Another cross country evening planned for Wednesday at Audrey and Tanya’s

Audrey and Tanya are making their freshly cut silage fields in Castleshanaghan available for a cross country session this Wednesday evening at 7.30. The format will be the same as our recent evening at Marina’s with riders being timed around a course with no jumping obstacles.

It’s an ideal opportunity for novice riders to gain experience riding across open ground. For more advanced riders, it’s a great chance to get a feel for your and your horse’s speed and tempo in relation to the AIRC’s optimum times for cross country competitions.

Further information from Rachel on 086 161 7087 or Libby on 086 830 1392.

Directions to Audrey & Tanya

Schedule and entry details for Border Counties ODE, Sunday 11 July

Details are now available for the Border Counties 1-day event at Cloncaw Equestrian Centre, Glaslough, County Monaghan. The event is a qualifier for the AIRC National ODE Championship.

Entries must be made through the club secretary. To allow time for the entries to get to Monaghan by 2 July, please ensure that Libby has your entry by Wednesday 30 June, at the very latest.

Border Counties ODE 2010 · Download

Pictured below: Damien on Armstrong jumping the Giant’s Teeth at Glaslough, 2008. He finished fourth in the Intermediate class at the event.

Jumping league at Richard Smyth’s, Thursdays

Richard Smyth is running a jumping league at his yard near Newtownstewart beginning next Thursday, 24 June. Courses begin at 40 cm and progress through 60, 70, 80 and 90 cm. Subsequent league dates are Thursday 1/8/15/22 July and the final takes place on Thursday 29 July. You must compete in three legs of the league to qualify for the final.

Jumping begins each evening at 6 pm sharp and every class costs £6 to enter.

Contact details to follow.

Weekend of activity, far and near

As the good weather continues, so do the many equestrian events throughout the country. Our own club members will be active at different times over the weekend, kicking off with a jumping lesson with Kelda Morgan at Lenamore on Friday evening.

On the same evening, new recruit Erica Glynn makes the long journey to Galway with her mare Britney. She plans to fulfil a lifetime ambition to compete at the Galway County Show on Saturday. One of the great traditional provincial shows on the calendar, the Show Grounds at Clarinbridge are a point of pilgrimage for generations of riders from the West. This year, for the first time, the schedule includes a series of riding club classes hosted by local club, Springmount.

On Sunday, Mary Finneran’s Glenleary Summer Show near Ramelton will attract great support. Mary, a founder member of the club, has been responsible for introducing a huge number of adult riders to the enjoyment of horses, teaching them the fundamentals of riding from basics to advanced level. It would be interesting to assemble her protogées for a group photo on the show field – the photographer would need a very wide angle lens to fit everybody in.

Enjoy the weather, enjoy your horse.

National Show Jumping Championships, Mullingar, 18 July

Full details of the AIRC National Show Jumping Championships have now been published. The event takes place at Mullingar Equestrian Centre, Athlone Road, Mullingar, Co Westmeath on Sunday 18 July. It’s a top class venue and last year entries were not enormous. Sharon O’Donnell competed on Sky in 2009 and Orla was active on foot as a volunteer.

Entries close: Friday 2nd July 2010 (postal through club secretary) or Sunday 11th July 2010 (online).

AIRC National Show Jumping Championships

Endurance riding at Baronscourt, Sunday 27 June

ILDRA, the Irish Long Distance Riding Association, is running its endurance riding event at Baronscourt, County Tyrone, on Sunday 27 June. Marina participated in this event two years ago and found it one of the most enjoyable experiences of her long and varied equestrian career.

Baronscourt is a largely forested area between Strabane and Newtownstewart. The territory is well known to anybody who hunts with the Donegal Harriers. Their annual meet at Baronscourt is a much-loved adventure over terrain that only Irish riders on Irish horses would even contemplate.

ILDRA is the governing body for Endurance Riding in Ireland and is made up of two regions, Leinster and Ulster. Their events involve different types of participants, from pure pleasure riders to highly competitive endurance riding experts. Find out more about their general activities and about the Baronscourt event on their own website: Endurance Riding Ireland

Masters Qualifier & Dressage Championship Qualifier, 4 July

The schedule for the regional show on Sunday 4 July featuring the Masters Qualifier & Dressage Championship Qualifier at Uppermace, Co. Mayo has just been published.

Entries for the Masters Series Qualifier (show jumping, open to Advanced Intermediate and above riders) are made online through the AIRC website. You must pre-enter by 10 am Thursday 1 July. Entries for Intermediate and below show jumping classes are made on the day.

Entries for the dressage team qualifer must be made through the club’s secretary on the official entry form. Individual dressage entries for the show on 4 July may be texted or emailed to Patricia Warren, the Regional Secretary, on 086 248 2321 or trishmwarren@gmail.com. Remember that no qualification is necessary for the individual classes at the dressage championships.

For further information on these national competitions (Masters Series and Dressage Championships), see the AIRC website.

West Region Masters & Dressage Show 2010 · Schedule
Team Dressage Entry Form · Download

Steel shed for sale

Steel shed for sale, 112′ x 54′ x 23′ high, including 6cwt of galvanised bolts. The shed is designed to take a second floor half way up. It’s on the ground ready to go and the owner can deliver. Price is negotiable. If you’re interested contact Seán on 049 854 0221.

Aodhan back in the fold

After a six month absence while he concentrated on his law studies, Aodhan McMenamin is back on the club radar and hopes to be active over the summer months with his horse Kaiser. A Letterkenny man, Aodhan is probably best-known as the club’s high jump champion. He nailed the title in the small hours of the morning at Millers Hill last September, out-jumping Francis McNicholl in the 2-legged puissance.

Pictured below: Aodhan on Kaiser at Millers Hill, September 2009, just hours before his record-setting performance on his own two legs.

All set for Glenleary Summer Show, Sunday 20 June

Mary and crew in Glenleary are just putting together final plans for this Sunday’s show in Ramelton. With two show jumping rings, dressage classes, combined training and a handy horse obstacle course there should be something for everyone. Pony classes will take place in the morning with a nice lie in for the horses. They kick off at 2.30 pm with the handy horse class while horse jumping starts at 4 pm.

Glenleary Summer Show Schedule · Download