THE showing season in the North East Region of the Association of Irish Riding Clubs started last Sunday at Castle Hill EC where the resident club staged a day of dressage and working hunter competitions.

“We hosted our first working hunter show last September but unfortunately it was a disaster,” related club and show secretary, Olivia Nolan. “There was a storm the night before so we had to take down the track from the field and build it in the outdoor arena. We then decided to pick a better date for the show this year and we were lucky enough to get April 29th.

“We had a great turnout on Sunday, for both dressage and working hunter, and hope to run around the same time next year.”

Ivor Harper judged the Horse Mad Store dressage section where the Ashbrook club won two classes through Mags Aughney and her 15-year-old chesnut mare FCD Something Special (Intermediate) and Mairead Dolan with her similarly-aged Touchdown gelding Master Touch (Open).

Drynam’s Jenny Webb topped the rankings at Primary level with her 10-year-old British-bred skewbald gelding Litchfield Buzz (by South Hill Duke), while Tara Hill’s Chris Carter won the Advanced Primary class with the six-year-old Irish Draught gelding Cloonan Hector, a son of Clew Bay Bouncer.

The host club’s Lindsey Ilona Brady claimed the honours at Advanced Intermediate level with her 14-year-old bay gelding Trigger Joe and the club also came out best in the Sportsmans A competition through Niamh Murphy and the six-year-old dun mare Railings Hopeful Scope.

This latter class was sponsored by Anne Stanley’s Barn as was the Sportsmans B division which was won by Kilronan’s Louise Somers and her Irish Draught gelding Indian Mist, a nine-year-old by Cappa Cochise. Stanley also sponsored two performance hunter classes, both of which were won by Castle Hill members.

Olivia Smyth claimed the Intro class on her 15-year-old Don Juan de la Bouverie mare Ellente with Lynne Broderick landing the Novice section on her eight-year-old Luke Skywalker mare Revelate.

These Sportsman classes and the Horse Mad Store working hunter section were judged by Carole Douglas whose Primary winner was another Castle Hill member, Catriona Bowens and her six-year-old bay gelding Beau Garcon.

In the Advanced Primary class the host club’s Smyth and Ellente had to settle for second place behind Ashbrook’s Barbara Mackey and her nine-year-old Connemara Moone Bandit, a son of Prince Of Thieves and the pair filled the same positions in the novice championship.

Copperfield joined the list of winning clubs when Emily Nelson took the Intermediate class with the 16-year-old grey mare Penny Dapple while Aisling Wilson and her nine-year-old Clonswords Mr Jones mare, Lady Pixie Jones, won the Advanced Intermediate section for Drynam.

That club dominated the open championship where Wilson and Lady Pixie Jones stood reserve to teammates Fiona Cox and Lady Annabels Promise although that 14-year-old grey mare had progressed to the title decider carrying a blue rosette from the Intermediate class.

Many of these winners will be in action tomorrow when Ashbrook Riding Club hosts its reformatted Derby show at Killossery Lodge. The show jumping Derbys will be run in the centre’s cross-country zone and will incorporate some natural obstacles. All fences will be knockable and the classes will be run under show jumping Derby rules.

The Club is offering the chance to ride two dressage tests, including a long arena option for the higher grades, while the working hunter classes will be true to type and held in the front grass field. Like last Sunday’s show in Castle Hill, points will be on offer for the new North East Region’s leading riders’ summer league.

On Sunday, May 13th, the action moves north to Kernans EC in Crossmaglen where the Dundalk club is running its spring show jumping show.