“THIS was my aim all year,” said Co Kildare’s Hugo Zieg, who won the 25-strong Eventing Ireland EI100J championship on his mother Margaret’s 10-year-old Loughehoe Guy gelding I Google It.

About to go into fifth year at Dunlavin Community College, 16-year-old Zieg only began competing under EI rules this season and this was just a fourth start for the combination. However, they have plenty of Pony Club eventing experience behind them and around 60 Dressage Ireland points.

The pair were on the Kildare Great Whites squad, which won the pure dressage team event at the recent Irish Pony Club Festival in Mullingar and, this weekend, are competing at The Pony Club championships in Cholmondeley Castle in England.

I Google It, who was bred in Co Leitrim by Patrick Duffy out of an Irish Draught mare by Glidawn Diamond, was well-bought by the rider’s father Heinrich after he had competed twice at EI90 level when ridden by Heidi Hamilton.

Zieg, who completed on his dressage score of 29.9 penalties (139/141.5) and is coached by Sonya McCormack, commented of the cross-country: “I thought it was a nice, flowing track.”

Sophie Walshe led after the first phase with one of two rides in this class, Kinsau (27.8), but dropped to third when the Indian Danehill seven-year-old had a fence down show jumping. Second place went to the recent Grove and Ballindenisk winners, Simon Beattie and the inexperienced six-year-old, Ace Mr T (31.3).

Although there was a black flag option at the three-part first water (fence eight) on the EI100 and EI90 tracks, three combinations were eliminated here in this class with two horses stopping at the second water at 12.

hazard

The tracks took horses/ponies through a water splash hazard before the first water fence but some still hesitated before ‘jumping’ in while others ran out at the narrow C element.

It was surprising to see riders tackle this third part again – risking a second stop or elimination or, indeed, a fall – instead of taking the longer route.

Another young rider competing for the first year in EI company is Niamh Hayden, all-the-way winner of the hydeequine.com EI100P class on Freddie, with whom she leads the Intermediate league going into this weekend’s Irish Pony Club/Connolly’s Red Mills eventing championships.

Ex-hunter

Before the Haydens from Dunhill, Co Waterford purchased Freddie four years ago, the now 11-year-old bay gelding had just been used as a hunter. He is no longer brought out to hounds as his rider concentrates on eventing (and a little bit of Gaelic football) and the plan is for the combination to upgrade, possibly before the end of the season.

“As I was also doing the Pony Club one-day events, I just competed at three EI events early in the season to get my qualifications for this weekend,” said Hayden.

“I’m delighted that everything went well and would like to thank my coaches Joan Lenihan, Ciara Power and Paddy O’Donnell.”

The dressage phase was judged by Donald Kear and Michael Moore whose marks of 150.5 and 136 had Hayden on 28.4.

Noah Brown and Jimmy Thunderstruck got their season back on track recently and they finished on their flat work mark of 30 for second, while fellow Northern Region member, Kerry Magill, took third with Lisnahall Miss Toffee (32.6).

Joan Keogh of the Spruce Lodge training facility was present to see her granddaughter Sadie place fourth on Phoenix Firefly (32.7).

Jennifer Kuehnle also qualified for the Eventing Ireland EI90P championship by competing at the minimum number of events with Nicola Tottenham’s Brocca Done Thing and won on her first phase score of 31.9.

Marisa Schaedler and Vida Tansey had Patrick Eames in first place after dressage on 28 penalties (140/148) with Listowel Thunder but he lost hold of the lead with a fence down show jumping to finish second, while Ellen Creed placed third on Miss Delilah (32.4).

Delighted more than most to see the winning rider home safe and sound was Becky Cullen, high performance manager of the Irish pony squad which Kuehnle left Tattersalls to join en route to this week’s European championships in Denmark.

Brocca Done Thing, a five-year-old dun mare by the Connemara Gwennic de Goariva, was bred in Co Offaly by Colman Condron out of Meleena who was by the riding pony stallion Drumair.