THE third edition of the Youngster Tour Grand Final took place in the Meadows Equestrian Centre last weekend and did not disappoint. The final was a culmination of almost 20 shows, run in the four regions over the summer months with €22,000 in prize money, four perpetual trophies, €15,000 in gifts and a huge selection of rugs and rosettes on offer.

Four days of jumping took place at the venue; day one and two were qualifiers, followed by the final on Saturday for four-year-olds and Sunday for the eight-year-olds, six/seven-year-olds and the premium class of the show, the five-year-old Horse Sport Ireland and Jim Derwin Equestrian Grand Final.

The six/seven and eight-year-old classes were ultra-competitive. Speed and accuracy over Aaron McCusker’s open flowing courses gave the crowds something to cheer about. The four- and five-year-old classes were double clear round jumping; all the horses had to be clear in their qualifiers to make it to the Grand finals.

These finals are a test of carefulness, stamina of the horses and accuracy of the riders. The two Grand Final courses were very fair and allowed spectators to see the class and potential of all the horses and riders. There were a total of nine winners in the four-year-olds and 13 winners in the five-year-olds.

A press release from the Youngster Tour said: “We are delighted to say that the 2022 Grand Finals were a success, super competition, owners and breeders enjoyed the show, we have had our loyal sponsors return and added some new supporters which cements the Tour’s future.

“We had substantial prize money and gifts on offer and so many of our producers got a platform to market their horses, there were many enquiries from customers that tuned in on the live stream, which was sponsored by HSI. The Tour also gives the Pro-Ams a chance to get involved in young horse classes at an attainable level. They have embraced the concept, see it as a chance to jump in the Main Arena at shows and now consider the Tour as their Grand Prix day.”

The Winter Stars Tour was also launched at the Meadows last weekend, with a large entry turning out and €5,000 on offer. The tour will be open to all equestrian with a big link to grassroots riders and producers. There are also two new additions to the tour line-up, the Baby Stars Tour and The Pony Stars Tour. For more information visit youngstertourireland.ie.

(See pictures from The Meadows on page 88-89.)