MEMBERS of the Irish Pony Club enjoyed a hugely successful trip to Houston House in Renfrewshire, Scotland last weekend for the Pony Club UK’s senior home international and regional Tetrathlon championships.

“This was a lovely venue, not too far from Edinburgh, which we had never been to before,” revealed John Flood, the IPC’s chair of Tetrathlon and Minimus. “The ride phase was quite tough, but our members coped with it really well and it was great to see them record so many clear rounds.”

While the results of the team events can vary, they are based on just the one effort of each individual competitor over the three days. Therefore, Jamie Hargaden’s total of 4,200 points saw the Carlow member claim the boys’ individual title while he was also on the winning Ireland Gold team in the boys’ regional competition and on the successful Ireland boys’ international team.

Going clear to hold on to his full 1,400 ride points on the traditionally-bred Irish Sport Horse mare Fortmill Diamond Island, an 11-year-old bay by Carrick Diamond Lad, Hargaden was joined on the winning regional team (16,356 points) by Waterford’s Darragh Walsh, Co Limerick’s Sonny McCartan, West Waterford’s Peter Verling and Offaly’s Tom O’Rourke.

The Ireland Green quintet of Sean Maher, Edward Healy, Leo Cleere, Harry Barton and Alexander Maher finished second in this regional event with 15,020 points. The international squad, who amassed 16,348 points, comprised Hargaden, McCartan, Verling, O’Rourke and Alexander Maher; England Boys finished second on 15,876.

Clear in the ride phase, IPC members filled six of the top 10 individual placings in the regional competition, Co Limerick Junior member JJ Power recording a highly-impressive and very encouraging score of 4,128 to finish third among this strong field of seniors.

Disappointingly, somehow, and not too far adrift on points, the Ireland Girls’ team finished last of three in the international competition but that was their only reversal.

The IPC fielded three of the 11 regional teams with the honours going to the Ireland Gold quintet of Leitrim’s Grace Quinn, Co Clare’s Grace Murphy, Duhallow’s Victoria Roche, Kildare’s Katie Dillon and Tipperary’s Anna O’Callaghan, who amassed 16,302 points.

Ireland Green (Caroline Roche, Jane Moloney, Tianne Kelly, Margaret Verling and Lucy O’Rourke) finished second on 16,295, ahead of Wales and Borders Red on 16,244 and Ireland White (Akysha Kelly, Annabelle Dunne, Ava Donnellan, Ellie Dillon and Cora Finn) on 16,036.

IPC members filled five of the top 12 places individually, her clear round with the eight-year-old ISH mare Bubbles On Ice helping Tianne Kelly claim honours on a total of 4,277. Anna O’Callaghan finished best of the other IPC members in the top 10 on 4,159. She, too, was clear in the ride phase on the 18-year-old skewbald gelding Texas-Lukos.

Two individual Area 17 members of The Pony Club made their senior regional debuts at Houston House, Killultagh’s Emma Stewart finishing ninth (4,113) in the girls’ competition, while the Iveaghs’ Harry Purdy was 16th (3,773) in the boys’ event.

The IPC Tetrathletes, and invited guests, are now focussing on next weekend’s Defender national championships, while some of those – and many others – will be thinking further ahead to the Connolly’s Red Mills eventing championships at Tattersalls Ireland (August 23rd and 24th).

Today, the heats of the Pony Club mounted games at the Dublin Horse Show are due to start at 3.40pm in Ring 1 where tomorrow the finals will take place with a 1.25pm start time. Roughly four hours later in the same Ring, the Leitrim Branch will perform the Shrek-themed musical ride which saw them win at the recent Irish Pony Club Festival in Barnadown,.