NORTH Co Dublin’s Jane Whitaker (List 1) travelled up to Danescroft last Saturday to judge at the Dressage Ireland Northern Region show, where she faced her largest field of 10 in the Elementary DI51.

Here, she awarded her highest score (69.07%) to Lisa Ferguson and her 17-year-old skewbald gelding Larkin, who were the only combination to come before her in the Medium DI77, where they achieved a mark of 64.29.

Taking on two rivals in both classes, Mary Devine also topped Whitaker’s final leaderboard at two levels on her 14-year-old black gelding Kingsman, scoring 68.91 in the Medium DI65 and 66.03 in the Advanced Medium DI90.

Also at Advanced Medium level, two combinations contested the FEI Junior team test, where Amelia McFarland achieved the higher score (66.82) on her 10-year-old ISH mare Kingston Olive, a brown daughter of Donnerhall whose dam, the Limmerick mare Astoria, was bred by the late John Reid.

Following withdrawals, Barbara Ellison recorded an uncontested Advanced double with her nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Moonlight (Glock’s Toto JR - Veronique, by Negro), the pair scoring 60.43 in the DI100 and 62 in the DI101.

There were no rivals either for Dale Roberts and the 12-year-old Anteaus gelding Rademon Aachen in the Inter I, where they were awarded 64.41, nor for Laragh O’Grady, who achieved a mark of 66.09 in the Grand Prix on board her 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Mullentine Emerald Wolfe Tone (Jaguar Mail - Mullentine Easy Jet, by Cruising).

Craig Hills and Lougherne Walk About scored 67.32 in the DI Preliminary P5A at Danescroft \ Ellie Johnston Photography

Ruth Daunt (List 4) judged the remaining classes, the highest graded of which was the three-runner Elementary DI53, where her overall leaderboard was topped by Amy Tubman riding Cindy Cunningham’s 12-year-old appaloosa gelding Comanche Arrow (66.17).

Only one rider recorded an overall double in front of Daunt and that, at Novice level, was Clare McVeigh who, on board the 11-year-old ISH mare R’Temis (Tolan R - Rimm Diamond, by Rockrimmon Silver Diamond), scored 68.28 in the DI39 and 69.83 in the DI21.

Annie Morrow was the only competitor in the Junior Novice class (DI21) riding Liberty’s Benjamin (67.07) and Don Pablo (66.38).

At Preliminary level, eight combinations contested the DI5A, where Daunt’s highest score (69.82) was awarded to Abbie Cummins on board the 13-year-old piebald mare Cassie, with half that number competing in the BD6, where Lisa Dundee came out on top with her 10-year-old chesnut mare Ballymacrevan Fire And Ice (68.6).

There were uncontested wins for Cairlinn Carroll and Coco in the DI Intro B (66.76) and for Maeve McGinn with Ruby in the Under 10s’ Trailblazers’ class, where they scored 69.41.

This was the second leg of the Northern Region’s summer league, which is sponsored by Healys Haylage. The third is scheduled for Saturday next, May 24th at The Meadows.

There are three Dressage Ireland-affiliated shows taking place this weekend. The Eastern Region are running their monthly show today at Marlton, Leinster Dressage are taking over Redhills Stud tomorrow, when the North Munster Region are running Leg 2 of their Summer League at Clonshire.