IT was all about show jumping last Friday week as the Irish Pony Club Festival concluded at Barnadown.

Twenty-nine teams lined out in the Robbie Bailey Junior competition where only five squads finished the first two rounds of jumping on a zero score. Following a team jump-off, only one remained unpenalised and that was the Wexford Huckleberries quartet of Hannah Hennessy Murphy (Coppenagh Commet), Hannah Crosbie (Brooklawn Island Buachaill), Kate Kavanagh (Swanview Cream of Dexter) and Brooke Sutton McGarry (Achill).

With four faults in 72.30, the Carlow Diamonds foursome of Daniel Wall, Emily Flavin Redmond, Rebecca Salter and Grace Kelly claimed the runner-up spot, ahead of Shillelagh Greens who picked up four faults in 75 seconds.

The individual competition was won by Co Limerick’s Isabelle Kennedy who was clear in 31.79 riding the former Grade A performer Filo Blueprint, a 19-year-old skewbald Irish Sport Horse gelding by QT Jazz Man out of a Gloves Duke mare. The Killinicks’ Isabelle Bates finished second in 32.20 with the Connemara mare Kinard Pride, an eight-year-old grey by Errew Midnight Magic.

The best turned-out award was won by the Carbery Legends (Maggie McCarthy, Elaine Whelton, Emma Travers and Sadhbh Fehily) while Killinick Yellow (Hazel Slattery (who was third individually on Breolie Mist), Freya Barry, Ruth Stafford and Liam Robinson) were judged as winners of the Horsemanship award.

Just three teams were on a zero score after two rounds of jumping in the Intermediate competition and, as they recorded the only clear in the jump-off, the John Ledingham trophy was presented to the Rathfarnham quartet of Rebecca Lawlor (Annaghmore Fairytale), Abbey Flynn (Sarco), Charlotte O’Broin (JBF Riverfield Luxardo) and Niamh Browne (RPS Queen Of Hearts).

The Killinicks’ Rebecca Colfer, Owen Carroll, Max Doran and Aoife Murphy finished second with four faults in 82.16, their position being helped in no small way by Doran, who topped the individual standings when clear in 38.49 on his mother Adelaide’s seven-year-old grey gelding KHS Bundee. Clear in 40.36, Alexandra Cassidy of the Island Branch filled the runner-up slot on Courtwood Prince.

The best turned-out award in this 26-strong team competition was won by the Meath Raptors (Anna Sharkey, Crea Byrne, Zara Cogan and Caoimhe Owens) with the Horsemanship award being presented to the Shillelagh Greens (Emma Byrne, Claire Hill Doyle, Helen Winterbotham and Laura Byrne).