THE ‘house full’ sign went up early for last Sunday’s Midlands and Western Region dressage show in Clifden where the weather was absolutely ideal with barely a drop of rain and very little wind which was surprising in the aftermath of Storm Amy.
The show was staged by kind permission of John Sweeney at the new arena at the Connemara pony sales complex in the town where the region held training with Vida Tansey last month and where the owner seems willing to host more, and varied, events going forward.
This is good news for the local equestrian community who were delighted to support Sunday’s show although many found their rides spooking at the unfamiliar raised boards. All classes were judged by Michael Moore (List 2a).
Riding for her mother Carmel, the show secretary, Letterfrack’s Cadhla Curran won four classes. At Novice level, she topped the scores in the DI21 (68.45%) and the DIN24A (67.50) on the Dutch-bred Cosmo Rubin, a six-year-old chesnut gelding by Cosmo Royale, while she recorded uncontested victories in the two FEI Pony classes on board the German-bred eight-year-old chesnut gelding HS (by Valdez HS).
Well-supported
Despite the fact that there were six withdrawals, 10 combinations started in the Preliminary DI6 where Moore’s overall leaderboard was topped by Eirin O’Neill riding the unregistered Connemara gelding Beola Boy (69.42), a seven-year-old bay by Anna Dooneen. Elaine Green and Blackfort Mistress were second on 68.08 and Talitha Diamond riding Diamond’s Shadow Fix was third on 66.35.
Madeleine Hopper and Holly won the six-runner Prelim DI18 on 65.42 with Sadhbh O’Toole and Aughnanure Avici second on 65.0. Lesley Hunter-Nolan, Deputy Editor of the Irish Horse World, competed in both Preliminary classes on her Connemara gelding Gleann Rua Robin and was third in the DI18 before then guiding her eight-year-old son Ned to an uncontested victory in the lead rein class on the five-year-old Lough Fadda Rudi grey.
Siobhan Cazabon recorded an uncontested victory in the Advanced Medium DI90 on board the Irish Sport Horse gelding CB Let It Be (66.54), an 18-year-old chesnut by Ramiro, and her daughter Alana did likewise in the Prix St George where she rode Valerie Murray’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Kenwood (67.21), a 10-year-old bay son of Ebony. The Cazabons didn’t just bring their horses over from Cleggan but also their mobile coffee van, Café Au Neigh, which was well patronised during the day.
Uncontested wins were also recorded by Jane Moggan and her British Sport Horse gelding Flying Solo (65.83), a 13-year-old chesnut by Kannan, in the Elementary DI52 and by Sadhbh O’Toole with her Dutch Warmblood gelding Next Diamond (71), a Daily Diamond bay, in the seven-year-old class.
In the five-runner Trailblazers Intro B, Moore was unable to separate Alannah Joyce, riding Branchfield Dandy, from Alannah Heanue on Blackwood Dancer, as both scored 68.82% with the same collective mark of 48. Emily Duffy saw off two rivals when winning the Trailblazers’ Preliminary on board the Connemara mare Ahey Bridge (68.08), a nine-year-old daughter of Carraig Galen Miller.
The Midlands and Western Region are holding training with Simone Hession today at Drummindoo Stud with their next show coming up on Sunday, November 16th at Annaharvey Farm.