ELLEN McDonald enjoyed a rewarding trip to Laurel View on Sunday for the Northern Region’s third show of the year and the sixth of its winter league.

On board her father Jim’s well-known German riding pony Dante Alighieri, the 13-year-old FS Don’t Worry chesnut, on whom she represented Ireland at last year’s European pony championships in Poland, McDonald saw off five more senior rivals to win the Medium BD75 on 68.38%. This score was awarded by Jane Whitaker (List 3a), one of five judges on duty at the Templepatrick venue.

Although she was the only one to ride the FEI Junior team test before Bernie Webb (List 3a), McDonald was making her competitive debut on the Dutch Warmblood mare Donna Karen JDJ (69.85%). The 15-year-old bay by Lord Leatherdale is out of the Krack C mare Zarin JDJ.

The largest class at the show, attracting 15 starters, was the Preliminary BD17A where Coreen Abernethy awarded the day’s highest score to Ballymena-based freelance coach Andrew Ross and the Dressage Ireland newcomer Sunny Disposition (73.28%). This 16-year-old chesnut Irish Sport Horse gelding by Dunkerrin Leader is out of a Hunter’s Delight mare.

Also at Preliminary level, 14 combinations appeared before Claire Sedgeman (List 6) in the DI8 where the honours went to the in-form pairing of Jacky Reid and the Connemara gelding Tooreen Hugo (72.12%), an 11-year-old dun by Matchmakers Lad.

Two other winners to break through the 70% barrier came at Elementary level. These were Northern Region chair Joan Adrain with Carolyn Mellor’s Dutch Warmblood gelding VSH Moviestar (70.69), a Johnson six-year-old, in the Webb-judged Elementary BD43 and Denise Kelly Rice with Pamela Combs Wilson’s Westfalian mare Forvanna (71.03) in the Whitaker-judged BD53. This tall six-year-old bay is by Formidable.

Webb also judged the Medium BD61 where her comfortable winner was Mark Robinson riding the Hanoverian gelding Master Caledonia (71.55), Debbie Burns’s very much in form 10-year-old by Metall.

Uncontested doubles were recorded by Courtney Stuart and her eight-year-old Follow Me gelding Favorino in the two Advanced Medium classes and by Lucinda Blakiston Houston and her home-bred 13-year-old mare Beltrim Double G in the Para Grade V classes.