THE Leinster Region of Dressage Ireland ran a very successful two-day Botanica Festival last weekend at CoilÓg where Gwen and Chris Byrne certainly delivered when it came to providing a Festival atmosphere. There was little they could do about the weather which was chilly with a few showers.

The organisers were delighted with the entry and with the sponsorship they received for each of the championships. The winners of each category received rosettes and prizes while the riders who recorded the overall combined highest score in the championships were presented with Botanica hampers and goody bags as Sean Cooney maintained his support of the region.

With over 50 classes on the schedule there had to be a large judging panel and this included British Dressage List 1 judges Claire Senior and the chairperson of Dressage Ireland, Mark Ruddock. The DI judges on duty were Dermot Cannon (List 1), Bernie Foley (List 1), Bernie Webb (List 3A), Derval Diamond (List 3), Jillie Rogers (List 3), Jean Halpenny (List 4), Lucinda Webb-Graham (List 4) and Lisa O’Brien (List 6).

Co Kildare-based competitors had some excellent results at the higher levels.

Second clear-cut victory

There were 10 starters in the Ladychapel Stores Prix St George on Saturday when Tara Hayes partnered her mother Fiona’s 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Ferrero K to a decisive success while she and the brown son of Apache recorded a second clear-cut victory in the nine-runner Darragh Solutions Inter I on Sunday.

Sorrell Klatzko also recorded a double, and a wet one at that, narrowly landing Saturday’s three-strong Inter II on her home-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding Gladiator, a dark brown nine-year-old by Sir Sansibar, and Sunday’s Horse First Grand Prix, in which there were four starters, on her Westfalian gelding Turbo, a 12-year-old son of Totilas.

Also sponsored by Horse First, the Advanced championship was dominated by Kate Dwyer who claimed the win on board the 13-year-old gelding Vaalserberg, a grey by S Creevagh Ferro who was runner-up in the Prix St George, and finished second with the 11-year-old Blue Hors Hotline mare Harmony who placed fourth in the Prix St George. Both Irish Sport Horses are owned by the rider’s mother Maureen.

Co Wicklow-based Finn O’Gara posted a clear-cut victory in the Sandstorm Equestrian Advanced Medium championship on Karen Bennett’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Jinger, an 11-year-old chesnut by Negro.