AS they had to qualify, it wasn’t surprising to see most of the top Connemara owners, producers and riders in the country had at least one pony through for the North Down Marquees-sponsored breed ridden classes at last week’s Balmoral Show.

These were judged by Marie Claire Nimmo and Barbara McGrath in the P & O Arena on Thursday morning when, in the opening four and five-year-old class, Co Kildare’s Aoife and Sadhbh O’Connor were probably in two minds about the result.

The win went to Aoife’s North Cottage Silver JJ (Abbeyside Silver – Cloonmore Cailin Oir, by Frederiksminde Hazy Match) but this Eddie Kelly-bred five-year-old was ridden by Aoibhinn Ruane while Sadbh was on board the third-placed five-year-old Glencarrig Knight gelding Doonreaghan Rob. Splitting the O’Connor pair was Chloe Lacey riding Emma O’Gorman’s five-year-old Slackport Prince gelding, Ballylee Lemon.

There are plenty of things in life that I don’t understand such as why the class for riders aged 10 to 16 is open to ponies aged four and up while the ponies in the class for riders aged 16 and over, have to be at least six. But we must obey the rules!

Champions here for the past two years, Co Kildare’s Amira Curran and her father Daryl’s Caherpuca Chappy (Coolin America – Loughfadda Darling, by Rebel Justice), a nine-year-old grey gelding bred in Co Galway by Michael and Kendra Rabbitte, set off on their hat trick bid by winning the young riders’ class.

In the older riders’ class, the honours went to Carrickfergus’s Charlotte Smiley who topped the final line-up on her mother Kathryn’s Eastlands Jollybrae (Eastlands Harleybrae – Eastlands Dunrose, by Lockinge Frederick).

This six-year-old grey gelding, who was bred in Scotland by John and Dianna Staveley, won the ridden championship at Dublin last year and here added another title to his cv as he stood champion ahead of the O’Connors’ runner-up in that last class, the Paraic Folan-bred six-year-old dun gelding Teach Mor Sparrow (Blakehill Sparrow – Kelly’s Hero, by Commanding Hero).