THE North East Region of the Association of Irish Riding Clubs (AIRC) held the final of their Horse Mad Store autumn dressage league last Saturday at the Cheval showgrounds in Jordanstown, where the three qualifying rounds were also staged.

While the final was a standalone show which any AIRC member could enter, to be eligible for league prizes riders had to compete at two of the qualifying legs and at the final, where double points were on offer. All but one of the league winners contested the three qualifiers.

The best supported leagues were the RC P2 and the RC P3, the latter being won on the higher score of 39 points by Gerry O’Byrne and Doon Finn. The Ashbrook member and his 11-year-old Connemara gelding (Newgrange Lad - Doon Maggie Ann, by Parkmore Bobby) topped the scores in two of the three qualifiers and in Saturday’s final (68.75%).

Second in both the RC P3 final (67.68) and league (25), Castle Hill’s Elaine Mulligan started her day by winning the RC P2 final (67.92) and league (34) on board her 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding DMF Alphabet (Mermus R - Annachmor Cailin, by Ard VDL Douglas). On 32 points, Cheval’s Sarah Maxwell finished runner-up in the league with her 15-year-old grey gelding Selto.

Prize-winning criteria

The only rider to fill the league prize-winning criteria at RC P1 level was Thornton secretary Ali Curtis, who did so with her 19-year-old skewbald gelding Haribo. They were the sole starters in Saturday’s final, where judge Jean Halpenny awarded them a score of 65.62. They won the league on a total of 38 points.

Disappointingly, there was just one starter at RCN level over the series. Ashbrook’s Ciara Wynne, who missed the first leg, recorded uncontested victories at the Cheval-run leg at the start of October and the Castle Hill-staged round in the middle of that month before doing so again in the final (66.77) on her 15-year-old ISH mare My Lady Arabella (Fado Fado - Carrolls Lover Girl, by White Clover).

Although advertised each week, the Elementary class received its only entry last Saturday when Copperfield’s Louise Duffy scored 64.31 riding her Traditional ISH gelding Merrycorner Old Gold, an eight-year-old home-bred dun by Templebready Fear Bui out of the thoroughbred mare Granny Vickie, by Old Vic.

The Walk/Trot final (68.77) and league (38) were won by Copperfield chairperson Karen Gibney with the four-year-old cob Cairnview Midnight, a black son of Irish Gold. This combination finished third at the opening leg of the league, run by Gibney’s own club, but won each time out since. Second in both the final (67.38) and league (33) was Cheval’s Claudine Hannigan on her five-year-old skewbald gelding Golden Rock.

Cairnview Midnight is owned by Copperfield secretary Jane Whitaker, who won the RC Preliminary open with the day’s only 70% plus score on her own traditional Irish cob Coppermine Maggie (70.38). Whitaker, a List 1 judge with Dressage Ireland, topped the scores at all four legs of the series with the 17-year-old skewbald mare for the maximum score of 40 points.

Young horse league

Having competed at two of the qualifying rounds, Mullaghmore’s Sinead McNally finished second in both the final (67.12) and league (26) at RC Preliminary open level before landing the young horse final (67.88) on her Dutch Warmblood gelding Riverdale DL. In the young horse league, McNally and her five-year-old bay son of Emerald EB had to settle for second (30) behind Kilronan’s Ciara McGlynn and her similarly-aged skewbald gelding Nandor The Relentless (34).

Best turned-out

The day’s best turned-out award, sponsored by Higginstown House, was won by Caroline Graham, a member of the Rathangan club in the West Leinster Region, who finished third in the RC P2 league with Pollardstown James, her 13-year-old piebald ISH gelding by Ballysax Shakespeare.

Saturday’s final was staged by the Kilronan club whose Amy Cashin, a Halloween superfan, turned up in fancy dress to present the day’s rosettes and prizes. There will be dressing up of a different kind next Saturday night when the North East Region holds its annual awards ball in the Bracken Court Hotel, Balbriggan.