IMELDA O’Shaughnessy (secretary) and Denise Colebrooke (chairperson) had a busy afternoon last Saturday in the Raheen Woods Hotel, Athenry, where they marshalled the ceremony and presented the prizes at the Irish Pony Society Western Area’s 2025 awards lunch.
Not all were present to accept their awards, but one young rider who had reason more than most to attend was Ella Healion, who was the overall points champion with the Catherine Boylan-bred Tyrrellspass Devine, winner also of the part-bred championship and of the open and novice show pony titles.
A seven-year-old bay mare by Chinook Limelight, Tyrrellspass Devine is owned by the champion rider’s aunt, Sinead Healion, who refers to her pony-mad 14-year-old niece as her ‘clone’. “Her parents are not into horses, so she practically lives with me!” said Healion senior, the well-known Co Offaly breeder and producer of Irish Sport Horses.
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Ella Healion won a number of titles at the IPS Western Area awards for 2025
Aunt Sinead also owns the Boylan-bred six-year-old Chinook Limelight mare Tyrrellspass Queenie, with whom Ella was reserve show hunter pony champion and 143cm winner. That bay is the last foal to date out of the 15-year-old British-bred mare Janpetes Prides Legacy, the Area’s open show pony champion and winner of part-bred 128cm and 133cm novice working hunter pony titles.
“I bought Janpetes Prides Legacy from Catherine and Ella helped me break her and, in turn, Queenie, but she did most of the work herself. Ella loves showing, but also did a bit of inter-schools show jumping at Mullingar during the autumn. She took time off from studying for her Junior Cert mocks to go to the lunch on Sunday. She was third in the 2024 points’ table and was determined to be the one accepting the award this year!”
Award winner
Among others who won multiple awards were Fia Mai Guinan, who was equitation under 17 champion and intermediate champion with the Maura Rooney-bred 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare RSH Sally (Drimcong Cove - Moyvore Princess, by Dock Leaf) and reserve Connemara working hunter champion with the six-year-old mare Morepark Kimberly (Lough Melvin Gorteen - Rathattan Lass, by Ardgaineen Boy. Both ponies are owned by the rider’s mother Michelle.
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Nicole O'Shaughnessy, Mia Morris, Kaylen Morris and Charlie O'Shaughnessy at the IPS Western Area Awards
Riding for her mother Imelda, Nicole O’Shaughnessy had another great season in 2025. She won the mini supreme and mini Mountain and Moorland championships with the British-bred 14-year-old Carwgwyn Finality and the starter stakes championship with Glandrine Pied Piper (Knockskeogh Prince - Drinagh Molissa), who was bred in Co Cork by Jimmy O’Regan.
Winner en route of the open show starter stakes and open working hunter pony starter stakes awards, the now 20-year-old Glandrine Pied Piper was purchased out of England this time last year by the O’Shaughnessys. However, he was first produced here by the Field family who won the Area’s starter stakes title with the bay gelding back in 2019 and it was Lara Field who presented the same championship trophy to Nicole on Sunday.
Lara herself won the 2025 novice working hunter pony title with her mother Marjorie Hardiman’s home-bred seven-year-old ISH mare Creganna Gypsy O (Road To Happiness - Gypsy Gold, by The Conqueror) and the over 16 Connemara working hunter and exceeding 138cm M&M working hunter pony prizes with Marjorie’s home-bred 11-year-old mare Creganna Kerfuffle (Silver Shadow - Prospect Suzy, by Tulira Robuck).
Successful
Other title winners included Kitty Concannon with the six-year-old mare Cornfield Cressida (novice Connemara ridden champion), Grace Maxwell Murphy with the six-year-old gelding Glenville Glic (Connemara ridden champion) and Katie Murphy with the eight-year-old gelding Crimlon Dylan (Connemara working hunter champion).
Camilla McNamara Kelly won the mini show hunter pony championship with the 14-year-old Welsh gelding Talgarth Casper, Daniel O’Hara was the winner of the mini show pony title with the 16-year-old Goldengrove Hermione, Lillian Walsh won the open working hunter pony championship with the eight-year-old mare Caherdine Illane Lucy and Ashleigh Tate claimed the youngstock championships with Meeryhill Lorenzo and Butleigh Letsby Avenue.
Awards were also presented to Ella Hoey (Sarum Remus), Riley Barker (Toytown Tantrum And Tears), Meave Corbett (Puzzle de Belle), Jocelyn Hutchinson (Loneash Eirin), Moya Canavan (SCT Arctic Circle), Meave McDonagh (Kingsmead Finian) and Rowan Freeney (Rathmorrissey Blossom Hill).
The Irish Pony Society’s national awards dinner takes place on the evening of Friday, February 20th in the Mullingar Park Hotel, while tonight, Area 32 of the Stoneleigh-headquartered National Pony Society (Northern Ireland) is holding its awards evening in the Bannville House Hotel, Banbridge.