A LARGE contingent of Area 17 (Northern Ireland) members also headed across the water last weekend, in their case to the Northern Regional grassroots championships at Auchlishie Eventing in Scotland.

They recorded some excellent results over the three days, starting in show jumping on Friday when, having fielded seven of the 25 teams, the Area won and placed third through the Iveagh Dalmatians and East Down We Roar.

Four teams went through to the jump-off round where the Iveagh Dalmatians squad of Lucy Orr, Harry Purdy, Robyn Rice and Tilley Tumility had four faults in 140.38. South Northumberland Yellow also had a pole down but in 146.04 to place second with East Down We Roar finishing third on eight faults in 155.24.

In the individual championships, the top three places were occupied by the Iveaghs’ Jack Cowan (clear in the jump-off in 39.89), the Killultaghs’ Jessica Rogers (0, 40.79) and the Iveaghs’ Lucy Orr (0, 44.31).

Dressage took centre stage on Saturday when the North Down Branch fared best of the three Area 17 teams who were among the 20 who started. The quartet who finished fifth comprised Holly Blythe, Rachel Booth, Alice Salters and Jessica Byrne.

As she finished second in her section, Blythe went through to the ride-off where she achieved a score of 65.10% on Cor Ramler to place sixth behind Zoe Barclay of the Moray and Nairn Branch on Coyne Big Apple (70.10).

Sunday’s eventing team championships were won by the Moray and Nairn on a combined penalty score of 102.5. Rice, Tumility and Orr lined out on this occasion with Catherine Cowan as the Iveagh Orcas who finished second (108.7) with the Killultaghs third (115.6) and North Down fifth (121.5). Cowan won her Section with the 14-year-old traditionally bred mare Lady Remarque.

JCB Pony Club championships

There will be much Area 17 involvement in the nine-day JCB Pony Club championships at Offchurch Bury, which commenced yesterday with Tetrathlon, while the home championships in eventing takes place on Bank Holiday Monday, August 29th, at Hazeldene.

Also heading to Lands Eventing in Offchurch Bury are Kildare members Rachael Doyle (Lyra Oberon), Ella Butler (Lenovo), Lucy Maughan (Valley View Sammy) and Ruby Hughes (Vogel) who won the team dressage competition at the recent Irish Pony Club Festival and have been invited to represent the IPC in the JCB Pony Club dressage championships (August 16th to 18th).