Letterkenny Riding Club

Dates for one-day event enthusiasts

The one downside to our Derby & Dressage Show on Sunday was the date clash with our much-loved Border Counties one-day event at Glaslough in Monaghan. In 2010 ten of our members travelled to the event and had a wonderful experience. This year it was left to the Gaeltachts to (very successfully) fly the Donegal flag.

For anybody who is keen to get a one-day event under their 2011 belt, the only riding club one within tenuous single-day reach is Mosstown Riding Club’s event at Corbeagh House in Longford on Sunday 31 July. Damien, Nadine and Mary Finneran competed at this venue in 2008. Unfortunately it clashes with Tirconaill’s show on the same day. Entries for the Mosstown ODE close on Monday 25 July, so time is running out.

The only other chance to catch a riding club ODE is with our friends in Dalysgrove near Ballinasloe on Sunday 28 August.

Check out the AIRC events calendar for all details.

More Derby photographs

Our secret photographer, Sally, has delivered a great collection of photographs of the Intermediate and above jumping at our Derby on Sunday. There are so many that we’ve uploaded them in a different format to usual and you can view them on a sub-page of the general Derby gallery: Derby Extra.

Pictured below: Nadine and Molly were missed by other photographers on the day because of their truncated round but they didn’t escape Sally’s lens.

Horze Ireland Western Region Spring Show Jumping League points table

Jane Conway, the Regional Points Officer, has published the current points table for the Western Region’s Spring Show Jumping League. With the exception of the points for the Beach Show (where every score sheet and document was so completely saturated that nobody could be surprised if they simply disintegrated), the table is complete and from it you can deduce what’s left to play for at the final on Sunday 24 July in Tubberbride.

To be eligible for prizes in the final of the league, which is sponsored by Horze Ireland, riders must have attended 5 league shows in the region. In Primary we have one rider qualified to take prizes in the league – Enda McClafferty. At Advanced Primary our eligible riders are Keary Smith, Leo Porter, Mick Carroll and Regina Toland. The Intermediate contingent is Cormac McCormack, Francis McNicholl, Libby Carton and Tommy McGettigan. Three riders have reached the quota for Advanced Intermediate —Nadine Gallagher, Marina Hamilton and Tanya Jacob.

If you haven’t attended the 5 shows you are still eligible to jump on the day. Orla did this at the autumn final last year and had a great show with SonnyB and Lady.

Western Region Spring Show Jumping League 2011
Western Region Spring Final 2011 Schedule

Martina off to Mullingar

This year our club has a rare entry at the AIRC National Show Jumping Championships in Mullingar this Sunday, 17 July. Martina and Smuggler will fly the Letterkenny flag in the Primary events as the duo clock up another colossal number of diesel miles in their 2011 season.

Full information about the event is on the AIRC website. Best of luck to Martina in the final days of preparation and we look forward to hearing a full report.

New member for the club

We’re happy to welcome another new member to the club. Karen Logue is from Ballybofey and will ride at primary level. Everybody already knows her sister, Laura McGowan, who has been a member since the beginning of the year. The two of them will ride Laura’s lovely cob, Jack.

Flatwork lesson this Friday with Jackie McPherson

Despite her best efforts, Sharon has been unable to track down Valerie Craig for our planned formation riding lessons. Hopefully all is well with Valerie — she probably just couldn’t face the prospect of the over-sized children in the Letterkenny Riding Club!

In place of formation riding, Jackie McPherson will deliver another of her unmissable flatwork lessons. The venue is Harleys in Trentagh and there will be two rides, at 7pm and 8pm. Book by Wednesday with Sharon on 086 338 9166.

Pictured below: Jackie instructing at Harleys in September 2010. See what she made of her pupils in the Gallery (scroll down past the Benbulben Crossjump).

Doing things in style: Charlie Vial

There were plenty of cameras at the derby show so there’ll be no shortage of photographs in due course. Libby and Rachel’s father, Garrett, was perfectly positioned for Charlie’s spectacular demolition of fence No.7, a very imposing triple bar. We’re happy to report that horse and rider are none the worse for the wear. The jump escaped with just one amputated limb.

Wonderful day at Hillsborough Farm

There’s neither time nor energy for writing reports or uploading galleries of photos for a few days yet so a few pictures will have to do the talking for the time being. Despite the uncooperative weather, it was a brilliant day and a great club experience. A huge thanks to everybody who attended (in particular the great Dalysgrove contingent) and to everybody who helped out in any way. Many congratulations to everybody who took part, especially the cup winners. We kept two in the club, three in Donegal, and one escaped to keep us honest.

2011 Derby & Dressage Show | Results Derby

Pictured below: A very brief summary of a very great day. More in the Gallery.