SIBLING successes and back-to-back title-winners marked the awards night staged last Wednesday week by the Kildare North Leinster Area of the Irish Pony Society in Kettles Country House Hotel.

IPS judge Mary Moore presented rosettes/trophies to 20 juniors who managed to compete in last year’s short season with, for the second time, Charlotte Kelly being crowned leading girl rider of the year following her excellent first season competing with Goldengrove Maydream (aka Cher), the leading pony of the year. The mare was also the Area’s top show pony and top show hunter pony (as she was at national level).

Among the accolades the 2013 Welsh Section B mare won last year was that of supreme champion at the Welsh Cob and Pony Society Show, reserve show hunter champion at the IPS summer show and show pony champion at the IPS championship show. Charlotte and Cher have been mentioned in these pages already this year as members of the successful Kildare Town Educate Together primary schools show jumping team.

Bred at their Goldengrove Stud in Co Tipperary by Claire Scott and her sister Sarah Rymer, Goldengrove Maydream is by the stud’s Holyoake Czar, who is still going strong at the age of 31, out of the deceased Merryment Maytime, by Rotherwood Prince Regent.

Another young competitor to record back-to-back Area successes was Lennan Moloney, leading boy rider of the year with the mini pony of the year, Tabita Mini Minx. Also bred in Ireland, by Mary Dooner, this 19-year-old bay is by Tabita Show Time out of Gwendraeth Mari Lwyd.

Penny Kelly, Charlotte’s older sister, won the coloured pony title with the 20-year-old skewbald gelding Dunbeggan Dreamer while the Horgan sisters from nearby Curragha were recipients of a trio of awards. Phoebe claimed the open working hunter pony title with the 133cms Welsh Section B gelding Stockham Secret Envoy, Imogen rode the performance pony of the year, the bay gelding Moona Curragh Ted, while Kate landed the Area’s Connemara honours on Jane Dalrymple’s dun mare Kinamara Laura.

Another Connemara, the six-year-old Silver Shadow gelding Glasson Shadow, claimed the intermediate pony of the year title under south Co Dublin’s Rachel Alken whose sister Freya was the winner of two awards, those for equitation rider and young handler of the year.

Locally based Ivan Ryan was the recipient of the novice working hunter pony of the year award for his season on the eight-year-old palomino gelding Indian Joe, while Co Kildare’s Amira Curran was presented with the starter stakes plus the Mountain and Moorland pony of the year award for her results on by Bunbury Suarez, an 11-year-old chesnut gelding by Millcroft Belluga.

A special award was presented to Alisha Vard who won the overall sports pony challenge, run by the working hunter committee, and was overall winner of the Tom Robinson cup at the IPS championship show with the 2010 Connemara gelding, Blackwoodland Breeze (by Glencarrig Prince).

A warmly received addition to the awards night this year was the presentation of a personalised photo card as a memento for the season, while Charlotte and Clara Cully, Zara and James Cottin plus Freddie Greene all received their Kildare North Leinster newcomers’ awards.

All will be looking forward to the Area shows at Killossery on May 29th and at Tattersalls on July 24th.