A GLANCE at The Irish Field results pages is paper proof that winter leagues are in full swing. Courses are built, parents and fellow competitors watch from the sidelines as hundreds of rounds, often in all sorts of weather, are jumped each week at equestrian centres around the country.

Over at Ralph Conroy’s Milchem Equestrian Centre in Tynagh, the latest league is counting down to the final on Sunday, November 25th. “The leagues here are nearly all year round now and such a necessity in this area, there’s so many horses and people need to put miles on them. We’re fortu-nate to have two large arenas with a variety of fences, good surfaces and that we’re well supported,” Conroy said.