THE first leg of the 2019 Plusivtal Spring Tour got off to a great start last weekend at Ard Chuain Equestrian Centre. Familiar faces were out in force last weekend trying to get their season off to the best possible start.

RDS 128cm champion Senan Reape and veteran superstar pony Mickybo did just that, proving once again that they are a real force to be reckoned with, striking an unbeatable round in the 128cms in a very quick time of 34.30 seconds in the jump-off to take home the title.

Abbie Oakley and Parc Giggles had the advantage of going last in the second round and pushed hard to beat Reape but just a 100th of a second behind left Oakley in second place on the day in 34.31.

No stranger to Spring Tour outings, Kian Dore and Dooneens Eletric, who were first into the second round, stopped the clock in 36.23 to take home third place.

Coen Williams and Ballywire Mirah started their season off on a good note, securing victory in the 138cms section of the Plusvital Spring Tour. They stopped the clock and left all the poles up in a time of 30.74.

Ellen Power and Bear in Mind were first into the jump-off and set up a very fast time that only Williams could beat, and took second place in a time of 31.25. Robyn Lee and Creative Dancer were hot on Power’s heels, but with less than a second separating the two, it was Lee who finished in third place in a time of 31.42.

Winner of the 2018 Pony Premier Series, Athlone’s Francis Derwin took two places in the line-up of last weekend’s 148 Plusvital Spring Tour.

Derwin first took on the jump-off track with Rincoola Babog and secured a time of 38.29 which was good enough for third place on the day. Derwin took it all on board when he was one of the last to go with his second pony Master Stevie G, the combination shaved over three seconds off Derwin’s previous time to clinch the victory in a time of 35.11.

Ryan Sweetnam rode Kilcummin Cruise through the finish beams in a time of 37.98 to hold on to second prize on the day.

CHILDREN ON HORSES

The Children On Horses section of the Plusvital Spring Tour saw seven of the starters produce clear rounds to split the prizes. They were Stephen Gibbons (Clooncalagy Beauty), John Martin Kirrane (Knockmullen Chap), Kian Dore (Lodgefield Lily), Aoife Whelan (CES Chipalier), Cormac Taggart (Mr Easy Street), Emily Moloney (Rocky Bond) and Olivia Shanahan (Rosalie).