NUMBERS were down slightly on Saturday for the fourth leg of the Baileys Horse Feeds Flexi Eventing series at The Meadows EC as some people had to withdraw because of icy roads on the day while, thanks to sub-zero temperatures during the week, others couldn’t get their horses exercised.

On hand, as usual, to represent the sponsors, Judy Maxwell also acted as chauffeur for her brother Jeremy Spring who judged the Novice and Intermediate dressage classes. The former international event rider and coach was back at the McCusker family’s Lurgan venue to tutor riders on Sunday and will repeat the two-day exercise next weekend.

Kerry Magill recorded a second successive success in the series at Novice level (70.5%) with her mother Kay’s 14-year-old Song Of Freedom mare Lisnahall Miss Toffee on whom she won a pony two-star class at Loughanmore last September. The previous month, Magill (15) represented the Killultagh Pony Club (and Area 17) when fifth in the Members’ combined training at the Dublin Horse Show and when fourth in her Intermediate dressage arena at The Pony Club championships in Cholmondeley Castle.

Magill, who will event Lisnahall Miss Toffee again this coming season, plans attending today’s fifth round of the Flexi Eventing series but then is heading off with others from Wallace High School for a skiing trip to the United States. Lisnahall Miss Toffee is kept at home in Hillsborough as is the 2013 Bonmahon Master Blue gelding Bonmaster Quick Step who Jonny Mulligan rides in competition for the Magills. This combination won two EI100 classes towards the end of last season.

Keen to hold on to the title he won here last year, Denis Currie finished second with Arodstown Aramis in the Novice class, just half a point adrift, (and also got in an Intermediate test) before heading down to Dublin for the rugby. The first two finished well clear of the third-placed pairing of Charlotte Keers and Western Ocala (66.5).

First and second at Intermediate level seven days previously, Hannah Blakely and Helen Faulkner had to settle for second and third on this occasion with Clerkson (69.4) and Danny (66.6) respectively. The winner, on a score of 71.4%, was Ballynahinch’s Abi Carlisle and the 12-year-old bay gelding Suirvalley Little Monkey with whom she events at Novice level and competes under Show Jumping Ireland rules.

Fiona FitzGibbon, of the Irish Equine Rehabilitation and Fitness Centre near Lisburn, took time out to compete on Saturday in the 20-runner Pre-Novice class where, riding Donny (aka Don Romeo), she topped the scoring of Lucinda Webb-Graham at 72% ahead of Maeve Lunny on Okee Dokee (70.5).

This win, on the combination’s second start, was celebrated by Donny’s owner Edel Quinn who will aim the seven-year-old Don Romantic gelding at para dressage from 2020 following planned surgery this year. FitzGibbon meanwhile will produce the tall gelding for her in dressage.

WIN FOR SPENCE

Myra Greeves judged Section A of the Intro class where her winner on 74.3% was Lynne Spence with her former top working hunter Autumn.

Now an eight-year-old, the daughter of King Of Mourne has been owned by Spence since she was two and they enjoyed particular success in the mare’s first year under saddle when she was reserve novice supreme champion at the Northern Ireland Festival under her registered name KOM Limited Edition. The grey, who had to take last year out through a viral illness, was bred in Co Down by Patsy Murray out of the unraced Beneficial mare Paolmore.

Jenny Nixon from south Belfast partnered Harley (77%) to win Section B which was judged by Emma Andrews. Nixon had a very good season last year with her 2012 Cruise On Harley gelding (officially known as Coolmount Cruise) as they competed 11 times in EI90 Amateur classes, winning twice and finishing inside the top six on four other occasions.

The team at The Meadows deserve much credit for keeping the arenas frost free for Saturday’s action. There were a lot of four-fault rounds in the show jumping phase which resulted in much fewer double clears while clears were also harder to find in the cross-country phase where the tracks have increased in difficulty each week.