ALTHOUGH not a championship, special mention must be made of the young horse class at the Connolly’s Red Mills/AIRC National dressage championships in the Mullingar Equestrian Centre last Sunday.

Eight riders availed of the opportunity of competing their young horses in two tests and two recorded combined percentage scores of 140 or more. Just breaking through the barrier to finish second (140.6) was the elsewhere-mentioned Twinfort secretary Tabitha Millar Hagerty with her Dutch Warmblood gelding Saint, a four-year-old chesnut by For Ferrero out of a Voice mare.

The winner on 143.30 was Tinahely’s Rita Naughton with her home-bred Irish Sport Horse mare Whitewell Peekaboo (Tullabeg Fusion - Primadonna, by Pinatubo). The five-year-old dun is the first of two ISH-registered produce out of her dam, who Naughton brought with her when moving to Ireland roughly nine years ago.

“I used to compete the dam in dressage when I lived in Germany, but I never competed her here,” revealed Naughton, who has been a member of Tinahely since 2019. “Her second foal, who is also a filly by Fusion, is a three-year-old who I sold to Germany last year and they are very pleased with her.

“I was meant to sell Peekaboo too, but am very attached to her so, for the moment at least, I plan to hold on to her. She has lovely movement, but also jumps like a deer. I have only schooled her over show jumps and cross-country fences to date, but hope to do show jumping and eventing with her next season.”

Naughton has other broodmares at her Whitewell Equestrian outside Carnew, where she takes horses in for schooling and adults and younger riders for coaching. She is very closely associated with the Island and Wexford Branches of the Irish Pony Club.