THE first of this year’s qualifiers for the ridden Connemara and Irish Draught horse classes at the Dublin Horse Show was held last Saturday at Forth Mountain where, in spite of a large entry, the last results were published just after 5.30pm.

However, with the action having started at 8.30am, it was a long day for the organisers, the flat work, conformation and jumping assessment judges, Ann Kirwan and Jill Spring, and the show jumping judge Janet Kelly. Jane Darragh had a shorter stint in the centre of the ring for the Connemara flat classes. All were agreed that the quality of the horses and ponies who came before them continues to improve.

Not too surprisingly, qualification slots were secured by some of the top exponents in producing performance horses or ponies. While it was good to see an increasing number of others prepared to take them on, many of the more inexperienced riders regarded the class as a jumping competition rather than a three-phase performance class.

The very experienced Pauline Dahill won the first of the day’s flat classes, for ponies aged six and over with riders aged over 17, on board Niamh Melody’s home-bred Nire Valley Hope. The 14-year-old mare, who bred a filly foal last year by Tullaree Chieftain, is by Glencarrig Prince out of Ard Ri Cunga (by Ardríon na nUidhre). As in the other flat races, the first five in the placings qualify for Dublin, with the sixth-placed pony being identified as a reserve.

Partnered by Amira Curran for Ciara Mullen, Caherpuca Chappy, who finished third at Dublin last August having qualified here at Forth Mountain, won the class for older ponies with riders aged from 10 to 17. This 2017 gelding by Coolin America was bred by Michael Rabbitte out of Loughfadda Darling (by Rebel Justice).

Nire Valley Count, who finished second at the RDS last August for Dahill and Melody having also qualified at Forth Mountain, won the four and five-year-old class for his new owners, rider Charlotte Glynn and her mother Gill. The 2018 gelding by Glencarrig Knight is out of Nire Valley Laurin (by Monaghanstown Fionn).