THE Kenny sisters, Abi and Brooke, who were already qualified for the pony working hunter section of the Gallagher Dublin Horse Show, bagged tickets for the Connemara performance hunter finals on the same two Silver Shadow-sired geldings at Forth Mountain last Saturday.

On Saturday, 17-year-old Abi won Section A of the eight to 15-year-old class on board the 2018 gelding Hogan The Brave (Silver Shadow - Ocean Annilaun Evette, by Grange Merlin Surf), who was purchased from his Co Wicklow breeder Avril Hobson as a four-year-old. “While this will be the fourth year in a row that Abi and Hogan compete at Dublin,” said the rider’s father Graham, “it’s the first time they have even tried to qualify for the Connemara performance.”

Abi and Hogan The Brave finished second first time out in 2023 in the 153cm class, were sixth in 2024 in the 158cm class and, last year, while unplaced in their workers’ class, they did place third in the Intermediate side saddle class.

Evented

The second ticket in Saturday’s qualifier went to Robyn Dempsey, who filled the runner-up slot on 240 marks with her mother Helen’s Avalon Inis Slé (Woodfield Sammy - Curly Whirly, by Inverin Rocky). This 11-year-old palomino, who was bred by Michelle Kavanagh, has evented at CCIP2*-S level.

Brooke Kenny won Section B of the younger age group Connemara performance qualifiers at Forth Mountain last weekend \ Louise O'Brien Photography

The Kenny double came up in Section B of the five to seven-year-old class, where 15-year-old Brooke dead-heated for first on board her father’s Noel Shally-bred Cupid’s Magic Shadow (Silver Shadow - Meadowhill Magic Melody, by Drymills Bridgeboy).

This will be the pony’s third year in a row, and Brooke’s second, to compete in the same class at Dublin; the seven-year-old grey gelding has also qualified for the 153cm workers’ class. Last month, the pair finished fifth in the riders under 16 Connemara working hunter class at Balmoral.

Kenny shared the honours, and the qualifying tickets, in this class with Co Wicklow’s Sophie Orr riding Allan Seery’s Aughnasilla Pat (Western Boy - Cailín Críonna, by Boden Park Finnard). Although just a five-year-old, this Declan Murphy-bred grey gelding started winning on the flat and in performance classes last season. He also has 54 Dressage Ireland points to his credit.

Louise Lyons partnered her own versatile Buachaill Bui (Templebready Fear Bui - Golden Bee, by Glaskopf Golden Siskin) to victory in Section A, where they completed on 242 marks.

This seven-year-old Avril Doyle-bred cremello gelding has featured in these pages many times, most recently in last Saturday’s edition (June 20th) when, narrowly beaten into co-third at the qualifier at Scarteen, he and Lyons’s daughter Nancy Lyons Teehan helped the North Kilkenny Branch win the team title at the Irish Pony Club’s national minimus championships in Clonshire.

Ciara O’Connor filled the runner-up spot on 240 marks with Fiona Gahan’s previously-qualified seven-year-old gelding Firbolg Dun (Kippure Columbus - Colleen Ór Buí, by Ross Fear Bui).

This meant that the second qualifying ticket went to the third-placed (237.5) combination of Sara Hakala and Seorán Fear Buí (Ross Fear Bui - Madison’s Delight, by Loughwell Paddy). Bred by Teresa Lavin and owned by Michael Young, the seven-year-old dun has competed in unaffiliated show jumping and eventing competitions and also has a good record in working hunter classes.

The previously-qualified pairing of Toby Lambe and Sophie Countess von Maltzan’s Bettyspark Shadow (Silver Shadow - Inishnee Briar Rose, by Linsfort Barney), a 2017 grey stallion bred by Audrey Donoghue, topped the final leaderboard in Section B of the eight to 15-year-old class on 238.5 marks.

On 237 marks, Emelie Larkin therefore bagged the first qualifying ticket with Kathy Rispin’s Knocknippy Nidge (Kippure Alkatraz - Carrabean Queen, by Shadow’s Dun). This Patrick Hohey-bred nine-year-old gelding competed in the young ponies’ final at the 2024 Dublin Horse Show.

Micaela O’Brien, a member of the Scarteen Hunt Branch of the Irish Pony Club, qualified in third (235.5) on her mother Georgina’s Shannon’s Shamrock (Tulira Robuck - Tallyho Sunny Day, by Kingstown Cavalier), a nine-year-old mare bred by Mary McCarthy.