THERE was great support from the local thoroughbred community for the inaugural Clonmahon House one-day event which was staged by the McNally family of Summerhill, Co Meath, last Saturday, as among the class sponsors were Castlebridge Stud, Lynn Lodge Stud and Oak Tree Farm.

The EI115 was sponsored by The Underwriting Exchange, sponsor also of the Irish senior show jumping team. Stephen O’Connor of TUE was delayed coming in from England as otherwise he would have arranged for the company’s fence to be included in the show jumping phase.

Amanda Torrens, who has personal connections with racing, showing and now eventing, sponsored The Eventing Times coverage of the fixture through the Barberstown Castle Hotel, Straffan, so that all competitors would have a memento of the event. The four-star country house hotel also sponsored a prize for the rider who had the lowest finishing score on the day – won by Caitie Slater with Belline Warrenstown Cruz (16.3 penalties in the EI100 (T).

A night away for two in one of their Strangford View Mews self-catering cottages was presented by Jill and Joseph Murphy as a groom’s prize. The winner was south Co Dublin’s Judy Collings, a longtime friend, confidant, driving companion, ego-booster as well as groom to Catherine Meeke, who has taken many clinics with Joseph and knows the Killyleagh area well. “While I was delighted to win – and Catherine assures me that I am the best groom – it was all a matter of luck as I just had to write my name down and hand it in to the ‘office’!” explained Collings.

Turning into the entrance of Clonmahon House, one was not only struck by the tarmaced drive, a life-size sculpture of a horse made of horse shoes and the manicured grass and hedges but also by the presence of the Veterinary Specialists Ireland small animal surgical clinic. This was opened in June 2019 by Turlough McNally and his wife Laura Cuddy, both veterinary surgeons.

A great many young riders, and/or their parents and locally-based others did their volunteer duty at Clonmahon House. While most had sedentary tasks such as fence judges, Miriam Coakley, who was on duty for husband Denis (second in the EI110 (Amateur) on Sugar Bunnie) and daughter Abby (not so highly-placed in the EI100 on Toome Carrick Jimmy) was seen running around all morning collecting dressage sheets – she got her 10,000 steps in and some.