RIDERS as young as four were catered for at Laurel View EC on Saturday as area 17 of the pony club (Northern Ireland) staged the Pegus home championships.

In the Shires Equestrian Products unassisted section over the 45cms track, 10 teams lined out but the easy winners on 84.60 were the Iveagh rooks comprising Molly Davidson (Ginger), Emma Irwin (Daisy), Taylor McKnight (Candy Pops) and Heidi Conlon (Riley).

Individually, the mid Antrims were on the mark for a second time during the day when Christopher Smyth (eight) won arena F riding Ardtole Queen Diamonds, the pair completing on their dressage score of 28.7, with the east Antrims’ Emma Bamford (eight) placing second on 34.7 with Sweetwall Tamarind (34.7).

On a good day for the boys, seven-year-old Callum Griffin of the north Down branch recorded a runaway success on Sammy in arena G as they completed on their very impressive dressage score of 15.3 penalties. The Iveaghs’ Emma Irwin (eight) finished second (22.7) with Daisy.

The assisted section saw a variety of handlers being pressed into service as 13 teams vied for honours, including 13 riders representing the RD EC pony club in Fintona, Co Tyrone.

With no discard score, the impressive winners were the mixed trio of the Killultaghs’ Amelia Patterson (Tilly) and Alice Perkins (P.J.) and Amy McLoughlin of the Seskinore branch who was riding the eight-year-old Welsh gelding Hilin Captain Corelli.

The east Downs fared best individually with wins for Andrew Sharvin (six) and Archill Lass in arena B and for Daniel O’Sullivan-Toner (eight) on Elmo in arena C. Their immediate victims were, respectively, Abbie Harkness (Templehill Emma) of the Tullylagan branch and Alice Perkins riding P.J. for the Killultagh club.