FOLLOWING Wednesday’s Balmoral Show qualifiers at Wexford Equestrian Centre, the proprietors and their team returned to preparing the Tomhaggard venue for the start of the 2026 Stepping Stones to Success league.

With continued sponsorship from Childéric Saddles and additional support from the Department of Agricultural, Food and the Marine, there will be a total of €10,000 on offer across the classes and leagues for four-year-olds and five-year-olds.

Treo Eile is repeating its sponsorship of the weekly thoroughbred to competition horse class (split into novice and open); to be eligible for any extra prize money, horses must be registered with the Kildare-based organisation. The highest-placed horse at the final who has raced either on the track or in a point-to-point will be awarded a bonus prize by the Irish Horse Welfare Trust.

Doagh Equestrian is once again sponsoring the event pony class, which is restricted to animals aged four, five and six, is closed to any previous winners, but is open to appropriate adult riders.

Full details of the rules, conditions, test sheets, a breakdown of the funding, format of judging, etc can be found on the Stepping Stones to Success website. The first qualifier takes place on Tuesday, March 31st. Entry is open on Equipe between 8pm on Tuesday next, March 24th and 8pm on Friday, March 27th. The remaining qualifiers take place on the Tuesdays of April 7th, 14th and 21st, with the final scheduled for Tuesday, April 28th.