THE East Antrim Branch of The Pony Club hosted Area 17’s Dengie dressage finals last Sunday at the Connell Hill Equestrian Centre near Randalstown where it was good to see so many older members contest a very strong open class.

The honours went to Jazmin Vollands of the North Down Branch ahead of the Iveaghs’ Laura King (Youngstars Cheetah) and Leah Jackson (Gemily) who, like the winner, is a member of North Down. The trio have qualified for the Dengie Championships which take place on Saturday, April 14th at the Addington Manor Equestrian Centre in England.

Twenty-year-old Vollands, who is studying accountancy at the Ulster University Jordanstown, was recently chosen to join The Pony Club’s new team of ambassadors (as was event rider and Iveagh member Casey Webb).

Last year, having come through a very tough selection process, Vollands secured a place on The Pony Club’s Talent Pathway Squad which she described as “the experience of a lifetime”. This season’s selection day in Northern Ireland takes place at Laurelview on Wednesday next, April 4th.

On Sunday, Ballygowan-based Vollands won the open final on her 2007 Obelix mare Mo Chara Nua who she rode the previous afternoon at the Winter league finals run by the Northern Region of Dressage Ireland in Danescroft. There they won a Novice and an Elementary class and will compete at both these levels at the national winter finals in Cavan next weekend.

PURE DRESSAGE

While Sunday’s open winner sticks to pure dressage, King and Jackson both leave the ground with their horses, the latter and her 10-year-old Cyrano mare Gemily being among the entries for today’s EI100 Amateur class at Tyrella.

Having finished second in the open with the 2002 Cruising gelding Youngstars Cheetah, King also had to settle for the runner-up berth at Intermediate level with her eight-year-old Belissimo M mare Bellissima MKM.

This pair also competed at Danescroft on Saturday, placing fourth at preliminary level and sixth to Vollands and Mo Chara Nua in the Novice BD 22 test.

In Sunday’s Intermediate final, King finished as the meat in the sandwich between two East Down Branch members, Tom McCormick who won on Mon Ami Tonnerre and Troy Watson who was third with Nightlife. All three have qualified for the Dengie finals in Addington Manor.

In addition to their Pony Club activities, McCormick and his mother Fran’s 16-year-old Jobanker Mystic Mink gelding are well-known on the Eventing Ireland scene. They began last season with a win in an EI90 pony class at Vesey Lodge and rounded off their campaign with a fourth-place finish at the national championships in Tattersalls.

QUALIFICATION

The three who have qualified to represent Area 17 in England following the novice final are the East Antrim representatives Tara Murphy and Alex Byrne, who finished first and second respectively, and Julia Herron of the Killultagh Branch who was third on the 14-year-old chesnut gelding Solitaire Rusty Brown, another by the Belgian Warmblood stallion Obelix.

Murphy won the class on the seven-year-old Kroongraaf mare Flax Lodge Indi, who is out of a mare by Porter Rhodes, while Byrne was on board the 10-year-old grey gelding Forest Lodge Rambler with whom she competes in the EI100P class at Tyrella today.

This year’s Dengie show jumping finals in Area 17 were staged by the Tullylagan Branch who not only had to change dates because of the ‘Beast From The East’ but then had to find a new venue. They settled on Saturday, March 10th and were delighted when 150 competitors, who had qualified throughout the winter months, turned up at the RDA Causeway Coast Arena, Coleraine.

At Under 12 level, the host Branch’s Kym Moore won the open section on Oakley Supreme while the novice section went to Shannon Boville of the Killultagh Branch riding Buster. In the Dengie Debut class, Paris Douglas of the Seskinore Branch took the honours on the 14-year-old skewbald mare Lough Allen Dancer with whom she has started to compete in Showjumping Ireland classes this year.

William Brown’s courses produced very competitive jumping throughout the day but especially in the Dengie Winter League class which was won by Hannah Thompson riding the 11-year-old eventing mare Sam-Mar Madame Sophie. Thompson finished ahead of fellow Mid Antrim Branch members, Bethany Gordon (Glenford Starlight) and Charlotte Wylie (Perhaps B).

Meabh McIlduff struck for the Iveagh Branch when winning the Open Grand Prix on board Dalsown Done And Dusted, a six-year-old by Abbeyfield Comet with whom she also competes in working hunter classes.