THE All-Ireland Carriage Driving Championships took place at Punchestown last weekend, where, through changeable weather conditions, the dressage phase took place on Friday, the marathon on Saturday and the technical cones phase on Sunday. The presence of the Northern Ireland Carriage Driving Association (NICDA) was strongly felt at the championships, with their members claiming seven of the 11 All-Ireland titles on offer, as well as officiating and volunteering in various roles.

The prize winners over the weekend included Jacqueline Magennis in the VSE; Mark McAleese in the Pre-novice Junior section; James Hare in the Pre-novice; Philip Stranney in the Novice Pony class; Alison Bryson in the Novice Horse; Aniko Foldszin in the Novice Pony Pair division, Linda Applebe in the Open Pony class; Jeffrey Lyons in the Open Horse; Rachel Campbell in the Open Pony Pair and John Kennedy in the Horse Team class.

In addition to winning the Open Pony title, Linda Applebe was also presented with the Robert Johnson Memorial Cup for the best marathon performance by judge Joyce Simpson during the hog roast and associated festivities on Saturday evening. This trophy holds a particularly special place within the NICDA family, as Robert was a longstanding member of the association.

An event of this scale simply doesn’t happen without an enormous amount of work behind the scenes, much of it completed long before the first horse enters the dressage arena. Special thanks must therefore go to organiser Sarah Mullins, President of the Jury Joyce Simpson, Technical Delegate Terry Logan and Course Designer John Kennedy, together with the organising committee and everyone who contributed to making the championships possible. Thanks must also go to the judges, scorers, stewards, obstacle personnel and the many volunteers and supporters, who generously gave their time throughout the three days.