THE second half of the Eventing Ireland Northern Region 2025 campaign commenced last Saturday at The Clare where Declan, Becky and Kitty Cullen had put in a huge effort to impress all who attended, including a welcome crowd of spectators, from the moment they turned into the drive.

And this all came to fruition despite the fact that the Cullens, and Jonathan West, had travelled to Luhmuhlen where Declan and Seavaghan Ash, who were both fighting infection, completed the CCI5*-L. Back home and on their way to recovery, Declan and Jonathan, who had also fallen ill on the journey, finished building and dressing all the fences on the Vina Buller-designed cross-country tracks.

Unusually, we’re starting here with two of the restricted classes as the top two finishers in both the EI110 (Amateur) and the EI90 (Amateur) will represent Ireland in the Grassroots Celtic Challenge which will run as part of the inaugural Scone Palace international horse trials next month (August 20th to 24th). The Challenge has been devised by Declan Cullen and Scone Palace’s Alec Lohore.

Unfortunately, at time of writing, the Scottish international is clashing with the Lisgarvan international in Co Carlow and the Northern Region event at Finvoy. However, it would be well worth a visit as, taking over from Blair Castle, it is running all the traditional classes that made the Highlands event such an attraction - and is a lot closer to Cairnryan.

EI100 (Amateur)

Twelve combinations started, and finished, the EI100 (Amateur) on Saturday when two time penalties cost Hollie Smith victory on the dressage winner Mr Diceman. She and her father Steven’s 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding finished on the same score as the winners Ciarrai Rice and her ISH mare Lady J who completed on their Dermot Cannon-awarded flat work mark (31 penalties). Rachael O’Callaghan missed out on qualifying when placing third, on her dressage score, with her thoroughbred gelding Gervada (32.3).

Castlewellan veterinary nurse Rice and her nine-year-old Stephen McDermott-bred Hallo Picasso bay Lady J will travel to Scone Palace as the winner of four regional awards in 2024 when they were narrowly beaten into second in the EI100 (Amateur) national championships at Kilguilkey House in September.

Five combinations failed to finish in the 16-strong EI90 (Amateur) where Bernadette Muirhead claimed the honours on her eight-year-old grey gelding Out Of The Blue whose completion score of 33.1 included four show jumping penalties and 5.6 for time across the country. Also qualifying for Scone Palace in second was Julie Combs who, too, lowered one of the coloured poles but beat the clock over the fixed fences to complete on 36.8. on her similarly-aged bay gelding Bruno Mars (36.8).

EI110 (Amateur)

Britt Megahey would probably enjoy a trip to Scotland but, if he is to compete at Scone Palace, it will have to be in one of the international classes as Saturday’s three-runner EI110 (Amateur), which he won comfortably on his ISH gelding R Showman, a 10-year-old son of Centre Stage, wasn’t a qualifier.

There were just three starters also in the EI110 (J) where the only double clear was recorded by Eimhear Donaghy who picked up 4.4 cross-country time penalties en route to victory with her father James’s ISH mare TMS Freedom (39.7). Six days earlier, she and the seven-year-old Je t’Aime Flamenco bay jumped in the 1.30m Grand Prix at Portmore.