GIVEN that judging of the six-year-old and upwards Thorntons Recycling small hunters class on Wednesday afternoon was interrupted by the arrival into Ring 1 of Britain’s Princess Anne, it seems only fitting that it was won by Ebony King who went on to claim the championship.

Owned and ridden by Co Down’s Andrea McKee, the 13-year-old Aughabeg Patch gelding is now a dappled grey which is a far cry from the dark brown or black colouring of his coat when, as Glencairn Boy, he won the four and five-year-old small hunter class, and the championship, under P.J. Casey back in 2016.

“I’ve always loved ‘Jack’ and followed his career when he was first sold to Scotland to join Freda Newton,” revealed McKee who, working with Magnakata Tipis, is manager of the Finnebrogue Woods wedding venue outside Downpatrick. “He won the hunter championship three times at the Royal Highland and the small hunter championship at HOYS. When he was sold into England, to Lorraine Scott, he competed as a show hunter pony.

“Last summer, I learned from a friend of mine, Martin Skelton, that Jack might be for sale so I followed it up, got ‘vetted’ myself and bought him with the proviso that he could do HOYS for his then owners. I was perfectly happy with that.

“We were fifth in the older small hunter class at Balmoral and we did a small number of local county shows and riding club shows. We also did some unaffiliated dressage and will continue with that and some hunt rides over the winter.”

Before then, mother of two Andrea, and her five-year-old daughter Nina, plan on having a girls’ weekend away with their horse and pony at the Gala Weekend at Greenacres Stud and Equestrian Centre at the end of the month. Alfie, who is about to turn two, will stay at home with his father Tyrone Gibson who wouldn’t go to many shows but loves the social aspect of Dublin.

Also at home for Tyrone to keep an eye on are a two-year-old and a yearling out of the traditionally-bred Crosstown Dancer mare Dancing Queen who McKee partnered to win the ladies’ side saddle championship in 2019, six years after the chesnut was champion hunter mare.

Emotional

A very emotional McKee was greeted outside Ring 1 by her good friend Lesley Jones, “she keeps me right”, and the latter’s husband Barry who was groom in the ring during the well-filled, lengthy class judged by Vikki Smith (ride) and Simon Somers (conformation).

That older small hunter class at Balmoral was won by Tiger Eye who finished second in Dublin for his Co Limerick owner Oorla Cusack whose daughter Sophie, probably the youngest rider in the class, was on board the 14-year-old black gelding on this occasion.

An excellent 2025 Dublin Horse Show for the aforementioned P.J. Casey began on Wednesday when he won the four and five-year-old small hunter class with Kindred Spirit.

Owned by a trio of Patrice Dorney and the mother and daughter duo of Rena and Mhairi Rawluk, this four-year-old grey ISH gelding by Watervalley Cool Diamond was bred in Co Galway by Seamus Holohan out of the Connemara mare Killeen Marta. Casey didn’t enter Kindred Spirit at Tattersalls but did partner him to win the small hunter class at Nugentstown last month and the Traditional Irish Horse championship at the IDHBA Dublin Branch show at Abbottstown.

Ensuring a wide spread of the rosettes and prize money, the second-placed horse in this opening class came from Connaught in the shape of the Michael Harty-ridden Cashelbay Matthew.

Home-bred by his owner Robbie Fallon, the five-year-old ISH gelding only made his debut under saddle this year at Newmarket-On-Fergus where he won his small hunter class and went on to stand ridden horse champion. By Fallon’s I Love You Melody stallion Cashelbay Prince, Cashelbay Matthew is out of the Clover Echo mare Cashelbay Saphire who comes from the family of Shanroe Peeters (CSI4*) and Shanroe Cooley (CCI4*-L).