BEAUTIFL sunshine greeted riders, judges and stewards for the Irish Pony Society Summer Show which took place last Saturday at Raheen Na Gun, Co Kilkenny. This was the first competition back for many riders and they were delighted to see each other with lots of socially distanced greetings and laughter taking place.

Ger O’Brien and his team at Raheen Na Gun efficiently built tracks and set up two very inviting courses for the riders and were on hand all day adjusting fences.

With over 60 classes to enter there was lots to entertain the spectators. The largest classes of the day were the Connemara and M&M Classes rings with many white manes flowing in the sunshine.

Anna Cashman Wyse’s Illaunurra Bay, ridden by Katie Wyse, won the Connemara Working Hunter Championship, while the Ridden Championship was presented to Aoife O’Connor’s Ballylee Castle Prince, ridden by Sadhbh O’Connor.

The mini ponies and riders put on a beautiful display of riding despite the heat with Mini Show Pony Championship won by Casilda Laird’s Brookwater Thumbelina, ridden by Max Laird with Sandra Barnwell’s Valmore Reisling, ridden by Henry Myers, taking the Mini Show Hunter Championship.

Encouragingly for the future of breeding in Ireland, there were lots of entries in the in-hand classes with Jerry Moloney’s Breeneybeg Hope taking the In-Hand Championship.

Jessica Murphy won the Intermediate Championship riding Melissa O’Connor’s Darcy de Chanteloube and won the Ridden Connemara Championship with Rebel Mick for the same owner.

The Working Hunter track, although not to full height, was built to encourage all riders to concentrate and position their ponies correctly, with judges Peter Molloy and Paula McCarthy commenting on the standard of riding and the smiles of all the competitors.

The Novice Working Hunter Championship was presented to Clare Scott’s Goldengrove Juliet, ridden by Annarose Scott, with Open Working Hunter Championship won by Anne Doyle’s Who’s Jardin B, ridden by Sam Doyle.

Supreme Championship honours

The performance ring was busy all day with lovely little ponies enjoying the jumps in the smaller classes with riders smiling for the photographer John O’Carroll who seemed to know each child by name.

With over 350 entries throughout the day, the long awaited Supreme Championship took place as the serious heat was waning. With 17 champions in the ring, the judges Carole Adams, Mary Carter, Nicholas Byrne, Peter Molloy, Paula McCarthy and Denise Colebrooke deliberated and discussed and finally chose their Supreme Champion to be Aoife O’Connor’s Imperial High Tide, ridden by Sadhbh O’Connor, who had won the Show Hunter Championship earlier that morning. Goldengrove Temptress, owned by Aidan Williamson and ridden by Victoria Burns, was presented with the Reserve Supreme title.

The IPS would like to thank all who supported the show, the judges, stewards and committee and all the new members who have joined this year, the non-members who experienced IPS for the first time and all its loyal members that travel the country supporting shows and we look forward to two great days at the Championship Show which takes place on August 5th and 6th.