AS this is the final dedicated Pony Club page of the year, we are taking time to look back at some of the highlights of the 2018 season when many teams travelled abroad and represented the Irish Pony Club, and the country, with distinction.

One such was the senior Tetrathlon team who, in July, took part in the international exchange in Tryon, North Carolina, venue later in the year for the World Equestrian Games. Nominations for this trip closed in early January when members were alerted to the fact that skills alone were not enough to ensure selection for the team as “behaviour and attitude towards training would be taken into account.” Training for those interested in being selected for commenced the following month.

The boys’ team which won in America comprised Jack Sargent (Kildare), Tim O’Brien (Shillelagh), Liam Kelleher (Duhallow) and James Drumm (Westmeath). The Kildares’ James Coonan competed on the World team. The IPC team which finished second to Great Britain in the girls’ event was made up of Aoife Duggan McSweeney (Limerick), Ellie Holohan (North Kilkenny), Meadhbh Moynihan (South Union) and Alex Stewart (Limerick).

There was a disappointing start to the national competition season when the hunter trials championships, scheduled for early April in Co Wexford, had to be cancelled because of the prevailing ground conditions. Happily, the Mackey-sponsored event took place later in the year unlike many other hunter trials cancelled during a very wet spring.

The first major competition to take place at home was the National Dressage Day at Spruce Lodge on a lovely day in early May. The championships were well covered in these pages at the time but a reminder of the achievement of eight-year-old Charlotte Goor who finished first and second in the Under 10s’ championship with Ridgehill Ryan and Ardfry Rahara.

The next port of call was Punchestown racecourse for the Holmestead Saddlery Minimus Championships where honours in the team event went to the Carlow Rapids quartet of Ruth Fogarty, Sarah Kehoe, David Farrell and Ava Murphy.

A very successful IPC Festival was held at Barnadown at the end of July but qualification for the combined training, dressage and show jumping championships started as far back as April 2nd when the Area 2 qualifier was held at Coilóg. Over the three days of the Festival there were some great team and individual achievements with the Killinick Branch winning the musical ride which they performed at the Dublin Horse Show and during the IPC raceday at Naas in September.

The open show jumping team title was won once again by the Longford Ladies who later travelled to the British Pony Club championships at Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire where, for the second year running Aisling McGreal, Rebecca Yorke, Rebecca Lyons and Edel Whyte proved unbeatable. The Carlow Branch finished 14th of 32 in the British open team dressage championship.

Qualifiers were also held for the combined training competitions held at the RDS which were won by Limerick’s Luke Cahill riding Major Sensation (Intermediate) and the Westmeaths’ Megan O’Leary on Silver Brog (Members).

The Holmestead Saddlery three-day Tetrathlon championships were held in Co Limerick over the first weekend of August (including Bank Holiday Monday) and while mixed teams took the honours at senior level in both the boys and girls competitions, there were Branch victories for the Ward Union in the two Junior championships.

Longterm sponsors Connolly’s Red Mills once again supported the eventing qualifiers and also the national championships which this year were held in Ballindenisk, Co Cork and, for the first time, included an Under 12s’ competition for which four arenas were required. The open individual title was won by the Kildares’ Emma Egan riding Ballytoher Sabrina, while honours in the Intermediate team championship went to the Westmeaths’ Sam Carey, Charlie Kennedy and Sofie Walshe.

The Mackey show jumping Classic final was held in September at Coilóg where the bursaries to the Army Equitation Centre were won by Elisa O’Connor of the Sligo Branch and Kilkenny’s Jack Ryan.

Finally, many congratulations to all those who passed their Pony Club proficiency tests throughout the year. They all received certificates issued from the IPC’s new administration office in Urlingford, Co Kilkenny.