THE Eastern Region of Dressage Ireland held their monthly show at Marlton last Saturday, when news of Mark Ruddock’s resignation as chairman of Dressage Ireland (see page 78) was very much the topic of discussion throughout the day.

In lovely weather conditions, Rebecca O’Toole recorded an Elementary double on Barbara Delahoyde’s 19-year-old Hanoverian gelding Saale Hit (Sandro Hit - Dream In Black, by De Niro). In the five-runner DI55, judged by Jean Halpenny (List 4), the home-based pair scored 76.6% while, on 71.83, they comfortably topped the overall leaderboard in the three-runner DI53, judged by Lindsey Ilona Brady (List 4).

The vast majority of the classes from Medium level up were judged by Vida Tansey (List 1), who awarded her highest score, 68.65, in the FEI Pony Rider Individual test to the sole starter, Niamh Winter on her father Guy’s British Sport Horse mare Ode To Shannon, an 18-year-old 148cm bay by Washington Postman. Halpenny judged the pair in the Team test and awarded them a score of 67.71.

In front of Tansey, there were uncontested wins for Jennifer Egan on Don Juan’s Doll (61.86 in the Advanced 100), for Killian Gaffney on Kensington (61.32 in the Inter I) and for Sorrell Klatzko with Gladiator (61.96 in the Grand Prix).

There were two starters in both the FEI Junior Team test won by Millie Cosgrave on Let’s Dance (66.21) and in the Advanced Medium (Junior Team test 2022) won by Elaine Cross-Johnson riding Half Moon Bianchella (59.39).

Overall winners

Tansey’s overall winners of the two Medium classes were international event rider Sam Watson, who scored 65.29 in the DI77 on his 4* ride Ballybolger Goldman, an eight-year-old son of Tullabeg Fusion, and Alex Potter, who saw off one rival when achieving 65.83 in the DI73 on the Dutch Warmblood gelding Icco, a 13-year-old gelding by Dantos HBC.

Seven combinations appeared before Brady in the Novice 24A, where she awarded her overall highest score (68.67) to the home-based Josephine Delahoyde on board a new ride, the Hanoverian mare Viviana 7, a six-year-old daughter of Vivino.

There were only two starters in the Halpenny-judged DI39, where the higher score of 70 was recorded by Bee Sykes on her Hanoverian gelding Con Caballito, a 12-year-old bay by Christ.

The three Preliminary winners were Samira-Lola Trimble on the 15-year-old Connemara gelding Duncarberry King (Happy King - Pretty Princess, by All Smoke), who scored 69.04 in the DI6, Gabriella Farries with the seven-year-old ISH gelding Inis Freedom (Young Carrabawn - Kingshill Bal Du Jour, by French Buffet), who scored 71 in the DI16, and Cael Shanahan, who comfortably topped the scores in the DI16 with Josephine Delahoyde’s home-bred five-year-old ISH gelding Marlton Glamour Man (Glamourdale - Sverige, by Swarovski).