AS he rides out each morning for Mouse Morris, Tom Hayden had an interest in the thoroughbred class at Wexford Equestrian on Wednesday, but the main focus of his attention at the second round of this Stepping Stones to Success league was the TRI Equestrian pony producers’ class.

This he won on his mother Mary’s home-bred Connemara mare Tullowcussane Peaches (64.5 marks), a five-year-old grey by the Fethard family’s own stallion, Derryveeney Cruise, out of the Coosheen Stormboy mare Shanagolden Báire, a full-sister to the well-known Charlie Of Blakehill.

“I did one EI90 class on the mare last year, but also a few unaffiliated events and performance classes,” said 21-year-old Hayden, who works full-time with horses. “We’ll finish this series and then aim her at the Connemara performance hunter qualifiers for Dublin. We also hope to have her sire out competing again this season. He has 75 Show Jumping Ireland points to his credit and has also competed with Eventing Ireland.

“We usually sell the stock we breed as foals, but decided to hold on to this mare,” said Hayden, who receives coaching “the odd time” from Nicki Russell. “Her dam had a full-brother to this winner only last week. I have a mare I was hoping to compete in the thoroughbred class, but I don’t know if she’ll be ready in time.” As well as crediting his mother for breeding Tullowcussance Peaches, Hayden referred to Mary as “groom extraordinaire”!

West Waterford’s Pauline Dahill, a regular competitor in the Stepping Stones series, had five rides in this class. She finished second and third on two Connemara geldings, Joan Vaughan’s Rathnari Connor, a seven-year-old grey by Plume de Kezeg who completed on his Faith Ponsonby-awarded dressage score (58), and her mother Joan Dahill’s home-bred Glencairn Fredrick, a four-year-old Inistown bay, who lowered a pole for a total of 54 marks.