MARY Ferris, whose daughters Abbey and Lucy are highly successful competitors under both Dressage Ireland and Eventing Ireland rules, sponsored a volunteers’ raffle at last weekend’s Leinster Region Botanica Festival at CoilÓg. On Saturday, the much-appreciated prize of €50 was won by Cairtiona O’Brien with Rachel Cadogan being the lucky recipient on Sunday.

Dressage Ireland presented the organisers with a year’s free membership as a prize for the Festival which they, in turn, awarded to the highest-scoring Preliminary rider. This turned out to be none other than Lucy Ferris who won the Equieire Preliminary Championship on a combined score of 175.75 marks with Mary’s Connemara mare Duncarbery Cascade.

Category 1 rider Lucy and the 15-year-old Harp King grey topped the scores of both British Dressage List 1 judge Claire Senior (182 marks, 70%) and Dressage Ireland List 4 judge Jean Halpenny (169.5, 70.63%). Last month Lucy, who is a member of the Newcastle Lyons Branch of the Irish Pony Club, partnered Duncarbery Cascade to victory in a five-runner EI90 (P) class at Hazeldene 1.