THE 2021 Stepping Stones to Success league for young event horses, thoroughbreds and ponies got under way at Wexford Equestrian on Wednesday under its revised format of a training module with four assessment days leading to a final on Thursday, May 6th.

Run under strict Covid-19 protocols, the continuing popularity of the series saw most of the top producers of young event horses in attendance and while riders under 18 are still unable to participate in group training or competition, there was an entry of 14 in the pony producers’ class as adults took to the saddle.

On Wednesday, the flat work assessment for all classes was undertaken by Mark Ruddock of M&S Simply Dressage, while in the young event horse and pony sections, Ger O’Neill of Raheen Na Gun judged the cross-county phase while head judge, Ian Fearon, assessed the action over the coloured poles. The jumping tracks were designed and built in-house by Pat Peare.

Co Wicklow’s Heidi Hamilton has an excellent record as a producer of young horses and it continued here as her Landesverband Bayerischer Pferdezüchter gelding, The Sequel, claimed the spoils in the Childeric Saddles five-year-old section on a total of 208.9 points. Over from Co Waterford, Meabh Bolger partnered the Irish Sport Horse gelding MBF Back To Back (by Metropole) to top the dressage marks on 63.2 but she had to settle for overall second on a total of 207.2.

Both of these horses were in action earlier in the year in Arena Eventing and/or combined training competitions and, as at Barnadown last month, Hamilton entrusted the ride on The Sequel to Noel Dunne who works with April Allen at the Irish base of her family’s Ballywalter Farms. Her winner is by Conthargos out of Juanita, by Asi, and is thus a full-brother to the Sophie Leube-ridden Jadore Moi (CCI4*-L).

“I do all the work at home but Noel is gifted with young horses and I’m lucky that, on his days off, he comes to me or we meet up elsewhere to go schooling,” revealed Hamilton. “I bought The Sequel last year from his breeder, Victoire von Schoen. At that stage, he was broken and riding two weeks but was very weak. The lockdown helped him as he got the time he needed to develop but, even now, he still has to grow into his body. However, I think he is really special and well worth waiting for. He’s light on his feet, can move, jump and is brave across the country.”

Coolcorron Beacon Hill and Jessica O'Driscoll won the four-year-old section of the Stepping Stones league at Wexford Equestrian \ Tadhg Ryan Bit Media

Win for O’Driscoll

Jessica O’Driscoll brought three horses and a pony to Wexford Equestrian on Wednesday from her eventing and sport horses yard in Co Cork and the raid paid dividends when she won the Childeric Saddles four-year-old section on Coolcorron Beacon Hill.

The Irish Sport Horse gelding by Numero Uno more or less secured victory in the dressage phase, which he topped on a score of 65 points, before completing on 206. Down from Co Meath, Sarah Ennis finished second on Zena Ryle’s Cool Diamond Star gelding, Ardeo Grand Slam (201.2).

Coolcorron Beacon Hill is owned by former National Hunt jockey David Splaine who bred the bay out of the unraced Carroll House mare, Carroll Eile. The latter is a daughter of another unraced mare in Ean Eile (by Callernish out of an Over The River mare) who is dam also of the three-time track winner Scribano Eile (by Scribano).

“David broke the horse himself and did all the early work with him,” said O’Driscoll of the winning four-year-old. “I did the Eventing Ireland combined training league at Maryville with the horse and he was placed every time he was out.

“It’s great that, despite all the restrictions and protocols that have to be in place, Orla (Roche) was able to get the league up and running again, back at its usual time of the year,” commented O’Driscoll. “As producers, we need to get these four-year-olds out for experience and to get some kind of record on their CVs.

“Orla had everything in place. We had our temperatures taken on arrival and were directed into the spaced-out parking area. You rode to times and, as soon as people had finished, they left. There was no walking around and no mixing – she really did a great job!”