THE first Dressage Ireland-affiliated show of 2026 was staged last Sunday by the Midland and Western Region at Annaharvey Farm where, disappointingly, there were quite a few withdrawals due to injuries and transport issues.

Transport was never going to be a problem for three of the day’s winners, whose horses are based at the Co Offaly venue and so were tucked up for the night when the weather broke as the day’s competitive action came to an end before judges Vida Tansey (List 1) and Derval Diamond (List 4).

Maeve Deverell beat herself in both Junior FEI Team competitions. Riding the home-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding Annaharvey Dunowen, a 13-year-old dun son of Radolin, Deverell scored 70.30 in the team test and 69.12 in the individual, which were both judged by Tansey.

Maeve Deverell riding Annaharvey Dunowen on whom she scored 70.30% and 69.11% to win both FEI Junior classes at Annaharvey \ Aisling Deverell Photography

Also based at the Deverell family’s equestrian centre are Miriam Walsh, who topped Derval Diamond’s scores in Preliminary DI15 in the short arena on the unregistered 11-year-old bay gelding Rock View Bailey (73.75), and Laura Guinan.

The latter comfortably won the day’s only Elementary class, the Tansey-judged, three-runner DI55 on Coolrahnee Joey (70.36) before partnering the 21-year-old Connemara gelding by Roo Lad to a 60.71 score in the two-runner FEI Pony Team test. This was won by Olivia Linnane on board the Dutch-bred Don Dimaro van het Gildeland (63.14), a 10-year-old dun son of Don Cremello du Bois.

Riding her Connemara gelding Gortacleeva John, an 11-year-old grey by I Love You Melody, Melanie King recorded uncontested wins at Advanced Medium level before Tansey, who awarded her scores of 61.97 and 62.58 in the FEI Junior team and individual tests respectively.

Ellen Mooney and the nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Mariposa (by Ferdeaux), likewise faced no rivals at Medium level, scoring 63.28 in the Tansey-judged DI65 and 74.71 in the Diamond-judged DI77.

Diamond also judged the three-runner Preliminary DI18 won by Ava Mooney on the Welsh Section C gelding Pantyfid Prince William (64.58), a 15-year-old bay by Bryncarreg Lightning Jack; the three-runner Novice DI21 won by Sinead McGrath with the home-bred Ballyj Max (75.17), a five-year-old traditionally-bred ISH gelding by Black Hero; and the two-runner Novice DI24A won by Sinead Heffernan on Ballyj Casper (67.17), the previous winner’s seven-year-old full-brother.

There are no Dressage Ireland-affiliated shows scheduled for this weekend or next.

The South Munster Region are due to get their 2026 season under way at Ballindenisk on Saturday, January 31st with leg three of their O’Brien Saddlery League. The following day, the Midlands and Western Region are back in action with a show at the Clifden Pony Sales Arena.

Also over the weekend of January 31st and February 1st, DI are running test training with Richard Baldwin at Treascon House, Portarlington, which is open to full adult members.