Isabel Hurley

WITH this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio necessitating the 2016 Dublin Horse Show to be held at the earlier dates of July 20th-24th this year, the RDS announced some important updates for qualifiers and classes this week.

The changes relate to competitors of four-year-old horses, as well as the national qualifiers and a new side saddle class was also announced for the five-star Show.

Qualifiers for Young Event Horses and Small Event Horses have been reduced in number due to the congested calendar and a shorter lead time into the Show. There will be four qualifiers this year. They are:

  • Scarteen, Knocklong, Co Limerick on Thursday, May 26th
  • Forth Mountain, Barntown, Co Wexford on Wednesday, June 8th
  • Rincoola, Granard, Co Longford on Wednesday, June 15th
  • Dollanstown, Kilcock, Co Kildare on Wednesday, June 22nd

    • The Connemara Performance Hunter and Performance Irish Draught qualifiers will take place at the same venues, on the Saturday immediately following the above dates.

    HIND BOOTS

    Reflecting the European norm, hind boots and bandages will no longer be permitted in the four-year-old show jumping qualifiers, or in the finals at the Show.

    The matter has been the source of much discussion and the final decision to prohibit their use was based on extensive feedback from international judges and officials at the Show. Hind boots and bandages have been prohibited from various age classes and championship shows throughout Europe due to comprehensive evidence that use and misuse of hind boots on young horses has been shown to lead to long-term musculoskeletal problems. The change will be applied to the five and six-year-old horse classes in 2017.

    In a change to the qualifying format for the four-year-old horses, there will be a return to four qualifiers, as opposed to two, this year.

    Seven horses will qualify from each qualifier, giving a total of 28 horse and rider combinations competing at the Show. Another change to this year’s four-year-old class will see the introduction of two international judges at the qualifier stage. The scoring system will also be altered slightly to reflect two as opposed to three judges. For the past two years, the Dublin Horse Show qualifiers were judged by two international judges and one Irish-based judge.

    Meanwhile, in an additional challenge for the five-year-old show jumping horses, water trays will be used throughout the qualifiers and at the finals at the Show. A water jump will be introduced where possible at the qualifiers for the six-year-olds, and the seven and eight-year-old horses, in line with what is typically seen at international shows of this calibre.

    With the introduction of qualifiers in 2014 for the side saddle, the numbers turning out for the ladies’ side saddle class has grown steadily. Building on that success, a new Intermediate Side Saddle class will be introduced in 2016 which will replace the junior competition as the packed schedule of the Show currently only allows for two Side Saddle classes.

    This class will cater for ponies and horses that fall into the height category of 148cms to 158cms and the class will be open to riding horse, cob, Connemara and small hunter type horses and ponies.

    MACKEY FIVE BAR

    As part of the RDS support for the SJI’s training initiative - the Mackey Five Bar Training System - athletes in the Pony, Young Rider and Children on Horse classes must have attained the levels outlined below for the 2016 Show and its qualifiers:

  • 128cms – Bar 1
  • 138cms – Bar 1
  • 148cms – Bar 1
  • Children on Horses – Bar 1
  • Young Riders – Bar 1

    • In 2017, the following Mackey Five Bar Training System levels will be applied:

  • 128cms – Bar 1
  • 138cms – Bar 2
  • 148cms – Bar 2
  • Children on Horses – Bar 2
  • Young Riders – Bar 2

    • The list of qualifiers and online ticket bookings for the 2016 Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show are now available at www.dublinhorseshow.com