“EVERY horse we have is for sale,” declared Emer Esler, who claimed Sunday’s Semalease EI80 grassroots championship on Kieltys Buzz, who her sister, Tara, owns in partnership with their father, Joe, breeder of the Castlelawn Captain Junior gelding.

While Esler completed on her Jean Halpenny-awarded dressage score with Kieltys Buzz (32 penalties), the leaders after the first two phases – Lauren Madine on Esker Hill Spiddal (29.5) and Holly Rice with Supreme Dream (29.8) both erred in the show jumping ring.

Madine dropped to 10th when her Connemara gelding had two fences down, while Rice slipped to fourth when her thoroughbred mare picked up four jumping penalties.

There was one retirement across the country, while five of the 22 starters were eliminated over the fixed fences.

One combination was automatically eliminated having incurred two refusals show jumping.

Esler did a lot of hunting with the Longford Harriers in her pony days and was a competitive member of the Longford Branch of the Irish Pony Club until she was 21.

Now living in Rathangan and a veterinary nurse at Troytown Equine Hospital, she has to fit her leisure time around work, but did say that the management at Troytown has been very flexible with her timetable this summer.

This has allowed her event and show jump Kieltys Buzz with whom she also competed in the junior/young rider event horse qualifiers for the Dublin Horse Show.

“This was my first year to compete with Eventing Ireland,” said Esler, “and these championships were ideal to aim my horse at. We just did two events beforehand and it was great to compete on an even playing field and not have to take on the professionals. I have to thank my coaches Jenny Costello (jumping) and Jenny Heffernan (dressage) for their input.

“This winner is out of the sadly deceased Guidam mare Kieltys Suizzydam. We sold her 2016 CC Captain Cruise mare Kieltys Dawn, have this fellow who is now on the market and have retained the mare’s three-year-old filly by Dignified (van’t Zorgvliet).”

Ferris on song

Newcastle Lyons Pony Club member Abbey Ferris added four show jumping penalties to her Faith Ponsonby-awarded dressage score en route to winning the Omega Naturals EI80 (P) championship on her mother Mary’s Connemara gelding How Ya Sammy (26.3).

Beth Coveney led the seven-strong field after dressage with Coppenagh Russell (21) but had a jumping problem on the second leg where she also incurred time penalties.

The winner, who was bred by John Kelly, is a seven-year-old bay by Woodfield Sammy out of the Robe Earl mare Robe Cheeky Lass.

From four outings at EI80 level, he and Ferris have now won three times, finishing second last time out at Hillcrest (3).