THE first leg of the South Munster Region’s 2025 O’Brien’s Saddlery midweek summer league was held last Thursday week at Ballindenisk where the sun shone into the evening.

“We were absolutely over the moon with the interest in our midweek league,” said show secretary/organiser Ana Hughes who is also regional chair. “It’s proving to be our most popular series yet with entries hitting over 100 – we do have to cap them otherwise we would be there all night.

“There are four qualifiers at each of our regional venues with the final taking place at Ballindenisk at the end of July. O’Brien’s Saddlery are huge supporters of the region, they always provide such great prizes which attract the crowds! We even have classes to cater for the event riders, so there’s something for everyone.

“We have a busy summer schedule coming up with test riding and training but mainly we are gearing up for our two-day South Munster Festival of Dressage in August (16th and 17th),” continued Hughes. “This is also taking place at Ballindenisk where we will have classes for everyone with many sponsors on board and judges already booked.

“We are growing massively down here and I’m so excited to see the region thrive. With all the enthusiastic support we get, it makes you want to give back to the riders and I think we are doing just that.”

Four wins

Tara Oliver won four of the 20 classes last Thursday week when she faced 11 rivals in total, seven of whom lined up against her in the Elementary DI55. Here, Jillie Rogers (List 3) awarded her a score of 73.93% for her test on the unregistered Kokkedals Freyja, an eight-year-old Danish Warmblood mare by Blue Hors Zalabaster. The Limerick rider partnered the bay to an uncontested victory in the DI56 judged by Marie Hennessy (List 2).

Also in front of Hennessy, Oliver won the duel for honours in the Prix St George on board Senators Rhonaldo (63.68%) before she and her 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Rhondeo, who were the only starters, were awarded a score of 67.74 in the Intermediate I, the only class on the day judged by Donie McNamara (List 1).

Doubles

Two riders recorded doubles, Lucy Cusack’s wins riding her Dutch Warmblood mare Gavelle Ter Kwincke, a 14-year-old Ravel bay, coming before Hennessy in the Advanced Medium DI90 (60.88%) and the Advanced DI100 (60.43). There were two starters in both classes.

Emily Kate Robinson posted an uncontested victory before the same judge in the Advanced Medium/FEI Junior Team test on the Dutch Warmblood mare Kekepania, a 10-year-old home-bred daughter of Lingh, but faced a sterner test in the Rogers-judged Preliminary DI18.

Riding the former racehorse A Plus Tard, an 11-year-old French-bred gelding by Kapgarde who numbered the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup among his eight track successes, Robinson, who led up the Henry de Bromhead-trained Hiddenvalley Lake to win the Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree last month, topped the overall leaderboard on 71.25.

Scores of 70%+ were also awarded by Rogers to Rosemarie Ahern O’Gorman riding another ex-racehorse, the 10-year-old US-bred gelding Khwarizmi (70.29) in the two-runner Medium DI77, and to Ella Brosnan on the nine-year-old chesnut gelding Cusack Boy (71.83) in the Novice DI24.

Seven combinations appeared before Ciara Egan (List 5) in the Intro class won by Laura Coughlan on the unregistered Peaches (71.90%). Before the same judge, Stephanie Fleming topped the scores in the five-runner Mini Trailblazers class on Whiteleaze Secret Temptation (73.61), while Clara Nyhan did likewise in the four-strong Under 12s’ class on board Molly Dot Com (72.94).