Champions series
DETAILS will be announced by Showing Ireland and Connolly’s Red Mills at Balmoral Show next week regarding this year’s Champion of Champions series.The champion, reserve champion and highest-placed four-year-old from nine specified shows will qualify to compete in the final at Tattersalls July Show where the winner will be crowned the Connolly’s Red Mills Supreme Champion of Champions. The aim of the series is to promote the Irish show horse, safeguard showing classes and support agricultural shows across the country. Thanks to the generosity of the sponsor, the prize-fund for this year’s series has been increased to €3,000.
The 2018 final was won by the Bannow and Rathangan champion, Daphne Tierney’s five-year-old Watermill Swatch gelding Bloomfield Waterfall, who was ridden by Jane Bradbury, while the reserve, and champion four-year-old, was the Quidam Junior I gelding MHS Charlie Fox who, with Aubrey Chapman in the saddle, had qualified when overall champion at Adamstown.
Connemara sale
THE Connemara Livestock Sales are holding a sale of 410 lots of Connemara ponies on May 18th-19th, starting at 10am at Clifden Mart.
AIRC squad
THE Board of Directors of the Association of Irish Riding Clubs (AIRC) has confirmed that Border Counties Riding Club will represent Ireland in the World Club Tournament at the Generali Open de France in July. The Monaghan-based club will travel to the French Federation Parc for the four-day tournament which takes place from July 23rd - 25th. The team includes Aaron Evans, Roisin Ni Rioc, Dean O’Neill and Amy Smyth. The chef d’equipe has been confirmed as Katie Smyth.
AIRC chairman Tony Ennis said: “This will be a memorable experience for the team from Border Counties and I wish them the very best as they begin their journey to France.” This tournament takes place every summer during the Generali Open of France at the Parc Equestre Federal, 41600 Lamotte Beuvron in the Loire Valley.
Chatsworth ERM
SAM Watson (Tullabeg Flamenco), Cathal Daniels (Rioghan Rua) and Susie Berry (Stonedge) are among 30 riders competing in the first leg of the Event Riders Masters in Chatsworth this weekend. Dressage takes place on Saturday, followed for show jumping on Sunday morning and the final phase will be show jumping on Sunday afternoon. Sarah Ennis runs Woodcourt Garrison in the CCI-S4* at the same venue.
Galway County Show
GALWAY County Show have announced that they will only run the show jumping section of the show for 2019, scrapping the showing and livestock classes. The show has run into venue difficulties in recent years and last year staged the showing in a new venue near the Galway Airport. Similar to last year, the show jumping section, which includes a leg of the 1.50m New Heights Champions Series on Sunday, June 16th, will be held at Duffys Equestrian Centre in Claregalway.