While Great Britain narrowly pipped Ireland to the Aga Khan Trophy in a nail-biting contest, it was Tynagh Riding Club who registered a magnificent victory in the Horseware Team Show Jumping Championship at the RDS on Sunday. What a great achievement for our Western region. Well done Tynagh.
See the full results on the AIRC website.
It’s Friday, it’s Aga Khan Cup day. At the RDS today, eight teams line out in one of the world’s finest grass show jumping arenas to challenge for one of the sport’s most prestigious Nations Cup competitions. Ireland jump in seventh position. Read more about our team on the Horse Sport Ireland website.
On Sunday the focus switches to the amateur side of the sport with the final of the AIRC’s Horseware Team Show Jumping Championships in the Simmonscourt arena. Our club may not have made it to the final but we have plenty of happy memories of the qualifier in Claremorris. Tynagh Riding Club from Galway were the victors on that day in early May and they represent our Western region in Sunday’s big event. If you’re at the Horse Show on Sunday, cheer them on and imagine that we could be in their boots in 12 months’ time.
This year the championship will be the subject of a Horse & Country television broadcast. Find out more about this on the AIRC website.
This week sees the annual exodus of man and beast to the RDS for the Dublin Horse Show. There are always a few who tough it out on home turf and Libby has led a Friday ride-out for others of her ilk for the past few years. This year she’s unable to do it but anybody else who has a nice route in mind can seize the opportunity.
If you want to do the honours, contact Orla and she’ll sent out the rallying call. Otherwise everybody can enjoy a restful Friday evening without riding club activity. No harm in that either — we all need a break now and again.
There were plenty of riding club members at the rescheduled Glenleary Show on August Bank Holiday Monday but most appeared in different guises to those we know. At a show where the younger generation took centre stage, the adult troop fulfilled roles where horses were surplus to requirements.
In the judges box, Cormac officiated with a practiced ease. Close by, Sally observed the afternoon action through the lens of her professional camera. Liz circled the show grounds with a concentrated look, playing her civilian mother’s role as if born to it while her three daughters, Niamh, Claire and Joanne covered themselves in glory. Libby surfaced briefly with a smug Rusty, a happy dog delighted with his horse-free owner. Orla Harrison and Christopher belonged to a rare species on the day—riding club members in mounted action—while Annette attended on foot with a camera slung promisingly around her neck.
And no matter in what direction one looked, either Mary Finneran or Orla was always in view, surrounded by happy children, flanked by happy parents, with patient and forbearing ponies and horses observing the action with faces of wisdom and fortitude.
Well done Glenleary.
Pictured below: Cormac, Sally, Mary and Orla fulfill their roles at Glenleary Summer Show where the children took centre stage.
Two rides on Friday evening were cleverly collapsed into one as half the booked horses and riders fell by the wayside with cast shoes and sundry other complaints. But, as always, the five candidates who turned out for Jackie’s flatwork lesson at Harley’s finished the session with broad smiles on their faces and the unbeatable knowledge that they were the lucky ones.
On an uncharacteristically beautiful sunny evening, Tanya, Joanne, Vera, Laura and Karen worked diligently under Jackie’s eye and had their mounts going beautifully by the time they executed their final formal halt. Joanne rode nicely on her own lovely big bay horse, quite a step up in size from Dancer! Meanwhile, Laura has descended (in elevation only) to her young mare, the 15hh Miss Jessie, while her sister Karen has taken over on the much-admired cob, Cappry Jack.
Tanya on the original Jack and Vera on Tia were the remaining two familiar partnerships in the arena and they both enjoyed the lesson as much as ever. Jackie was in the best of form and relaxed after the lesson with Pippa. John and Sharon weren’t prepared to part with her and Jackie admitted that they’re better when you can give them back.
It was a lovely evening and much thanks is due to Sharon for her enduring patience and good humour in coordinating this series of lessons during the summer silly season.
Pictured below: Jackie with her five diligent pupils enjoying a tough but rewarding flatwork lesson. More photos in the Gallery.
Our event coordinators are busily working away behind the scenes putting the plans in place for our two remaining shows in 2011.
Our hunter trial event at Lenamore on Sunday 4 September will now feature dressage as well as the central cross country event. The dressage judge has not yet been confirmed but we know that Jacqueline Maudlin will be officiating in the judge’s box for the hunter trial.
Our Autumn Show Jumping League show will be held on Saturday 22 October. As in the past, Eglinton is not available on the Sunday, the traditional day for riding club competitions. After conducting a quick straw poll, Rachel has confirmed that Eglinton on Saturday is favoured over Templemore on Sunday. This is the show which features our Northwest Team Challenge Cup as well as being a leg of the Western Region Autumn League.
With the weather forecast as it is, Glenleary Show this coming Monday, 1 August, should be a dry and fine affair. The schedule remains the same as previously with a feature horses v ponies jumping derby, show jumping, dressage (judged by Petra Kucklick), handy horse, and best turned out classes. There are competitions for both children and adults since it’s not a riding club or pony club event. And all of this just around the corner from you in Ramelton.
The second of Jackie McPherson’s summer series of three flatwork lessons takes place this Friday at Harleys in Trentagh. Book by Wednesday with Sharon on
086 338 9166.
The four Donegal TREC riders who made the long journey to Kells in Meath for the National Championships over the weekend showed that talent and enthusiasm are a fair match for experience in this increasingly popular equestrian discipline. Our very own Orla and Christopher made up the senior citizen component of the posse and, between them all, the foursome were victorious in a litany of classes at the 2-day event.
Read the full details in Orla’s report. She makes no apologies for its unedited form — getting back on her civilian feet has been the priority since she returned from the adventure.
Very well done everybody.
The problem with our miserable summer is that every patch of blue sky and ray of sunshine makes us cling powerfully to our beautiful Donegal homeland. The option of spending five or six hours on the road can never win when the alternative is staying at home to enjoy a rare patch of summer.
Thus Cormac was our club’s sole representative at today’s league final show at Tubberbride. He did us proud. Riding a horse borrowed from one of his Sligo friends, he cleared every obstacle in textbook fashion in the Intermediate class only to hear the judge announce the dreaded “one time fault”. He wasn’t the only culprit on the day.
His luck changed in the Intermediate & Above speed class when he stepped into his favourite “against the clock” mode and promptly recorded the fastest time, unfortunately with one fence down. Although Finola Murphy won the class with a clear round, Cormac’s performance was good enough to land him the yellow rosette in a large class. Very well done.
Letterkenny Riding Club