BANN Valley Riding Club, the oldest of its kind in Northern Ireland, has been disbanded.

The Club was formed in 1967 following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Northern Ireland when all hunting had been cancelled. “We had to do something!” explained Rosemary Moffett who founded Bann Valley with her late husband Bill and was at its helm throughout as chairwoman.

The Club was based around the north-east coast area and its venues included Maddybenny, Castlerock, Dirraw, the Bowl Arena in Portrush, the RDA Arena in Coleraine and Killeague. It also organised many beach rides along the scenic coastline.

“Bann Valley was an adult-only Riding Club as the Route Pony Club was on its doorstep to cater for children,” commented Moffett. “Our members participated in many Regional Championships, with success in all of the disciplines, and travelled over to Stoneleigh to compete at the National Championships.”

Friendships formed

Over the years, members raised money for charities and some great friendships were formed. They assisted in many guises as volunteers at Eventing Ireland one-day events at Maddybenny, Pony Club competitions and at the local point-to-point.

“Unfortunately, following Covid, momentum was lost,” continued Moffett. “Memberships dwindled and, with the affiliation of two other clubs in the area, we really had no choice. We took the decision to close the club after 56 years at our recent AGM. We would like to thank everyone who came along throughout the years for all their support.”