“I WOULDN’T have missed my last show with Lemon for the world!” shared Chloe Lacey, who made her final outing with the five-year-old Ballylee Lemon (Slackport Prince x Lemonfield Lass) a winning one at Sunday’s Connemara Pony World Search for a Star Grassroots Championship. Less than 24 hours earlier, Chloe and her partner Dylan Robinson had been competing Cregduff Ranger at Moreton in Marsh in the Cotswolds, before a quick turnaround to make it back to Ireland for the Lucinda Kelly-run initiative.

Now in its third year, Connemara Pony World Search for a Star’s aim is to showcase the talent of younger, novice Connemara ponies across performance and ridden classes. It is hosted at Barnadown Equestrian, Co Wexford, in conjunction with the IPS Hunter Pony Show, and Lacey won the HorseQuest Novice Ridden Championship for four- and five-year-old ponies. This rounds out an incredible season for the pair, who finished in the top three at the Dublin Horse Show in the Novice Ridden class before standing Reserve Champion at the Connemara Pony Show in Clifden three weeks ago.