LED by Marlton’s Josephine Delahoyde, who drove the lorry, a small party of Dressage Ireland members, who are also members of British Dressage, competed at last weekend’s three-day show at Chard Equestrian in Somerset.

Riding her Dutch Warmblood gelding Barroso, a 15-year-old brown son of Bordeaux, Delahoyde recorded Grand Prix wins on Friday (67.07%) and Saturday (65.87), while placing second (65.65) on Sunday to Elizabeth Allen on another KWPN-registered gelding, the 2012 Uphill bay Heraldik (66.63).

Having the time on site, Delahoyde also coached her three travelling companions to Area Festival qualification, one of these being her mother Barbara who qualified in Advanced Medium Freestyle with the 12-year-old black mare Marlton Scout (66.17%).

Georgia Cadogan qualified in Elementary, winning both classes on Saturday (E5 68.28% and E6 64.70) with her Irish Sport Horse mare Stars Of Jupiter, a nine-year-old dun by the Connemara stallion Glenayre Mystical Bobby out of a non-winning thoroughbred mare by Gildoran.

Lorna Keogh was easily the busiest of the quartet, competing in two classes on each of the three days with her eye-catching 17-year-old chesnut gelding DBS Second Chance with whom she qualified in Medium and Medium Freestyle.

Chard Equestrian wasn’t some randomly chosen destination as it’s here that the South West Area Festival will be held in mid-August and it will also be the venue for the senior home nations’ competition in early September.