THE first leg of the new Horse Sport Ireland-sponsored combined training challenge was held last Saturday at Killossery Lodge Stud where the dressage phase took place in the grass jumping field while the jumping phase was staged in the outdoor sand arena.

Most of those with a horse in two classes decided to get both dressage tests ridden before moving on to the second phase so course builder Frank Glynn and show jumping judge Danielle Halpin had to have a lot of patience in the early stages but, after the first class, the action quickened up considerably.

That opening 80cm competition was won by Lisa Doran and her six-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Hilly with a score of 207.5 marks by Michael Moore and then jumped clear, as did the second-placed Tara Murphy with Impish (205.5).

Doran explained how she came to own Hilly. “I bought her off a video when she was three without viewing her and got her sent over here; she is Voltaire/Nimmedor/Equador breeding. I broke her and did everything myself with her.

“Unfortunately, I broke my leg in a bad fall we had last year and my confidence jumping with her was shattered. This forced us down the Dressage Ireland route and we are now competing at Elementary level. We do a bit of showing in large riding horse classes and she was reserve champion at the EquiFestival.

“We also compete in working hunters and recently finished fourth in an 80cms Try Eventing class as I continue to work on my confidence. I will be competing at the national dressage championships in September after which I will push on with the jumping, as I’m getting into the swing of it now, and then, if she settles, I aim to do Eventing Ireland events. I plan to compete at the final of this league (at Barnadown on October 20th) but, with my work, I may not make any other qualifiers.”

The 90cms class saw Bernie Foley award Eilis van Crammon 188.5 for her performance on Lough Conn Laura and they held on to win despite a pole down show jumping.

Von Crammon is also targeting the final with 10-year-old Matchmakers Lad mare who she purchased as a two-year-old at the Connemara sale in Cavan. The grey, who has bred two foals and will return to stud next season, has won two EI90 classes this year. The combination will compete at Tattersalls on Sunday and at next month’s national championships.

Moore’s winner of the 1m class was Jenny Doran with Horseplay Clover Star (161), another pairing who overcame a fence down show jumping. Owned and bred by Doran, the six-year-old Captain Clover gelding, who has jumped up to 1.30m, is out of a Puissance mare from the family of Doran’s international two-star eventer Halcyon Days.

There was a close result to the Foley-judged 1.10m class where the honours went to the Jaimie Chellar-partnered Interstellar (152), while also qualifying in second was Killossery Kapuchino (151.5) under Nicola Ennis; both horses jumped clear. The winner, a six-year-old OBOS Quality 004 gelding out of a Kildalton Gold mare, has 26 SJI points. The next round is at Killossery on August 18th.