THE Newcastle Lyons Branch was a bit unlucky not to win a fifth competition class at CoilÓg last Friday, when Darragh Whyte recorded the highest score awarded by Jean Halpenny (List 4) for his work on Miss Uptown Girl (67.67%) in the Windsor test.

However, as per the rules of the Irish Pony Club’s national dressage day (explained elsewhere), he had to compete hors concours, leaving Kate Walsh to claim the honours on Lisheen Fork Lightning (67.34). This was a turnaround from last August, when the same rule went against the Tipperary Branch member at Spruce Lodge.

Walsh enjoyed a very successful 2023 on Lisheen Fort Lightning, a 16-year-old gelding whom she evented with the IPC and Eventing Ireland, finishing third of 19 on the chesnut in the EI110 (J) championships at Kilguilkey House. Walsh is another eagerly waiting for the start of the EI season, as she is the organisation’s youth ambassador for 2024.

Hors concours

Amber Lane and Barkway State Affair, who won the Royal International Pretty Polly show pony qualifier at the Irish Pony Society spring show in Mullingar on Thursday, travelled on from there to CoilÓg, where they too picked the wrong class in which to compete hors concours. This they did in the Open/Senior Associates test, judged by Bernie Webb and co-show organiser Maire Hennessy (List 2), where they achieved the highest score of 69.57%.

The first prize therefore was presented to the Bray Branch’s Alex Potter, who partnered the Irish Sport Horse gelding Bluelake Richard (68.79%) to victory, ahead of The Kingdom’s Yvonne Daly on Drumiller Diamante (67.16) and Meath’s Grace Hanna riding Clerkson (66.55). Potter took over the ride on the 13-year-old Keamore Diamond Clover grey last season and competed him with the IPC, the IPS and Showjumping Ireland.

The Carbery Branch had a good day, although their only competition success came in the Under 10s’ section, where Maire Quinlan Pluck (List 5) was most impressed by the test of Clara Nyhan, a Trailblazers performer with Dressage Ireland, and her lovely 16-year-old piebald mare Molly Dot Com (72.75%).

This combination also won the Under 10s warm-up test with a score of 76.92%, while their Carbery clubmates, Sinead O’Regan and Alana’s Rambler, ran out narrow winners of the Under 12s warm-up on 70. The Bray Branch also struck twice in the warm-up classes through Emily Johnston and Lil Bouncer (69.75 in the Intermediate) and Zara Kelly with Roo Too (80.75 in the Open/Senior Associates).

The South Union Branch didn’t manage to record a double, but did field the first two on the final leaderboard in the Junior warm-up, Beth Coveney on Coppenagh Russel (78.5%) and her sister Jessica with Bishopshall Joe (76.25).