The Falcarragh Gymkhana takes place this year on Sunday 18 July in a field opposite the Boyce Oil service station. Ponies jump in the morning, horses in the afternoon. There are perpetual cups for both pony and horse classes at 90cm, in which anyone can enter. These cup classes are the highlight of the show. There’s a bit of a history to the horse cup, as Roisin McGee explained:
In the horse section, two years ago, Stephen won the cup. Just before last year’s show, it disappeared from Stephen’s house. There were members of Donegal Gaeltacht Riding Club in the house at the supposed time of the disappearance but, they proved to be poor witnesses. It reappeared in Stephen’s van in time for the 2009 show. In that show, Packie won it (on his wife Carmel’s horse), but made the mistake of leaving it in full view, on a table, in his house. Fearing it could ‘mysteriously disappear’, he removed it from its heavily fortified cabinet (paranoia!) to take a photo of it, with the intention of putting the photo on display and securing the cup once more. He took the photo but forgot to hide the cup afterward (careless or what?!?!). You guessed it, it disappeared. The cup somehow found its way to Killult Stables and was mistakenly presented to Carmel for coming first in Donegal Gaeltacht Riding Club’s summer training league, on her own horse. So, Packie has it back, for the moment!!!!
So, it’s probably best if somebody from our club goes over there and wins that cup, purely in the interests of keeping it safe… See photos from last year’s gymkhana on the Donegal Gaeltacht’s website Gallery. There are also some lovely ones from our own Spring Friendly.
Letterkenny Riding Club 