THE North Munster Region of Dressage Ireland held their final show of 2025 last Saturday at Garranemore Equestrian where the bulk of the judging was undertaken by Marie Hennessy (List 2) and Elena Satalkina (List 4) with a cameo appearance by Donie McNamara (List 1).

Satalkina judged two of the Preliminary classes, both of which attracted nine starters and were won overall by horses/ponies not, as yet, registered with Dressage Ireland. The first of these was the Sophie Cusack-partnered Clareville Codiac (Caherlistrane Bay - Tegan, by Slisneoir) who topped the scores in the DI5A (72.68%) in the short arena.

The well-known nine-year-old Connemara gelding, who was bred in Co Galway by John Tierney, was recently crowned champion working hunter pony of the year in the Limerick/Clare Area of the Irish Pony Society with Cusack leaving the awards function in the Woodland House Hotel as girl rider of the year.

Meabh Hennessy topped Satalkina’s overall leaderboard (70.19) in the DI6 following her performance on the six-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Cruaghs Colly Wobbles (Grafenstolz - Cruaghs Giddy Up, by Crosstown Dancer) who did a small amount of affiliated jumping in the hands of his south Co Dublin breeder Andrew Thornton.

Eight combinations appeared before the same judge in the Novice DI21 where she awarded her highest score (70.17) to Ellie Holmes on board the unregistered Rastaman who she competes at EI110 level with Eventing Ireland. Unraced, this 13-year-old British-bred gelding by Indian Danehill is a half-brother to two track winners out of a half-sister to Amaretto Rose.

Marie Hennessy judged the five-runner Preliminary DI8 where her overall leaderboard was topped by Tara Oliver with the unregistered five-year-old ISH gelding KPCM Total Allure (Totilas - J2L Allure Sensuelle, by Dragon Hill). The only rider competing at Novice level to appear before the List 2 judge was Claire McCarthy who achieved a score of 62.50 in the DI24A with her nine-year-old thoroughbred gelding Kitchen Duty (Vocalised - High Stool Lady, by Distant View) who failed to worry the judge in four starts on the flat as a two and three-year-old.

At Elementary level, Karen Burke claimed the overall honours (68.15) in the Hennessy-judged DI51 with Secret Desire HW (Secret - Danina, by Desperados FRH), a six-year-old Westphalian gelding, while, on 68.75, Gwyn Holmes did so in the Satalkina-assessed DI52 following his test on Karen O’Sullivan’s 10-year-old British Warmblood mare Hillgrounds Flamenco (Franklyn Sugar - Cilla Vola, by Sorento).

Lucy McCarthy won the Inter 1 and Prix St George with Lloyd W at Garranemore \ Justin Black Horse Sport Images

Double value

Category 3 rider Lucy Cusack got double value when she purchased Gavelle Ter Kwincke (by Ravel) as a three-year-old as the now 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, who her Co Limerick-based owner competed up to Prix St George level, was unknowingly in foal at the time with the subsequent produce being the Uptown gelding Kirktown.

Cusack and that tall 10-year-old bay, who has a rising three-year-old half-brother by Totilas waiting in the wings, saw off two rivals on Sunday when winning the Hennessy-judged Advanced Medium DI90 on a score of 67.21. Second there on 65, Grainne Murphy and nine-year-old Pura Raza Española,gelding Flamenco CCLXXXV (Beethoven EM - Flamenca CCI) scored 65.61 to turn the tables on Cusack and Kirktown (64.70) in the two-runner FEI Junior Team Test.

Two starters also performed the Advanced DI100 test in front of Hennessy whose winner on 66% was Nessa Toher Shannon riding her 12-year-old ISH mare Furst Fendi (Furstenball - Astoria, by Limmerick).

Three riders recorded doubles but only one of them faced an opponent and that was Christine Reidy who did so at Medium level in front of Hennessy. Riding her nine-year-old ISH mare Glenhill Flash Of Colour (Glenhill Gold - Colorskeem, by Colourfield), Reidy won the match for honours in the DI65 (65.63) before posting an uncontested victory in the DI67 (61.52).

The only rider to appear before Hennessy in the Prix St George was Lucy McCarthy, who was awarded a score of 60.44 for her test on board the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Lloyd W (Lorano - Samoa, by ABC Constantin). The same combination scored 64.71 in the McNamara-assessed Inter I.

Riding the Grade III FEI Para Grand Prix A test, Tara Flynn and her 12-year-old Anglo European Studbook-registered gelding Cascavel (Cassio III - Miss Debutante, by Steadhall Danillo) achieved 65 before Hennessy while Satalkina awarded the pair a score of 65.67.