NANCY Lyons Teehan struck for Irish show pony riders at this year’s Horse of the Year Show, when following up her 2025 win on Dartans Séoda Bán in the 133cm working hunter pony class late last Friday morning.

Prior to their success in Birmingham, this had been a very successful season for the 12-year-old Co Kilkenny rider and her mother Louise’s six-year-old palomino gelding, the highlight being their 133cm class win at Dublin.

Lyons Teehan’s victory was acknowledged on social media by the South Leinster/Waterford Area of the Irish Pony Society, the North Kilkenny Branch of the Irish Pony Society and the Presentation Secondary School, Kilkenny.

Two Connemara geldings who went through to the afternoon’s Mole Valley Farmers’ championship were the nine-year-old Ballyvary Patsy (153cm) and the 16-year-old Star Smokey, who claimed the title under Britain’s Florence Duncalf.

As mentioned last week, Thursday night’s National Pony Society/Supreme Products Mountain & Moorland Ridden Pony of the Year Championship was won by the seven-year-old Connemara stallion Copperbeech Encore (Glencarrig Knight - Carrowkeel Star, by Currachmore Cashel), who was bred in Co Mayo by Fiona and Tomás Grimes.

The grey, who won the stallion class at this year’s Gallagher Dublin Horse Show and finished second at Clifden, is ridden for Britain’s Debbie Todd by Vicki Smith. The pair qualified for the championship when winning Wednesday’s Connemara class, where Lauren Beaumont finished second on the British-bred Eastlands Dunedin.

Another Connemara to claim a HOYS title was the Kerry and Feichin King-bred King Bunowen Castle Ali (Best Shadow Melody - Bunowen Castle Ellie, by William’s Boy). The 10-year-old took the tricolour sash in the Thor Atkinson Steel Fabrications Ltd Junior Mountain & Moorland Ridden Pony of the Year Championship, ahead of the similarly-aged Glencarrig Prince mare Hazelrock Twist, who had earlier finished second in their large breeds class.

Sunday’s Shine Source Footwear 133cm show hunter class was won by the chesnut gelding Parkhill Mata (Centurion Bolero - Parkhills Araminta, by Arion), who was bred in Co Antrim by Elaine Sherrard.

Shetland win

Also from Co Antrim, Tony Bell, a National Pony Society judge and chairperson of NPS Area 32 (Northern Ireland), saw his Shetland stallion Wikners Gryffindor win the NPS/Supreme Products Mountain & Moorland ridden Exmoor/Shetland Pony of the Year class, which got the showing action underway at 7.05am on the Wednesday.