Margie McLoone

THE Irish Pony Club’s dressage day was held last Saturday in Redcross at the Spruce Lodge training facility of Joan Keogh, who once again awarded Spruce Lodge bursaries, worth €300 each, to all four competition winners.

“The day went well, although the numbers were down on last year (at 119 entries compared with 150 in 2015) and we are looking for feedback as to why,” commented the IPC’s chairman of dressage and combined training, Kate Harvey.

“However, we were greatly encouraged by the number of younger riders who clearly enjoyed their competitions in the superb facilities provided by Spruce Lodge and the happy and relaxed atmosphere. The standard of riding and quality of ponies and horses was commented on by many present and the turnout was superb; all of which bodes very well for Irish dressage in the future.”

For the first time, the FEI pony team test was included in the day’s programme and, although only two of the three entries started, it was good to see such progression in ability at Pony Club level. The class was won by a new partnership for this season, the Killinick Branch’s Naoise Ward riding Ramazottis Love (65.13%) ahead of Wexford’s Leah Murphy and RFS Socrates (63.85), a British-bred six-year-old stallion by Sarkozy.

On 75.54%, Ward and Ramazottis Love, an 11-year-old Westphalian mare, won the Intermediate warm-up class judged by Eithne O’Kelly ahead of the well-known North West dressage pairing of Bridin Walsh and Hillbilly Rocky (75.36). However, in their competition in the long arena, judged by Mairin Cassidy and Lynn Cassidy, it was Kildare’s Isabella Hughes who topped the leaderboard with Lyleview On Time (71.02), on whom she was to finish second at the IPC one-day event in Killossery Lodge on Sunday.

This very attractive 13-year-old black gelding, by the Anglo European stallion Goodtimes, claimed a novice event last year at Loughanmore when owned and ridden by Sarah Spoule, with whom he was placed many times under Eventing Ireland rules. Before turning to eventing, Lyleview On Time competed at Medium level in dressage.

Blathnaid Boyd and Bandit Of Coilltedubh, who finished eighth in the CCI* for ponies at the Tattersalls International Horse Trials, won the Open/Senior Affiliates’ class for the Bray Branch when the busy Marie Hennessy and Bernie Webb awarded them a combined score of 65.09% for their work in the long arena.

Carlow’s Andrea Cooper finished second with the former show jumper Ordinary Diamond (64.25), who, in the warm-up class, was third to the well-known Killinick partnership of Rachel Rowe and The Artists Apprentice.

WINNING PONY

The winning pony is a pure-bred Connemara by Prince Of Thieves out of the Callowfeenish Mairtin mare Canal Laurinda. Boyd and Bandit Of Coilltedubh are entered for the CIC1* at Kilguilkey House this weekend.

Also on the mark for the Bray Branch was Ali Barrett, who landed the Junior competition, judged in the long arena by Maire Quinlan-Pluck, on another Connemara, Mayfly Murrough. They achieved a score of 69.62% to finish ahead of the warm-up winners, Killinick’s Seren Ward and Moelgarnedd Dymunaid (69.42), whose retirement in February didn’t last too long!

Mayfly Murrough is a nine-year-old roan mare by Ballinaboy Tom out of Mayfly Black & Silver, by Ashfield Romeo.

Newcastle Lyons’s Isabella Murphy won both the warm-up class and competition in the Under 12 section with the 18-year-old Templebready Fear Bui mare Knocknaveagh Lady Arwen.

In the warm-up, the collective mark had to be considered as Lynne Cassidy had both the winners and Taylor Peare of the Killinick Branch with Lady Dawn Windser on 68.46%. And it was a similar situation following Eithne O’Kelly’s judging of the Under 12 competition where Murphy and Knocknaveagh Lady Arwen just got the nod ahead of Rebecca Payne and Casper The Ghost, representing Kildare, as both combinations were on 73.25%.

BEST RIDER

Best rider under 10 in this competition was Carlow’s Lily Redmond, who finished ninth with the palomino Brynvane Eufron (65), a Welsh Section B gelding by Brynvane Cadog.

Secretary for the day was Marie Hennessy, who was co-opted to the dressage/combined training committee of the IPC some time ago and, in turn, co-opts the assistance of her husband Dick to do the times and scoring for this fixture, while their daughter Maeve also helps on the day with scoring and results.

As usual, all winners left for home laden down with quality prizes from the IPC’s long term sponsor, TRI Equestrian.