THE WPCS of Ireland held their annual awards and dinner at the Avalon House Hotel, Castlecomer. There were many happy young people in attendance as well as a few hopeful adults! The format of a Sunday lunch seemed to suit most people as it gave time to travel at both ends of the day with a lovely meal enjoyed by all.

There were many awards to be given out as all the sections of the breed were individually catered for in every different discipline from Show Jumping to Mounted Games and culminating in the Supreme Pony of the Year where all Welsh breeds are counted together. These ponies are outstanding performers in their respective disciplines.

The first awards went to the Section A’s being dominated by the Wexford-based Aine Geogehean with the lovely Pantycoed Mercutio taking the Overall and their Holthall Gladiator in second place.

The Section B Overall was taken by the successful Show Jumping Pony Cork-bred Droumleap Dust in the Wind, owned by Jennifer Carter. This pony took the award over Jennie Curran’s Bunbury Suarez, a most consistent ridden pony.

The Section C honours were taken by Aisling Conolly’s Working Hunter of the Year, Twyford Captain Morgan, ridden by Ella Connolly, with Sasha Smith’s OS Medal Winner Ridgehill Ryan in second place. The Overall D winner was Sarah Kileen’s In-Hand Pony of the Year, Broeurig Midnight Star just getting ahead from Dawn Thomas’s Brenig Meligedig, who had competed internationally and was also presented with the WPCS OS Silver Medal from the annual show.

A very large return of cards from competitors in the part-breds saw the Overall Supreme Pony of the Year go to Jennifer Carter’s Parcglas Maid in Splendour, returning a fabulous show jumping record for the season, yet another Irish-bred jumping star from the same stable as Droumleap Dust in the Wind. In second place here was the runner-up Supreme Pony, Aine Brennan’s Goldengrove Sunrise.

The Supreme Mini Pony of the Year saw Fiona Goors’s lovely dark bay Part-bred Mini winner Barkway State Affair take the honours from Orla Whelton’s Whiteleaze Secret Temptation who had taken the Silver OS Medal for Part-Breds. The Supreme Mini Working Hunter went to Thalia Smithwick’s home-bred Kilcreene Toffee.

Thalia also took the One-Day Event Plate with another home-bred Kilcreene Clove, closely related to the Mounted Games pony Kilcough Chevril. The Combined Training winner was also home-bred in Margaret Greene’s Moonlight Splash of Colour. Dressage saw another Irish-bred pony take the Supreme with Kerry-bred Valmore Muskadet.

The broodmare title went to the lovely chesnut part-bred Alice’s Firefly, owned by Jerry Moloney, having had a superb ridden career in dressage and this big-moving mare is happily in foal for next year. Runner-up here was the Section A OS Medal Winner Friarly Supermodel.

The Supreme Youngstock winner was found in Ann Grimes’s striking palomino filly Stanwood Pretty Penny who was also the winner of the OS Silver Medal for the Section Bs, in reserve here was Jerry Moloney’s Breeneybeg Hope.