THE Leinster Region of Dressage Ireland held their second show of the year last Sunday at the National Horse Sport Arena, where Tara Hayes repeated her CoilÓg feat of recording a four-timer on the same two horses owned by her mother Fiona.

The Curragh-based rider struck first in the morning’s non-restricted Preliminary classes on the home-bred Irish Sport Horse mare Diamond Holli BS (Diamond First - La Tranquilla, by Master Imp). They posted the highest scores of 69.23% in the six-runner DI8, judged by Lindsey Ilona Brady (List 6), and of 71.25 in the seven-strong DI18, where seven combinations came before Alison Thorne (List 5).

On board the 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Ferrero K (Apache - Uerette, by Silvano N), Hayes also won the afternoon’s five-runner Prix St George (67.65), judged by Michael Moore (List 2A), and the two-runner Inter I (67.21), which was assessed by DI chairperson and British Dressage List 1 judge, Mark Ruddock.

Returning to DI-affiliated competition for the first time since the end of 2024, John Gavin certainly made his mark at Elementary level on Sunday, when he recorded the highest and second-highest scores in both classes with his home-bred ISH geldings Holywell Contender (Contendro - Skreenmore Dancer, by Crosstown Dancer) and Holywell Spark.

The former, an eight-year-old bay who he also competes under Show Jumping Ireland rules, scored 71.67 in the DI51, where four combinations came before Clare Fitzsimons (List 4), and 72.64 in the 10-runner DI52, judged by Brady. His stable-companion, a 10-year-old son of Cobra, placed second on 69.26 and 70.28 respectively.

There were nine starters in the Novice DI21, where the overall leaderboard was topped by Claire Penny on her 13-year-old ISH mare Western Lady (68.79) and eight in the Medium DI67, where Hannah Fielding achieved the highest score (66.97) on board her eight-year-old Hanoverian mare DWS Firelight.

Competing against one rival in each class, Olivia Linnane and Rebecca McGrath doubled up in the FEI Pony Rider and Junior classes respectively, with the 10-year-old dun Dutch Warmblood gelding Don Dimaro van het Gildeland and the 14-year-old British-bred Hanoverian mare Summersong Caledonia.

Clare Fitzsimons judged the Trailblazers’ section, where she awarded her highest score of 76.47 to Maeve McGinn on Ruby in the three-runner DI Intro Test B and faced her largest field of six in the Under 12s’ Preliminary DI5A won by Clodagh Cross riding Rathfarnham Bustamove (74.11). Fitzsimons also judged the five-runner Irish Pony Club Pre Novice test, where comfortable winner on 73.25 was Faye French of the Newcastle Lyons Branch riding Sandy Banks.