THE Northern Region of Dressage Ireland held their Healys Haylage summer league finals last Saturday at Danescroft, where the judges on duty were Michael Moore (List 1), Bernie Webb (List 2) and Joanne Cairns (List 6).

The day’s best-supported class was the Elementary championship (British Dressage Elementary 6), where 10 combinations appeared before Webb. Her Category 3 winner on 69.09% was Linda McIlwaine riding her seven-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Roundthorn Oreo (Vittorio - Amour Roundthorn, by Sandreo), while Roma Oakes claimed the Category 2 honours on her 16-year-old Anglo European Studbook-registered gelding Radar (67.27).

Webb also judged the six-strong Novice championship (BD5), where Karen Murray (Category 3) topped her overall leaderboard with her nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Mister Galaxie Win (69). The other winners at this level were Annabelle Kraly, Category 1, on Arissa (66.33) and Deborah Allen, Category 2, with Rose Of Gethesmane (66).

Murray also won the Webb-assessed four-runner Advanced championship (BD2) on her 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding VSH Gangster (67.36) with whom, on a score of 65.44, she saw off her sole rival in Prix St George which was judged by Moore.

Joan Adrain, chairperson of both the Region and Dressage Ireland, recorded a Category 3 championship double in front of Moore on her nine-year-old KWPN-registered gelding Mathieu, scoring 68.75 in the Medium (BD6) and 67.76 in the Advanced Medium (BD4).

There were seven starters in the Medium, where the Category 2 winner on 65.56 was Sharon Getty with her 12-year-old ISH mare Taptoo (Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan - Pat Clover, by Ricardo Z). The sole Category 2 competitor in the Advanced Medium was Orlaith O’Hagan with her 17-year-old cremello gelding OOS Diego (63.95).

Moore judged the two FEI pony rider classes, where there was just one starter, Olivia Linnane, who, with her mother Isobell’s 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Don Dimaro van het Gildeland, scored 67.57 in both.

The north Co Dublin judge had a bit more work to do in the nine-runner Preliminary championship (BD6), as did the scorers.

The aforementioned Joan Adrain claimed the Category 3 honours on her five-year-old Oldenburg mare Fendi Jewel (69), while on 69.2, Craig Hills topped the Category 2 scores with Jane Allen-Collins’s home-bred five-year-old ISH gelding Lougherne Walk About (Antaeus - Lougherne Like a Diamond, by Lougherne Corea).

When it came to the Category 1 riders, the scorers couldn’t split Alexandra Ryan and Adam Thompson who, on 68.6% (41.5 collective), shared the honours on board the 10-year-old ISH mare Carnally Cobanna (Cobra 18 - Cregadill, by Touchdown) and the five-year-old AES gelding Springwell Santino respectively.

Joanne Cairns judged all four Trailblazer classes in the short arena, awarding her highest score (70) in the four-runner Junior Preliminary (Dressage Ireland 4) to Tommy Wakfer riding his mother Sarah’s 13-year-old British Riding Pony Carmens Novello.

The Region’s winter league commences on Saturday, October 3rd at Gransha Equestrian.