THERE was another excellent turn-out at Greenogue Equestrian last Sunday for Leinster Dressage’s second show of the season but anyone making a surprise visit to the venue found few people standing around as a cold wind forced attendees to social-distance themselves in their cars, jeeps or lorries.
On hand from early in the day, show secretary Clare Fitzsimons judged the Elementary DI E51 class where her winner on 71.48% was the sole Category 1 competitor Sylwia Szczypta.
A member of the Leinster Region, Szczypta was competing for the first time at this level with her Friesian gelding Bagir (by Oebele M) who came over with her to Ireland from Poland.
Jean Halpenny assessed those forward in two classes with her winner of the Preliminary DI P18 being Sandra Hammersley who was competing at a Dressage Ireland show for just the second time with the seven-year-old Gallant Cavalier gelding, Drop The Pilot (71.88%).
Topping Halpenny’s scores in the Novice BD22 was Category 2 rider Mairead Dolan and her longtime mount Master Touch (69.83), an 18-year-old Touchdown gelding.
Ivor Harper travelled down from Northern Ireland – without his dogs because of Brexit – to judge three classes including the 15-runner Preliminary BD19 where he awarded his top score of 65.63% to the locally based combination of Susan Cahill and her nine-year-old Diamond Valley Prince mare, Bella Dona Diamond.
Harper’s winner of the Novice DI N24 was Wendy Seymour on her 11-year-old Carrick Diamond Lad mare, Carrick Diamond Lilly (66%). That Co Wicklow combination also competed in the Elementary BD40 but here Harper’s winners were Co Kildare’s Tara Hayes and her Dutch Warmblood gelding Ferrero K (69.52), an 11-year-old by Apache.
Tansey judging
Vida Tansey drove over the Shannon to judge eight different tests but didn’t have the busiest of days as one class was cancelled, when the sole entry failed to appear, while four others attracted just one starter apiece. There were uncontested wins for Tom Walsh on Sir Donnerhall Skagerrak (56.76%) in the Advanced, for Anne Marie Dunphy with Her Highness Willow (65) in the Intermediaire II, for Rachel Dowley on Cadens (63.48) in the Grand Prix and for Rosemary Gaffney on Werona (64.88) in the Para Grade IV team test.
Six Category 2 riders appeared before Tansey in the Medium BD61 where she awarded her top score of 68.62% to Co Kildare’s Zara Nelson riding her mother Michelle’s home-bred four-star eventer OLS King Aragon, a 10-year-old Samgemjee gelding.
Tansey’s comfortable winner of the five-strong Advanced Medium BD85 was another locally based combination of Melanie Young with Finn and Mary Guinness’s 12-year-old home-bred Sisrinchium gelding Sorbet (71.33%), another four-star eventer.
Courtney Stuart’s journey south from Co Down paid dividends when she topped Tansey’s scores in the three-runner Intermediaire I with her nine-year-old stallion, HH Empire (67.35).
Having competed at the previous show here late last month, north Co Dublin’s Bernie Foley slipped into the role of judge on Sunday and she too was taken by the performance of Stuart and HH Empire, awarding them her top score of 70.88% in the four-runner Prix St George.
Zara Nelson partnered three of the five horses in the Medium BD69 but here Foley’s winner on 70% was Co Limerick’s Tara Oliver with Senators Rhonaldo, a seven-year-old British-bred gelding by Rhondeo. Three combinations contested the Advanced Medium where Catriona Curran claimed the honours on the nine-year-old grey mare Dancing Espri (67.94).
Foley had an easy time of it in two uncontested classes where her winners were DI chair Marguerite Kavanagh with Fursten (65.16%) in the FEI Young Rider Preliminary and Rosemary Gaffney on Werona (70.75) in the Para Grade IV team test.
Roscrea
Michael Moore travelled down from Dublin to the Roscrea Equestrian Centre where he was the sole judge at the first show of the year run by the North Munster Region.
Entries were very much on the small side with the largest field of five contesting the Preliminary DI P8 where the top score of 68.27% was achieved by Padraig Quinn and the Irish Draught grey Ellistown Morgan, a nine-year-old gelded son of Heigh Ho Silver. This combination also bettered their sole rivals in the Novice DI N23 where they were awarded a score of 65.97.
Megan O’Gorman had a frustrating day on Golden Cool Cat, finishing second (67.69%) to Quinn and Ellistown Morgan in that aforementioned Preliminary class and filling the same position on 64.60 in the Preliminary BD15 behind Shirley Mullins and another ID, Gortfree Rebel (67.80). To no surprise, this eight-year-old chesnut mare is by Gortfree Hero.
Moore awarded similar marks in the two-runner Novice DI N27 to Jane Grace on Welwyn View and Tabitha Millar Hagerty on Ballykealy Clover Chin who divided the spoils on 65.17 while Lucy Cusack saw off her sole rival to win the Medium BD61 with Gavelle Ter Kwincke (64.66).
Cusack and her 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare were the only starters in the Advanced Medium BD92 while uncontested wins were also recorded by Kim Phelan in both Elementary classes on Domingo, by Lorraine Kennedy on Major Furisto in the Medium BD69, by Martin Mullane with Griseldo in the Advanced Medium BD 91 and by Kate Kerr Horan on Serafina T in the two Para classes.