THE North East Region of the Association of Irish Riding Clubs ran their qualifier for the new AIRC RC70 and RC80 Festival team show jumping championship last Sunday at Piperstown Equestrian Centre, in collaboration with the Ard Lú club, who were holding their annual May Show.

There was a very disappointing entry for both, with Ard Lú chairperson, Linda Nulty, commenting: “The entry was way down on last year. I was really worried about the qualifier, as we had only two teams entered earlier in the week. AIRC members had been saying that there wasn’t enough for 70cm and 80cm riders to do but then, when a competition is put on especially for them, they don’t enter.

“And it was a pity that more didn’t compete as our judge, Maria Carrick, and course builder, Mickey McCann, were extremely sympathetic and encouraging – the exact ethos of the Riding Club movement. It was great to see Tommy McGrane, who’s our oldest member at 63 years of age, jumping during the afternoon. Mickey spent a lot of time last year coaching Tommy who, before then, had only ever hunted.”

Just four of the Region’s 21 clubs entered a team for the Festival qualifier – only two of these had the full four-rider complement and, on the day, Castle Leslie was represented by just two riders.

Competitively after round one, Mullaghmore was in the lead with just one fault, followed by Drynam on two and Ard Lú on five. Celebrating her 21st birthday, Ard Lú’s Karen Nulty didn’t enjoy the best of days with Linda’s 15-year-old piebald gelding My Man Oreo but, in the second round, her three teammates jumped clear to win the qualifier on five points. They were followed by Drynam, who finished on seven and Mullaghmore, who were on nine.

In addition to Nulty, the winning Ard Lú quartet comprised club secretary, Kerry Murphy, with her 14-year-old bay gelding Rivvals Apollo; Marta McCloskey, who recorded a double clear with her 22-year-old Irish Draught mare Ballytorehill (by Corran Ginger) and club treasurer, Rosie Hollywood, who picked up one time fault in the first round on her 2005 bay gelding Blitzens Dream.

Cormac O’Rourke judged the handy horse section with its 12 movements, where his winners were McCloskey and Ballytorehill (70cm), Mullaghmore team member Marese McCarra riding her 22-year-old chesnut gelding Cecil (80cm) and Castle Hill’s Elaine Mulligan on the 2011 Irish Sport Horse gelding DMF Alphabet (90cm), a 13-year-old chesnut by Mermus R.

Lucinda Webb-Graham came down from Co Antrim to judge the dressage section, where she awarded her highest score (75.83%) to Castle Hill’s Sarah Cassidy, who won the veteran horse class with her well-known lightweight cob, Woodland Badger.

In the RCP3, Cassidy and the now 24-year-old bay gelding had to settle for second (72.12) behind Cheval’s Gerry O’Byrne and his Connemara gelding Doon Finn (75.38), a nine-year-old Newbridge Lad grey.

Boyneside’s Jennifer Babington topped the scores in the DI Intro B on Polly (75.29%), while Ard Lú’s Rosie Hollywood recorded a comfortable success in the RCP2 on board Blitzens Dream (75.19), who she also rode to victory in the senior riders’ class, where she scored 69.78. Cheval’s Lauren Cronin claimed the honours in the AIRC Intro A on Aengus Og (72.62), Drynam’s Emma Fristedt won the RCP1 with Coco Cobana (68.89) and Ashbrook’s Mairead Dolan won the RCE on Belperhill Aint She Sweet (63.65).

Most disappointingly for all those who had put so much effort into organising the show, the individual show jumping classes were very poorly-supported.