Irish quartet wins new competition for Connemaras

The Irish quartet of Lucy Kelly, Anna Kelly, Lydia Dawson and Gillian Bond won the inaugural Horse Sport Ireland Connemara performance hunter team championship at the Dublin Horse Show.

Most pony and rider combinations from Ireland, Britain and France coped well with the challenge set by course designer and builder Dereck Hamilton. But only Britain's Victoria Jones, riding Garry Night, managed to complete a clear round with fence 10, convex planks over a bridge, proving the bogey obstacle on the course.

However, in spite of Ms Jones's efforts, the Irish team, with Lieut Col Brian McSweeney as chef d'equipe, won by a margin of one and a half points from the British squad of Ms Jones, Claire Somerset, Henrietta Horsley-Gubbins and Amy Smith.

The flat and jumping phase was judged by Jimmy Wofford of the US, while well-known British breeder Corinne Bracken took charge of the conformation phase.

For many, Saturday morning's TopSpec hunter championships in the Main Arena are the highlight of the show. Here Rosemary Connors once again proved victorious, winning the lightweight crown and then the supreme championship on Woodfield Alight.

Waterford exhibitor Ms Connors also bred the seven-year-old Albano gelding, which also claimed the lightweight title in 2013 when he was reserve supreme champion.

Youngstock champion at the RDS two years ago, the Jamie Smyth-ridden Tattygare Good to Go, won both the middleweight and mare championships for her Fermanagh breeders, the Hurst Show Team.

North Co Dublin producer Kieran Ryan partnered the Rainstown Lad gelding An Ceannas to land the heavyweight and four-year-old titles for Clane owners Ned and Del Cash.