TWO international events were staged during the period under review, Millstreet and Ballindenisk (2). Three amateurs who competed at both, despite holding down full-time jobs outside the horse world, were Davina Gray, Marie O’Connor and Noelle Reidy.

Although she had a bit of a ‘blip’ at Eventing Ireland’s national championships between times, Co Louth’s Davina Gray was delighted with the performance at both internationals of her eight-year-old home-bred mare, Hacklim Moxie.

Having missed the 2018 season, the Puissance bay returned to action under Sarah Ennis in the spring, running at EI100 level at Tyrella 2 and 3 before upgrading at Lisgarvan House (1) and Rosanna. In each instance, she jumped double clears, only picking up time penalties in Wicklow. When Davina took back the ride on Hacklin Moxie towards the end of April, she also gave the mare two runs at EI100 (Amateur) level. They won when upgrading at Glaslough (1) and then finished third at both Kilguilkey House (3) and Crecora (3).

“We would have had the minimum MERs, but Sarah encouraged me to compete at the two internationals and I’m delighted that I did,” said Gray, who is a member of the real estate team at Google.

“Even though we had a couple of fences down at Millstreet, I was happy with the way the mare went in the big arena and she was brilliant across the country, as she was at Ballindenisk.”

Hacklim Moxie also had two poles down at the Fell family’s event and while Gray referred to them as being unlucky, she is determined to take ‘luck’ out of it and has been show jumping in recent weeks.

“The mare has all the talent in the world so I just need to crack the show jumping. I’m taking the big step of entering her in the international at Cavan next month so we will have plenty of jumping then!

“I’ll start her off at 110 level at Tyrella next year and hopefully will go back to Ballindenisk for their spring international. The aim then would be to upgrade to 115. I hope to have my other mare (Balief Clover) back in work at that stage, so will have plenty to look forward to”

Hacklim Moxie is the second of five recorded foals out of 1995 Senang Hati mare Ringwood Hati, who was bred by the late Michael Leonard out of the Carnival Night mare Night Air. Davinia has retained Ringwood Hati’s three-year-old filly by the Irish Sport Horse stallion Carrick Diamond Lad and her yearling filly by the Connemara stallion Lough Fadda Rudi, who also made his international eventing debut at Millstreet in August.

WHEN I interviewed Marie O’Connor back in May, she was very upbeat about how the season had gone so far and her plans for the remainder of the campaign with her two horses, the experienced OCS Electric Clover Boy and the first-season six-year-old, Blessington Kings Lier.

It was disappointing therefore when I spoke to her this week to find that, following a satisfactory Millstreet with her husband John’s OCS Electric Clover Boy and a sixth-place finish at Eventing Ireland’s national championships, she had withdrawn the 13-year-old Sunny Boy gelding before the cross-country phase at Ballindenisk.

“The jumping was bad (eight penalties) but I felt I was really slated in the dressage,” said O’Connor, who is a deli assistant in the Spar store in Castletownroche.

“As an amateur, it’s really difficult coming up against the professionals and I think the ground jury should be informed if someone is an amateur, or they should have a separate section for amateurs. We pay the very same money as the professionals, but are at a huge disadvantage.

“My spirit was really dampened, I can tell you. I said at the time that I’d never ride at another international event, but I suppose I will.

“The grey (OCS Electric Clover Boy) is on a badly-needed holiday but I’m jumping the younger horse a bit and both will do some jumping over the winter – that’s if I have time with work and all the hunting (John is a Master of the Woodrock and Blackwater Valley Beagles).

“Although OCS Electric Clover Boy hates dressage, I’d hope to keep going up the grades with him. I’m only riding him just over a year and we are still getting to know one another.

“He was brilliant across the country at Millstreet and I love riding there. It has to be the nicest place to ride in this country. The track was big and bold and my fellow just loved it.”

‘My fellow is a machine across the country’

NOELLE Reidy lives in Ballinhassig and competes at EI110 (Amateur) level with a horse named after the Co Cork village.

Previously a hunter belonging to Noelle’s husband Adrian Hickey, an ex-jockey who purchased the black gelding when he was four, the now 13-year-old Ballinhassig made his Eventing Ireland debut at Grove in June 2016 when Noelle partnered him into second place in the EI90 (Amateur) class. Very consistent, the combination has competed at seven international events over the past two seasons, this year leaving out just Ballindenisk (1) and Tattersalls.

They finished 22nd and 29th respectively in the CCI2*-S classes at Millstreet and Ballindenisk (2) and, while they picked up eight show jumping penalties at the Fell family’s farm, that was half the amount accrued at the Duggans’ north Co Cork venue.

“My fellow is a machine across the country, but I am going to have to work on my show jumping, as I would really like to upgrade,” said Noelle, who is mother of four-year-old Leighton.

The combination also had two fences down at Eventing Ireland’s national championships at Kilguilkey but here, Noelle had no one but herself to blame for their later elimination. “I jumped the wrong ‘feckin’ third last cross-country fence!” she said with vigour.

Noelle and Adrian are now looking forward to the hunting season, as they are regular followers of the South Union Hunt.

For the past two years, Noelle has worked in the dog care and welfare section of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind headquarters and training centre on Model Farm Road in Cork.