THE Route Branch in Area 17 of The Pony Club (Northern Ireland) hosted the Area dressage last Saturday at the White family’s Maddybenny Farm on the Causeway Coast in the north of Co Antrim.

It was a bit windy in the morning when Ivor Harper and Coreen Abernethy first took up their roles as judges but the weather conditions improved during the day as competitors vied to qualify for The Pony Club championships in Offchurch Bury, Warwickshire, next month (August 11th to 19th).

Given such a carrot was dangled before them, it was disappointing that there were no Open riders and just five competed at Intermediate level. The sole team in action was the East Antrim trio of the Cunningham siblings, Helen and Patrick, plus Holly Ross.

On board Star Of Hollymount, an 11-year-old dun gelding owned by her parents Kevin and Anna, Ross won the individual class on a score of 71.03% with the Iveaghs’ Poppy Moore placing second on Lougherne Leo II (69.14). Ross recently qualified for the Pony Club members’ combined training competition at next month’s Dublin Horse Show on Star Of Hollymount who, on Monday, she partnered to win the PC110 class at the Area eventing at Hazeldene Farm.

Seven squads contested Saturday’s Novice team class where the honours went to the North Down Finches’ all-girls quartet of Zara Reid, Eve Adair, Olivia Byrne and Jessica Byrne. Adair comfortably won Section B of the individual class on Dot while the East Down’s Liberty Molloy recorded a narrow victory in Section A with Rucky.

The Iveagh Magpies saw off the challenge of nine other squads to win the Grassroots title. The winning line-up comprised Jenna Morton, Kirsten Bailie, Holly Rice and Sophia Madeley. The last-named topped the leaderboard in Section B on Bellindene Fagin with North Down’s Rachel Booth doing likewise in Section A on Melview Chester.

Five teams started at Preliminary level where the East Antrim Branch was represented by the winning foursome of Penny Logan, Sarah Wilson, Ruby Robinson and Ava Bagchus. While Logan was narrowly beaten into second in Section A by Fermanagh’s Claudia Black riding Donnie Darko, Wilson won Section B with Parcglas Splendid Attraction.

Two groups of enthusiastic young riders took on the challenge of the walk/trot test. In the unassisted section, the team honours went to the North Down Robins quartet of Amira Greeves, Erin Wardle, Grace Jackson and Katie Duff. Mid Antrim’s Katie Surgenor ran out the narrow winner of the sole individual class with DS Ebony Boy.

In the lead-rein division, a composite trio of East Antrim and Seskinore members came out on top viz Alec Goodrich, Florence Wallace and Lilly Healy. East Antrim’s Goodrich doubled up as winner of the individual class on Tiny Tim.