THE latest round of the Northern Region’s Newbridge Financial Planning winter league was held last Sunday at The Meadows where the weather could have been kinder at times.

Three riders recorded doubles in the Graded classes although only Bangor’s Courtney Akkari faced any rivals in doing so at Advanced Medium level on her Warmblood gelding Favorino.

In the FEI Junior Individual test, Akkari and the 10-year-old Follow Me bay scored 68.53% while in the British Dressage Advanced Medium 6, they scored 66.94. There were three starters in both classes which were judged by Vida Tansey (List 1) who only had one combination come before her in the Prix St George which was Eilish Smith and her 12-year-old Johnson mare Sheepcote Jamboree (63.38).

Regional chair Joan Adrain, who had travelled down to Marlton Stud the previous weekend, stayed closer to home on Sunday when she saw off three rivals to win the BD Medium 6, judged by Julie Green (BD List 3), on her KWPN-registered gelding Mathieu (68.33), an eight-year-old bay son of Fabuleus.

Seven combinations appeared before Tansey in the DI Medium 65 where her overall leaderboard was topped by Joanne McSeveney riding Louise Doheny’s tall Westphalian gelding Enrico (67.34), a 20-year-old by Ehrentusch. Here, Adrain slotted into second with Mathieu (66.88).

The same two judges assessed those forward at Elementary level where Tansey’s overall winner of the eight-runner DI52 was Hollie Donnan on the Oldenburg mare Suzie Seagrey (67.36). The black nine-year-old is by Tolegro while her dam is St Pr St Seagry Sanay by Stedinger. In the five-strong, Green-assessed BD6, Donnan and Suzie Seagry had to settle for second (68.94) behind Lisa Ferguson and her 16-year-old skewbald gelding Larkin (71.82).

Green also judged the two non-restricted Novice classes where she awarded her highest score of the day (72.58) in the BD6 to Alexandra Ryan riding her nine-year-old Connemara gelding Ambition (Drumbad Fletcher Moss - Bobby’s Girl, by Bobby Joe). There were just four starters in that class but nine in the DI21, where Green’s overall leaderboard was headed on 69.48 by Sue Stevenson and her 13-year-old British-bred Hanoverian gelding Elpaso Rising Storm (Floriscount - Ballybannon Lass, by Jack Of Diamonds).

Support

There were nine starters also in the Preliminary DI6. This was judged by Northern Region committee member Yvonne Chisholm (List 5) who awarded her highest score (72.50) to Katie Adams riding the 17-year-old thoroughbred gelding Enemy Engagement (Desert King - Lovely Pride, by Double Eclipse). At the same level, eight combinations contested the BD6 where Green’s overall winner was Grace Hurrell who scored 67.80 on the unregistered nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare Poppy Diamonds (Mermus R - Scattery Katania, by Kahtan).

There was poor support for the two dedicated Junior classes. Just two combinations appeared before Tansey in the Preliminary won by Abbie Cummins on the 12-year-old piebald mare Cassie (68.46). Harriet O’Hagan finished second here on OOS Comanche (64.04) while she was the only rider to come before Green in the Junior class with OOS Fairytale (63.79), a 14-year-old 128cm black mare.

Bernadette Bennett won the Chisholm-judged four-runner Intro with the unregistered six-year-old skewbald mare Kiltiernan Rosie (68.61).

Two riders recorded doubles in the Try Dressage classes, Jackie Hanna doing so in the five-strong Adult Intro (71.19) and the 10-runner Adult Preliminary (71.54) on Blaze Temp while Lizzy Taylor partnered Chester to top the leaderboards in both Junior classes, the Intro (73.33) and Preliminary (74.81).

As Breast Cancer Awareness month draws to a close, the Northern Region asked competitors at Sunday’s show to wear something pink and bring some cash to throw into the charity bucket in the café or donate through the Region’s JustGiving page.

The Region is facing into a busy period with a show at Knockagh View on Saturday, November 15th, one at Laurel View on Sunday, November 30th and another a week later at Gransha.

Date change

The Eastern Region of Dressage Ireland usually stage their monthly shows at Marlton Stud on Saturdays but, as the DI judges’ gala is being held next Saturday at Ballyrogan Stud, the region are running on Sunday. They are due to hold their final show of 2025 on Saturday, December 13th.

Cancellation

Disappointingly, due to a lack of entries over the Bank Holiday weekend, the North Munster Region had to cancel their show scheduled for last Saturday at Garranemore. They are due to run at the same Pallasgreen venue on Saturday, November 15th before rounding off their 2025 season there two weeks later.