THE good news for followers of the Connemara and working hunter pony scenes is that Anne Stanley’s Bob Marley continues to recover from the leg injury he incurred at the British Show Pony Society summer championship show in Grantham last month.

The 19-year-old Ashfield Bobby Sparrow-sired gelding was competing as a member of the successful Irish team in the home international working hunter pony championship when, after jumping the last, he was pulled-up and quickly dismounted by Shona Daly Lynch.

After a couple of weeks rest and recuperation with his owner, the 148cms grey is now undergoing hydrotherapy treatment at the Royal County Equine training and rehabilitation unit of James Purcell and Alison Cox outside Ratoath.

Daly Lynch, a second year IT student at Maynooth, was having her final ride on Bob Marley at Grantham following a four year partnership which saw the combination win classes and championships at top venues in Ireland and Britain.

WELL MANAGED

Throughout his career, Bob Marley has been extremely well managed by Stanley.

Under a variety of riders starting with Mairéad Holden who won a ridden Connemara class at the RDS on the grey before her sister Nina, mentioned elsewhere on this page, started eventing him.

Mary-Anne Byrne and Avril Breen both won on Bob at the RDS, the first-named in working hunters, the second in equitation jumping, before Shane Power, his only longterm male partner, evented him under both Eventing Ireland and Irish Pony Club rules.

multi-talented

The Dawson sisters, India and Lydia, also had their spells as regular rider of the Norma Cook-bred gelding in the show ring while Niamh O’Connor Barry was one of his show jumping partners.

Stanley purchased Bob Marley as a three-year-old and not only has he shown great consistency over the intervening years he has done so in the same D ring rubber snaffle.

Hopefully, having made a full recovery, he’ll wear it well in the seasons to come.