Margie McLoone

BASED in California, where she trains and holds clinics for hunter, jumper and equitation riders, Karen Healey had a very busy time at this year’s Dublin Horse Show, starting with the Connemara performance hunter championships in Ring 2 on Wednesday and finishing across the road in Simmonscourt early on Sunday with the junior equitation section.

Her Southside Contract & Carpet Cleaners champion on the final morning was Clara Daly from Co Tyrone, winner of the 138ms class on the 12-year-old bay gelding The Magic Minstrel, with whom she qualified at Barnadown Showjumping. The combination were second in the same class last year and the young rider, whose parents Sean and Michelle Daly own the pony, is already looking ahead to defending her title next August.

“I like to do a bit of everything with this pony and we were fourth in our working hunter class at the Northern Ireland Festival in Cavan in April,” said the 12-year-old, who also plays Gaelic football and competes in athletics.

“I got The Magic Minstrel three years ago and have only been riding for four. Roisin Donnelly is my trainer for these classes, but I also get a lot of training from Toni Donnelly. I qualified at my first qualifier in Barnadown but went to two others for experience.”

The reserve champion was Corofin’s Pataire Crawford, winner of the 153cms class on her mother Claire’s 14-year-old home-bred mare Ardfry Balmoral with whom she has also been competing, and winning on, lately in the Irish Pony Club/Connolly’s Red Mills eventing series as a member of the Galway Mid County branch. Crawford, who qualified in Mullingar, is trained by her father Pascal.

“I like the concept of this junior equitation competition as there is such a huge gap between Pony Club and big ring riding,” said Healey. “It is a great way of encouraging correct riding, which is the most effective and efficient way of communicating with your horse or pony. My champion was excellent all the way through and showed at all times that she had a great feel for her pony.

“I would love to do a clinic over here and try to explain to riders that proper equitation is not about stiffness and control. Far too many of the riders I saw through the Connemara classes, which I really enjoyed, and in the Pony Club combined training, had their animals over-bent, using false flexion.

“I judged the young riders’ bursary here eight years ago and am delighted to see how the career of the winner, Alex Butler, has taken off,” she concluded.

Riders competing in the M. O’Byrne Hire & Catering Pony Club Combined Training classes had to cope with distractions on both Friday afternoon and Saturday evening with a lot of action taking place in the Main Arena and a noisy flyover drowning out the sounds of the jumping spectators at one stage.

Karen Healey’s winners were Annalise Cullen (intermediate) and Zara Nelson (members), both members of the Kildare Branch.

For a full report on these classes, see page A87.