Margie McLoone
AREA 17 of the pony club, Northern Ireland, staged its final Pegus horse feed championships of the year at the Laurel View EC north of Belfast last Saturday.
Confined, for the most part, to riders who had not competed in the area eventing championships at Cloncaw earlier in the season, the home championships still attracted over 250 entries who tackled courses from one-metre down to 45cms.
After a worryingly wet mid-week, thankfully the sun shone throughout the day which made the well turned-out horses and ponies look even better. Riders and tack too were well presented, all testament to the excellent work being carried out at branch level.
The championships were run by the mid Antrim club whose district commissioner, George Graham put in a huge amount of work in the lead-up to the event.
He was supported by a very hard-working committee all of whom were fairly tired when got they home on Saturday as, being on site very early in the morning, they only got to leave the venue around 8pm.
Just four teams lined out for the Pegus horse feed one-metre championship where the honours went to the Iveagh white quartet of Conall McGrath (BLS Linvara), Michael McGaffin (Ferros Diablo), Kathryn McGaffin (Clear Cut) and Caitie Slater (Colour Code Chinook).
Three of the team finished in the top six individually with Slater leading the way when adding just 0.8 of a cross-country time penalty to her winning dressage score of 25.8.
Slater and the 11-year-old skewbald gelding are scheduled to be in action today (Saturday) at the Eventing Ireland one-day event in Loughanmore where they will bid to double up on their EI 90P win at Ballyvannon last October. Freya Kennedy, a member of the second-placed team and representing the Tullylagan branch, finished runner-up individually with Duncan Donuts having added six time penalties on the final leg to her dressage mark of 27.3.
A dozen teams started in the Botanica 85cms championship with the successful north Down divas comprising Samantha Edgar (The Ice Man), Hannah Morrow (Sam), Phoebe Beaumont (Rocha) and Charlotte Keers (Brookvale Crimson Rose). Seven teams failed to finish, most of the eliminated riders coping well with the Laurel Faloona-built show jumping course but falling foul of Andrew Fleming’s cross-country track.
There were two individual arenas in operation at this level with Edgar claiming first place in arena two with The Ice Man, in spite of adding four show jumping penalties to her first phase score of 32.1. East Antrim’s Emma Ewing finished second on Buck Rodgers having had a pole down show jumping for a total of 40.7.
Ewing’s teammate Hannah McCartney, riding Huffle Puff, fared better when winning arena 3 on a total of 38.3 which included 1.2 cross-country time penalties. The north Downs’ Claire Ireland led after dressage on 27.1 with Goin For Gold and, in spite of picking up 13.2 time penalties across the country, managed to finish second.
The Co Wicklow company Mackey sponsored the 75cms section where the team championship went to the east Antrim pink quartet of Felicity McConnell (Wispa), Emmalee Turley (Drumbad Moon Dancer), Alex Byrne (Kali) and Tori Jewiss (Said And Dun).
Victory was secured by Byrne winning arena four on Kali (34.4) ahead of the Route’s Heather Fulton on the 13-year-old Connemara gelding Robe Archie (36.6) who picked up two cross-country time penalties, half as many as the winner.
The hosts’ Myah McLean recorded a rare feat in the section when winning arena 5 on her dressage score (38.3). Eleven-year-old McLean rode the 22-year-old grey gelding Minnie Mance Justice.
Representing the north Down branch, Ashleigh Saunderson slotted into second with Bailey (40).
Based in Toomebridge, Clonkeen equestrian supplies sponsored the 65cms section where the team honours went to the Iveagh panthers’ squad of Benjamin Moore (Twinkle), Sam McElroy (Belmont Toby), James Hynds (Ginger) and Royal McIlduff (The Wee Gray). They completed on a score of 92.10, just ahead of east Down yellow (94).
Moore and Twinkle won arena six on their dressage mark of 28.3 with Hannah Bayfield, a member of the second-placed team, being narrowly beaten into the runner-up position on Liniskey Lady (28.8).
There was a close result in arena seven also with Erin Mathieson of the Tullylagan branch taking the spoils when completing on her first phase score of 22.9 with Fudge while Roddy Pannell, riding for east Down orange, had to settle for second with Charlie McCobbin (23.3).
After a summer of looking after their children, parents might like to take them on next Saturday, September 12th, when the east Antrim branch is holding a two-phase event at Loughanmore which is open to all. There will be three classes over courses of 95cms, 80cms and 70cms in height.
Looking further ahead, the north Down branch is holding the annual inter-schools team show jumping competition at Balmoral Park on Saturday, October 3rd.
Again, there are three divisions for primary (70cms), intermediate (85cms) and senior (one-metre) teams.