THERE was a panel of five judges on duty at the very well-attended Eastern Region show in Marlton Stud last Saturday, just two of whom awarded winning scores over 70%.

Marian Cassidy (List 4) was responsible for three of these. Leah Cox earned a score of 72.24% with Maria Kenny’s 10-year-old bay gelding Limestone Spartacus in the Junior Novice DI21, Avril Kelly riding her 11-year-old dun Connemara mare Kinamara Laura achieved 71.46 in the Preliminary DI18 and Kenneth Garrett with his own 12-year-old Danish Wamblood gelding TJørnelys Zensation scored 74.48 in the Novice DI21.

Jane Averil (List 6) awarded Adam French a score of 70.28% following his test on Mary Ferris’s 22-year-old bay gelding Derryglass Lad in the Mini Trailblazers class after which Ava Mooney achieved 72.86 in the Trailblazers’ Preliminary riding the 14-year-old Welsh Section C gelding Pantyfid Prince William.

Jane Whitaker (List 1) reserved her highest score, 70% exactly, for Hannah Fielding on her own seven-year-old Hanoverian mare DWS Firelight in the Novice DI24A. Bernie Webb (List 3a) awarded her top score, 69.81, to two combinations in the Elementary DI51, Ger McNulty on Aine Kiely’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Billy Hans, a five-year-old grey by Hans, and Jane Allen-Collins with her tall ISH mare Lougherne Atlanta, a nine-year-old daughter of Antaeus. McNulty claimed the honours with the marginally higher collective score (63.5 to 63).

Newcastle Lyons Pony Club member Abbey Ferris, who competes with both Dressage Ireland and Eventing Ireland, enjoyed a win in a mix of both codes on Saturday when winning the Jean Halpenny-judged FEI eventing 1* test on her mother Mary’s eight-year-old ISH mare Connaght Curlew (68.26). Ferris and the bay daughter of Easy Living are competing in a section of the CCI1*-Intro at the new international venue of Scone Palace in Scotland this weekend.

With far fewer classes, there were far few competitors at the Midland and Western Region show at Drumindoo Stud on Sunday. Here, the only winning 70%-plus score was awarded by Elena Satalkina (List 4) in the Trailblazers’ Preliminary to Katie Owens who rode Sinead McGrath’s seven-year-old 138cm grey mare Dunloe Pepsi.

Hannah Gordon, who has been selected for the senior Nations Cup squad travelling to England shortly, recorded a Preliminary double. This she initiated in the Satalkina-assessed DII8 on her Connemara gelding Rock of Belass (68.85%), a four-year-old grey by Black Shadow. The double was completed on the same pony in the DI18 where Satalkina awarded them a score of 69.38.