A PRESENTATION was recently made to those who completed this year’s Horse Trials League hosted by clubs in the south east region of the AIRC and kindly sponsored by Celtic Equine.

Each year the combined training class for primary riders grows in popularity. This year saw six horse and rider combinations take on the league which saw Darren Rossiter and North Dakota Dawn (Carne RC) top the leaderboard with a win at Waterford’s leg and an impressive three seconds at the other legs. With only a point separating first and second place, Deirdre Deegan and Dexter’s Pride (Ballycanew RC) narrowly missed out on the top spot. Carlow club Coole-Lane, enjoyed their time competing with three members taking third, fourth and fifth place.

Seasoned competitors Sandra Doody and Test of Courage bagged the yellow rosette. New to the horse trials scene, John Doyle and Annie landed their first regional rosette with fourth, while Cheryl Keogh and Izzy rounded off the spoils for Coole with fifth place. Kilkenny-based and member of The Rower club, John Kearney, who gained valuable points at Waterford’s leg with a second place rounded off the primary class with the purple rosette going back to Kilkenny.

The Advanced Primary is always a hotly contested class and this year’s was no different. While the pair don’t always see eye to eye, it was a successful league for Barrow Valley club member Isobelle Gould and her ever-clever chesnut mare Foxy Furisto, who earned the winner’s title in this class.

The luck of the Irish was in for Irene Leahy and The Irish Tinker (Nuenna Farm RC) who, even after two wins in Carne and Tinahely, couldn’t catch Gould on this occasion and settled for second place. Third place went to Ruth Daunt and Destination Unknown (Ballycanew). The Tinahely destination was the only one this pair missed and perhaps that might have been what kept them down the pecking order. Fourth place was taken by Shona McGuire and Bella Sharoose (The Rower), fifth went to Catriona O’Brien and Templemichael Siogai (Carne), while Victoria Moore and Persian Warrior (TT&D) took up sixth position.

The intermediate section was dominated by Wexford club Carne RC who took the first four placings. Another successful season came to an end for Vickey Cloney and Gentle Bouncer (Carne) who took two wins, a second and a third to secure her place at the top of the leaderboard. An impressive second at her home club’s leg saw Chelsea Fogarty and Kilmoye Jess take second, while Natasha Mackey and Tomgarrow Gales were a mere point behind taking third place. Fourth went to Karen Feleki and Archibald Wells having had two wins at Tinahley and Nuenna Farm.

Ensuring that Carne didn’t clear the board in the class, Lavina Clarke and Cashelbay Fred (Waterford) brought home fifth to Waterford, while once again Coole-Lane featured in the line-up with Brian Carroll and Cathals Apache taking sixth place.

The Advanced Intermediate class was won by Ray Murphy and his chesnut gelding Ballustree Flagmount Clover (Ballycanew). Greys took second, third and fourth placings.

Although more accustomed to hunting side saddle, the home-bred grey ISH Jetsdown Super Storm and Aine Dagge (Coole-Lane) claimed second place on the leaderboard, chairwoman to the south east Sharon O’ Connor and her grey 11-year-old mare Ashwood Diamond Pride took third for Ashwood RC, and Madeleine Bradley’s Moon Runner for Coole-Lane took fourth.

Yvonne Walsh and her bay mare Violetta Vanbeek proved that bays can have fun too when they achieved sixth place, also for Coole-Lane.