THE Eastern Region of Dressage Ireland staged their Childéric Saddles league finals last Sunday at Marlton where riders competed in the most atrocious weather conditions.

There were some withdrawals and no-shows but the majority of those who entered met their engagements, most determined to have a last competitive outing before this weekend’s National Championships in Mullingar.

“We couldn’t believe the number who turned up,” said committee member Jane Whitaker who was also on judging duty. “No matter how bad the rain got, they just kept coming.”

They certainly did at the lower levels at least and there were some high scores in these well-filled classes.

The highest was recorded in the Preliminary BD15 judged by Elizabeth Daly (List 6) where Category 1 rider Liisa Rantamaki topped the leaderboard with her home-bred ex-racehorse, Bobby Cool (77.60%). The seven-year-old grey gelding by Alhebayeb, who failed to win or be placed in six outings on the flat and one over hurdles in 2019, was an ‘also-ran’ in the DI18 where Lindsey Ilona Brady awarded her top marks to Ava Kelly on another grey, The Causey Girl (70), her traditionally bred 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare by Rebel Mountain.

No doubt Rhona McNamara appreciates how lucky she is to have the ride on the former three-star eventer Reenmore Duke with whom she recorded two wins on Sunday before Michael Moore (List 2a). In the Novice DI24A, McNamara and the 14-year-old ISH gelding by Quicksilber were on 72% while, in the Elementary DI51, they won on 72.41.

Ilona Brady judged the other two classes at those levels. Topping her scores in the Novice BD23 was Category 1/Junior rider Skyla Nally on Linda McGuirk’s promising five-year-old, Optimistic Future (71.25%). This ISH mare by Future Trend competed in two EI80 (Q) classes early in the year but has concentrated on dressage since then. The far more experienced pairing of Wendy Seymour and her ISH mare Carrick Diamond Lilly (70.54), a 13-year-old daughter of Carrick Diamond Lad, claimed the honours in the Elementary BD57.

Three combinations contested the two Medium classes. In the Moore-judged DI77, Maeve Deverell scored 72% on the home-bred Radolin gelding Annaharvey Dunown to easily see off the challenge of her nearest rival, her mother Aisling, on board Annaharvey Firefly (66). Aisling fared the better in the Whitaker-assessed BD73 but here the winner was Jennifer Rea on her ISH gelding Fermoyle Charles (71.76).

There were uncontested victories in both Advanced Medium classes for Elizabeth Frayling and her Oldenburg mare Bedelia (65.61% in the FEI Junior team test), an eight-year-old chesnut by Bordeaux, and for Rea and Fermoyle Charles (65.59% in the FEI Junior individual test).

Maeve Deverell also competed in the FEI Pony team test on Derravaragh Boy but 68.14% was only good enough for second behind her sole rival, Laragh Byrne and Jan Heine’s Germany riding pony Steendieks Dali Gold (69). Byrne and the nine-year-old palomino gelding by FS Don’t Worry doubled up in a fashion in the Individual test where they scored 69.19.