LATE last Saturday afternoon, Co Antrim’s Myia Latto won the Oblique Displays show pony lead rein class for the second year running in Ring 1 on her mother Andrea’s Chaseford Camelia, who was purchased as an unbroken four-year-old from her Welsh breeder, Martin Davies.

The Hollybush Bolero bay was left in Wales to be broken by Alicia Thomas who, on Saturday, led seven-year-old Myia and the similarly-aged Chaseford Camelia to victory. “Rachel (Moore Rooney) was to lead them, but she kindly stepped aside to let Alicia, who was visiting the Dublin Horse Show for the first time, do it,” revealed Andrea, who watched on from the ringside with husband Charles.

Myia’s sister Ella (nine) partnered the mare in the first ridden class and both girls, who narrowly missed out on tickets earlier in the season, are heading to Stoneleigh next week for the final HOYS qualifiers in both codes.

Another pony who competed in the same two classes on Saturday with similar results was Sean Redmond and Aine Geoghegan’s Holthall Gladiator, who landed the Oblique Displays show hunter pony lead rein class for the second year running, having finished second in 2022.

The seven-year-old by Islyn Bond was partnered to victory by Co Galway’s Rachel Nee, who, too, is aged seven, and has ridden the pony in lead rein classes both here and in Britain this season, while his jockey from last year in this code, Fionn Redmond, has moved into first ridden company.

Fionn was out of luck on the roan gelding in the morning, but it’s only a matter of time before this rare male rider on the show pony scene adds to his Dublin record. It’s noticeable how few male riders, of all ages, are competing in the classes and younger ones are not that plentiful on the eventing scene either.

Like so many others, the Geoghegan team barely had time to get all clothing, for humans and ponies, washed and dried before they headed over to the BSPS summer championships in Arena UK.