Jumps Ahead league
THE first leg of the 2025 Jumps Ahead league at Ballindenisk, being hosted by the Muskerry Branch on behalf of Area 5 of the Irish Pony Club, took place last Sunday at the Fell family’s popular Watergrasshill venue.
The league continues on Sunday next, October 26th and on Sunday, November 9th with the final scheduled for Sunday, November 16th. Entries close the previous Thursday. The league runs across all four dates while participation at two qualifiers allows entry to the final.
The Fell family, who recently hosted the Pony Club Nations’ Cup competitions at their autumn international horse trials, have a long association with the IPC. While all her children were active members of the United Branch, Joyce Fell was District Commissioner for many years and also filled the role of Area 5 representative.
Glenamaddy one-day event
ENTRIES close at 6pm on Friday next, October 24th for a mini one-day event for IPC members being run by the Leitrim Branch at the Glenamaddy Equestrian Centre in Co Galway on Bank Holiday Monday, October 27th. Classes will range from 50cm to 90cm. This is a fundraiser for the Irish Cancer Society.
International mounted games competition
THE Irish Pony Club’s mounted games committee is running an international mounted games competition next weekend, October 25th and 26th, at Barnadown Equestrian. There will be a starting line-up of 10 Senior teams, 14 Junior teams and 10 Under 10 teams’ in action over two sessions on Saturday and Sunday. There will also be an exciting International competition between teams representing Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, plus a mixed international team which will comprise one rider from each of the participating countries.
On Friday night, the organisers are holding a table quiz for all the international teams and on the Saturday night, after the day’s competition, they are having a barbeque where all competitors and parents will gather in the indoor arena for a bit of food and craic.
Aftercare award
FRIDAY, October 31st is the closing date for applications for the Irish Pony Club thoroughbred aftercare award, sponsored by Treo Eile. This award will be presented to the selected IPC member who, having come through an application, judging and interview process, has best offered a second career to a thoroughbred, whether retired out of training or, perhaps, has never made it to the track.
The award is to ‘acknowledge the partnership’s retraining journey, the aftercare afforded to the racehorse, the retraining route and the enjoyment from having the horse’. The award encompasses all IPC members with a thoroughbred and is not confined to those who compete at IPC-organised events. The top three applicants, as deemed by the judging panel, will proceed to the interview stage. Riders must be active IPC members and horses must be registered with Treo Eile (registration is free). See the IPC or the Treo Facebook pages for a link to the application form.
End of season ball
A REMINDER to Irish Pony Club parents, adult family members and friends that tickets are on sale for the ‘End of season ball’, a black-tie event supporting the Irish Cancer Society, which is scheduled for Saturday, November 1st, at the Hotel Kilkenny in ‘The Marble City’. Full details can be found on the IPC Facebook page.
Barrier Spring Festival
UP in Area 17 of The Pony Club (Northern Ireland), where they held their Tetrathlon awards party night last Saturday week in Mahons Hotel, Irvinestown, they have already started qualifying for their 2026 Barrier Spring Festival. Also taking place in Irvinestown, at Castle Irvine, Necarne, the Festival, which features arena eventing, dressage and show jumping competitions for all levels, will take place over the weekend of April 25th and 26th, with qualifying running up to Saturday, April 4th.