WE hope that members of Mullingar Riding Club got to enjoy the social side of last weekend’s Association of Irish Riding Clubs Festival at their local Mullingar Equestrian Centre but we do know they enjoyed plenty of success with their horses and ponies over the two days.

On Saturday, club chair Donny Hynes and her Connemara gelding Slieve Rushen Samson, an 11-year-old grey by Dromore Peter, won their RC70 performance hunter class. Other winners in this Horse Sport Ireland-sponsored section, which was judged by Tony Ennis and Libby Wentges, were North Cork’s Marie Sheehan on board her Irish Sport Horse mare Bo Peep (RC80), a 16-year-old skewbald by Feagh Cavalier, and Westport’s Amy Fadden with another Connemara gelding, Drymills Domino (RC70 open), her 13-year-old grey by Lisroe Charlie.