WE were saddened to learn of the death last week from a suspected heart attack of the Love family’s home-bred Irish Sport Horse mare Lucky For Some.

The traditionally-bred pony was campaigned first by Timmy Love (2015 to 2016) and then by his sister Holly (2017 to 2019). Sarah Ennis competed the mare once towards the end of 2019 but the following season Matthew Love had taken over the ride on the bay. The new combination started eventing with the Meath Pony Club before moving on to Eventing Ireland company.

They recorded back-to-back wins in August 2021 – in the EI110 (P) at Castle Irvine, Necarne and in the CCIP2-S at Millstreet. The mare obviously came into her own during the summer as her next victory under Matthew came in the CCIP2-S at Ballindenisk in early July 2022 and they were then members of the Irish gold medal-winning team at the European pony championships in Strzegom, Poland.

The following season, Lucky For Some was leased by Ruby and Gillian Walsh for their daughter Isabelle to ride and last year the pair were on Ireland’s silver medal-winning team at the pony Europeans in Westerstede, Germany. Connections had hoped that the combination would have been selected again for this year’s championships but sadly this was not to be.

A 2011 daughter of the Connemara stallion Dunlewey Seamus, Lucky For Some was bred by Sarah Love and is the only produce recorded on the Irish Horse Register out of the unraced Classic Cliche mare Gifted Sister.