THEY may not be prepared to ride in mucky fields but members of Dressage Ireland are becoming used to competing in the wind and rain, as well as blazing sunshine, as the increasingly popular discipline continues all year round.

While the championships dates and venues are decided at a national level, the sport in general is organised by the Regions which can result in three or four shows one weekend and one, or even none, the next. Looking at the entries, it’s a pity that each Region persists in advertising higher graded classes at every show, which attract little interest, instead of there being one higher graded show each month in different parts of the country.

The organisation continues to evolve and the Winter Championships, held this year at Castle Irvine, Necarne in April are being replaced in 2026 by the Inter Regional Finals which are scheduled to be hosted by South Munster at Ballindenisk on just the one day, Saturday, April 18th. Two qualifiers have already been held with five more listed between the beginning of February and the end of March.

Although never as popular as the National Championships, the 2025 fixture was highly-praised at the time by DI chairman Mark Ruddock. “I’m so proud of what the board and the vast number of volunteers delivered for our members this weekend at the stunning venue of Castle Irvine.

“After all the eliminations by the stewards at the (2024) summer championships for incorrect tack and spurs, I’m happy to report that nobody was eliminated this time. The riding was super and ethically correct, which was commented on by the judges and is always lovely to hear. I personally want to thank everyone for making the weekend a huge success.”

Future

Looking to the future, DI continues to encourage young riders to compete in dressage through the Trailblazers’ classes and dedicated Junior sections which, depending on the time of year and the Region, are well-supported at times. They are also pleased to see the numbers competing in dressage with the Pony Club movement and the interest in youth training among members.

Training also continues when it comes to judging and it was good to see some people moving up the levels during the year while others came on to List 6 for the first time. The fact that the judges’ gala at Ballyrogan Stud sold out well in advance of its early November date showed the interest in listening to and learning from the popular Richard Baldwin.

It was great to see two DI-listed judges, Vanda Stewart and Marie Hennessy, on the ground juries at the FEI WBFSH eventing world championships for young horses at Le Lion d’Anger in October, while Joanne Jarden (List 1) has been appointed as a ground jury member for the eventing competition at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen next August.

While there are plenty of Connemara ponies, Irish Draughts and Traditional Irish Sport Horses competing with Dressage Ireland, their exploits aren’t as widely acclaimed as those of the thoroughbred, with Treo Eile being among the sponsors who partnered with Dressage Ireland and the Regions throughout the year.