LOUISE Lyons made a very productive trip across the Irish Sea to compete First Rate (Olly) in flat and working hunter classes at the Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials.

Starting Paulette Cooper’s son of Obelix in a strong open lightweight flat division, a qualifier for the 2019 Royal International Horse Show (RIHS), the six-year-old turned many heads and stood top of a strong line-up.

Lyons again had the free-moving chesnut pinging along in a lovely outline in the championship and after a stunning gallop, they duly took the tricolour.

“He is great to sit on and he gives the most amazing ride. He ticks every box for me as he carries himself well, has great movement and he has the most wonderful outlook,” Lyons said.

Olly has amply demonstrated his versatility since competing in the four-year-old young event horse and working hunter classes at Dublin with Gwen Scott and it was there at Ballsbridge that owner Paulette Cooper bought him. Since then, the six-year-old has earned an enviable list of wins and championships on both sides of the water.

This term alone, Olly has claimed the supreme ridden horse championship at the Northern Ireland Festival and most recently, at Balmoral, he won the ladies astride class and his five and six-year-old working hunter division, eventually standing worker reserve to Cooper’s other horse MJM Lazslo.

Just for good measure, Lyons and Olly added to their Bramham ribbon haul by winning the novice working hunter class.

“We have been stepping him up gradually towards open working hunter classes for next year and he’s been going really well,” added Lyons, who as a former eventer and member of Ireland’s 2008 Olympic eventing team in Beijing, was eager to return to Yorkshire where she enjoyed many three-star spins across Bramham’s old turf.

Lyons also managed to combine business and pleasure while visiting England as the Wicklow rider squeezed in a quick stay at the family home near Chester.

Louise and Olly will return to British soil next week for Royal Cheshire County.

Further visits are planned to the National Hunter and Great Yorkshire Shows in July, before they pay a return visit to Dublin.

PERFECT HORSE

Standing second in the lightweight hunter class was Camilla Davies’ Glenkeeran Dance In The Deep (Fintan) who stood reserve supreme hunter for Kieran Ryan at Dublin last year.

After winning the novice class at North of England on his English debut, the Crosstown Dancer five-year-old secured a (novice) second at Royal Windsor before heading another novice line-up at Warrington Equestrian.

“He is the perfect horse to produce from home. This was his first open class and he never put a foot wrong,” said Davies.

Standing reserve hunter for his rider and producer Robert Walker was the winning heavyweight Patrics Choice.

After winning on his seasonal debut at Sports Horse NW, Jill Day’s West Coast Cavalier nine-year-old added to his winning tally at Cheshire Premier and Devon County, where he booked his return ticket to Birmingham.

“He’s a stress-free, laid -back chap who just ticks over hacking about at home.

Although he is a big horse, he has plenty of blood about him and in the ring, he is a real showman who carries himself and moves well,” Walker said.

The open working hunter class, a qualifier for Horse of the Year proved a marathon class.

Although it was Barbara Beercock’s British-bred Parkmore Rowan (Russel) who took the Birmingham ticket under Ginny Rose, there were plenty of Irish-bred horses also producing good clears.

Taking the next places were Bloomfield Bergerac (Adam Taylor), MJM Lazslo (Louis Lyons), Tyrone (Sarah Lears) and Sligo Better Value (William Pittendrigh).