ENTRIES have been up at all championships run this year by the Association of Irish Riding Clubs and that trend continues tomorrow when the Equipeople AIRC national eventing championships take place at Killossery Lodge Stud.

It is particularly good to note that 13 squads have been entered for the team competition. While this is still some way off the numbers of yesteryear, it is a significant and welcome increase on recent times.

Last September, Ethan Cahill (Queen Ruby Royale), Joy Ffrench (Lilys Rose) and Maire Ní Dhiomsaigh (Ballycullane Sandy) claimed the title for the Carne club, beating Coole Lane and Thomastown & District. Cahill and Ffrench have again been nominated to represent the Wexford club tomorrow, along with Alannah Lacey and Ciara Frayne.

Foxborough’s Harriet Aveling, who won last year’s RC90 championship on The Minx, returns with her 2013 Emperor Augustus mare, but this time at RC100 level, while Thomastown & District’s Sheena Holt bids to retain the RC80 title she won 12 months ago with the 15-year-old bay mare Wemyss Bay.

Winner of the RC100 championship last September on Roses Sligo Candy, Rathangan’s Francis Downes will be out to land tomorrow’s young horse class on his Irish Sport Horse mare Lady Marvel, a five-year-old daughter of the little-used Loughehoe Guy stallion Harveys Choice Boy.

Treo Eile will present a training bursary and a rug to the rider of the highest-placed thoroughbred in each of the championship classes.

Dressage action in two of the three arenas gets under way at 9am (9.30am for the third), show jumping over Shane Brooks-built courses starts at 11am and the first horse is due out on the Ciaran Glynn-designed cross-country course at approximately 1pm.

The first leg of this season’s AIRC grassroots jump training series takes place next Sunday, September 21st, at Gurteen College where James O’Reilly will be the accredited coach. Online entries close at 12 noon on Tuesday.

The series, which is judged on style and performance with the aim of encouraging riders to improve their technique and, in doing so, improve their results, continues through this month and October.

The final will be held on Saturday, November 8th at Emerald Equestrian where those qualified will be assessed by Sarah Ennis, a member of the Irish squad competing at this coming week’s European eventing championships at Blenheim Palace.

Supported by Sport Ireland and Horse Sport Ireland with additional prizes on offer from Premier Performance, the series is open to members of all clubs affiliated to the AIRC and full details can be found on the organisation’s website.