THINGS didn’t go to plan for Niamh Browne with RPS Queen of Hearts at Dublin last August but, having qualified at Maryville Stables last Sunday, she and her mother Lisa’s chesnut mare will be out to rectify matters this time around in the Junior Equitation class for ponies exceeding 138cm but not exceeding 153cm.

As she is now 17 years of age, this will be Niamh’s final chance to impress the judge in Simmonscourt. She certainly impressed the series judge, Jane Bradbury, last Sunday when she completed on 99 marks out of a possible 120 on the Sheila White-bred RPS Queen Of Hearts (Simba - Kan Dan Do, by Kannan).

While the Browne family live in Tallaght, their 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse is kept on livery at Rathfarnham Equestrian where Niamh receives some coaching from Gina Fennessy. These days, however, she is mainly coached by Jack Doyle who was at Maryville on Sunday and at whose Co Kildare yard Browne keeps her eight-year-old Belgian mare Sunshine van het Bildeken.

Niamh, who is a member of the Rathfarnham Branch of the Irish Pony Club, is a pupil at Our Lady’s School, Terenure. She has just completed Transition Year, during which time she spent a week at the Army Equitation School.

“Although Niamh, my husband Paul and I travelled down to Maryville on Saturday, she didn’t jump in any of the qualifiers that day,” revealed Lisa Browne. “As the mare is 153cm, she’s too tall for the pony classes and not tall enough to take on those bigger horses. We enjoyed watching some of the other classes and were delighted when Niamh won on Sunday.”

Behind Browne, the three qualifying tickets went to Claudia O’Neill, who scored 97.1 on the nine-year-old Connemara gelding Kiltiernan Buzzard (by Dunlewey Goshawk); to Isibéal Conway Kelly, who scored 97 on the seven-year-old Grade B mare Aran Gem; and to Emily Marnane, who scored 96 on the eight-year-old ISH gelding Krafty Tim Hunt, who she has also qualified for the 153cm working hunter pony class at Dublin.

There were four eliminations and a similar number of retirements among the 63 starters.

The final qualifier for these highly-competitive Junior Equitation classes at the Gallagher Dublin Horse Show takes place tomorrow in Cavan Equestrian Centre.