THE Seskinore Harriers Branch of The Pony Club held the first of Area 17’s 2027 Barrier Spring Festival qualifiers last Sunday at Castle Irvine, Necarne where the arena eventing competitions were staged in the Walled Garden.

The best-supported class was the AE80 where, riding the Irish Sport Horse mare Kilcurry Liberos Flight, a 16-year-old daughter of Metropole, East Antrim’s Daniel Stewart held off 15 rivals, the closest of whom at the finish was the hosts’ Jessica McCarroll on Tullira Fudge.

Despite six time penalties, McCarroll and that 15-year-old bay gelding struck for Seskinore at AE90 level, where they recorded the faster of only two clear rounds. North Derry’s Charlotte Killen picked up five jumping penalties and two for time to finish second on the seven-year-old ISH gelding Lisdara Dubh.

Teammates

The hosts doubled up in the 14-runner AE70 where, with 0.4 of a time penalty, Myra McCarroll and Lilly Rose topped the final leaderboard ahead of their teammates, Henry Coote and Life Of Riley at Brookvale (1.6).

There were just four starters in the AE100, where the Iveaghs’ Rosie Strain claimed the honours on board the Connemara gelding Glenomore Tom, an eight-year-old bay by Gwennic de Goariva.

There were divides for first in the three non-qualifying classes.