THE North and South Munster Regions of Dressage Ireland combined to run a show last Saturday at Millstreet where, following Friday’s battering from Storm Amy, the weather was breezy but there was no rain.

Those who made entries were informed on Friday that the show was going ahead as the forecast was good. While a few people let the organisers know that they were going to withdraw, as requested, there were also a number of ‘no shows’ on the day which always prove more problematic.

“I’m glad we went ahead as it would have been a real shame to cancel the show after all the work that had gone into organising it,” said South Munster chairperson Ana-Maria Hughes. “The judges were very accommodating and took riders as they were ready which really helped the day run along.

“We had three large dressage arenas in the main Millstreet arena with an enormous space for warm-up in one of the other arenas the venue has to offer.

“We have had three joint shows with North Munster before. For this show, both regions supported the international event at Millstreet during the summer by providing scribes for the two days of dressage so, in return, we got to hold a show which was great.

“South Munster are in talks with Millstreet about holding another show there in 2026. The venue is such in demand with riders and I think it’s everyone’s dream to ride in the main arena. There’s something very special about walking up the shoot as you enter the big arena! This was our first show there for quite some time but, hopefully, it’s the first of many going forward.

“We are holding two shows before Christmas - at Maryville on November 2nd and at Ballindenisk on December 6th - which are both part of the South Munster league sponsored by O’Brien’s Saddlery. We have youth training with Anna Dangerfield on October 18th and senior training with Josephine Delahoyde on November 16th. Our regional Christmas party and awards night is taking place on November 28th.”

The best-supported class on the day was the six-runner Preliminary DI6 in the short arena where Elena Satalkina (List 4) awarded her highest score (69.23%) to Lily McLaughlin riding her mother Susan’s 123cm 15-year-old Welsh mare Dinky Daisey. There were five starters in the Satalkina-judged Mini Trailblazers’ class won by Peter O’Hara on Sabrina Barnwell’s 22-year-old 148cm mare Far Away Tale (71.67).

There were four starters in both Elementary classes. In the DI52 judged by Ann Glynn (List 3a), the honours were claimed by Sue Smallman riding Rosemary Gaffney’s Dutch Warmblood mare Norabel (69.17), a seven-year-old bay daughter of Just Whimphof. Vida Tansey (List 1) judged the DI55 which was won by Lene Rose Aksoy riding the Irish Sport Horse gelding Fernhill Nearly Darc (68.39), a 19-year-old bay by Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan.

Four combinations also came before Tansey in the Medium DI67 where Rosemary Ahern O’Gorman topped the scores with her thoroughbred gelding Khwarizmi (67.42), the 10-year-old Algorithms bay who she then partnered to victory on 63.14 in the three-runner, Glynn-judged Medium DI77.

Caroline Marwood was the sole starter in the Tansey-judged Medium restricted on Investigator P (60.76), Hannah Rose’s 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Diamant de Semilly, having earlier landed the three-runner, Satalkina-judged Novice DI21 with Emma Dair’s six-year-old black mare Estrella Rosa (67.41).

There was a very poor entry for the DAFM classes but the journey down to Co Cork paid off for a pair of Leinster Region members who both saw off two rivals before Tansey.

Kildare’s Sonya McCormack won the four-year-old class with her Oldenburg mare Sosha Jakama (67.42), a tall black daughter of Taurus, while south Co Dublin-based Kevin Acres, the reigning national champion, won the seven and eight-year-old class on Con McCarthy’s 2018 Dutch Warmblood mare Nybola Turfhorst (73), a tall chesnut by Blue Hors Zachery.

Katie McKeon saw off one rival to win the five-year-old pony class on Galtee Honey (75), a Connemara mare by Kinvara Boy, and there was an uncontested win in the six-year-old horse class for Karen Burke with the Westphalian gelding Secret Desire HW (68), a black son of Secret.