WHAT looked like being a very well-attended and competitive Christmas show at The Meadows last Saturday, was greatly impacted by withdrawals, as the Northern Region of Dressage Ireland staged the fifth leg of their winter league.

This was particularly so at the higher levels, where Vida Tansey (List 1) had a far quieter day than she would have expected. Of those who recorded uncontested wins, with scores of 60% plus, were Ellen McDonald on her father Jim’s Dutch Warmblood mare Donna Karen JDJ (63.45 in the BD Medium 61), Laragh O’Grady with her Irish Sport Horse gelding Mullentine Emerald Wolfe Tone, a 12-year-old Jaguar Mail gelding, who made a very late seasonal debut in the Prix St George (67.50) and Erin McCoy riding Jane Howard’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Bjornsun (63.64 in the FEI Junior team test).

Jacky Reid (List 6) had a mixed day. She judged the Preliminary BD17A, where her leaderboard was headed by Rosemary Bellew and the unregistered Belle Saru (70.17%), an unraced seven-year-old thoroughbred mare by Sageburg.

Reid then took to the saddle for the two unrestricted Novice classes, winning the Tansey-judged DI24A with her Connemara gelding Tooreen Hugo (67.33).

There, Reid and her 11-year-old Matchmakers Lad dun claimed the honours ahead of Joanne McSeveney and her new ride Donna Bella (66.67). However, in the BD22, judged by Ivor Harper (List 4), McSeveney and Richard Finlay’s 12-year-old Hanoverian mare won on the impressive score of 73.45, Craig Hills finished second on High Hopes Tuxita (69.14), with Reid and Tooreen Hugo slotting into third on 67.59.

Vida Tansey awarded a score of 66% to Ellie Campbell and the Connemara mare Killaspic Arya, a five-year-old daughter of Killaspic Rebel, the only starters in the Junior Novice class. This combination saw off their sole rivals to double up in the Harper-judged Junior Preliminary class, where they scored 63.27.

Ellie Campbell and Killaspic Arya won the Junior Preliminary and Junior Novice classes at The Meadows \ Ellie Johnston

Elementary

Harper, who was on duty also at CoilÓg on Sunday, judged both Elementary classes here, awarding his higher winning score (69.58%) to Lisa Dundee, who topped the leaderboard in the DI52 with Patricia Connon’s home-bred ISH mare RoundThorn Nice N Easy, a five-year-old mare by Formidable. Honours in the BD43 went to Caroline Herron and another five-year-old ISH, Clantara Lord Louis (68.45), a gelded son of Hoeks Ludo W.

Others to top Harper’s marks during the day were Lorraine Gibson with her 13-year-old piebald mare Miss Maisy Raine (66.76% in the Intro B) and Louise Cleland with her traditionally-bred six-year-old Builders Delight mare Rumour Has It (68.65 in the Preliminary DI8).