts riding Dunshane Sir Percival.

The champion was the 20-year-old gelding Dunbeggan Dreamer, the 143cms class winner who was ridden for her father John by Penny Kelly, while the in-form combination of Isla Coad and her mother Carol’s 16-year-old Twyford Jorrocks gelding Frosthill Jackaroo, winner of the 133cms class, stood reserve.

The 153cms class was won by Katie Wyse riding her mother Anna’s 11-year-old Castleside J.J. Junior gelding, Illaunurra Bay.