THE Dawson family took back the management of Kilronan Equestrian Centre on December 1st last year and, on Sunday, the venue hosted its first riding club event for some time, the penultimate round of the Equipet show jumping league.

It was run by the Kilronan club of which Helena Dawson is chairman and she was on hand to oversee the running of the show in spite of a late night/early morning at the Fingal Harriers’ hunt ball in the Pillo Hotel, Ashbourne. It was a busy weekend for Helena as she is a joint-master of the Fingals who held their final meet of the season last Friday in Ballough. The entire Dawson family is involved in running the equestrian centre with Helena’s son Samuel, a tree surgeon, taking care of maintenance, daughter Jen running the livery section and college students India and Lydia helping out when they can. The two youngest children, Eleanor and Alex who are now both in senior school, are given the privilege of mucking out at weekends.

For clients of Kilronan, the transition has been seamless with Michelle Daly staying on as chief instructor. The centre provides lessons, runs pony camps and treks. There will be plenty of shows taking place at all levels with the wonderful grass derby arena coming into its own over the summer months.

Johnny O’Connell, who ran the equestrian centre from 2002 to the end of November 2014 and to whom Helena will ever be grateful, is now based at Bellugan outside Dundalk from where he concentrates on competition coaching. He continues to run a clinic at Kilronan every Monday evening.