COMPETITIVE inter-club action in the North East Region of the AIRC resumed last Sunday when Castle Hill ran their Summer Show at the National Horse Sport Arena.

The stand-out combination on the day was Fingal’s Mary Hagan and her 19-year-old bay mare Sweetwall who first topped the leaderboard in the RCP3 (67.6%). They then won the 70cm class en route to claiming the Horse Mad Store working hunter championship for which Hagan was presented with the Ruby Carter perpetual trophy.

Standing reserve were the 80cm class winners, Lisa Murray and Lucas, a 21-year-old Luke Skywalker gelding. That Tara Hill combination was also third in their lightweight hunters’ class which was won by Annaharvey’s Matilda Falkhede on the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Annaharvey Hudson Bay (by Carrabawn Cross).

There were two other classes in the newly-introduced White’s Agri showing section, the middle/heavyweight hunter class which was won by Mullaghmore’s Leonie O’Gorman on Skehana Graphite and the riding horse class where the final line-up was headed by O’Gorman’s sister, and fellow Mullaghmore member, Lisa on board her traditionally-bred ISH mare Carrenrush Liberty Belle.

We don’t know if the O’Gormans intend competing at this week’s AIRC North East Region Festival but we do know that the pair are heading to the Dublin Horse Show where Skehana Graphite holds an entry in the older small hunters’ class. The 15-year-old grey KEC Bluejay Diamond mare Carrenrush Liberty Belle will contest the small riding horse class. Leonie has also qualified for the ladies’ side saddle with Lackaghbeg Augustus Star.

In the championship on Sunday, Leonie claimed the honours on board Skehana Graphite, a six-year-old grey gelding by Young Carrabawn who was bred in Co Galway by John McHugh out of the Carrickrock Close Shave mare Skehanas Rock Chic. The reserve sash went to Drynam’s Aoife Sweetman and her ISH mare Lisroan Promise, a seven-year-old Glencorran Star grey who had finished second in the riding horse class.

Athenry’s Gary Guyatt judged both the showing and working hunter sections while the five dressage classes were judged by Castle Hill member Nat O’Hanrahan, a recent addition to Dressage Ireland’s List 6. The winner of the dressage turn-out prize was Cheval’s John Maguire who finished second in the Walk/Trot test on his seven-year-old skewbald gelding Dumbledore.