AFTER months of qualifying, members of Branches in Area 17 of The Pony Club converged on the wonderful venue of Castle Irvine, Necarne last weekend for the Barrier Animal Health Spring Festival.

Dressage was staged over the two days at the Co Fermanagh estate, sharing the spotlight on Saturday with show jumping and, on Sunday, with arena eventing. Competitions were held in the Walled Garden, the Rose Garden and the indoor arena.

“This year, we had the weather on our side with the sun shining all weekend,” reported Area 17 Representative, Fran Rowlatt-McCormick. “We had great support from the team at Castle Irvine, big thanks to Edna Gamble, Abbi, Rhianne and Rytist.

“We are now in year three of this prestigious competition and I think the Northern Ireland team of volunteers are really getting the hang of things and starting to make this into a fantastic event, which is a credit to The Pony Club.

“The standard of riding improves year on year and we think that having this competition at the start of the year helps focus the mind and provides the motivation for training early in the season.

“We were delighted to welcome the Irish Pony Club Windsor dressage team, who narrowly beat the Northern Ireland members in a well-matched Nations’ Challenge. We also had a ‘trot up’ for the NI Windsor team, which provided a great learning experience and valuable coaching from Glenshire Vets.

“The car parks were full to capacity over the weekend, while Saturday night’s party in the indoor arena was very well attended.”

Fran, who also filled the role of event secretary and was in charge of health and safety at the Festival, thanked sponsor Barrier Animal Health and the company’s representatives who were on hand for some very lengthy prize-giving ceremonies in the courtyard over the two days.

Di Pegrum, Vice Chair of The Pony Club who attended the Festival and judged the tidy stable competition, thanked “all the members and parents for embracing the fun, friendship, horsemanship and sport that are at the core of The Pony Club”.

Students at the locally-based campus of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise brought their weighbridge to the Festival on Saturday, when it complemented the advice on safe and effective solutions to support the healthcare needs of horses and ponies offered by Barrier Animal Health.