Margie McLoone

LAST weekend’s Holmestead Saddlery Irish Pony Club National Minimus Championships were regarded as a huge success, particularly by members and supporters of the Ward Union Branch, who won the overall award for the first time. Thanks to the Kildare Hunt Club and the racecourse, the championships began and finished with the ride and run phases at Punchestown, while there were visits to the Curragh Swimming Pool from early on Sunday morning for the influential swimming phase.

The Ward Gold team of Ruth Barrertt (Manninard Krystal), Eabha Toole (Oreo), Jane McGurrin (Swan View Mirah) and Emily Heather (Beethoven) put their mark on the overall competition from the outset. In heavy rain on Saturday afternoon, they recorded four clear rounds in the ride phase, with each of the quartet achieving a maximum score of 1,400 points.

Two other teams achieved this feat – the Duhallow Dashers squad of Anna Cronin, Michael O’Meara, Lucy Williamson and Laura Archdeacon and the foursome of Rosie Mae O’Grady, Camille Ryan, Alexandra Hourigan and Katie Wyse who comprised the Tipperary Toppers. As their combined times were nearest the optimum, the Duhallow Dashers were presented with the Co Clare trophy as winners of the team riding award.

The Kildare Pony Club was very much involved in the running of the Championships with the Branch’s head of eventing/hunter trials, Michelle Nelson, and her team being responsible for the cross-country course. The track was well-designed with well-built and beautifully-presented fences.

This year, it was decided to increase the fence height from 75cms to 80cms but, to encourage the younger members taking part, ‘L’ option fences were introduced.

These were lower in height, very straightforward fences which incurred 50 penalties when jumped.

Although there were 10 such options on the 15-fence course, there were still quite a number of fallers who then had to walk home.

In minimus, riders maintain points for fences already jumped (positive scoring) but incur 150 penalties for a fall and 50 penalties for each fence not yet tackled.

Ten riders’ rounds came to a halt at the AES ditch (fence six) with one less having their ride phase ended at nine, the JAG Equestrian rails and water. Six competitors only got as far as fence two, Doyle’s Butcher’s block. Thankfully, however, no ambulance had to leave the racecourse throughout the day. There was a disco at Punchestown on Saturday evening and a lot of fun for those who stayed overnight.

SWIM PHASE

Early on Sunday morning, the swim phase began at the Curragh Swimming Pool. There, winning performances were recorded by Aonghus Cooke of the Galway Mid Fliers, who was presented with the Warrington Cup for best boys’ swim, and the South Westmeath Superstars’ Erica Lowe who received the Breheny Trophy for the girls’ equivalent.

As a member of the 2015 South Westmeath winning team, Lowe featured on the front cover of the championships’ programme, which included a list of all fence sponsors both at the weekend and at the National Tetrathlon Championships which, also sponsored by Holmestead Saddlery, take place at Tattersalls as July turns into August.

The Ward Union Gold team drew clear of the Duhallow Dashers and the Tipperary Toppers in the swim phase and further still after the run on Sunday to claim the John Flood Team cup on a total of 10,560 points. In second, thanks to excellent results in both the swim and run, were the Kildare Tornadoes (Ruth Sargent, Grace Adams, Jodie Zebedee and Andrew Carroll) on 10,518 followed by the Carlow Mavericks (Matthew Farrell, James Browne, Hannah Kehoe and Sarah Kehoe) in third (10,324).

The Ward Union Gold quartet also received the Sisk cup as champion girls’ team, the Carlow Mavericks were presented with the Sisk cup for the champion mixed team with the Sisk cup for the champion boys’ team going to the sixth-placed Wicklow Jets (Ronan Byrne, Jake Law, Ciaran Foley and Thomas Von Teichman).

“We were absolutely thrilled to win the Minimus Championships for the first time,” said Orlagh Sherry, joint-District Commissioner of the Ward Union Branch. “All our teams, who were trained by Sarah Jane Dowse and Catherine Mullarkey, worked hard over the winter, swimming at the National Aquatic Centre, running in the Campus and taking their ponies for schooling at Carlanstown and Quarrylands. They also took part in hunter trials during the season.

GREAT HONOUR

“It was then a matter of minding ponies on the hard ground to have them fit and well for these Championships. As the Ward Union is closely associated with Tattersalls, the Gold team has received permission to parade mounted with their two trophies at the international horse trials on Saturday (today) which is a great honour.”

The Ward Union trophy for the best turned-out/best behaved branch at the Minimus Championships was presented to the Laois Branch, whose four teams all took their names from Star Wars’ characters and were led to the start by Darth Vader.

This year, there was a separate hors concours competition for IPC members coming late into the discipline which brought the number of entries over the weekend up to 397.

The smooth running of the 2016 Holmestead Saddlery Irish Pony Club National Minimus Championships, which closed with the prize-giving ceremony in the Punchestown parade-ring at 4.30pm on Sunday, was down to the great work of the team scorers, the help of the Kildare Hunt Branch District Commissioners Sara Egan, Tanya Doyle and Ann-Marie Cullen and the IPC’s tetrathlon committee led by Sheila Gayer.

Bill Holmes proved a most generous sponsor. He and his team at Holmestead Saddlery presented every competitor with a bucketful of goodies for themselves and carrots for their ponies. He also provided wonderful prizes, rosettes and sashes for the prize-winners.

Walsh’s support

AMONG the many spectators and supporters at Punchestown over the weekend was multiple champion National Hunt jockey Ruby Walsh. He attended the championships with his wife Gillian whose nephew, Andrew Henson, was a member of the South Westmeath Superstars.

Others from the world of racing included leading bloodstock agent Bobby O’Ryan (Kildare branch supporter) and breeze-up consignor James McCartan (Westmeath).