Everything’s over for another year but today’s final of the third annual North West League delivered on all its promise. Letterkenny didn’t take any of the class titles but our riders were liberally scattered amongst the placings, both in the competitions on the day and in the overall league points table. There’ll be a full report and results when everybody has a chance to draw breath.
The novelty training classes provided the best entertainment of the day and the Primary & Advanced Primary Pairs competition was won by Rosaleen Harkin and Carmel Ferry of the Gaeltachts. There was no outright winner of the breathtaking novelty class for the Intermediate & Above riders and in all respects this seemed the most appropriate outcome. The result embodied all that is wonderful about this league: four exceptionally game riders from three different clubs, three different grades and three different generations shared the honours, each having jumped a mighty 1.40m before failing to clear 1.50m. The span of horses was just as representative as the span of riders, ranging from the gigantic 18.2hh Tyler Hill to the diminutive 14.2hh Dancer. Club affiliation mattered for nothing as each was cheered equally vociferously by every spectator present.
Thanks to everybody who contributed in any way to the running of this memorable league. It’s a privilege to be a member of such a sporting, friendly and magnanimous trinity of riding clubs.
Photographs in the Gallery in due course and Gamble Photography, who were present all day long, will have their collection on line in the next couple of days.
Pictured below: Leo on Cool jumping their way to second place in the Advanced Primary league; Dancer, the gallant pony who jumped 1.40m for Tommy at the end of a brilliant day; Charlie Vial of Tirconaill, one of the four heroes of the triple bar novelty training class; the Gaeltachts, biggest winners of the day, took top honours in four of the five grades of the league (Finola Murphy of Benbulben foiled them in the Intermediate category); and our coursebuilder and his assistant consult for one last time.
Letterkenny Riding Club 