HAVING built a new barn at home in Kildinan, Co Cork, event rider Rebecca Dunlea couldn’t afford any time off to enjoy a holiday this year so made the most of her first visit to Northern Ireland by extending the one-day event at Loughanmore into a three-day weekend.

“My mother Colette and I headed up to Templepatrick last Friday and arrived there after a five-hour drive. Once we had Cashelane Captain settled in at the Stubingtons’ Sweet Wall Stud, we checked into the Hilton Hotel, close to the event, and had a relaxing evening. We repeated that on Saturday night and just lounged around on Sunday morning before heading home. It was great!”

On Saturday, Rebecca and her 12-year-old Captain Clover gelding won the Connolly’s Red Mills Super League A/CNC** championship, adding the lucrative prizes presented there by Nia O’Malley to the year’s sponsorship by the Co Kilkenny company which they secured as league winners in spite of missing the final four legs of the series.

Championship

“After finishing seventh in the open intermediate national championship at Ballindenisk in July, Captain was off with a virus and only recently returned to work. I was in two minds about bringing him to Loughanmore but the money was too good to pass up and, of course, having won there I was thrilled.

“He was carrying a bit too much condition on Saturday but I’ll have that off him in time for the CIC*** at Ballindenisk. I have to thank my vet Nicola O’Connor and others for getting the horse back on form.”

Rebecca attended Kildalton Agricultural College after which she worked for different people, learning all the while, and, for the past year and a half, rented a yard.

Now based at home, where Colette, the backbone of the operation, looks after the books and encourages the rider, Rebecca has 10 horses in work and is looking for some good rides. “I’ll do breakers, school horses, get hunters fit, sales prep, whatever,” she stated.

“I’ve schooled a couple of racehorses on the flat and have been asked to do more of them. When going from the hotel to Sweet Wall early on Saturday morning, I saw all the pointers at Loughanmore being ridden out and they looked fantastic.

“I really enjoyed the event, riding a new track, meeting new people and will definitely head back at some stage. It was well worth the trip.”