Margie McLoone
A LARGE contingent of qualified members from Area 17 (Northern Ireland) travelled over to the Addington Manor Equestrian Centre in England last weekend for The Pony Club/Dengie Championship finals in show jumping and dressage.
Mid Antrim representative Tori Surgeoner won Saturday’s Winter League warm-up speed class when clear in 46.60 with the 11-year-old chesnut mare Rocket Lady.
On 49.79, the Iveaghs’ Kiara Malcolmson finished fifth with the 12-year-old skewbald Snapper, another mare.
Disappointingly, Surgeoner and Rocket Lady failed to advance to the jump-off in the championship when picking up four faults in round one, a fate which also befell their Mid Antrim teammates, Josh Mark and Calinvella.
Of four competing for the Iveaghs, Malcolmson and Snapper got through with a clear but had a fence down against the clock as did Tori Voller and Juniper Hill while Tabytha Bonar picked up eight faults in the timed round with Bella Bambino.
PODIUM
Best of the Iveagh quartet was Eva Kerton whose jump-off clear in 29.30 saw her finish third with Colour Confusion.
Twelve months ago, when the only Area 17 representative in the Winter League Championship, Kerton had the final fence down so the 15-year-old was due her position on the podium on Saturday.
Rachael Chapman was the only Area representative in the open Grand Prix where she had two rides, finishing ninth with Mullentine Sure Diamond who had a fence down in the second round.
In the warm-up speed class, Chapman and her 10-year-old Mullentine Cavalier mare placed fifth when clear in 58.96, just behind their Iveagh teammates Katie King and the Grade B jumper Roc Tredudon, a 13-year-old bay gelding by Sirocco Rouge del Sauro, clear in 57.00.
In Sunday’s Dengie dressage finals, Area 17’s best result came in the pairs’ freestyle to music competition won by the Iveagh sisters Laura and Katie King who were awarded a percentage score of 73.13. The second-placed Rookery Team were on 69.38.
FREESTYLE
Laura rode the flashy 14-year-old Cruising gelding Youngstars Cheetah, on whom she was seventh in her open individual freestyle arena, while Katie partnered the versatile Roc Tredudon.
No Area 17 members advanced to the ride-offs at their respective grades.
However, riding the 11-year-old skewbald gelding Cloonlee Red River, Mid Antrim member Kirstin Thom finished seventh in her Intermediate arena while Eilish Smith of the Route was 10th in hers with the French Buffet seven-year-old, French Bean. Katie King had the ride on Youngstars Cheetah in section B of the Open where they finished 10th.