THE usual large squad of Irish Pony Society members travelled over to Grantham last week for the British Show Pony Society summer championships, where the atmosphere was wonderful but the weather wasn’t.

With Stuart Murphy as chef d’equipe, the Irish contingent recorded wins in three of the four team events they entered including, for the first time, the inter-country working hunter competition. They fielded four of the 14 teams with the other squads finishing third, fifth and seventh. The winning quartet comprised Co Wexford’s Jessica Murphy on Leestone Conbreaker (third in the 158cm class), Co Tipperary’s Evie Kennedy with Little Dromin Phoenix and Co Antrim’s Holly Logan riding Owens Shadow (first and fifth in the 143cm) plus Co Kilkenny’s Nancy Lyons Teehan on Dartans Seoda Ban (fourth in the 133cm).

There isn’t room to mention everyone, but Co Meath’s Nancy Caffrey was third in the 133cm on Bowmount Rusty and Co Down’s Lucy Donnan finished second in the 153cm riding Killaughey Supersonic. The winner of that latter class was Co Down’s Max McDonnell on board his mother Mary’s WKD Little Gift (WKD Aris Boy - WKD Gazella, by Balou du Rouet), a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare bred by Joanne Sloan Allen.

McDonnell and WKD Little Gift were to end the day standing reserve to the Maeve Kennedy-owned 17-year-old Connemara gelding Little Dromin Phoenix (Lettermuckoo Lad - Ballindoon Dolan Sparrow, by Dylan Mick). Last month, Evie Kennedy and the Vera Griffin-bred grey won the working hunter pony championship at Dublin for the second time in three years.

Ireland also won the Premier working hunter team competition and the Premier Heritage team competition, but had to settle for fourth in the Premier show hunter team competition.