THE last leg of the 2025 DAFM Dressage Studbook Series, which is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under National Breeding Services, was held last Sunday, on the third and final day of Dressage Ireland’s national championships in Ballindenisk.

Rachel Dowley won the first two legs of the seven and eight-year-old series (at Castle Irvine, Necarne and Ballyrogan Stud) on GFL Nava but, on Sunday, it was her Hanoverian gelding GFL Flashdance who topped the combined leaderboard of the two judges on 73.795%. Bred in Germany, the tall seven-year-old is by Franziskus out of the Donnerhall mare Donnerhall Lady.

Also seven, the Dutch Warmblood mare GFL Nava, who finished second here on 73.69, claimed a title herself over the weekend as this dark bay daughter of For Romance out of Daimy (by Florencio) comfortably won the fixture’s Advanced Category 3 championship under Dowley.

The Anne Marie Dunphy-owned and ridden Pedigree OK started off her weekend with an easy success in the Novice Category 3 championship then the KWPN-registered mare by Le Formidable out of Lets Go (by Ferguson) rounded it off on Sunday by landing the DAFM five-year-old class.

Another dual Dutch Warmblood winner at the Co Cork fixture was the Eliza Neumann-owned and ridden Opal who had little time to spare on Sunday between his winning test in the DAFM six-year-old class and his successful Novice Freestyle performance.

Sinead McGrath popped down from Ballinasloe to win the hotly-contested four-year-old class on the traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse gelding Ballyj Max.

This win was extra sweet as the bay, who is by the Irish Draught stallion Black Hero, was bred by the owner/rider’s husband Fintan out of a non-winning thoroughbred mare by Pilsudski.

The organisers had hoped to run age championships of their own but, under the terms and conditions of the DAFM series, they weren’t allowed stage any other young horse classes at the fixture so the four horses above are the new national champions of their age groups.

Teamwork

Eleven squads contested the team competition at last week’s Dressage Ireland national championships. The South East Region entered two foursomes with their purple team finishing first (215.095) while their yellow squad was third (204.141). Sandwiched between the pair was South Munster Yellow on 204.435.

The winning quartet (with their contributing scores) comprised the Novice Category 3 champions Anne Marie Dunphy and Pedigree OK (73.705 in the Category 3 DI N21), the dual Category 2 champions Joanne Logue and Little Lottie (69.655 in the Category 2 DI N21), the dual Category 1 champions Rita Naughton and Action’s Bond Girl W (71.735 in the Category 1 DI P8) and Amy-Jo Peskens, who provided the discard score on KASH Zowies Stardust (69.615 for second in the Preliminary Category 2 DI P8).