FOR the second year running, the piebald mare DTS First Flight finished reserve in the Horse Sport Ireland supreme ridden championship for the Carl Geisler trophy at last weekend’s Association of Irish Riding Clubs’ Festival at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre.

The nine-year-old, who is owned and ridden by Tara Hill’s grading officer Maura Walsh, progressed to the supreme judging in the international grass arena on Saturday evening as she did last June by first winning her over 158cm coloured class, the coloured championship and then the Ring 2 championship. The hard-working judges in Ring 2, who were also called into play for the finale, were Denise Colebrooke, Rosemary Wentges and Kevin McGuinness.

The reserve coloured champion was the up to 158cm class winner, Dellrose Boy, a seven-year-old skewbald gelding ridden by Drynam’s Fiona Cox.

Also going forward to the Ring 2 championship from the HSI-sponsored classes in this section were the champion and reserve from the cob classes. The 2025 cob champion is the lightweight class winner, Chuckles II, an eight-year-old chesnut gelding whose owner/rider Jenny Hynes is a member of the very local Mullingar Riding Club. The reserve, and winner of the combined heavyweight and maxi class, was the Jessica Sinnott-partnered 12-year-old Rambo representing Thomastown and District.

Equipeople, who came on board as a Festival sponsor for the first time this season, supported the remaining sections in Ring 2.

The Mullingar club was represented by another reserve champion in the veteran horse division when Vikki Jenkins was beckoned forward to fill that slot on board her 18 to 20-year-old class winner Mr Woo, an 18-year-old skewbald gelding who has a Scottish Sport Horse passport. The champion, and winner of the class for 21-year-olds and upwards was the very active 24-year-old Flin who claimed the title in the hands of Westport secretary Isobel Lee.

Doubled up

Westport doubled up when it came to championship success as the first and second from the over 158cm class stood champion and reserve respectively in the riding horse section.

Partnered by Sadhbh Gannon, the champion is the former racehorse Dingle Bay, a now nine-year-old Alhebayeb gelding who failed to finish in the first three in 12 starts and last ran in July 2020. In reserve stood the Irish Sport Horse mare Ardmount Rio, a 17-year-old daughter of Vriend who was ridden by her breeder, Killegar’s Suzanne Kenny.

Anvil’s Aileen Dwyer would usually have a thoroughbred to ride in this class but here won the up to 158cm class with the ISH mare Miss Hollymount Pearl, a bay by O-Piloth who is six but not long broken and may be aimed at Dublin.

Walsh was somewhat frustrated but also delighted that she and DTS First Flight again finished reserve supreme champions.

“I’d love to win but that’s showing,” said the mother of three grown-up sons. “I’ve actually been concentrating on dressage more with the mare this year and attend coaching once or twice a month with Mark Ruddock and Harry Payne which Janet Murray organises at Killossery or the National Horse Sport Arena; I find that both very good and very enjoyable.

“While I do a good bit with Dressage Ireland and have my two Novice qualifying scores for the National Championships at Ballindenisk at the end of August, I’ve also been doing dressage with the Riding Club and a bit of jumping as well. The mare and I finished second in the RC80 Derby at Kilronan a couple of weeks back.” We learned from Walsh that her very supportive husband Declan is not much of a groom but is “brilliant at cutting hedges and harrowing the arena”.