DESPITE her youthful looks, Melanie Purcell was unable to compete against her 13-year-old son Jonty in Pony Club tetrathlon, here or in England, or in the recent Irish Pony Club/Connolly’s Red Mills eventing championship at Tattersalls Ireland.

Last weekend however, the pair both lined out at Eventing Ireland’s National Championships at Kilguilkey House where, from his two rides, Jonty finished a best-placed eighth in the EI90 (P) championship on FHS Felicity while, from her two rides, Melanie claimed the EI80 title on the home-bred Irish Sport Horse mare FHS High Waltzer, completing on her winning dressage score of 22.1 penalties.

A further seven of the 17 starters also went double clear inside the time. Iveagh Pony Club member Holly Rice finished second on the thoroughbred gelding Supreme Dream (23.3), just ahead of Newcastle Lyons Pony Club member Abbey Ferris and the Connemara gelding How Ya Sammy (23.9). There was one elimination across the country by which time the weather had closed in.

Home-bred winner

“I didn’t realise there was thunder and lightning until my husband, Ken, told me after my round but I knew it had gone very dark as I was just about able to tell our red-coloured numbers on the fences apart from the orange ones for the EI90 track,” said the successful owner/rider.

“At our Farran House Stud in Co Limerick, Ken breeds thoroughbreds while I breed sport horses but we came together to breed this winner who is by the Irish Draught stallion Farmhill Highlander out of a flat-bred mare that Ken owned.

“I’m taking it slowly with this mare as she sometimes jumps a bit big and gives herself a fright. I did compete her at EI90 level but decided to drop her down for the Championships.

“I’m quite excited about her and her three-year-old half-brother by Cruising For Chics who I’m now breaking.

“I’m producing these horses as future rides for Jonty who had a wonderful and very successful summer with the Scarteen Pony Club which culminated in his team winning the Junior team title at the eventing championships in Tattersalls, a first success for the Branch at this level, while he won his arena and the dressage prize on FHS Felicity.”

At the weekend, Purcell senior also competed in the EI90 championship where, with 7.6 cross-country time penalties, she finished ninth of 19 on FHS Stormzy, a Cougar five-year-old who is now on the market.

It was all go around the Farran House Stud ‘runners’ at the Kilguilkey House where the support team included Ken, his mother Maura Purcell, and Jonty’s sister and brother Georgina (9) and Ruairi (8).

Andrew Williams of Kilkenny International Sporthorses conducted a course walk for riders competing at EI80 and EI90 level while Joseph Murphy, who rode four horses at the championships, led a group of EI100 level competitors around the cross-country on Saturday evening.