AS the Leinster Region’s Botanica Summer Festival was the only Dressage Ireland-affiliated show over last weekend, it wasn’t surprising to see it attract competitors from around the country to CoilÓg.

The Sandstorm Equestrian Preliminary champions were Category 3 Co Wicklow rider Gerald Bloomer with his five-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Ready To Shine AVO (184.25), Category 2 Northern Region member Karen McKee on her Irish Sport Horse gelding Furstlove KPCM (173.25), a six-year-old son of Furstenball, and the more locally-based Category 1 rider Lucy Ferris on board her mother Mary’s Connemara mare Duncarbery Cascade (174.25), a 16-year-old grey by Harp King.

In the Damastown Stud-sponsored Novice championship, Ferris also won the Category 3 title on another Connemara belonging to her mother, the 10-year-old Woodfield Sammy gelding How Ya Sammy (202.5). Rebecca Mills claimed the honours at Category 2 level here with her 10-year-0ld Anglo European Studbook-registered mare San Tiaga (204.5).

John Gavin won the Category 2 Elementary championship with his ISH gelding Contender (233), an eight-year-old Contendro I bay, while, in winning the Category 3 championship on a score of 237.5, Hannah Fielding initiated a Category 3 cross-grade double on the eight-year-old German Warmblood mare DWS Firelight, with whom she then won the Category 3 DSE Equestrian Outfitters Medium championship (217). Joint show secretary Lorna O’Hare won the Category 2 title at this level on her 18-year-old chesnut gelding DBS Second Chance (213.5).

At Advanced Medium level, the champions were Category 3 rider Ruth Hayes with her seven-year-old Westphalian mare Foxy Lady R (239), Category 2 rider Tracy Murphy on her 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Kennedy (225.375) and Jennifer Egan riding her 10-year-old ISH mare Don Juan’s Doll (222.625).

The winners of the Treo Eile-sponsored prizes for the highest-placed thoroughbreds were Louise Duffy, who finished fourth in the Category 2 Novice championships with the 21-year-old French-bred gelding Arvika Ligeonniere and Claire Farrell, who was placed in both the Medium and Elementary non-championship classes with the 17-year-old Renneti, another French-bred gelding.