THE 2020 AIRC North East Region/Equipet winter indoor show jumping league commenced last Sunday as usual at the Broadmeadow Equestrian Centre but this year the first leg was hosted by the Drynam club whose secretary, Laura Snow, reported that they had a very good day with 125 rounds jumped.

The best supported class was the Advanced Intermediate where 21 riders came before judge Christine Walsh. The winner was Cheval’s Emma Sweeney on her ex-racehorse Mr Cosmopolitan, the 13-year-old Basanta gelding with whom she has had great success at the AIRC Festival over the past three years.

The combination also finished reserve in the racehorse to riding horse championship at Dublin two years ago.

“I was over the moon with him on Sunday!” said Sweeney, a primary school teacher in Dunshaughlin who, in October, won the Ladbrokes Ingoldsby Handicap Chase for amateur jockeys at Punchestown on her mother Una’s Allduckornodinner. “He can throw his hooves at anything and make a good fist of it! I plan to finish out the Equipet league then do some combined training. After that, we will return to the show ring and hopefully Dublin!”

The Border Counties club won two classes, starting at Primary level through Melissa McVeigh and the 13-year-old bay mare OOS Rosie on whom she had jumped a double clear in the opening 60cms section.

The club’s double came up in the Intermediate class where the honours went to Emer McNamee and City Star – this was a great result for the pair who were lining out for the first time for Border Counties. Previously they campaigned with Brooke Lodge and were on that club’s quartet which finished second in the Horseware team show jumping championships at the RDS in 2018.

Border Counties just failed to register a treble when Jerry McClenaghan had to settle for second in the Advanced Primary division with his 13-year-old Diamond Roller gelding Ka Dargo.

The winner was Marese McCarra who regularly competes for Mullaghmore with her 18-year-old chesnut gelding Cecil.

The host club, Drynam, got on the scoreboard in the concluding Open where Hannah Webster saw off two rivals to win on her Connemara gelding Mount Carmel Jodie, a nine-year-old grey by Moonlight Silver Shadow.

The NER/Equipet league continues tomorrow at Killossery Lodge Stud.