JUNIOR HUNT BALL

 Tickets for the Junior Hunt Ball are available to Pony Club members only until the 1st October. If you are booking a number of tickets the names of those using the tickets must be given to me and all tickets booked must be paid for by 10th October or they will be distributed to the waiting list. 

  The Pony Club Hunt Ball is taking place on Thursday 30th October at the Park Hotel. The price of the tickets are €40 each. Tickets can be booked only through me Gail Long on 052-25113 or 087 6501098 after 6pm or anytime weekends
Thanks
Gail

                                                                                                                          SENIOR PONY CLUB GAMES 2008

   What a year –we all know just how influential the weather has been this season for all pony club activities, well the pony club games were no exception.
Our senior team , consisting of ; Kate O’Connor ,Kate Mulvahill, Charlotte Blackmore, Charles Croome –Carroll and Jamie Deveraux played all summer with team trainer Chris Ahearne to accumulate qualifying points for one of the six coveted team places at the RDS Final during Dublin Horse Show in August.
The 6 teams to qualify were Meath, Tipperary, Shillelagh, Laois, Kildare and Duhallow who earned their place winning a play off against Galway. Full of excitement and anticipation the five team members arrived in convoy on Friday afternoon, ponies were vetted and stabled, the opposition checked out and then the kids setoff to look at some of the sights; meanwhile the parents checked out Ring 1 allotted to the games for the next day. Rumours had already filtered back through competitors, friends and the press as to the appalling ground conditions, and this was unfortunately confirmed.

   After heavy overnight rain as suspected the morning session was cancelled. Several meetings were held to try to find an afternoon slot for the games in the sand arena.    We were assigned for 6.30,our supporters assembled and the competitors were ready for tack inspection when the heavens opened , within minutes the arena was waterlogged-and yes, it was cancelled again. So near and yet so far, the children were so disappointed. We managed to exercise the ponies for 10 mins and then back into the stables.
On arrival on Sunday morning we thought we had secured a slot to play, but this proved a myth-and we were informed that everything was cancelled. What a disappointment for everyone involved! Everything we had worked towards all summer had just vanished………
After  lengthy meetings we heard that there were 2 options of a replay, either at the Ploughing Championships in September or at the Veterinary conference in 2 weeks time again at the RDS .The latter was selected, and so we were RDS bound once again!!
Somehow it did not have quite the same buzz about it, but we were still determined to compete and state our claim. The RDS seemed eerily empty but it was probably more the supporters who noticed this, as the riders were there to compete.

   2500 vets were attending an International Conference in the hall  while we played 2 sessions outside in the sand arena-Meath were still as strong as they had been throughout the summer and were stretching a lead ahead of everyone, but Tipperary, Shillelagh, and Laois were all very closely matched by the end of the afternoon’s play.
The competitors were invited by the organisers to a meal during the break and we were then to play again at 730pm, with an audience of vets at the ringside.
So we were to contest the coveted trophy with an International flavour as the conference vets assembled ringside, 4 deep wielding cameras to catch a glimpse of something most had probably never seen before.
1st we were treated to an exhibition of collie dogs herding ducks and sheep, then after a somewhat surreal build up, we began the last session .There was a festive atmosphere as drinks and canapés were being served  amidst lively music and  people asking questions in many different languages.
It all seemed to go so quickly with one game succeeding the next in rapid succession, as we the spectators struggled to keep up with the scores. We were neck and neck with Shillelagh exchanging points ahead or behind, with mounting excitement we went into the last game which we had to win in order to hold 2nd place as Meath were unbeatable.
WE DID IT !!
Special thanks go to Chris the team trainer for his attention to detail, dedication and the time and effort he put in training the team throughout the summer months.
So our second visit to the RDS proved very successful, and although it was not quite the same as being at the Horse Show, it had its own special atmosphere –perhaps we can organise ringside drinks music and canapés for next year too??

British Pony Club Open Eventing Championships at Draycott House, Derbyshire, UK.

The Tipperary Hunt Pony Club Members Team which qualified successfully at the Irish Pony Club Red Mills Horse Trials Eventing Championships held on the 12^th and 13^th of August ’08 at Ballindenisk, consisted of           Mary Kate Byrne

                                                                                       Anna Gerraghty

                                                                                       Emma Meagher

                                                                                       Karine Ronan

This team travelled to the British Pony Club Open Eventing Championships on Wednesday 20^th and Thursday 21^st August.   Only one team qualifies from Ireland to compete at this Event. This girl’s team travelled at very short notice to the UK, representing the Republic of Ireland.   They all rode so well and were a true credit to their Pony Club.

As a team they finished in a very credible 12^th position.   This is a young team, competing against the best of British, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish event riders in an age category of up to 21 years.

The dressage test was a new test drawn up especially for this event, namely the Pony Club Open Eventing Championships Test 2008 in a 20 x 60M arena.   The girls only had 2 days approx to learn and practice this test. 

The cross country course was superbly built and was a strong and testing course causing considerable problems but thankfully on good ground.   There were 21 fences in total with numerous technical combinations included.   Fence 18 was a difficult water combination consisting of 4 elements, including a tight skinny after ponies jumped out of the water.   The showjumping course consisted of approx. 16 fences including treble and double combinations, with all fences at full open heights and widths etc.  

These girls learned a lot on this trip and would be a force to be reckoned with if successfully qualifying again next year.

        Indoor Showjumping Derby,

Belline Equestrian Centre,  Thursday 21st August starting @ 6pm.

Jump height starts @ 60cm up to 1mt.

Please contact:    Pat Walsh @ 087-2792422

  Stradbally Festival

  Congratulations to all who took part in the festival. The dressage team of Tim O’Hagan, Susie Morris, Julia Ponsonby and Jane Hannigan came 3rd. Jennifer Larkin was 6th individually. Julia Ponsonby was 4th in the combined training and Ana O’Brien was 2nd in the junior combined training. The next day in the show jumping Anna Geraghty was 6th in the individual senior show jumping. Our intermediate boys team of Seamus and Mattie Holohan, Craig O’Connor and Phillip Maher was 5th and won the Horsemanship trophy which was a great achievement. Our Robbie Bailey team was unlucky as after 4 clear rounds in the first round, torrential rain just before they jumped again caused the conditions to deteriorate and the next round did not go as well. They were Sarah and Ana O’Brien, Josef O’Hagen and Robert O’Donnell.

Tipperary One Day Event

Many thanks to the Ponsonby family for allowing us the use of their land and facilities yesterday and to all the officials who worked so hard to make the day such a sucess. For the results and details on how to order photographs from the day -  follow the link to our dedicated event page: Tipp ODE'

CONGRATULATIONS!

Tattersalls International 3 day event took place this weekend and in the Pony class David Hannigan took first prize on Castleview Rakish Milly with Joseph O'Brien coming   2nd and 3rd with Calvin and Puzzles. Anna Geraghty finished well also.  In the Junior competition Peter Hannigan took 4th place on First Mate.   Well Done!

First Team Event

A Tipp Pony Club Team took part in Kilkenny Hunt Pony Club Showjumping Team Comp on Sat 31st May near Warrington. On the team was Natasha Quirke on Freddie, Lucy O'Donnell on Flossy, Jack O'Donnell on Bobby and Oonagh Hynes on Dancer. It was a first team event for everyone. We competed in the 60cm class. It was great fun being in our first team event. In the first round we had a clear from Natasha and Jack, whilst Oonagh and Lucy each had 4 faults, then in the second round we had clear with Natasha, Lucy and Oonagh and a four faults with Jack. This left us equal first with Warrington, Waterford and Kilkenny. We were delighted to get red rosettes, sweets and prizes. It 32 degrees and very hot so we all rounded off the afternoon with a cold coca cola!! It was a real fun day out, and ideal for any younger child to gain valuable competition experience.

Annie Quirke

                                             WINDSOR 2008                                                                                                    

 This year we had the pleasure of having two players on the Irish Mounted games team travelling to Windsor to represent their country namely Kate O’Connor and Kate Mulvihill. We sailed to England on Monday and set up camp on the grounds on Wednesday. The games were played over 5 days with 2 sessions per day and the final on Sunday afternoon. The points were carried through every day with double points on Sunday. After a shaky start the nerves settled and we won two sessions outright, the first time ever achieved by an Irish team, and by Saturday we were joint 1st with England with Wales 3rd. Unfortunately the final didn’t go our way but it was close right to the end with England 1st, Wales 2nd and Ireland 3rd.

 ITALY

 The Irish Mounted Games Team of Charlotte Blackmore, Rebecca Lait, Stephen Heffernan ,Heather Heffernan and Ailbhe McGuinness. We arrived in Dublin in the early morning of the7th May and were in Italy by early evening. The ponies, who were kindly and carefully transported by Ballinroe Transport, had arrived that morning and were waiting for us in the stables. We were greeted by the Capotondi family and kindly invited to eat with them that night. The weather was scorching and that night we ate outside with a traditional Italian meal.       

  The next day we had our first practice, in the morning we braved the warm sun, and got the feel for Italian soil. That evening we traveled into the city of Turin to witness its spectacular architecture and glorious views. Giuliano Capotondi kindly escorted us around Turin and we had a wonderful time shopping and eating there! We ate that night with the Pony Club and later went to an ice cream parlour for Italian ice cream (itsa the besta ica cream)!

  On Friday we had our briefing and met with the mayor of Turin! We were formally introduced to the large crowd that had gathered for the opening of the games.Most of the teams had arrived and the competition was to start the next day! After Saturday's competition we were lying second, with only points between all the teams. The 1st session on Sunday, did not go too well. The rules were different and difficult to get used to. We were eliminated in four of the games which pushed us to 4th place. We fought hard in the final session and in the end we moved up to third place with the Italians in second and the Swiss in first. We had a wonderful time and made many new friends including Italians,French and many others. I would like to thank everyone who made this wonderful trip possible.

  Report By Charlotte Blackmore

HUNTER TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2008 What a day -we arrived in the rain- walked the course in the rain- and competed in the rain! The course did not hold too many new surprises one or two changes from last year , namely a long option for the narrow Y fence which caused so much trouble last year; not many opted for this, and the fence rode well this year with most combinations taking the the straight route through . A new fence which did cause some problems was a pair of cottages offset on top of two mounds,these required precision riding, plenty of impulsion ,and gymnastic skills from the ponies due to the going deteriorating by the minute. Subsequently this fence was altered for the juniors and became two quite jumpable cottages on the flat instead . A knockable towards the end of the track, positioned after a galloping fence dissappointingly undid many perspective clear rounds.

This year a rule change was introduced -namely one fall = elimination. In our teams of 3 Jane O'Brien , Craig O'Connor and Maura O'Neill were caught out at the cottages,but all went on to compete in the consolation pairs in style ,Craig finishing 2nd . Mattie and Seamus Holohan with Jamie Deveraux succumbed to the slippery ground and Jamie had a fall, Mattie and Seamus then went on to finish 9th in the consolation pairs. Then it was the turn of the junior teams: Kate O'Connor and Kate Mulvahill, Bill and Charlie Carroll, Joss Murray and David Bergin, Leanne Sheehan and Saidhbh Sweeney, Joseph O'Hagen and Robert O'Donnell. Unfortunately the defenders of last years title,Kate O'Connor and Kate Mulvahill suffered a fall at the first water complex which was a great shame as they were showing good form in the lead up to the Championships, and as the junior consolation pairs were cancelled they could not show their true colours later either! Our former champions having had a fall really focused the minds of the subsequent teams, and they battled on in the relentless rain, at times with very little visability and not a stich of dry clothing . The conditions deteriorated by the minute, but the O'Connor /Martin Cup was hotly contested between two teams finishing on equal faults, Joseph and Robert, and Leanne and Saidhbh. The boys just pipped the girls by a few seconds,and went on to win the title.

As trainer for the day, I would like to compliment all riders, parents and supporters(clinging to their umbrellas and fighting their way through a mud bath)! The ponies and riders were beautifully turned out and all the hard work was noticed, even though one circuit of the warm up arena rendered both pony and rider filthy! All riders maintained a concentrated mind, and showed great tenacity in the awful conditions,they manged to bring their ponies and themselves home without injury and considering the day this was no mean feat!! Just to crown the day, when all was finished and the last bedraggled pony was boxed up and the tractors were busy towing trailers out of the carpark,the SUN came out ,just to tempt us to return and do it all again next year !!

Trainer Anne Croome- Carroll

Old News from 2006 and 2007

Old News from 2005