JUST two weeks after their August fixture, the Eastern Region of Dressage Ireland held a show last Saturday at their usual venue of Marlton Stud where the judges on duty were Vida Tansey (List 1) and Paula Geiger (List 3).

The latter faced her largest field in the Preliminary 6 where her overall leaderboard was topped on a score of 71.54% by Lucy Durack with her Irish Sport Horse mare Beenandunit (Kingstown Cavalier – Cloherview Cool Mount, by Coolcronan Wood).

Durack and the Howard Woods-bred seven-year-old had to settle for overall second (67.2) in the Tansey-judged Preliminary 16 where Sonya McCormack came out on top (68.4) on the ISH gelding Whitefields Royale (HSF Cardento Royale – Kilrainey Candy Lass, by Sligo Candy Boy). The six-year-old, who did a small amount of registered show jumping last year, is currently not registered with DI.

McCormack was to record a double later in the day when posting the highest score (71) in the Tansey-judged Elementary 53 on Sosha Jakama, the Oldenburg mare she partnered into second place in a five-year-old class at Deauville earlier in the month.

There were only four starters in the Marlton class but the other riders need to be mentioned.

Overall fourth here on 67.67, Caitlin Woods and the seven-year-old ISH gelding Greygrove Delight were to finish second of 19 in the EI115 at Tattersalls Ireland on Sunday. Third on 68.33, Fiona Huber and her 11-year-old ISH mare Ballinteskin de Reve (Hermes de Reve – Ballinteskin Cult, by Cult Hero) topped Geiger’s overall leaderboard on 68.57 in Saturday’s five-runner Elementary 55.

Second on 68.33 with Tirnaskea Starstruck, Sophie Orr saw off her sole rival to win (65.86) the Geiger-judged Novice 39 on the five-year-old Connemara mare Aurora Pondi Melody (Hollywood de l’Aubier – Ballyross Brenda, by Silver Heaven) who is not yet registered with DI.

There were four starters in the Novice 24A where Geiger awarded her overall highest score (65.67) to Lilly Larkin on the seven-year-old Hanoverian gelding Floris Prince.

Geiger also judged the two poorly-supported Junior classes, awarding her higher score (66.60) in the two-runner Preliminary 16 to Aisling Malone and Connemara gelding Barravalley Bailey (Barravalley Jack – Kilbrien Lass, by Tulira Robuck) who has yet to be registered with DI. Malone and the seven-year-old dun were to land an uncontested victory in the Novice 39 where they scored 66.38.

Uncontested wins were recorded before Geiger by Daphne Lush on her 16-year-old ISH gelding Millpoint Carnival (63.14) in the Medium 77 and by Siofra Pratt with her 13-year-old ISH mare Ballarin My Grace (64.38) in the Medium 65.

Three combinations appeared before Tansey in both Advanced classes. Her overall winner of the DI101 was Ellen Mooney on her mother Heli’s nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Mariposa (67.71). Cael Shanahan came out on top (64.71) in the DI100 with Suzanne Kendrick’s Anglo European Studbook-registered Santana.

Shanahan and the eight-year-old black gelding were to record an uncontested win in the FEI Junior Individual test where they scored 64.85 while Tom Sweeney likewise was the sole starter in the Team test on the 14-year-old German-bred gelding Casinaro (66.21).

In the Tansey-judged FEI Pony Rider classes, Olivia Linnane saw off one rival in the TeamTest where she scored 65.71 on Don Dimaro van het Gildeland, the 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding on whom she posted an uncontested win on 67.30 in the Individual Test.

The sole starter in the only FEI Young Riders class, the Team Test, was Alexandra Frei with the 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare Quibelle Van De Vlindervallei (69.71).

The Eastern Region were due to hold their league finals on Saturday but these will now take place at Marlton in early December. Before then, the Region has shows at the Co Wicklow venue on October 17th and November 7th.