THE Midlands and Western Region of Dressage Ireland ran a low-key show last Sunday at Drumindoo Stud, where the sole judge on duty was Vida Tansey (List 1). For all that there was a small entry on a busy day countrywide on the equestrian front, there were some interesting results here such as a home win in the Preliminary DI18 for show organiser Ailise Foy riding the eight-year-old black cob mare Clew Bay Elegant Eve (70.21).

With seven runners, this was the best supported class of the day. In the five-strong Preliminary DI4, Emi Gallagher claimed the honours on 67.60 with the seven-year-old Patrick Connolly-bred Irish Sport Horse mare CSF Tessa (Tyson - CSF Fair Exchange, by Flipper d’Elle).

Alannah Heanue, a member of the Clew Bay Branch of the Irish Pony Club, recorded a double on the 16-year-old Connemara gelding Edenmist Bobs Your Uncle Too (Edenmist Pride of Thieves - Dark Flash, by Ashfield Stormy Sparrow), scoring 74.12 in the five-strong Intro B and 66.80 in the three-runner Trailblazer Preliminary 4.

There were only three starters also in the Novice DI23, but all scored just over 70%, headed overall on 71.29 by Judith Wurmel riding her eight-year-old ISH mare Dreamhill Doria (Ballineen Its William - Dreamhill Donna, by Huntingfield Rebel).

High score for Hartwell

Four combinations came before Tansey in the day’s other Novice class, the DI27A, where she awarded her highest score to Nina Hartwell on her seven-year-old grey gelding Greyfort Lad (69.48). Erin O’Neill rode two of the three horses in the Elementary DI52, recording the highest score in the class (70.14) on Alana Cazabon’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Chablis (Unaniem - Unette, by Rilke).

In the two-runner DI56A, O’Neill and the 19-year-old bay scored 64.68, while Jane Moggan and her 14-year-old British Sport Horse gelding Flying Solo (Kannan - Brise de Maupertui, by Perval) had the higher score (65.97). There was an uncontested win (on 68.68) in the FEI Inter I for Simone Hession on her 20-year-old home-bred Irish Draught mare Beezies Double Diamond (Gentle Diamond - Princess Of Woodlands, by Pride Of Tomes).

There was an uncontested double in the FEI Pony classes for Cadhla Curran on board her mother Carmel’s German Riding Pony Cosmo Rubin (Cosmo Royale - Caprice, by Cocky Man). She and the seven-year-old chesnut achieved a score of 66.89 in the Individual test and 67.86 in the Team test.