Report from the IPS South Leinster / Waterford Area Autumn Show on 10^th September.

The excellent venue of John and Bianca Lennon’s farm at Kilbride, Callan, attracted far more entries than expected, and turned the show into a ‘dawn to dusk’ affair, but everyone seemed happy to be there. The day started with the Performance Jumping with Mrs Faith Ponsonby judging, and the well filled classes set the theme for the day. In the ridden rings Mr Brendan Laffan looked for quality and free action in his Show Hunter classes and found his Open Champion in Martha McNamara’s Warleigh Wishful Thinking, who gave a great gallop for rider Amy McNamara, with Alix Cuneen on her mother’s Tyn-y-Cae Gold Kite standing reserve. In the Novice section the championship went to Nesta FitzGerald’s 143cms 4yr old Brandon Brief Encounter ridden by Shannon Sheridan with the reserve spot filled by Maire Springate’s    Killoughter Nugget ridden by Cian    Springate. Of the ten competitors in the Show Starter Stakes, Alex Burns on Darina Walsh’s Glenhuntly Trojan Troy came out the winner.

Mrs Margaret Miller then took over the judging of the Mini Show Hunters and was delighted to find 12 top quality ponies before her in the Show Hunter Lead Rein class where the eventual winner was Rillaton    Jack-in-a Box for Victoria Burns. The First Ridden class was equally well filled and the winner here was the successful Wingland Make Believe for Annie Twomey, this combination also took the red ribbon in the 123cms Show Hunters. The First Year First Ridden went to Jessica Murphy on Paulank Tinkerbelle. The Mini Show Hunter Champion was Wingland Make Believe with Rillaton Jack-in-a-Box taking Reserve Champion. Mrs Miller also judged the equitation classes and the Ridden Mountain & Moorland, where Theresa Marnane’s Goldsworth Royal Salute took the Championship from Paul O’Connell’s Ballynahowan Eamonn. Although only placed 2^nd in his class, this pony was pulled forward ahead of the Highland Easterhill Jura, who felt she had done enough and despite the urging of Michaela Steyn-Keating was reluctant to give her best in the championship.

In the next ring Mrs Thalia Smithwick O’Brien officiated over the Show Pony Mini classes where she found her champion in Melissa O’Connor’s First Year First Ridden winner Paulank Tinkerbell ridden by   Jessica Murphy   with   Ciara Egan’s Golden Grove Romance, ridden by    Mark Kearney taking the reserve rosette. Miss Breid Shannon then continued with the Show Pony classes where the 138cms winner Goldsworth Royal Salute ridden by Olivia Marnane was the successful Champion ahead of the 148cms winner Marian Judge’s Strinesdale Emerald ridden by Aisling Wixted. It was encouraging to see a total of 10 entries in the show pony classes, which have in general been poorly supported this year. In the first running of the ridden coloured class the winner was Chloe Furlong on Thistletown Taffy with Owen de Pelsmaker on Ms. Merrylegs taking 2^nd place. The Youngstock Championship went to Lambay All Inclusive for owner Ann Grimes, with Bernadette Horgan’s Smokey Astral standing Reserve. The Intermediate Championship went to the Show Hunter winner Pebbly Huntingfield for Esme Mansergh Wallace, with Clara O’Driscoll taking reserve Hollycreek on Sir Bradley

Mr. Peter Molloy had a busy task sorting out the well filled Working Hunter Classes, with the 133cms winner Claire Crawford’s Ardfry Sarabi getting the nod in the Championship from the 2^nd placed pony in the 143cms section, Jane Gibbon’s Springbrook Blondie coming up to take the    reserve rosette under Jane Hennigan. Some spectators were surprised that the 153cms winner, Calvin Nugent on Gregg’s Cavalier, was not pulled forward as he had put up a great performance in the championship, but there had been no clear jumping round in the 153cms class, Pataire Crawford also got the nod for the Starter Stakes Championship on Ardfry Sarabi, with Show Starter Stakes winner Genhuntly Trojan Troy standing reserve. The Mini Working Hunter Championship went to Cradle stakes winner Brookhall Ana Marie ridden by James Phillips with the WHP Lead Rein winner, Ben Crawford on Tabita Pollyanna in reserve.

The I.A.W.C.P.S ran one ring in conjunction with the SLW show, and here Mr Brendan Laffan spent a busy afternoon judging the Welsh Pony classes, where his pure bred championship went to Josephine O’Driscoll’s Hanmere Gem with the Lead Rein winner Littlewern Chelsea in reserve for Marie Collins and rider Nicola Dee. This combination also took the Mini Championship and the Part-bred Championship went to the ridden part-bred winner Tyn-y-Cae Gold Kite

We would like to thank everyone who helped to make the show such a success in far from perfect weather conditions. John and Bianca Lennon for the use of their land, and for providing the vehicle and driver to tow out many of the horseboxes, our judges, who had to put up with often wet and windy conditions, our competitors who turned out in numbers, and our long suffering stewards, in particular our now expert scribe Jason, who spent from 9am onwards in the Working Hunter ring without a break.

(with the wet weather results from the welsh ring are a bit hit and miss, but hopefully are correct)