THE Connolly’s Red Mills/Irish Pony Club national eventing championships returned to Tattersalls last weekend when the perfect weather seemed to show its approval of the Co Meath venue hosting the season’s final round.

It was warm and sunny on Saturday for the dressage and show jumping phases while the cooler and duller conditions which prevailed on Sunday were ideal for cross-country riding; some 290 horses and ponies were stabled overnight.

It was a good idea for these championships to follow the Eventing Ireland one-day which took place at the same venue the previous Sunday which meant that all the dressage boards and the coloured poles and uprights of the show jumping course designer, Raymond Jess, were on site. However, local organiser Christine Brooks, who is a member of the IPC’s eventing committee, and her hard-working team adjusted all 11 dressage arenas so that Saturday’s competitors would have some fresh ground for their flat work phase.

With no printed programme, many would be unaware of the huge number of officials and volunteers involved in running the championships. Among the numerous names listed were those of the event’s technical delegate, Gervaise Maher, and the assistant TD, Elaine Lait, chair of the board of directors of the IPC.

Current chair of the IPC’s executive committee, Michael Essame, was in attendance as was the previous holder of that office, Barbara Micks, who was a Zone steward on Sunday. The ‘office’ moved to Tattersalls for the duration of the championships and, with it, Marisa Breen Bourke and Jennifer Byrne (who didn’t have too far to travel from home) backed up by Nicola McCarthy.

For Pony Club of course there is the extra dimension of tack inspections so the list of officials and volunteers for all phases, as well as car-parking, stabling, etc., was extensive and all were thanked for their efforts by Richard Kehoe, chair of the IPC’s eventing committee who also acknowledged the long-standing support of Connolly’s Red Mills.

“To have these championships here this weekend at the wonderful venue of Tattersalls, was a remarkable achievement,” said Kehoe.

“As with all other sports, we didn’t know early in the year what was going to happen and then, when we did get running, there was the tragic death of our much-loved former member Tiggy Hancock.

“This not only resulted in us cancelling a qualifier but had a huge impact on our members and all associated with this organisation – as did the deaths since we last gathered like this of Grace Tyrrell, Susanna O’Dowd and Gabriella Weaver. These girls were all former members of the IPC who represented their Branches to the very highest of standards. Their loss has been felt immensely by all who knew them.”

The championship contenders were all presented with yellow ribbons bearing Tiggy’s name on their arrival at Tattersalls and wore them as they tackled Sunday’s cross-country phase.

Jane Davis, Head of Equine Marketing, Connolly’s Red Mills, said: “The Pony Club Eventing Championships are a huge highlight of our season and it was fantastic to have them back this year. We have seen so many stars launched over the years through the Pony Club, it truly is the foundation of the sport. The weather made the weekend so enjoyable and the action across the two days was top-class. The team at Tatts always present a challenging course and what an opportunity for all those riders to tackle that wonderful track. The standard this year was as high as ever and most importantly there was a lot fun had, friends made and lessons learned. For the team at RED MILLS it is so important that we support young riders on their journey and we’re looking forward to next year already.”

Hard work pays off

“Eugene O’Neill did a huge amount of work over the past number of weeks as he designed and built four tracks for the Eventing Ireland one-day and four tracks for us which were of true championship standard,” continued Kehoe. “He did a particularly good job with the Under 12s’ track and it was great to see the vast majority of these young riders coming home with a smile on their faces.”

“I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of all parents and guardians who put in a huge effort throughout the summer to ensure riders qualified for the championships.

“I was delighted to see Simon Kerins, the chief executive office of Tattersalls Ireland, attending both days of the championships and I know how much our members love seeing Ruby Walsh at Pony Club events.”

The great thing about Tattersalls is that even the non-riding children in families love attending as there is plenty of space for them to ride their bikes or play football or hurling. As there are few big trucks among the Pony Club ranks, families sat outside with their picnics and there was a wonderful atmosphere over the two days prior to a return to school.