THERE was a disappointingly low entry for last Sunday’s second leg of the AIRC North East Region’s show jumping league, sponsored by GoTu Trailers.
The fixture was hosted at their showgounds in Jordanstown by Cheval, who supplied all the officials, stewards and other volunteers, but only two members of the club competed throughout the day. It was mainly thanks to Drynam, who ran the first qualifier the previous weekend at Emerald, and to clubs in the West Leinster Region, that the show went ahead.
For all that however, it was mainly other NER clubs who fielded winners, although there wasn’t much opposition. Castle Hill’s Sarah Reilly posted an uncontested success in the 60cm newcomers’ class on board her 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Clabbystown Little Tom.
Her clubmate Rebecca Matthews improved a place from Emerald to win the Graded RC90 on Benvarden Dakota with a clear round, but she and her 10-year-old skewbald mare had a fence down in the Open class to finish second to Kilronan’s Kate Solon riding Harlequin Du Clover. Solon doubled up on her 10-year-old Harlequin du Carel mare in the Graded RC100.
Second at Emerald, Mullaghmore’s Katie Creegan saw off the challenge of Cheval’s Edwin Fitzgerald to win the RC100 Open with her 16-year-old part-bred Connemara mare Holiday Izzy, on whom she also jumped clear to claim the RC110/RC120 class.
Boyneside’s Karin O’Hare won both the RC70 Open, where she had a fence down, and the RC80 Open, where she jumped clear, to double up with her ISH mare Santiago Sky, a 13-year-old daughter of Mermus R. Also representing Boyneside, Emma Keane recorded an uncontested win in the RC70 Graded with her 13-year-old Connemara gelding Bhinn Sleibhe Charlie Tango.
In the RC80 Graded, the West Leinster Region struck through Killcarrick’s Carolann Dowling and her thoroughbred mare Bonita Bay, a nine-year-old bay by Alhebayeb.
Hopefully, there will be better support for the third leg of the league, which will be hosted at their Tydavnet base in Co Monaghan by the Mullaghmore club.