THE AIRC South East Spring Series show jumping final 2026 took place on Sunday, May 31st at Coolboy, Tinahely, hosted by the AIRC South East Region by kind permission of Tinahely Riding Club.

Course builder Felim O’Dowd put competitors through their paces in front of Judge Rory O’Sullivan-Hennessy with a series of well-built, testing tracks. In the RC70 section, Josephine Britton of Warrington Riding Club and Mikey Joe produced a clear round in a time of 67.89 seconds to take victory on the day. Patrick Deegan of Ballycanew Riding Club and Last Masterpiece also jumped clear to finish second in 77.10. Josephine’s win confirmed her as the overall RC70 Spring Series champion, finishing on 24 points, with Patrick taking second overall on 14 points.

Josephine Britton and Mikey Joe continued their strong form in the RC70 Open, again jumping clear to win the class in 66.85. Martina Mulligan of Greenvalley and Tallyhoebob finished second with a clear round in 62.37, while Deirdre Deegan of Ballycanew and Dexter’s Pride took third, also clear in 60.96. Margaret Bolger of Thomastown & District and Inbhear Lady Lauren finished fourth on four faults, with Chloe Stedman of Kilcarrick and Beauty completing the line-up in fifth. In the overall RC70 Open Spring Series, Deirdre Deegan and Dexter’s Pride secured the league title for Ballycanew. Chloe Stedman and Beauty finished second, ahead of Josephine Britton and Mikey Joe in third. Margaret Bolger and Inbhear Lady Lauren took fourth, while Françoise Foley-Fisher of Warrington and Ragtime Lady finished fifth.

The RC80 final saw Aoife Murphy of Horetown and Sailors Hill deliver a foot-perfect performance to win the class on the day, jumping clear in 60.66. Casey Cushe of Coole Lane and Penure Fred finished second on four faults in 60.01, while Françoise Foley-Fisher and Ragtime Lady took third, also on four faults in 58.91.

Tony Behan of Coole Lane and Cappard Brownie finished fourth, with Patrick Byrne of Barrow Valley and Macimor R taking fifth. Aoife Murphy’s victory also secured her the overall RC80 Spring Series title with Sailors Hill. Tony Behan and Cappard Brownie finished second overall, ahead of Casey Cushe and Penure Fred in third. Patrick Byrne and Macimor R took fourth place, Chloe Stedman and Beauty finished fifth, and Françoise Foley-Fisher and Ragtime Lady completed the top six.

Whitehead wins

In the RC80 Open, Albert Whitehead of Carne and Oyster claimed the win on the day with a clear round in 61.34. Patrick Byrne and Macimor R followed closely in second, also clear in 58.09, while Casey Cushe and Penure Fred took third on four faults. Martina Mulligan and Tallyhoebob finished fourth. In the overall RC80 Open Spring Series, Patrick Byrne emerged as champion, with Casey Cushe taking second and Albert Whitehead finishing third.

The RC90 class produced a closely-contested final, with all competitors in the placings finishing on four faults and time proving decisive. Caoimhe Curran of Barrow Valley and Clonfin Lolalicious took first place in a time of 37.55. Sophie Whitehead of Carne and Ballyell Ellie finished second in 40.96, while Gillian Cody of Thomastown & District and Lisbrien Boy took third in 41.55. Shannon Pratt of Coole Lane finished fourth.

In the overall RC90 Spring Series, Ciara Shannon of Coole Lane and Oddsocks secured the league title. Caoimhe Curran finished second overall, with Gillian Cody in third, Sophie Whitehead in fourth and Shannon Pratt in fifth.

Ciara Shannon and Oddsocks also delivered a strong performance in the RC90 Open, jumping clear in 47.37 to win the class on the day. Miriam Davies of Tinahely and Copper Highlights finished second on four faults in 40.33, with Lisa Whitehead of Carne and Miss Lady Candy Star taking third in 41.19. Leonard Reamsbottom of Coole Lane and Layla finished fourth. In the overall RC90 Open Spring Series, Lisa Whitehead took the title, with Leonard Reamsbottom finishing second.

The RC100 division provided a fitting finale to the Spring Series, with Christina Kavanagh of Carne and Russelstown Nightshade sailing to victory on the day. The combination jumped clear in a time of 37.37 to win the class and confirm a dominant league campaign. Albert Whitehead and Knocknacree Juno finished second, also clear in 41.37, while Miriam Davies and Copper Highlights took third on four faults. Shannon Pratt finished fourth, with Gillian Cody and Lisbrien Boy in fifth.

Christina Kavanagh’s success on the day crowned an outstanding Spring Series, as she secured the overall RC100 league title on a grand total of 45 points, having attended every leg of the series and achieved success throughout. Albert Whitehead finished second overall, followed by Shannon Pratt in third.