HAVING qualified earlier in the summer, members of Area 17 of The Pony Club (Northern Ireland) travelled over to Auchlishie in Scotland last weekend for the NAF regional championships in dressage, eventing and show jumping.

The teams fared poorly at PC70 level in show jumping but Tullylagan’s Erin Bates saw off 72 rivals to win the individual competition with Ruthstown Speed. Having recorded double clears, 40 combinations progressed to the jump-off where 25 of them were clear again but none faster than Bates on the 25-year-old 128cm grey gelding.

Seskinore’s Maddison O’Kane won the PC70+ competition on the skewbald mare Sultana, who is just a five-year-old, while East Down’s Emma Morrison finished fourth of 82 in the PC80 individual competition riding the Connemara mare Sliabh Bán Rosie, an 11-year-old grey daughter of Kilrooskey Boy.

In dressage, Area 17 fared the better at PC70 level where the Tullylagan Blue quartet of Zara Moore (Oaklea Supreme), Caitlin Timoney (Rosie), Martha McAvoy (Shadow Of A Star) and Dara Currie (Belles Boy) finished seventh of 16 teams.

Individually up to 10th place, Timoney was seventh in Section B; McAvoy was second in Section C where East Antrim’s Ruby Robinson finished sixth and East Down’s Tara Hanna Kerr was 10th. East Antrim’s Sarah Wilson placed second in Section C where Annie Lucas was sixth for East Down.

On a score of 67.10%, Wilson and her 16-year-old Eskdale Splendid Venture gelding Parcglas Splendid Attraction placed fifth in the ride-off which was won by Stewartry’s Isla Tattersfield on Butleigh Tamarind (71).

Wilson and Parcglas Splendid Attraction were also members of the Area 17 trio which placed seventh in the PC80 team eventing competition.

Riding Derrynoose Lady, North Down’s Gigi Roelle was fourth in Section E where East Down’s Darcy Turley placed sixth; East Down’s Cerys Owen was third in Section F where Route’s Eva McCafferty finished eighth; and, in Section G, William Steele was fifth for East Down while Izzy Napier finished ninth in Section D.

At PC70 level, the Area 17 quartet of Amira Greeves (Sam), Cynthia-Jane O’Brien (Ballymena Freddie Red), Erin Bates (Ruthstown Speed) and Eliza Samuel-Napier (Millparks Eoin) finished fifth of 12 teams.

Individually, Greeves was equal fourth for East Down in Section A, East Antrim’s O’Brien was seventh in Section B, Tullylagan’s Erin Bates finished sixth in Section C while, in Section D, North Down’s Molly Reid finished fourth, three places ahead of East Down’s Eliza Samuel-Napier.

There was no team event for those competing at PC 70+ level where the Seskinore Harriers’ trio of Rebecca Sheridan, Maddison O’Kane and Órlaith McCarron finished fourth, fifth and seventh individually.

While there are lots of Area 17 members currently competing at the JCB Pony Club championships in England, others are looking forward to the Home Championships ‘our own mini Badminton’ which are scheduled to take place at Dirraw Farm on Monday, August 25th, a Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland.