PHOTOGRAPHS of young riders graced the front of last week’s 150th Dublin Horse Show catalogue and one passionate group who were in action early on Sunday morning were those who qualified at four show jumping fixtures for the two junior equitation classes which are part of the performance showing programme.

The classes on Sunday were once again sponsored by the Karlswood High Performance Centre, adding extra prestige to the event, and the four qualifiers - two in May and two in June - which attracted large entries, were all judged by Joanne Quirke. As at the final in Simmonscourt, the results at the qualifiers were based on the performance of the riders not by jumping faults or time.

Some riders, and their parents/guardians, end up travelling throughout the country to secure tickets for Dublin but not so this year’s junior equitation champion, Co Tipperary’s Ellie Rogan, who booked her place in the final with Tullaree Fear Buí when third first time out at Cavan in May. She also only had to contest one ridden Connemara qualifier (at Scarteen) with the 12-year-old Templebready Fear Buí gelding on whom she won that section’s young riders’ class earlier in the week before standing reserve champion.

Ellie (14) is coached by her father J.P. Rogan, Company Sergeant in the Army Equitation School, while ‘Patrick’ is owned by her mother Cathy Cooper and their good friend and neighbour Nicola Main. Her win was clear-cut as she was awarded a score of 114 points for her round over the Aaron McCusker-built track on the grey who was bred in Co Kerry by Clive Swindell out of the Dunlewey Rigmarole mare Tullaree Silver.

“This was the icing on the cake to end a wonderful week for Ellie who was absolutely thrilled,” said Cooper. “Given his job, her father was particularly delighted with this win as it demonstrated Ellie’s balance, ability and sympathy with her pony. Patrick is very versatile as he competes in flat showing classes, show jumps up to 1.10m and will do anything asked of him. We are going to do the flat classes with him at Clifden, where he has had plenty of success before, and then perhaps do a couple of HOYS qualifiers in England.”

While this was Ellie’s first year to win on her third visit to Dublin with Patrick, the pony landed the younger Connemara performance hunter class here in 2019 under Emily McGowan whose mother Paddy was among those in Simmonscourt on Sunday.

Coached by her father Paul, north Co Dublin’s Chloe Dempsey finished second (109) on another Connemara gelding, her mother Geraldine’s Dunloughan Scot eight-year-old Carnhill Stormy Boy. This combination finished a place in front of Rogan and Tullaree Fear Buí when qualifying at Cavan.

Narrow win

Sunday’s 138cm class was won narrowly by Meath Pony Club member Rachel Westphal (105 points) on Adrienne Daly and Shona Daly Lynch’s home-bred Clonross Giselle, a 22-year-old bay mare by Grange King’s Surf whose long competitive career started on the show pony circuit. Ellie Bingham finished a point adrift in second on her mother Ashley’s Irish Sports Pony mare Currabawn Prada, a seven-year-old dun by Celtic Hero B Z who has 150 SJI points to her credit.

Sunday’s junior equitation section was judged by Britain’s Marie-Claire Nimmo who, officiating at Dublin for the first time, commented: “I thought the classes were quite mixed but, at the top end, the riders were very good and one could see that their training was excellent.”