Richard Smyth of Mulvin Stables, Newtownstewart, is holding two days of show jumping at his yard. These will be on Easter Monday, 25 April, and on the bank holiday Monday, 2 May. Both days start at 10.00am with starter stakes jumping and classes run throughout the day up to 1m in height.
Contact Richard for further details on 0044 77 5395 7646.
Entries for the Team Show Jumping Championship qualifier close next Thursday, 21 April. It’s now time to nail your colours to the mast and let Orla know definitively whether you want to be considered for selection. Also, if you plan to participate, make sure your horse is registered with AIRC HQ before the closing date.
Contact Orla on 087 643 2458 to confirm that you want your name in the mix.
Pictured below: Damien, Nadine and Marina in action at last year’s qualifiers.
Strule Valley Riding Club have been in touch again to invite us to compete in another team show jumping challenge on Wednesday 25 May in Ecclesville. Further information in due course from Orla.
The big day is approaching fast. On Saturday the traditional convoy of lorries and trailers will travel the long road from the four corners of Donegal to one of the finest cross country venues in the country, Flowerhill near Portumna in Galway. The AIRC National Hunter Trial Championship is by far the most popular national competition amongst the three Donegal clubs.
The horses will be stabled comfortably on site and most of the riders will be camping at the venue, in the luxury of lorries or the shelter of tents. Saturday evening’s camp meal will be a relaxed and enjoyable affair while Sunday morning’s breakfast will be swallowed with a sauce of butterflies and shakes.
Nine members of Letterkenny Riding Club are making the journey. Mick, Leo, Anne, Keary, Rachel, Libby and Marina have all been around before. Erica and Geraldine are this year’s freshmen. And there’ll be the usual entourage of foot followers who generously volunteer to help the competitors with the club’s fence stewarding duties on the day. That’s almost as much fun as riding the course.
Competitor times, the schedule and plenty of other information can now be seen on the AIRC website. You can keep an eye on the weather during the final countdown at Accuweather | Portumna.
Pictured below: Memories of Flowerhill 2010. All these suspects are going back for more in 2011.
With Patricia Warren’s flatwork lessons on Friday evening and cross country schooling at Lenamore on Sunday, it was another active club weekend. But it’s from a non-club event that the first news from happy members has seeped in.
Marina and Martina both travelled to Deane’s for the cross jump event over mixed obstacles. Marina had the unrivalled pleasure of competing in the mini pairs class for the first time with her daughter Jade. This mixed-age feature of non-AIRC cross country classes is one of these competitions’ great attractions.
The Gaeltachts are well on their way to orchestrating another of their seaside masterpieces. See their website for the first glimpse of a skeleton schedule. It looks like it could give the Festival at Stradbally a run for its money at a fraction of the diesel cost.
The success of this year’s North West League will be celebrated this Monday evening, 11 April, when we play bowls without the horses. All three clubs are getting together at 8pm at the McKemie Hall in Ramelton for a purely social evening. Let’s see if our show jumping prowess can be translated into bowling success — the grading system can be agreed on the night!
Everybody welcome. Contact Marina on 086 821 6335 for further information.
Maybe we should ship all our unwanted Irish horses over to Germany and let the german cows get on with their real job! Enjoy this clip from the RTÉ news:
Luna, The Show Jumping Cow
The mere thought of travelling any distance at all with a horse at present is enough to send a shudder through your bank account and wallet. However, everybody has their goal for the year or the one treat that they’re determined to allow themselves, come hell or high water.
For anybody who has set their heart on the Festival at Stradbally on 11 and 12 June, remember to keep an eye on the closing dates. Because of the enormous size of the event and the sheer number of classes, entries must be made much earlier than for any other national competition. For full information on the event, visit the AIRC website.
Pictured below: Keary Smith and Sakima after their victory in the Primary Individual Show Jumping Championship at the 2009 Festival.
Cavan Equestrian Centre’s annual National Stallion Parade takes place this Saturday, 9 April. This year it’s on for the day rather than just an evening and has trade stalls and an army equitation display. Erica went to the event last year and found it very good. It should be even better this year and will be enjoyable for anybody with an interest in breeding or just as an equine event. To find out more, see the Cavan Equestrian Centre’s information brochure.
Letterkenny Riding Club