THE bulk of the TRI Equestrian show jumping competitions at last week’s three-day Irish Pony Club Festival in Barnadown were held on the Friday, when a good trip to Co Wexford for the Kildare Branch was made even better as their Minstrels squad won the Junior team competition for the Robbie Bailey cup. Following two rounds of 90cm jumping, three of the 28 teams were on a zero score.

Disappointingly for the Newcastle Lyons Branch’s Silver Birch quartet of Oliver French, Saoirse Tracy, Ava Mooney and Isabelle Smith, their Festival came to an end following a fall. Receiving some compensation when presented with the equitation award, Carlow’s Emily Flavin-Redmond, Grace Kelly, Lulu Rose Mulhall and Jack Hargaden (who had just arrived back from Australia) had to settle for second on four faults in 73.61.

The Kildare Minstrels not only recorded a third clear round, but did so in 67.46. The team comprised Orla Cleary (True Light Bindi), Nia Webbon (Ashwood Ramio Diamond), Béibhínn Dillane (Moonwalk Jack) and Eliza Wardell (Kinamara Bright Star). “These girls have been knocking on the door looking for a win like this,” commented Branch District Commissioner Una Holohan. “In previous years, most of them were on teams together, finishing fourth and sixth in the Alice Mernagh competition.”

Of the quartet, Wardell was best-placed in third (33.24) in the individual competition, where the honours in 32.54 were claimed by the Duhallow Dynamos’ Olivia Roche riding the Connemara gelding Lissarulla Smokey Bob, a 14-year-old grey by Westonhouse Straboe Bobby. West Waterford’s Lucy Hehir finished second on The Jemmy Man (32.59). Back to the team competition, where the turn-out award was won by the Kilkenny Cats’ foursome of Will Griffin, Oliver Power, Lucy Hearne and Jack Dunphy.

John Ledingham Intermediate

Just two of the 27 teams in the John Ledingham Intermediate (1m) competition went through on a zero score to the jump-off round, where both picked up four faults. The faster time of 68.35 was recorded by the Warrington Black quartet of Emily O’Keeffe (Currabawn Black Magic), Mia Rowe (Wilma Misty), Anna Moloney (Castlehill Titan) and Inocent Voltaire (Jilly Hoban). Finishing second in 72.18 were The Kingdom Bit Happens team of Kate Murnane, Paige Murphy, Olivia Stepien and Emilie Browne.

Winners of the John Leddingham cup were the Warrington Black team comprising Emily O'Keeffe, Mia Rowe, Anna Moloney and Jilly Hoban with Rory O'Sullivan-Hennessy \ Laurence Dunne jumpinaction.net

Of those mentioned, Browne on Steel Me Darling (38.98) and Moloney riding Castlehill Titan (33.74) finished fourth and second in the individual competition, where they were split by The Bray Musketeers’ Tadhgh O’Leary on board Pearl (38.30). The win in 30.24 was claimed by O’Leary’s teammate Kitty Moran riding the 15-year-old 148cm gelding RMA Silver Dollar.

Three members of the Killinick Green team rode thoroughbred horses, with Jessie Bates picking up the Treo Eile award for the top-placed thoroughbred in the show jumping section of the Festival on the 11-year-old Scorpion gelding Guns For Hire. The bay, who last ran in August 2021, finished third twice in a nine-race track career in Britain.

Senior individual

Thirteen riders contested the Senior individual 1.10m competition, three of whom progressed to a jump-off round.

Megan Adams of the Laois Branch had to settle for third when picking up four faults on Oliver’s Girl. Dominika Czibla did her best for the Sligo Branch, but her clear in 42.75 on Donnas Roller was comfortably bettered by that in 38.83, which was recorded by Wexford’s Kate Kavanagh on the Connemara gelding Swanview Cream of Dexter, an 11-year-old grey by Dexter Leam Pondi.

While the majority of Pony Club members compete across more than one discipline, the pure show jumpers are now looking forward to the Classic final, which is scheduled to take place at CoilÓg on Sunday, September 6th. Before then, some will be competing at the Gallagher Dublin Horse Show and we wish them the best of luck for the week ahead.