IN spite of some inclement weather, over 750 IPC members and a few visitors from Area 17 of The Pony Club (Northern Ireland), competed in combined training, dressage, show jumping and mounted games at the recent three-day Irish Pony Club Festival at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre.

Three Branches were represented in the musical ride competition for the Vivienne Hillery cup. This was won by the Warrington Branch whose troupe comprised Isobel Sheehan, Alice Moloney, Aoibhinn Ruane, Cormac Browne, Heather Byrne, Emily Moloney, Tara Fogarty, Kellie Fogarty, Jessica McCormack, Abbie Oakey and Daisy Smith.

RDS PERFORMANCE

The squad, who are trained by Linda Moloney, will perform their winning ride to the soundtrack of Beauty And The Beast in Ring 1 at the Dublin Horse Show tomorrow at 4.10pm.

Action on the opening day of the Festival – Friday, July 28th– was confined to combined training for Under 10s and Under 12s, with the younger brigade being judged in dressage by the President of the Irish Pony Club, Lady Carew.

Her winner, on a score of 80.77%, was Lara Field of Galway Mid County and the nine-year-old held on to land the competition despite having a fence down with Glandrine Pied Piper.

The Islands’ Hannah Willis, who show jumped clear, finished close-up in second (76.15) on the 15-year-old chesnut mare Brookhall Ana Marie, with Ali O’Brien of Nenagh placing third with Old Town Gemma (73.08). There were 34 competitors in the class, including five seven-year-olds.

The Under 12 class was divided and Ann Kirwan’s winner of Section A was Sarah Keane of the Shillelagh Branch.

She achieved a score of 78.75% for her flat work on Brimestone Bowman and remained on that mark having gone clear in the show jumping ring.

Kildare’s Rachel Doyle slotted into second place with the eight-year-old Callowfeenish Mairtin gelding Kilcreene Jasper (70.50).