FIFTEEN-year-old Dromore High School pupil Isaac McCarthy brought up a hat-trick of Intro dressage victories at The Meadows last weekend on board Dawn Carlisle’s Suirvalley Little Monkey.

Section A at leg three of the Baileys Horse Feeds flexi eventing series was assessed by Joanne Jarden, a List 1 judge with Dressage Ireland who was recently appointed as a member of the ground jury for the eventing competition at next August’s World Equestrian Games in Aachen.

McCarthy and the 19-year-old bay gelding saw off the challenge of 20 rivals when topping Jarden’s leaderboard on 68.8%. Holly Blythe finished second (66.3) with her mother Shona’s tall seven-year-old Connemara gelding Mano Of Deerpark (Shadows Dun - Liscannor Dolly, by Kippure Alkatraz). McCarthy picked up additional league points with Suirvalley Little Monkey when clear at 90cm level in both show jumping and cross-country.

Another 2019 Connemara gelding, the Sarah Cowan-partnered Gleann Rua Storm (Coosheen Stormboy - Gleann Rua Hazel, by Westside Mirah) filled the runner-up spot in Section B when awarded 72.3 by Lucy Adams.

That DI List 3A judge reserved her highest score in this 27-runner class for Newry’s Karen McKee riding Furstlove KPCM (73.3), a 17hh Irish Sport Horse gelding by Furstenball. The six-year-old, who is out of the Governor mare Lovely Lady VDM, competed briefly under DI rules back in 2024 and McKee intends heading down the affiliated route with him again this season.

With the only other score over 70%, Kaiti McCann finished third here with her father Martin’s ever-consistent 17-year-old skewbald mare, Boyher Cookies N Creme (71).

Sixteen combinations appeared before Jarden in the Pre-Novice class, which was won by Cassie Huddleston on board Carole Young’s traditionally-bred ISH gelding Lisnamuck What A Cracker (68). The 14-year-old dun by the Connemara stallion Cheeky Bobby Sparrow is out of the thoroughbred mare Meancog (by Monahsee Mountain), who won two races as a three-year-old.

Lisnamuck What A Cracker has plenty of Eventing Ireland experience behind him but, while he has many placings to his credit, his sole success came in a 13-runner EI110 class at Tullylish back in July 2021, when he was ridden by Gemma Esler. Here, Abbie Cummins finished second with Helen Bickerstaffe’s 16-year-old chesnut gelding Renaissance Jubilee (67.5), on whom she was also clear at 90cm level in both show jumping and cross-country.

Lucy Adams’s winner of the seven-strong Novice class on 68.8% was Erin Mathieson with the ISH mare DG Dawn Chorus (Je t’Aime Flamenco - Slaney Pointillist by Pointilliste). Mathieson, a First Year dental student, was placed six times under Eventing Ireland rules on the bay last season, the combination finishing fourth in the DAFM six-year-old league. They rounded off their 2025 campaign in the CCI2*-L at Ballindenisk in September.

We were told that Erin didn’t rest on her laurels following Saturday’s dressage success, but you won’t find her name in the show jumping or cross-country results but rather in the ladies’ hockey round-up as she was named player of the match at RSD having scored in Dungannon First’s five-two win over Ballymena.

Rosey Herron, who is in Second Year at Ulster University studying accountancy, filled the runner-up spot on the traditionally-bred Imperial Wonder (67.5), her eight-year-old well-related Imperial Hights gelding. Finishing third in this class with his 16-year-old ISH gelding Merlot (66.3) was former multiple flexi event champion Denis Currie, grandfather of the aforementioned Isaac McCarthy.

Fermanagh Pony Club member Tori Lilly slotted into third here with her mother Karin’s Connemara gelding Cloonhill Genius (66), a nine-year-old grey by Earlson.

There were just two entries in the Jarden-judged Intermediate class, where Erin McCrea recorded a clear-cut victory on the 19-year-old Hanoverian mare Eisfee (63.9). With a fence down show jumping, McCrea, a member of the East Antrim Branch, and the Embassy bay finished fifth of 25 in the CNC1* section of the inaugural Pony Club Nations’ Cup competition at Ballindenisk last September.

League leader board

Following Saturday’s third leg of the Baileys Horse Feeds flexi eventing series at The Meadows, young Isaac McCarthy tops the overall leaderboard at the halfway stage with Dawn Carlisle’s Suirvalley Little Monkey (35 points).

Four points adrift in second lies Kaiti McCann with Boyher Cookies N Creme, followed by Sarah Cowan (28 points with Gleann Rua Storm), Berni Muirhead (25, Out Of The Blue) and Helen Sawey Quinn (24, Conor). Two riders - Victoria Grieves (Twister D’Euro) and Tori Lilly (Cloonhill Genius) - are sharing sixth spot with 21 points apiece.

As a member of the Iveagh Branch, McCarthy is also in pole position in the race to claim the Baileys leading Pony Club rider prize (ahead of Cowan (Iveagh) and Lilly (Fermanagh)). Lying 12th overall on 19 points, Erin McClernon is heading the table for the Treo Eile-sponsored thoroughbred prize with the French-bred gelding Jumper D’Ainay (19 points).

With three more legs in the league, starting today, there is still all to play for when it comes to accruing points through results and attendance. Those who have competed at The Meadows to date will be hoping for better weather during the second half of the series.

Following the first two weekends of the Plusvital Spring Series of combined training competitions, Denis Currie and Erin McClernon share the top spot in the Northern Region’s CT110 league on 4.5 points apiece with the Irish Sport Horse geldings Merlot and Seapatrick Beachball respectively.

With her mother Louise’s traditionally-bred mare Toberpatrick Gentle Dove, Junior rider Charlie Watson shares top spot nationwide in the CT100 league on eight points, while Kaiti McCann does so likewise in the CT90 league with Boyher Cookies N Creme (14 points). Sarah Cowan is in joint-fourth place in the CT80 league with Patrick Heskin’s Connemara gelding Gleann Rua Storm (eight points).

Balmoral qualifiers

The Baileys Horse Feeds flexi eventing series at The Meadows is not only a great competition in its own right, but offers those targeting some of the performance classes at Balmoral Show (May 13th to 16th) the opportunity to compete at the first of the qualifying venues.

On Saturday, February 28th, the McCusker family’s Lurgan equestrian centre will host the first qualifier for both the performance Irish Draught classes and the ‘Balmoral Star Of The Future’ performance horse championship. The following day, Sunday, March 1st, The Meadows will be the focus of those bidding to qualify for the ridden and working hunter Connemara classes at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society’s showpiece fixture.

Full details regarding all the equine qualifiers can be found on the Balmoral Show website.