THERE’s no doubt good weather makes outdoor sports much more enjoyable – for participants, officials and spectators alike – and both Dressage Ireland-affiliated shows last weekend were held in glorious sunshine.

A full programme was advertised for Saturday’s Eastern Region fixture at Marlton where the best-filled classes were those at Preliminary level. There were 18 starters in both and the same winner of both in Hannah Fielding on her German Warmblood mare DWS Firelight, a seven-year-old daughter of Fidertanz. She scored 71.35% in the DI8 judged by Alison Thorne (List 6) and 69.69 in the DI18 judged by Jean Halpenny (List 4).

Scores of 70%+ were also recorded by Olivia Linnane on the 148cm Dutch Warmblood gelding Don Dimaro van het Gildeland (71.21), a nine-year-old dun by Don Cremello du Bois in the Novice DI21 where 12 combinations appeared before Michael Moore (List 2A), and by Ruth Hayes riding Sue Chadwick’s For Gold-sired six-year-old Westphalian mare Foxy Lady R (73.33) in the nine-runner Elementary DI52 which, too, was judged by Moore.

The highest score at Medium level was the 66.21% awarded in the five-strong DI67 by Donie McNamara (List 1) to Alex Potter and the KWPN-registered Icco, a 12-year-old bay gelding by Dantos HBC. McNamara also judged most of the higher-graded classes but he wasn’t too hard pressed with just nine combinations in total contesting six classes from Advanced level upwards.

Uncontested wins were recorded by Tara Hayes on Sandora BS (68.75) in the sole Advanced class, by Sarah Mellor with Hotshot (66.96) in the Grand Prix and by Evie Kennedy on Cordobes XXXVI in the two FEI Junior classes, the pair scoring 68.38 in the individual test and 68.18 in the team test which was judged by Moore.

Hayes beat herself in the two-runner Prix St George when scoring 66.76% with Ferrero K on whom she saw off two rivals when winning the FEI Inter I where McNamara awarded her a score of 68.53.