HSI showing classes

IN common with many equestrian events at present, numbers were down at last weekend’s Association of Irish Riding Clubs’ Festival at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre but the general feeling among those who did compete, and there were almost 1,500 entries, was that it was great to be back following Covid restrictions.

This 30th Festival, the first since 2019, followed the usual format of three disciplines – dressage, showing and show jumping – all of which were supported, respectively, by staunch sponsors The Irish Field, Horse Sport Ireland and TRI Equestrian. As Honorary President of the AIRC and editor of The Irish Field, Leo Powell was wearing two hats when he attended the Festival on Saturday.

Mullingar’s Robert Fagan was delighted to welcome the Festival back to his family’s Co Westmeath venue and was confident that he and his team had done all they could to prepare the grounds. However, he wasn’t so happy to see the heavy rain which fell on Friday and its effect on the show rings but thankfully these had dried up by the time the first class got underway on Saturday morning.

The main event on the Horse Sport Ireland showing programme on day one was that for the overall champion from the two ridden rings with champions and reserves from both eligible to contest for the Karl Geisler memorial trophy, honouring a previous holder of the office of honorary president.

This year’s winner, Avalon Next Generation, came from Ring 2 where he had been partnered by his owner, Cill Dara secretary Sara Wood, to win the small riding horse class and then stand reserve in the section championship to the Irish Sport Horse mare Mallow Warrior who won the large class for Abbeylands under his owner, Megan Delaney. However, when it came to the ring championship, that eight-year-old Coolcronan Wood grey was a no-show and Wood was only too happy to claim the title.

Two minds

“As I’ve so often been beaten by Megan, I was in two minds whether to wait for even the ring championship,” said Wood who has worked in the office at Yeomanstown Stud for the past 14 years. “I couldn’t believe it when Megan didn’t turn up and we won that and then I was totally amazed and delighted when we won the overall championship.

“I compete my fellow in all Riding Club activities while he has also earned over 100 Dressage Ireland points; he is a great advertisement for the Traditional Irish Horse,” said Wood of her six-year-old Glencarrig Joe gelding. “The plan is to get to Dublin where, 20 years ago, I was third in the four-year-old lightweight hunter class. The last time I competed at the Festival was 23 years ago when it was held in Goffs!”

Avalon Next Generation was bred in Co Clare by Patrick Hassett out of The Aughrim Girl (by Huntingfield Rebel) and was purchased by Wood in February 2000 as an unbroken four-year-old. “I got him from Michelle Kavanagh of Avalon Sport Horses who used to work in Yeomanstown at one stage. I knew she’d see me right and she certainly did! Another person I’d like to thank for their input is Liz Power who did groom for me on Saturday.

“It was a long day, as it was 9am when we left Redhills Stud, where I have my horse on livery with Karl and Jenny Heffernan, and it was 9.50pm when we got back. It was well worth it though!”

Others who contested the Ring 2 title included the champion and reserve from the coloured horse section Oreo Lad (who was Ring reserve to Avalon Next Generation) and Chillout Abbey although this pair had finished in reverse order in the over 158cms class. Ridden by Headfort’s Lynsey Rogers, Oreo Lad, a Festival regular, is a 14-year-old piebald gelding by Castleforbes Noe while, representing Abbeylands, Claire Lawlor’s Chillout Abbey is a 15-year-old skewbald mare by Derrymore Lad.

The final line-up in the small coloured class was headed by Thomastown and District’s Daniela Cardillo Corr on Flight Of The Phoenix, a 16-year-old piebald gelding.

Another coloured animal who got through to the Ring 2 championship was the 24-year-old piebald mare Lady Diva who won the veteran horse class for the third time under Meath’s Ann Marie Quinlan.

Win for O’Mahony

At the opposite age of the equine age spectrum, Steel Me Darling won the four-year-old class for Clonshire. Ridden by his owner, Shannon O’Mahony, this bay gelding is by the thoroughbred stallion Craigsteel and was bred in Co Cork by Charles McCarthy out of the West Coast Cavalier mare Gloun Darling.

Disappointingly, there was only one horse forward from six entries in the side saddle class, the eight-year-old Windgap Blue mare Disclosure who was ridden by Ashbrook’s Shauna Kidd.