THE South Munster Region of Dressage Ireland held their final show of 2025 last Saturday at Ballindenisk where the owners of the multi-purpose Watergrasshill equestrian centre were recognised for their contribution to the sport.

“We made a small presentation to the Fell family for ‘South Munster venue of the year’,” commented Ana Hughes, Regional chair and show secretary/organiser. “We owe them a lot as many of our ideas and big days out couldn’t have happened without them. They are always so helpful and really get behind us. We look forward to joining up with them again next year.

“We had a nice entry to finish the year on and, thankfully, the sun came out and the weather behaved. We had a Christmas theme and a best turned-out Christmas outfit competition which the riders really embraced. I never thought I’d hear ‘Where is Emma? Oh, she’s the one with the antlers’ and ‘I’ve hired an electrician for my outfit’ in a dressage warm-up. We had Christmas music playing throughout the day and people really were in festive mood.

“I would like to thank the South Munster committee for everything they do and we are so grateful that we can run events like this alongside a top-class dressage show. Our riders really are the best and we want to do everything we can do to please them. We had our most triumphant year yet and we have bigger plans to come!”

Bronte Collins and N’Idemdito won the Elementary DI51 and Novice DI23 at Ballindenisk \ Louise O'Brien Photography

Highest score

Nine of Saturday’s 16 classes were run as Leg 2 of the O’Brien’s Saddlery league including the Elementary DI51 where the overall scores of Paula Geiger (List 3) were headed on 70.37% by Bronte Collins and the Dutch Warmblood gelding N’Idemdito (For Ferrero - Zerma, by Florencio). There were five starters in this class and the same number of withdrawals. Collins and the seven-year-old were completing a double having recorded the day’s highest score (73.23) in the non-league Novice DI23 judged by Ciara Egan (List 4).

Other overall graded winning scores of 70% or higher were achieved in the 10-strong Novice league class (the DI27A judged by Marie Hennessy (List 2)) by Caroline Marwood on Emma Dair’s six-year-old black mare Estrella Rose (70) and in the six-runner Preliminary league class (the DI5A, also judged by Hennessy) by Laura Hagger on the unregistered Aon Rud Eile (71.61), a seven-year-old mare by Rising Sun.

There were just three starters in the Egan-judged non-league Novice DI24A won by Aoibhinn Schweppe with Billy Winchester (69), Katie McKeon topped the overall scores in the Egan-judged non-league Preliminary DI6 in the short arena riding Anbally Silver Grey (67.88) while, in scoring 67.73, Rosemarie Ahern O’Gorman and Khwarizmi claimed the honours in the Medium league class, the DI67, where four combinations came before Geiger.