FIVE ponies qualified by right out of each of the three ridden classes judged by Jane Somerville last Sunday at Duffy’s Equestrian, where the Western Area of the Irish Pony Society hosted the third of four qualifiers for the Connemara section at Balmoral Show alongside their Area Spring Show.

Breeders and producers are always keen to see the latest crop of young ponies appear under saddle, so Cathy Snow and Martin Coyne must have been thrilled when their home-bred Moorland Snowdrift won the four and five-year-old class under Kitty Concannon, while Cornfield Cressida, whom they also bred but is owned by Concannon’s mother Nikola, qualified in third in the older riders’ class.

“We purchased Cressida (who is now six) from Cathy and Martin in November 2023 and, on the day we went to collect her, there was another pony in field who turned out to be Moorland Snowdrift,” revealed Kitty, the well-known Inishbofin-based rider/producer. “Cathy and Martin have kindly given me the ride on Snowdrift, who they hope to breed from in the future.

“Snowdrift is a very special pony who has achieved so much at such a young age, from champion foal at Clifden to winning the three-year-old filly class last year when she went on to be reserve junior champion. We were over the moon for her to win her first show under saddle on Sunday, gaining her qualification for Balmoral. Both of the mares are so special to me and my mom and we are looking forward to taking them to Balmoral and hopefully qualifying them for Dublin too.”

Here, Sabrina McClumpha qualified in second with Brian Dagg’s four-year-old dun gelding Killea Oir (Killea Island - Ashbrook Beaut, by Glencarrig Prince), ahead of Hannah Gordon on her father Matt’s five-year-old gelding Rock Of Belass (Black Shadow - Woodhaven Lily, by Glanquinn Larry), who was making his ridden debut of the year but has qualified for the Eventing Ireland Western Region starter series final.

Grace Maxwell Murphy who, four weeks ago broke 10 ribs and suffered a punctured lung in a fall, spending two weeks in hospital, slotted into fourth riding the four-year-old Glencarrig Douvan mare Glencarrig Mystique, who was making her showing debut, with Charlotte Goor placing fifth on the four-year-old Blakehill Ballylee Storm gelding Ballylee Bruno.

Loughderg Star wins again

Maxwell Murphy partnered Glencarrig Mystique’s three-parts brother Glencarrig Kingman (Glencarrig Knight - Miss Eleanor) in the class for riders over the age of 16, where she and the seven-year-old grey had to settle for second behind Zoe Price and the 2024 Dublin ridden champion, the bay gelding Loughderg Star (Glencarrig Joe - Sellemane Beauty, by Tynagh Miller). Now an eight-year-old, the winner was bred in Co Clare by Marie Collins.

At the Western Area’s show, which took place in tandem with this qualifier at Duffy’s Equestrian, Maxwell Murphy’s husband, William McMahon, won the flat ring championship with the winner of the three-year-old and upwards in-hand Mountain and Moorland section, the Glencarrig Knight stallion Glenville Glic (see page opposite). McMahon will have to continue doing most of the riding for the yard for another few weeks as, having qualified for Balmoral, Maxwell Murphy has agreed to stay out of the saddle until fully recovered.

As mentioned above, Kitty Concannon qualified in third on her mother Nikola’s Cornfield Cressida (Tempo Active Atlas - Ardbear Mavis, by Moorland Snowy River), Chloe Cathcart finished fourth on the 16-year-old Monaghanstown Boy gelding Talaimh Na gCapaill, with Niamh Ruane placing fifth with the 10-year-old Silver Shadow gelding Clonberne Moon Light.

Under 16 class

Dahlia Durkan topped Somerville’s final line-up in the class for riders who have attained their 10th birthday but not their 16th birthday by January first on her father Liam’s Blakehill Bobby (Cnocbán Cassanova - Blakehill Princess, by Rebel Star).

Durkan and the Cian Geoghegan-bred 2012 gelding finished third in the final at Balmoral last May and filled the same position in their ridden final at Dublin in August. While the pony is now being produced at home by the Durkan family, Dahlia is still being coached by Ciara Mullen, who missed out on so much as a show rider herself last year following a fall, but is very much looking forward to, and prepared for, her return to competition in the not too distant future.

Also securing their qualifying places at Balmoral were Jemima Wall on the nine-year-old Drumbad Fletcher Moss gelding Cregduff Ranger, Amber Lane with the similary-aged Blakehill Ballylee Storm mare Blakehill Ella, Ella Moran riding the seven-year-old Glencarrig Knight gelding Robyn Hood and Isobelle Stapleton with five-year-old Dunally Lad gelding Breaffy Arthur.

The fourth and final Connemara qualifier for Balmoral takes place tomorrow week, Sunday, March 29th, at the Mullingar Equestrian Centre. Entries for those classes at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society’s four-day show for which qualification is not required, close at 5pm next Wednesday, March 25th.