Cloncaw Equestrian Centre’s highly popular 2-Phase league ended on Sunday with its final leg proving yet again what a valuable amenity its facilities provide. Despite torrential rain in the preceding week, the show jumping and cross country courses were beautifully prepared and ready for action on the day.
Martina, Marina and Libby competed at this non-AIRC event. Jayne Robinson was there too sporting her red Tirconaill silks on her lovely new horse. All of the Donegal riding club members opted for the Mini category, each looking for a nice confidence-boosting round over attractive jumps. Martina handled a headstrong Smuggler manfully in the show jumping ring before heading out for a faultless cross country round at her first ever attempt. An upgrade to Advanced Primary is imminent as the combination set their sights on riding club cross country competitions for 2012.
After jumping Fence 3, Libby had flashbacks to Nadine’s two most memorable Glaslough experiences and rode a giant circle while she figured out that, no, she had not missed a jump! To compensate for the detour, she rode Mai on like the clappers over the second half of the course and ended up with no faults and the fastest time in the competition — too fast, of course, for a competition run over optimum time…
It was Marina on Jenny, jumping only her second cross country course, who hacked around like an old pro and took sixth place for her faultless and 12-second less speedy round.
It was a most enjoyable event and a wonderful schooling experience. Glaslough is so close that it’s almost in the county — a well worthwhile journey over excellent roads. Maybe one of these day the Border Counties and Castle Leslie members will realise that it’s just as easy travelling in the other direction!
Pictured below: Three Letterkenny members in action at Cloncaw. (Photos kindly provided by Cloncaw’s Geraldine Bellew.)
Letterkenny Riding Club 