IRISH Pony Club members Susie Doyle and Áine McLoughlin spent the past week at the Army Equitation School in McKee Barracks as they availed of the bursaries they received when second and third respectively in the Show Jumping Classic at the Coilóg Equestrian Centre early last September.

Longford’s Aisling McGreal won the 1.20m competition that afternoon on Big Blue Nun but, as she had already attended the Equitation School as a previous winner, her place went to Golden Vale’s Doyle, who finished second with Herbst Acapella, a 2004 grey gelding by Aldato. The 18-year-old is the second member of her Holycross family to train at McKee following her sister Shannie.

Susie had a great 2016 on the equestrian front, highlighted by her win in the pony working hunter championship at the Dublin Horse Show on Fiona O’Dwyer’s Knocklucas Chloe, winner of the 153cms Section A class. In her Leaving Certificate year at Rockwell College, Susie also plays rugby for her school and the local Fethard club.

Following a hugely successful 2016 campaign with the Longford Branch in show jumping, dressage and eventing, one she hopes to repeat this coming season, McLoughlin was delighted to also receive a bursary following her third place finish at Coilóg on First Man Lara. The 20-year-old, who plays the harp when she has time, attends UCD where she is in her second year of Actuarial and Financial Studies.

It’s great to see so many branches organising training, rallies and competitions ahead of what hopefully will be another enjoyable year for members. Check out the 2017 calendar on the IPC’s website for details of Tetrathlon and Mounted Games training, which is already in full swing, while the first national event is the IPC hunter trials championships at Annaharvey on Saturday, April 22nd.

Up in Area 17 (Northern Ireland) of The Pony Club, they too have been busy with rallies, training and qualifying for the regional Dengie finals.

The dressage finals are being hosted today by the Iveagh Branch at Danescroft outside Lisburn (where tomorrow the Mounted Games team for Windsor will be selected) with the Seskinore Branch staging the show jumping finals at Portmore on Saturday next, March 4th.