THE popular Northern Ireland Festival takes place next Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Cavan Equestrian Centre where all 500 on-site stables were sold out by early January.

New classes for this year include equitation, Irish Draught working hunter (90cms), assisted working hunter and team working hunter. The final qualifiers for the Festival working hunter championships take place today at the Causeway Coast Arena Spring Show.

Among the highlights of Friday’s NIF programme is the Horse Of The Year Show working hunter horse qualifier and the racehorse to riding horse championship. The winner of the former will qualify for the October extravaganza in Birmingham, while the winner of the open racehorse class will be invited to take part in the racehorse to riding horse class at the Dublin Horse Show in August.

The new team classes take place over Saturday and Sunday as do HOYS qualifiers for the Snuggy Hoods working hunter pony championships. On Saturday, there will also be a qualifier for the Cuddy supreme in-hand championship at HOYS.