THE third and final standalone leg of the 2025 DAFM autumn development series for eventing was hosted by Pat Peare and Orla Roche at their very busy Wexford Equestrian last Saturday when this round was run as an arena eventing competition.

Far from resting on his laurels following his dual medal-winning performances at Le Lion d’Angers the previous weekend, Ian Cassells was on the road again with four horses, picking up two third-place finishes on the Irish Sport Horse geldings GSA Lagan and Bellscross Tysons Star.

The latter, a chesnut son of Tyson owned by Mary Phelan, completed on his dressage score (27.75 penalties) in the well-filled AE100 for five-year-olds behind Fenyas Email (26) and Stellor Endeavour (26.5). This pair too completed on their flat work marks in the hands of Sarah Ennis who, like Cassells, has come to the end of a long and busy eventing season.

Reserve in her young event horse championship at the Dublin Horse Show, the ISH mare Fenyas Email is a daughter of Jaguar Mail and, not surprisingly, owner/breeder P.J. Hegarty’s Ricardo Z mare Fenyas Elegance (CCI4*-L). The bay had four outings under Eventing Ireland rules during the year, winning a 19-runner EI90 class at Tullymurry 2 in July and, on her second start at EI100 level, when she had a fence down show jumping, finishing fourth behind her stable-companion Ordonnay at Vesey Lodge 2.

Owned and bred by Ennis and with three EI starts to his credit, the ISH gelding Stellor Endeavour is by Colandro out of the Master Imp mare Millfield Mistress.

Sarah Ennis and Fengas Email won the AE100 for five-year-olds at the DAFM autumn development series in The Meadows \ Claire Sheehan Photography

Power wins

There was also a very big entry in the four-year-old class where Sharon Power claimed the honours, on her dressage score (28), with her own ISH gelding Callahan’s Flair (Sportsfield Flair) who was placed earlier in the series. Power has also competed him five times under EI rules, winning an EI80 at Frankfort Stud in early September. The brown son of Callahan was bred in Co Waterford by Deise Sporthorses out of You 2 Lia (by Warrenstown You 2).

Heidi Hamilton finished second on the ISH gelding Realta Na Mara (28.75), a grey by BGS Ocean View, ahead of the above-mentioned combination of Ian Cassells and GSA Lagan (29), a brown gelding by Lagans OBOS Quality.

Placing seventh here on her first-phase score of 30.5 was Co Cork show jumper Lucy Shanahan with her home-bred BD Prince Charming who will be coming up as Lot 20 at the Gorebridge Go For Gold Sale the week after next (November 10th to 12th). The skewbald ISH gelding by Kaiden Leva WD is out of the Buster King mare Cinderella Girl who competed for Italy at the 2013 European pony show jumping championships.

There were 16 starters in the six and seven-year-old class which was won, on her first-phase score (29.25), by Lucy Latta riding Bethany Burton’s Keamore Louise. This 2019 ISH mare by Luidam, who was bred in Co Cork by Brian Sheahan out of Keamore Cruis Lux (by Lux Z), has only competed in four events but has 22 Show Jumping Ireland points to her credit.

Leila Barker filled the runner-up position with the ISH six-year-old Cicero For HSH (30), a chesnut gelding by Cicero Z Van Paemal, ahead of Fraser Duffy on board the similarly-aged Selle Francais gelding Je Suis Charlie (31).

With the addition of those who competed in the combined training classes, nearly 100 horses were guided with near military precision through the three phases in three different arenas throughout the day. Dressage was judged by Vicky Cloney and Jill Spring whose scribes were Anne Clune and Aoife Griffith while the cross-country and show jumping judges were Ciaran McGrath and Patricia Burrell.

The numbers competing show just how much this arena eventing format suits riders. So much so in fact that locally-based Patrick Whelan, who, over the previous few days, had been competing at the Bicton international in England, landed in Rosslare at 7am and, following a quick turnaround, was back at Wexford Equestrian with five horses by 10am.

While some are very happy that the DAFM continues to stage this end-of-year series with its excellent prize fund, others would prefer if it was run in the spring as a prelude to the eventing season proper. Of course, some would like to see both - and equestrian centres with their all-weather surfaces would be happy to oblige.