THE South Munster Region of Dressage Ireland rose to the challenge of running the inaugural Inter Regional Finals in place of the traditional Winter Final format and, with the weather gods on side at Ballindenisk, the consensus was that their efforts were a great success.

Chair of the South Munster committee, Ana Maria Hughes, said: “This show exceeded all of our expectations. We knew we were capable of running a good show, but maybe not this good. Everything fell into place and it ran like clockwork. We have been inundated with messages, calls and emails praising the day and the region. With 150 entries, we ran four arenas simultaneously in glorious sunshine, and the show had a championship atmosphere. The general vibe was ‘we will be back’.”

“Where do we even begin with the Fell family?” Hughes continued. “When you think they have already given their all, they up their own standards even more. They had the venue looking immaculate, despite going into a quick turnaround to get ready for their international event this week. I don’t think anyone else could pull that off, but they make it look effortless. We’re so lucky to have them on our doorstep and to be able to avail of their top-class facilities.

“We had over 20 sponsors, without whom we couldn’t have made this happen, and I would like to extend the highest praise to the South Munster committee. They really are the best bunch of people, and none of this would have been possible without them.”

Higher levels

Although the entries were disappointingly low at the higher levels, the score achieved by the winner of the Grand Prix was not. Tara Oliver and Furst Romance were awarded 69.57% by List I judge Vida Tansey to become the first Inter Regional Final Grand Prix champions. As the only entry in each of them, Oliver and Senators Rhonaldo also became the champions in both small tour classes.

“I was absolutely thrilled with Furst Romance,” commented Oliver afterwards. “Despite a few small mistakes, he felt amazing, and he showed much better piaffe and passage and energy generally throughout his test. Senators Rhonaldo felt unbelievable in the Inter I. He’s a very hot, sensitive horse, and he doesn’t like it if I make a mistake. We had a rocky Prix St Georges after I rode one dodgy change, but we had it together in the Inter I and he showed how talented he is with more to come.

“The show was absolutely fab, so well-run with great footing and a huge warm-up, despite four arenas running at the same time. I’m not sure why entries at the higher levels were so small, especially when open classes [for which qualification was not necessary] were also offered. I certainly hope this show will run again.”

Sue Smallman and Bernadette Newham were the other riders to add to their collections of championship titles at the advanced levels, after both of them featured in last week’s edition, having also won at their regional championships. Sue Smallman was the uncontested champion at Inter II with Gloriant H, after Vida Tansey awarded the combination a score of 66.47%. Newham meanwhile saw off the challenge posed by Angela Lyons and Woodcroft Santa Cruz to win the advanced championship with Jejum AR on a score of 67.34%.