THE Association of Irish Riding Clubs have announced that Connolly’s Red Mills will once again sponsor the organisation’s national dressage, hunter trials and show jumping championships with the Goresbridge animal feed company also sponsoring the AIRC’s 70/80 team show jumping championships through its Foran Equine brand.

While there is no more information available at present, the hunter trials are scheduled to take place at Nuenna Farm Equestrian Centre on Sunday, April 12th.

All nine Regions of the AIRC have confirmed the dates of their dressage qualifiers with the West and West Leinster Regions getting the series under way on Sunday, May 24th at Castle Irvine, Necarne and Redhills Stud respectively.

The Copperfield and Boyneside clubs will host the North East Region qualifier at Killossery Lodge on Saturday, June 20th, with the West Cork club staging the South West Region qualifier at the Skevanish Equestrian Centre on Sunday, June 28th.

The remaining five regional qualifiers will take place the following month, starting with South Leinster at Marlton and the West at Duffy’s on Sunday, July 5th and, seven days later, the South East at Tinahely. Two qualifiers are due to be contested on Sunday, July 26th, the West Midlands’ at Roscrea Equestrian and the Midlands’ at a venue yet to be announced.

Most of the venues are well-known by those AIRC members who also compete under Dressage Ireland rules.