WITHOUT winning, Rathfriland veterinary surgeon Terry Smyth and his support team of dressage trainer Michael Boyd and personal fitness guru Paddy O’Rourke, really enjoyed themselves last weekend at the Dublin Horse Show.

The reason the three were at the RDS was the four-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Millburren Diamond. Terry and the bay by the Dutch Warmblood sire Valent were unplaced in Saturday evening’s middle/heavyweight amateur hunter class but came into their own the following morning in the first of the day’s working hunter classes.

Terry and Millburren Diamond recorded one of just six clears in the 17-strong field and, with a good score of 16 out of 20 for way of going, got through to the second phase of the competition. Here the gelding received a score of 12 out of 20 from the ride judge, Robin Sharp, while Ian Smeeth wasn’t so impressed with his conformation (10).

The combination completed on a total of 78 points to finish fourth behind Wallis Birch’s First Rate, who scored 93 under Gwen Scott. By the Co Down-based Belgian Warmblood stallion Obelix, First Rate was sold after the class to go to England.

MASTER

Well-known Dromara show horse producer and former Co Down Staghounds Master, Dessie Gibson, didn’t win any championships at the RDS this year but he still had a good show and won the middle/heavyweight class with Lough Road, who is by another Belgian Warmblood stallion in Porsch and out of a Jimble mare.

Sadly, there was no joy for the Peter Magill-bred Obsidian Sky in the older heavyweight class, which was won by Portadown exhibitor Terry Johnston’s Samsons Court. Ridden by Lesley Webb, Mark Eccles’s six-year-old Scorpion gelding was second in the first line-up but then dropped out of the ribbons.