THE increasing popularity of our native breeds in performance competitions was emphasised last Sunday at Stradbally Hall where the number of entries for the one-day event for Irish Draughts and Traditional Irish Horses was well up on last year, with over 20 listed for both classes.

The event was organised by the Laois Branch of the Irish Draught Horse Breeders’ Association who were extremely grateful to the Cosby family for allowing the Branch access to their lovely estate and also to The Field Equestrian Centre for supplying the show jumps which were erected in the sand arena. The cross-country phase was co-ordinated by Martin Collins with Jennifer Haverty manning the start.

Ruth Wiseman judged the AIRC 3 2007 test on grass and her ‘winner’ in the Kehoe Feeds Irish Draught class was Peter Collier’s seven-year-old Heigh Ho Silver gelding Doree Liath who achieved a mark of 33.82 penalties under Sarah Neville. They show-jumped clear, as did 10 others, but picked up four time penalties on the final leg to finish second behind King Flagmount, the only starter to complete on his dressage score (35.88).

Amazingly, this was winning owner/rider Alicia Devlin Byrne’s first time to compete in a one-day event. “I regularly ride all three phases but had never done so before in one competition!” said the Co Wicklow producer. “I really enjoyed it and would definitely do it again. The cross-country course was probably a bit too easy for King Flagmount, who has competed in open hunter trials, but was very encouraging for a younger horse like my second ride, Prince Flagmount (a five-year-old by Shenandoah Prince Holly), who was green but finished fourth (on 50 penalties).”

King Flagmount, who won the performance Irish Draught championship last year in Dublin, had shown himself in good form at the recent Balmoral Show where he was crowned ID performance champion. The 11-year-old Welcome Flagmount gelding was bred in Co Mayo by Denis Clynes out of the Ginger Dick mare Spring Days. The chesnut’s next target is the Wicklow Branch’s Irish Draught show in Spruce Lodge on Bank Holiday Monday, June 5th.

“Unfortunately, King Flagmount is too old now for the regular working hunter classes at Dublin (in which he has done so well in the past) and, because I won on him last year, we are not allowed compete in the Irish Draught championship as a combination. I’m going to have to find another rider to qualify him for Dublin, which is a shame.”

As well as her Irish Draught horses, Devlin Byrne has a number of Connemaras to compete although she didn’t bring any to Stradbally Hall on Sunday. Getting all of her animals exercised can be quite difficult as, while studying for a Masters in secondary school teaching in the evenings at UCD, she is on placement at St Gerard’s School in Bray. “My Dad keeps them going when I don’t have time,” she concluded.

The highest-placed mare in Sunday’s class was Barbervilla Lily who finished third (43.88) under her owner, Sophie Marks. The eight-year-old chesnut by Gortfree Hero featured in these pages recently as champion ridden horse at the Riding Club spring show in Jordanstown.

Jason Dunphy was presented with the Stradbally cup for the highest-placed four-year-old when fifth on his Ard Grandpa gelding Oh Grand Master (50.29).

One horse was eliminated in the show jumping phase and one across the country where, in spite of picking up 40 jumping penalties, Rachel Lewis got home within the time on David Cosby’s seven-year-old Rebel Mountain mare, Ballycreen Minerva.

Kirstin MacDonagh’s journey over from Westport paid dividends when she won the Pegus Horse Feeds Traditional Irish Horse class with the Connemara stallion Carracanada River. Wiseman gave the bay nine-year-old her top marks which translated into a penalty score of 29.41 to which he added just three cross-country time penalties.

Lowering one of the coloured poles and picking up a single cross-country time penalty for a completion score of 39.41 didn’t affect the final finishing position of the runners-up, Jurgita Zelvyte on Martin Kearns’s five-year-old Fiona’s Man gelding Sycamore Lad, another Connemara.

The top-placed Irish Sport Horse was Bluebell Skippy who finished third (43.41) under owner Andreena Purcell. The 13-year-old chesnut gelding is by Clover Skippy out of a once-raced thoroughbred by Great Commotion. The top-placed mare in fourth (43.53) was the Killinick Bouncer six-year-old Chour Power who was ridden by Phillipa Wall for Aisling Boggan.

PENALTIES

Only four of the 21 starters received additional penalties in the show jumping arena, while three combinations were clear inside the time across the country where there was one elimination. Of the two thoroughbreds in the class, one was withdrawn before the final leg.

Carracanada River, who has his own Facebook page, is a son of Templebready Fear Bui and was bred near Swinford by James Byrne, from whom MacDonagh purchased her winner as a foal at Cavan.

“As far as I was concerned, his breeding was to die for,” stated the proud owner. “He was by Templebready and out of a mare by Ross Lobeen, who was my first stallion, but I had nothing myself by him, so I was very keen to buy the foal.” Carracanada River, who is a full-brother to the Grade A pony jumping stallion Ross Fear Bui, hasn’t a huge number of foals on the ground (his oldest crop are five-year-olds) which is why MacDonagh brought him to Stradbally.

“He needs more exposure,” she explained. “He has qualified for the performance championship at Dublin for the last four years but hopefully this win will raise his profile with breeders. He has also performed well at Clifden where one year we even finished fifth in the side-saddle class on my second time to ride in a side-saddle. He has a wonderful temperament and I think he is a superstar of a Connemara!”

Carracanada River received a sash from the Traditional Irish Horse Association while Carrafarm presented a rug to connections of the Irish Draught class winner, King Flagmount.