IPC Festival show jumping classes

THE honours, prizes and rosettes, were also well-spread out between Branches in the show jumping section of last week’s Irish Pony Club Festival in Barnadown.

“Following well-attended qualifiers all over the country, there was a full complement of riders in the Alice Mernagh, Robbie Bailey and John Ledingham finals,” commented Helen O’Neill, chair of the IPC’s show jumping committee. “Whilst there were less in the Senior Teams and Individuals, these proved to be very exciting competitions with a jump-off deciding the Senior Individuals class.

“On the Thursday, the Alice Mernagh under 12s Arena was really well-supported with all the teams being cheered on from the sidelines all day. The standard of jumping was really high and this bodes well for the future of show jumping in the Pony Club. On Friday there were two arenas in full swing all day.

“Whilst the Thursday class was decided on team times after two rounds, the classes on Friday were all jump-off classes and all those on clear jumped off for the prizes. TRI Equestrian were show jumping sponsors at the Festival and brought a well received carrot stand and pop-up shop to the festivities.”

Only two teams contested the Senior competition where a Mixed Area 5 squad had to give best to the Warrington quartet of Emily Moloney (Ballyerk Dun And Dusted), Daniel Ring (Magneto Cruise Control), Caoimhe Lenehan Treacy (Coppenagh Cosmos) and Alice Moloney (Stella Flight). Emily Moloney then won the individual title with the Connemara gelding Ballyerk Dun And Dusted, a seven-year-old by Crega Hero on whom she competes under Show Jumping Ireland rules.

Intermediate winners

There were only three members on the Wexford Stars team in the Intermediate competition but that didn’t stop Katelyn Johnston (Killag’s Foxy Lady), Martha Power (Cash Advance) and Ava Donovan (Junipierre) from winning the John Ledingham trophy. The individual winner at this level was Anna Morrissey who partnered the 21-year-old grey mare Shergar Rose to victory for the Wicklow Branch.

With the only clear in the Junior jump-off, the Tipperary Troubadours quartet of Tara Moquet (Stardust), Harry Barton (El Caballo), Ruby Gunn (Clogorrows Walshy) and Hazel Shillingford (Quantum) won the Robbie Bailey trophy while the individual winner was Carbery’s Niamh Verkade riding the Connemara gelding Westide Mirah Jack, a 12-year-old Carnaby Mirah bay with whom she competes regularly on the SJI circuit.

Some readers may have seen a video on social media this week of Honeysuckle returning to Henry de Bromhead’s yard.

Last Thursday week, four members of the Waterford Branch competed under the name of the hurdling great to win the Alice Mernagh trophy for riders Under 12.

The team comprised Charlie Corcoran (Cloon Ross), Lily Mai Walsh (Bawnabraher Buachail), Isaac Bogassion (Lucy Scamp) and Lucy Kent (Lotso). The Islands’ Fionnán Nolan partnered Chocolate Sauce to victory in the individual competition.