AS the Irish show scene appears to be ever more focused on Dublin Horse Show, Charleville held its annual two-day event last weekend.

Tandridge Debutante and Woodie Sexton, the supreme champions on each day, join a host of equine household names engraved on the Charleville silverware.

Saturday is devoted to ponies and Emily Palmer’s Golden Grove Right Answer, bred in Roscrea by Claire Scott and Sarah Rymer, was the first of an occasionally showery day’s champions.

The north Cork show has just one mixed heights show pony class - par for the course in schedules nowadays - and the Tipperary-bred duly completed a quick double in the following championship.

More cups and sashes were handed out as the day went on, leading up to the supreme championship finale. Here, the combined group of visiting UK judges: Caroline Basnett Hall, Rebecca Bush, Terry Chalmers, Julie Coleman and Will Morton, had a broad selection of in-hand and ridden ponies to pick from.

These included last year’s youngstock and supreme champion, Jenny O’Driscoll’s Glenard Little Spectacular (Hilin Oriole). Now a three-year-old, both this dun and John Crowley’s Welsh champion Febi won their titles in the morning’s youngstock and Welsh championships.

Ultimately, the judges’ squad called forward young Ella Moran with her show hunter pony champion Tandridge Debutante, by Barkway Giorgio, as their supreme choice.

Sophie Connolly with the Joe Carroll reserve supreme champion pony, Wychnlea Polly Pocket \ Susan Finnerty

Sophie Connolly and the starter stakes champion, Wychenlea Polly Pocket stood reserve supreme, keeping up the good Charleville record of her sister, also named Ella, who won several titles here previously with the Co Kilkenny family’s Twyford Captain Morgan.

“Ella [Moran] is my niece and goddaughter,” said proud aunt Jodie. “She’s dedicated to the cause; eats, breathes and sleeps horses and the yard. We would be lost without her, she runs the yard like clockwork if I’m away at any stage.”

“She even missed her end of year disco on Friday night to get the ponies ready for today. She’s a huge asset to me with the ponies and the kids.”

Lucky venue

Sunday’s ridden horse classes had quality entries. Charleville’s buzzy atmosphere draws Dublin-bound entries, although in the absence of the Breeders’ Championship qualifier and Horse Sport Ireland broodmare class, broodmare and foal numbers were not as bouyant this year.

Breeding stock and youngstock were combined in one ring, a pragmatic move. Judged by Denise Colebrooke, her champions included Kieran Fahey’s OBOS Quality mare It Ain’t Simple, which could sum up the issues behind declining entries, and Loretta Hanley’s foal champion, a Der Senaat III filly.

Rebecca Monahan won the young horse tricolour with Dermish Not Another, a two-year-old Chacoa filly, and reserve was John Burchill with Ballard Highwayman (Another Pleasure), bought from fellow Rebel County owner Seamus Lehane.

The north Cork show is a lucky venue for the Burchill family, as their Haven Hi Hope and her Ghareeb dam Slatequarry Sasha had qualified here in 2022 for The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship. Last year, she was the young horse champion.

Now under saddle with Deirdre Burchill, the Tyson four-year-old mare stood reserve ridden horse champion to Jodie Moran’s cob winner Red River.

Gina Heaps’ lightweight hunter class winner Carrabeg Arion, by the Heraldik son Herald 3, was this year’s Charleville hunter champion, ahead of Rosemary Connors’ Woodie Sexton (Lagans OBOS Quality), the four-year-old class winner.

Carrabeg Arion was an absentee from the later supreme horse championship. “Arion did the ladies’ side saddle after the hunter championship, only his third time side saddle, so I said that was enough. He’s only five years old,” explained Gina, still floating on air after Carrowgar Je T’aime Max (Je T’aime Flamenco), bred by her, finished 13th recently at Luhmühlen.

Connors double

Luke Coen and Camilla Kear reversed the 2025 working hunter championship result, when Camilla’s Dash Bouncer (Killinick Bouncer) was Glenn Farrell Walker and Julie Coleman’s champion choice. Luke stood reserve this year with the four-year-old Wellerman (Anchorman).

Dash Bouncer’s good run continued, when he was called forward as the reserve supreme.

Dan and Matthew Johnson present the Dick Johnson Trophy to Rosemary Connors after Woodie Sexton won the supreme ridden horse title at Charleville \ Susan Finnerty

Woodie Sexton claimed the Dick Johnson Trophy overall title for his Waterford rider.

“Henry, my partner, bought him as a yearling from Martin Sexton in Co Clare. He had such a nice bit of bone and it’s so hard to get bone in horses these days. We just thought he was a nice model, he moved well and we said we’d just keep going and see how he’d fare later on,” said Rosemary Connors, whose cousin Francis won the Connolly’s Red Mills Munster Grand Prix round at Charleville on the same day.

A Plus Tard’s bucketlist journey, with Waterford international dressage rider Emily Kate Robinson, continues as the pair won the Charleville side saddle championship (Munther’s Ranger and Suzanne O’Brien were reserve) and topped the Dublin ladies’ side saddle qualifier.

“I work for Henry de Bromhead, riding flatwork on the racehorses, which is how I was introduced to ‘AP’. I did flatwork with him when he was in training and I knew he would make a great riding horse! Still owned by Cheveley Park Stud, this will be our third Dublin Horse Show together.

“We won the Racehorse to Riding Horse classes at Dublin and Balmoral in 2025, so it felt right to give something totally different a go and see what happens! We’ve had so much fun together, he is the type of horse you could give anything a go with,” added Emily Kate.

In the intermediate side saddle qualifier, it was a homegrown win for Kingdom County Show secretary Shannon O’Mahony’s DFE Bo Lightening (Cottage Worker), ridden by Nicola Collins.

“I work full-time as a mental health nurse, so producing horses happens around work, rather than the other way around. I broke and started Bo myself before one of my closest friends, Nicola, took over the ride. Nic has become a huge part of our journey over the years, helping us produce a number of our young horses at home, alongside [partner] Jeremiah and me.”

The result of the third Dublin qualifier - Racehorse to Riding Horse - was still pending at the time of writing, after an objection was lodged.

Overall, the Golden Vale show was another well-run event and there was widespread praise for the Charleville team; from David Moran’s working hunter course to an expert team of stewards and equine secretary, Elaine Goold.

Not Another Championship? Rebecca Monahan’s Dermish Not Another was Denise Colebrooke’s Charleville young horse champion \ Susan Finnerty

Around the ringside

  • The move to a compact-sized catalogue, from the previous A4 version, produced bumper sales.
  • Five-star level event riders Sian Coleman, Alice Copithorne and Dominic Furnell, who have competed at Charleville since their pony years, were all back at their local show last weekend.
  • Alice qualified for the Dublin ladies’ side saddle class with Kipling (Imperial Tiger). The Una McDonnell-bred was the supreme and working hunter champion here two years ago.
  • They say that no good deed goes unrewarded. Last year, Shannon O’Mahony loaned a custom-made Phil Richardson side saddle to Emily Woods, who won with the lovely dun and Irish Horse World cover star that week: Coco Carel. Shannon qualified her own home-bred DFE Bo Lightening for Dublin at Charleville.
  • Emily Kate Robinson borrowed all her tack for her Dublin debut in 2019. “I literally just had the side saddle the day before the qualifier and for Dublin, where we (Bayview Hazel) placed sixth.”
  • Imogen Lawless-Greene’s working hunter pony champion, Moonlite Gone With The Wind “or Scarlet, to her friends, is a home-bred part-bred Welsh pony and the apple of Imogen’s eye,” said her mum, Margaret. “She’s not long back competing after having a serious muscle injury in the spring, but she’s better than ever after winning the Midleton championship and Tiggy’s Trust supreme working hunter championship in Raheendaw.”
  • Leana Bartelink’s famous Poulcoin Spirit, or ‘Babs’, is a hard act to follow for Newgrange Storm. “Storm was bred by Michael McMenamin in Newgrange, but we bought him as a foal, from a field overlooking Fanore beach, in Co Clare. He was our Christmas present to ourselves and he was just in time to meet ‘Babs’, before he died a week later. When it came to breaking time, I wanted to do it myself, as I always feel if you can’t break them yourself, they will always be too much for you! It’s always lovely to do well in Charleville and was a total surprise to win that!” Storm’s €500 prize money, earned from winning five classes at Ennistymon show, is already spent. “We decided that would cover his Dublin entry fee, so he’s off to the RDS for the 143cm show hunter pony class!”
  • Hillside Twilight’s owner Olwyn O’Regan also rates Charleville highly, saying: “Charleville is always one of my local and lucky shows, even from my IPS pony days when we always came home in the top three or with the bonus of a championship! I very much enjoy the variation of English judges’ opinions.” Her eight-year-old mare (Monaghanstown Prince x Hillside Road) was bred by the late Jarlath Grogan. “The in-hand Connemara reserve title is very special as this Jarlath Grogan-bred mare was reserve ridden Connemara champion here in 2023, ridden by my mam, Mary Davoren O’Regan. She also qualified at Charleville for the RDS intermediate side saddle class with a different rider on ‘horse day’ that same year. Now, she returns three years later, with myself and my dad Richard O’Regan, as a broodmare with her first colt foal at foot by Doohulla Dunally.”
  • Summer weekends are full-on for the Palmer and O’Sullivan families. “Amelia Palmer and Ayda O’Sullivan compete against each other every weekend in lead rein classes,” said Amelia’s mother, Cathriona. “Both aged seven, Amelia is led by her dad Trevor and Ayda is led by her mom Leanne. The girls started showing, following in the footsteps of Amelia’s older siblings, Emily and Jack. Emily has been showing for five years and lives for it. She has qualified for the starter stakes working hunter at the RDS. It’s a real family occasion every week. Two trucks drive in convoy to all the shows and the kids and parents are always together. We even bring our sister to help us mind all of the kids! Amelia and Ayda always support each other; one week, it’s Amelia’s turn to do well, the next, it’s Ayda’s. Amelia won the show pony lead rein, Ayda won the working hunter lead rein and went on to win mini champion.” Not to be outdone, Emily won Saturday’s show pony championship and starter stakes reserve titles. “Jack was third in the first year first ridden, they all did a super job.”
  • From leading daughter Pippa (4) and Pinewell Storm in the lead rein class, watching Pippa’s older brother Seamie in the first ridden, niece Ella win the supreme championship and then winning the ridden horse championship with Red River, it was a packed weekend for Limerick producer, Jodie Moran. “Pippa has severe scoliosis and goes to Crumlin hospital regularly for checkups. She has had multiple surgeries. We thought at one stage that she’d never ride a pony, so to have the two of them [Pippa and Ella] in the supreme at Charleville today, meant the world to us.” Jodie bought Red River in the UK, from a Horsequest advert: “he had a few quirks then!”
  • The Connors families are renowned for selling horses and ironing out quirks is not high on customers’ shopping lists, according to Rosemary Connors. “Everything nowadays, which is so different to before, needs to be push button. Nobody wants a horse that they’ve to put a lot of work into, they all want them straight and no quirks,” she remarked about the current market.