Margie McLoone

THE summer months are extremely busy at the Tullymurry Equestrian Centre outside Downpatrick but there was quite a relaxed atmosphere as Elaine and David O’Connor held the penultimate leg of the Young Event-horse Series (YES) on Wednesday.

However, as soon as the final combination completed their round in the RDS small event horse class, David started moving the portables from the Derby arena to a field further up the grounds so that they were in place for Thursday’s course walk ahead of Area 17’s Pony Club tetrathlon trials. Next Saturday, the venue is scheduled to host an Eventing Ireland one-day event.

No one fence caused a problem on the four-year-old track but a few horses had to be re-presented at the ‘Sheep Herd’ (sheep painted on a palisade) before the sunken road in the five-year-old division, all to an excellent commentary by Victor Weir. Also, by the time this class had started, Tullymurry’s collection of geese had aroused from their slumbers and were grazing in the Derby field.

Suzanne Jordan did her bit to drive them away from the show jumps on Brian Clinghan’s Vancouver gelding Rockmills while, in good huntsman style, Wexford’s Mary Kehoe got them back into the water with One Plan. The geese will probably be in situ next year too, as Marian Turley explained that they were now too old and too tough to eat!

It was good to see Kathryn Graham at the qualifier with nine-week-old son Harry. So too was the baby’s grandmother Heather Graham but there was no chance of her doing the driving for the day.

“I fell off at home and shattered my shoulder,” said Heather, showing the badly bruised area. “I have to go to hospital on Friday (yesterday) to have it pinned and I’m not walking too well either as I fractured my fibula. It’s just lucky that Kathryn can now get back in the saddle and ride my horse!”