TEN teams, five from the south and five from Northern Ireland, lined up for the Bluegrass Horse Feeds schools team show jumping open championship at Balmoral Show early last Saturday morning and while the ground jury planned a halt after the third-line riders to announce the scores and build the suspense, the competitors kept going!

The format of using two rings is an excellent one and there were no delays between rounds. The course designer has a difficult task in building for such a variety of horse/pony and many of those who faulted in the first phase, went clear against the clock.

At the end of 40 rounds of jumping just one team returned a zero score and that was Newbridge College quartet of Lucy Ross (Littlefield Clover), Leah Heffernan (My Rockstown Two), Leah Ross (Cuffstown Arkansas Angel) and Max Ross (Ballydavid Souz).

Leah and Ross were on the Newbridge team which won the British senior schools show jumping championships at Hickstead last August.

Four teams were on four faults apiece so the results down the order were decided on time with second-place going to Borris Vocational who had a combined time of 125.98.

They had to have a late change of rider due to Patrick Doyle breaking his arm on Friday so the Co Carlow school was represented by Catherine Kavanagh (Coppenagh Blitz), Aine Kavanagh (She’s A Diva), Claire Kavanagh (Clonagoose Daniel Dubh) and Aoife Murphy (Garryndruig Turbo).

The tack and turn-out prize was awarded to the third-placed (145.35) Royal School Dungannon quartet of Erin Mathieson (Chocolat II), Bethany Robinson-Smith (Allistragh Beauty), Emma-Jane Orr (Jazzy Susie) and Tori Showkum (Westmore). This was judged by Lana Dunlop who said that marks were lost by long hair not being in a net and riders competing without gloves.

The other team event for young riders took place on Wednesday and that was the UMEX Pony Club Games which was won on 44 points by the North Downs’ Tilly Nield, Lauren McGlennon, Katie Smith, Ella Heron and Harrison Blair. The Route finished second (39) ahead of the Iveaghs (35), winners of the tack and turn-out prize.