THERE were over 270 entries for last Sunday’s second staging of the Killossery Riding Club spring show.
This was held at their base of Killossery Lodge Stud where the Glynn family helped run the fixture along with the club’s committee headed by Aoife Maguire (chairperson), Lisa Baker (secretary) and Patricia Leonard (treasurer).
Maguire had a good day on her traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding Pharos Hazy Cove with a win and a third-place finish on the 12-year-old Drimcong Cove grey in the Sandstorm show jumping section. Sarah Richardson, secretary of the North East Region of the Association of Irish Riding Clubs, was also rewarded for her efforts in helping run the show.
Wearing her Boyneside secretary’s hat, Richardson finished second in the TRI Equestrian walk/trot dressage test and won the White’s Agri performance hunter newcomers’ class. In both instances, she partnered her 11-year-old grey mare Cloondarone Silver.
This section of the show was judged by locally-based Barcelona Olympics event rider Mairead Ryan whose winners of the open RC70 and RC80 classes were, respectively, Drynam’s safety officer Cathy Sayers on Alderbrook Maxima and Fingal’s Sophie DeJong riding Kilcogy Knight.
Liz Keegan struck for the host club when landing the traditional Irish horse class, sponsored by the TIHA, with her show jumper Edoxtown Cash Cruise, while topping Ryan’s line-up in the Treo Eile-sponsored thoroughbred class was Cheval’s Rebecca McIntyre with Imperial Ruler (see Pony Tales on page 106).
Ashbrook’s Shauna Kidd claimed the RC100 class with the experienced and well-known Good News Scotty but Ryan was obviously more impressed with the performances of those who finished first and second in the RC90.
Here, her winner, and section champion, was the Irish Draught gelding Morgiana Minstrel, an eight-year-old Eponastables Uibh Fhaili roan ridden by Copperfield’s Eimear Keogh, while Drynam’s Jill Brown finished second, and reserve, with another ID gelding, A Heros Welcome, a nine-year-old son of Gortfree Hero.
Ryan had attended Killossery Lodge Stud the previous Tuesday, when she judged the working hunter phase of the Irish Pony Society’s Sports Pony Challenge final. Also on hand that day, to present the rugs and trophy she sponsored, was Rachel Bennett who, on Sunday, judged conformation in the Botanica International showing section where the ride judge was Megan Connell.
Liz Keegan and Cash (Killossery) won the Traditional Irish Horse Performance Hunter class, sponsored By White Agri and Traditional Irish Horse Association, at the Killossery Riding Club spring show held at Killossery Lodge Stud \ Sagittarian Photography
Hunters
Cheval’s Donna Wildman won the P1 class with Corbeagh Mountain while the hunter winners were Moyglare’s grading officer Emer Lawlor on Drum Sligo Gypsy (small), Castledermot’s Emma Redmond riding The Very Man (lightweight) and Copperfield’s Kevin McGuinness, a man of many hats, on board Antualsai Ciunas (medium/heavyweight).
Lawlor bagged a second ticket for the championship when winning the cob class with Yeats’ Duke-Box Jive. The breed classes were won by Drynam’s Jill Brown on A Heros Welcome (Irish Draught) and by Killcarrick’s Taylor Deane on the 14-year-old Earl Of Newbridge grey, Annaveigh Mac (Connemara).
Disappointingly for Brown, she again had to settle for the reserve slot with A Heros Welcome while the tricolour sash was presented to Moyglare’s Emer Lawlor on Drum Sligo Gypsy.
When it came to the supreme championship judging for the Sharon McCabe memorial cup, Lawlor claimed the honours with her 15-year-old chesnut mare Drum Sligo Gypsy, again standing ahead of Brown on A Heros Welcome.
Liz Keegan and Cash (Killossery) won the Traditional Irish Horse Performance Hunter class, sponsored By White Agri and Traditional Irish Horse Association, at the Killossery Riding Club spring show held at Killossery Lodge Stud \ Sagittarian Photography
Well-produced
Judging at her first riding club show for some time, Bennett commented: “I thought the standard of riding and turn-out had improved greatly, it’s lovely to see horses being so well-produced and ridden by their owners. Megan is a lovely rider and a very competent judge and we liked the same horses which is always good!
“There was a tremendous atmosphere at the show and it was lovely to have riders coming up to me when we finished – and it was quite late – thanking me for judging them and for my comments.”
As dressage and show jumping continue throughout the year, our focus during the spring/summer months is on showing and working/performance hunters but we should mention that the show jumping section on Sunday was judged by Gay Parkinson and the dressage by June O’Reilly and Lindsey Ilona Brady. The club also ran a very successful raffle supporting the Irish Cancer Society.
Ashbrook Riding Club are holding their long-established Derby Day show tomorrow at Killossery Lodge Stud.