DRESSAGE Ireland’s South East Region managed to make it a double at the National Championships last weekend, when their teams won both the senior and under-25 inter-regional titles at Barnadown.

Together with the 2016 National Champion Anne Marie Dunphy, Rosemary Gaffney, Collette Ward Davey and Ian Grace brought home the Spruce Lodge Perpetual Shield for the first time since 1993.

The competition in this senior division went down to the wire, as Grace knew that he would have to better Heike Holstein’s advanced score with his promising five-year-old Rhaegar W in order to seal the victory ahead of Leinster Region, and this he accomplished by the narrowest of margins.

The title also made a fitting end to a successful weekend for Rosemary Gaffney, as with her new ride Bink, she filled the reserve spot in both the medium and medium freestyle championships.

high scoring

In the under-25 class, Inter I champion Rachel Dowley rode alongside her students Bonnie O’Reilly and Liam van der Veen, as well as former pony European Championship team member Sofie Walshe, to secure the win for the region.

They finished over 2% ahead of the Leinster team, which was led by the high scoring Kevin Acres.

For Sofie Walshe, the title gave her a full house of podium placings over the weekend.

With her event horse Kinsau, who she produced with the help of her mother Charlie, she finished second in the novice category two championship and third in the elementary equivalent.

triumph

The shield triumph was also a welcome boost for Liam van der Veen, who unfortunately had to withdraw Baronette-Worona while lying second in the novice category one championship due to a minor injury.

For Bonnie O’Reilly, the win more than made up for the frustration of finishing second in the elementary freestyle championship.