THE East Antrim Branch of The Pony Club were rewarded for their efforts in organising the show jumping section of last weekend’s Area 17 Barrier Animal Health spring festival, with a win in Saturday’s team competition at Castle Irvine, Necarne.

The Branch also won the arena event team competition on Sunday, but their victory over the colour poles was far more comprehensive, as their quartet of Lucy Johnston (Waxwing Glance), Emily Dobbin (Ellie), Grace McIlroy (Millennium Ace) and Sarah Wilson (Avalon Puissance) finished on a combined converted score of 12 marks.

Along with Bella Smith and Amelia Wheeler, Katelyn Thompson and Crackerjack jumped at both PC80 and PC90 level for the second-placed Killultagh, Old Rock and Chichester team (17 marks). Their fellow Killultagh Branch member Miya Thornton joined forces with the Iveagh trio of Henry McCarthy, Faith Davison and Una McClelland to finish third of the 39 teams with 18 marks.

Sole double clear

In the individual classes, McClelland, who was the recipient of the Horsemanship award, recorded the only double clear to win the PC110 on her mother Claire’s Irish Sport Horse mare Murlough Beach, a bay daughter of Beach Ball who she competes at EI100 (J) level with Eventing Ireland. All of McClelland’s six rivals had at least one fence down in round one over the Conor McCabe-built track.

It was pretty much a similar story in the PC100, where the only double clear was recorded by the winner, the East Downs’ Imogen Gray riding Ros Murphy’s 18-year-old ISH gelding Roundstone Star Express. Here, two of Gray’s nine rivals left all the poles intact in round one, but then faulted in the timed round.

Am not sure who judged the PC90, Fiona McCurdy or Sharon Cullen, but, whoever it was, with 14 double clears in the 40-runner class, they had to look at the times in round two before announcing the North Downs’ Tilly Ham the very fast winner (in 23.94) with Hacker (aka Akaroa Bittersweet). Twice this season, Ham has competed the 16-year-old Burley Gold Blend gelding at EI80 level at Tyrella.

The Killultaghs’ Katelyn Thompson finished second (27.77) in that class on Crackerjack, the 20-year-old Catherston Gold Storm gelding who she partnered to victory in 27.01 in the PC80. There were 19 other double clears in this 50-strong class, where the East Antrims’ Grace McIlroy finished second with Millennium Ace (28.08).

There were 40 starters in the PC70 of whom 19 completed on a zero score with the North Downs’ Molly Reid doing so in the fastest time (30.18) on her father Gary’s six-year-old Connemara gelding Pine View Ice Cool (by Ice And Fire d’Albran). Erin Bates finished second (31.61) for the Tullylagan Branch on the 26-year-old 128cm grey gelding Ruthstown Speed.