A glorious day for training in the West

With Errigal and Muckish crystal clear under a bright blue sky, seven of our members joined riders from Tirconaill, Donegal Gaeltacht and Benbulben riding clubs for a very enjoyable day’s tuition on the periphery of Europe.

The journey out and back is a pleasure in itself when the weather plays along and both horses and riders enjoyed the change of scenery and change of instructors. It was a great opportunity to try out the Gaeltachts’ lovely new jumps and the horses adapted to them remarkably quickly. Molly did have a little issue with the water tray but patience paid off and, between them, Gary Marshall and Anne coaxed her over the terrifying obstacle. For the cross country sessions, Manus’s land was remarkably dry and withstood the hoofed invasion perfectly.

A very big thanks to Roisin, Packie and Mona who orchestrated the whole event and to the three instructors who worked patiently with every level of horse and rider. And thanks to the big man up above for delivering on the weather promise.

Packie was out with his camera on the day and we’ll surely see some pictures on the Gaeltachts’ site in due course.

An aptly named evening

As the rain pelted down on jeeps and trailers on Friday evening, the prospects of finding much fun in a big field in Castleshanaghan looked pretty bleak. As soon as Francis appeared, all of that changed. The first bit of entertainment was provided by the master himself as he manoeuvred his trusty wagon up the grassy slope of Audrey’s pristine field. The silver Volkswagon played along gamely and eventually the most precious load of the evening arrived safely alongside its waiting playmates.

The rain started to ease as the colourful course was constructed and, by the time the horses were unloaded, it had disappeared entirely. Eight riders and five willing horses made up two teams for an evening of concentration, frustration, excitement, gamesmanship, world-class cheating, and — just as it said on the tin — fun. The “training” session was book-ended by exhilarating canters in the freedom of the farm’s extensive fields.

With everything cleared away the group was shuttled to the house where Audrey and Cecil’s excellent hospitality was further enhanced by Maeve Rafferty’s first class brownies. By departure time, the rain was coming down again in buckets.

A huge thanks to Francis for providing the best of fun, to Audrey and Cecil for the hospitality and the freedom of the fields, and to the high-spirited members who turned out despite the weather and proved yet again that fortune favours the brave.

Below: The all important cargo arrives in time for the evenings’ sport. More photos in the Gallery.

Times for training day on Sunday

Roisin has individually informed each of our members of their times for Sunday but here’s the overview:

Libby, Anne and Keary
11:30am – XC at Manus’s  /  1pm – lunch at Manus’s  /  2:15pm – SJ on beach
Rachel and Dennis
10:30am – SJ on beach / 1pm – lunch at Manus’s  /  2:15pm – XC at Manus’s
Paddy
11:30am – SJ on beach  / 1pm – lunch at Manus’s  / 2:15pm – XC at Manus’s
Joanne
11:30am – SJ on beach / 2:15pm – Dressage on beach / 3:30pm or soon after – XC at Manus’s

It’s sure to be a great day. Fingers crossed for the weather…

7.30pm kick-off for Francis’s Fun Night

Friday evening’s entertainment will kick-off at 7.30pm at Audrey & Tanya’s Castleshanaghan farm. Although there’ll be plenty of rain between now and then, at present it looks set to fair up in time for the club event.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Francis’s challenges, expect a wide range of obstacles, obedience tests and quirky manoeuvres suitable for every level of rider. If you can’t bring your own mount, bring your boots and hat and you’ll very likely pick up a ride on somebody else’s horse.

Try to let Francis know in advance on 086 372 2542, if you plan to attend.

Plenty of competitive opportunities coming up in July

The season is well under way! Just in case you still have time left on your hands after the Gaeltachts’ Crossjump on Sunday 1 July, Border Counties 1-Day Event on Sunday 8 July, our own Derby on Sunday 22 July and the Gaeltachts’ Beach Show on Sunday 29 July, you might be interested in the Equifestival in Cavan at the beginning of the month or the James Wray Trust Summer Dressage Show on Saturday 21 July. Check out their websites for details.

EquiFestival of Ireland
North Coast Dressage

Instructors and costs confirmed for Training Day

Mona has confirmed the line-up of instructors for Sunday’s inter-club training day at Falcarragh. Following the success of his instruction in 2011, Gary Marshall will once again coach the show jumping sessions. Geraldine McGarry will take over in the cross country field, assisted by Sally Mahon if numbers demand. Dympna Lonergan will instruct in the flatwork arena.

The cost of the training will be €15 for your first discipline and €10 per discipline thereafter. This makes it a very affordable day of instruction, thanks to a subsidy from the region and cost-consciousness on the part of the organisers.

All three disciplines kick off at 11am. Times will be confirmed on Friday. The forecast is currently looking remarkably positive. We’ll might get a shower or two but that won’t be the end of the world.

Ride-out and fun night swap places in the calendar

With half the McNicholl Fun Team engaged in choir duties at the blessing of the boats for SeaFest in Rathmullan on Friday 22 June, Francis’s Fun Night is being pulled forward by a week to next Friday. This dovetails perfectly with the farming calendar at Castleshanaghan where the silage was cut earlier this week. The freshly manicured grass at the Jacobs farm will make a perfect playground and a great night’s challenging entertainment is in store.

The juggling of the calendar sees the ride-out at Stranorlar move back to Friday 22 June. This might be a blessing in disguise since all the rally adrenalin should have dissipated by then.

Cross country skills polished in Glenleary arena

The weather certainly wasn’t very promising for Mary Finneran’s cross country skills lessons yesterday evening but the enormous bulging black cloud that hovered menacingly in the northern sky finally gave up on the determined riders and floated off to new horizons. Not a drop of rain fell as Vera enjoyed a solo lesson on Tia, working on cross country flatwork skills in the arena before venturing out onto grass to put everything into practice.

The land could cope with one horse but the six who turned out for the second equally dry lesson were wisely confined to the arena. That didn’t impede the learning process one little bit as everybody practiced how to ride a straight line in a good on-going rhythm down to an ever-skinnier jump. Minds were focussed and determination was heightened. Great entertainment was provided by the old man of the evening, Zak, who jumped with characteristic gusto despite his mildly unorthodox approach.

Many thanks to Mary for more great instruction, to Orla for organising the evening, and to Audrey for providing the all-important refreshments.