Western Region A.I.R.C May 2012
Unfortuneately
Donegal Gaeltacht’s on the 13 May show
was cancelled due to bad weather.
Bridge Show Results 20 May 2012.
The Primary Show
jumping 1st Mairead Barry on Flash, 2nd Jacqueline
Feeleyon on Brogue Boy, 3rd Severine Ray on Ziva, 4th Deirdre
Hunt on Othello, 5th Joan O’Brien on Casper and 6th
Christine Rohan on Ramsy.
The Advanced Primary Show Jumping 1st Caroline
Sammon on Ballinruan Boy, 2nd Laurence Smyth on Jenny's Jigsaw, 3rd
Zara McGovern on Pedro, 4th Liam Stapleton on Lady Tessa, 5th
Deirdre O'Shea On Coille and 6th Dermot GoodeElvis
The Intermediate Show jumping 1st Rachael
Burke on Rockey Blue, 2nd Finola Murphy on Jessie's Kildalton
Delight, 3rd Imelda Mullins on Take a cheque, 4th Michael
O'Boyle on Dunkillon Boy, 5th Alan Hynes on Diamond, 6th
Glyn Morgan on Tell which Trump.
The Advanced Intermediate show jumping competition 1st
Maura Doherty on Dawn Adventure, 2nd Donie Fullard on Been There, 3rd
Thomas Daniels on Barnaboy Jackeen, 4th Elaine McGowan on Jekyll and
Hyde, 5th Martin McBreen on Sunshone Diamond, 6th Cathal
Keane on Gordonfield Diamond.
The open
show jumping competition 1st David Glynn on
Freya De Baussy, 2nd Brendan Dolan on Glenamaddy Lux, 3rd
Deirdre McDonald on Nisqually De May, 4th Patricia Warren on Colorado
Kid, 5th Danielle Tuohy on Pappin.
The
Primary dressage results 1st Madga
Maleta on Peanut, 2nd Jacqueline Feeley on Brogue Boy, 3rd
Fiona Fenton on Dandy, 3rd Maria Fox on Earl of Clonburn, 4th
Christine Rohan on Ramsy, 5th Joan O'Brien on Casper, 5th
Dawn Porter on My Handsome Chap, 6th Annette Donohue on Lucky Cozmo.
The Advance Primary dressage results are 1st
Donna Murray on Temple Troy, 2nd Iris Coleman on The Colemans
Daughter, 3rd Tara Brennan on Raven Lad, 4th Jane Conway
on Glentaun Tilly, 5th Finola Murphy on Jessie's Kildalton Delight, 6th
Sinead Fenton on Cottertown Levi, 6th Rachael Burke on Rockery Blue
and 6th Anna Burke on Rockery Sparkle.
The Intermediate dressage results are 1st
Niamh Macken on, Captain Smirnoff, 2nd Richard Clarke on High
Commissioner, 3rd Tommy Ryan on Mr Silver Darcy
The
advanced intermediate dressage was won by Agata Leonard on Eurocent
Caletto.
The open dressage won by Patricia Warren on Colorado
Kid.
Well done to all riders and what a lovely place
Athlone Equestrian Centre is, great facilities and a very sociable day it was!
North West League Final, Templemore
Equestrian Centre, Sunday 25 March
The North West League, run jointly by the
three AIRC riding clubs in Donegal, traditionally spans the gap from the tail
end of a long winter to the green shoots and light of the new spring season.
Last Sunday’s league final at Templemore Equestrian Centre on the Donegal/Derry
border provided a fitting end to the journey as the sun beat down on the first
of summertime’s luxuriously long days.
Rivalry was fierce between the clubs and
amongst club members. Letterkenny’s fine novice brigade swept the boards in the
lower divisions with Louise Edward’s and Denis Kelly’s wins in the cross poles
and welcome stakes classes respectively. Liz Cuffe had a much tougher task in
the Primary division but held off Donegal Gaeltacht’s up-and-coming star, Rudi
Schneider, for the competition on the day and her own equally promising club mate,
Christopher Pyper, for league honors.
Donegal Gaeltacht dominated the Advanced
Primary division but this didn’t make the competition any less fierce for top honors
on the league table. Rosaleen Harkin, who started the day one point adrift of
septuagenarian Lawrence Smyth, rode three horses in the class to ensure the
victory was hers. She won the class on the day and secured the Primary &
Advanced Primary Leading Rider Award with her win on Hillbilly Rocky.
All three clubs fought it out for the highly
competitive Intermediate competition. On the day it was Ruth McCrossan of
Donegal Gaeltacht who nailed a fine victory in a 6-way jump off but it was
Ruth’s sister, Rachael, who took league honors after a tenacious 2-horse
campaign with her own Batteries Not Included and Ruth’s Sioux Indian.
The Advanced Intermediate class, with just
four competitors over the course of the League, provided the most compelling
conclusion of the afternoon. With only the two contenders for the title turning
out on the day, Damien Gallagher led Stephen Greene by one slender point.
Stephen, jumping first on his own Indian Puzzle, took two fences out. Damien
popped a superb clear on Armstrong and must have thought the class and the
title was his. But with the equine reserves of the Gaeltacht at his disposal,
Stephen gave it everything. When Moonlight Crystal also incurred penalties he
turned to a wonderful club servant, Lawrence Smyth’s Jenny’s Jigsaw, who duly
delivered a clear round to give the crowd what they hoped for: a thrilling jump
off. First to go, Stephen jumped a
beautiful clear in a cracking time but Damien and Armstrong took up the
challenge and nonchalantly delivered a masterful clear in a yet faster time to
win the title for Letterkenny.
The Gaeltacht’s strong Open contingent
contested a wonderful class. Sally Mahon won the competition with a dashing
round on Kerrykeel Lad while Laura Schneider, who jumped so consistently
throughout the league, took top league honors.
Damien Gallagher with Letterkenny’s 2011 Club
Horse of the Year, Armstrong, took the Intermediate & above Leading Rider
Award to bring the curtain down on another memorable North
West League.
Well done all riders and competitors, it’s
good to see so many out riding in these difficult times!
Next month sees shows being held at Donegal Gaeltacht jump cross and Dalysgrove RC on the bank
holiday weekend, The riding club festival on the 9th and 10th
Springmount on the 16th and Barnacarrol on the 29th. Good luck to all going to the festival, have
fun and remember your sun cream and your thermals!
Any further information can be emailed to me
at melindamorgan2000@hotmail.com or you can check out the blog on http://aircwesternregion.blogspot.com