THE main change in the horse section of last weekend’s Flavours of Fingal County Show at Newbridge House and Farm, Donabate, was the splitting of what had been one massive arena into two more than adequate rings for the showing classes.

Claire Gilna (ride) and Gay Parkinson (conformation) judged the ridden hunters and found their champion, IJ Countryman, in the second of five classes to come before them, the four year olds. The substantial traditional Irish Sport Horse gelding was ridden by Ivan Ryan for his father Kieran who bred the grey at their Cabragh Lodge in Oldtown, Co Dublin.

IJ Countryman is the second foal out of the Kings Master mare Clonhaston Lilly who had bred one foal for Wexford’s Julie Radden before the Ryans purchased her in June 2017 and showed her under saddle at Dublin. Clonhaston Lilly, who is out of a Ghareeb mare out of a Sky Boy mare, has also produced a two-year-old full-brother to last Saturday’s champion and a yearling half-brother by Gortfree Lakeside Lad.

IJ Countryman has been entered for the heavyweight division at Dublin and while he has qualified as a champion hunter and a four-year-old hunter for next Sunday’s Connolly’s Red Mills Champion of Champions Final, he will more than likely stay with his age group at the Wicklow Summer Show in Barnadown.

Saturday’s reserve champion was the Tracey McDermott-ridden heavyweight class winner, Burgage Silvercrest, a six-year-old gelding by Beechmore Silver Crest.

This bay Irish Draught was bred in Co Donegal by Martina Mulhern out of a Westmeath Lad mare.

Others who went through as winners to the hunter championship were Niamh Hoey from Kells with her four-year-old dun home-bred Gwennic de Goariva gelding Cluain an Ghaill Elegance (smalls), Rebecca Rafter with her six-year-old Pollux de Muse Z gelding Cal Master de Muze who moved up from third to top the final line-up in the lightweight class and the locally-based Laura Snow with the 11-year-old Clew Bay Bouncer gelding Tilmans Hero (middleweight).