WITH a busy two weeks in the equestrian calendar under the belt, there is plenty of sport to report on. Sunday, August 14 saw the golden sands of Ballyness Bay near Falcarragh play host to the inaugural Lawrence Smyth Memorial Show. Lawrence, who passed away last summer, was an amazing character, with a zest for life that belied his years. Having taken up horse riding at a stage of life, when most equestrian enthusiasts are thinking of hanging up their helmet, he went on to not only embrace but also actively promote riding club life.
His passing was felt by friends and AIRC members the length and breadth of the country, though his loss was felt most keenly by his wife Rosaleen and their extended family. A measure of his popularity could be seen at Ballyness, with riding club members from as far afield as Tynagh club, in Galway, vying for the generous prizes on offer. A veritable army of willing helpers created the showground from scratch, manned the arenas for the day and, with a little help from spectators and competitors alike, packed all away again, returning the beach to its pristine state once again.
One club that decided to make it a weekend to remember was the Inishowen Riding Club. A sizeable group of them set up camp at Gordon’s Bay Equestrian in Carrigart and enjoyed the superb weather, as they explored the coastal playground on their trusty mounts. A combination of good company, great food and a fantastic venue left the club members well set-up for their day of competition at the Lawrence Smyth Memorial. Congratulations to all the winners and commiserations to anyone who missed this great day. There’s always next year.
The highlight of many equestrians year is, of course, the Dublin Horse Show at the RDS. With classes covering the entire spectrum of showing, working hunters, show jumping, young eventers and, of course, the crowd-rousing mounted games, as well as enough trade stands to satisfy the choosiest of shoppers, the five-day show is a spectacle worth attending at least once in your life.
Local Donegal riders and showing enthusiasts upheld the county’s honour, with entries in the IPC combined-training championship, Irish Draught stallion classes and, of course, the Croker Cup class for Thoroughbred stallions. Bringing a great cheer from members of the Donegal Harriers was the sight of Derry’s Daniel Coyle taking on the Puissance wall at a knee trembling 7’ 2” on Peter Smyth’s ‘Just Happy Hero Z’. This gorgeous gelding, by the Zangersheide stallion ‘Jenson Van’t Meulenhof’, started his education on the hunting field under owner Peter and has obviously benefitted from the experience. The Puissance was eventually won by Kildare’s Mikey Pender, with Daniel Coyle tying for second, along with Commandant Geoff Curran.
In racing, a big shout out has to go to Dylan Browne McMonagle, who rode a magnificent treble at Dundalk on August 15. With a book of eight rides on the day, Dylan finished up with an impressive tally of three wins, two seconds and two thirds. His winning streak continued with another success for his boss, Joseph O’Brian, at Naas on Sunday, as he rode ‘Madly Truly’ to victory in the seven-furlong fillies maiden.
Another Donegal man enjoying success was Martin Harley, who steered the Tom Ward trained ‘Eagle Court’ to a cosy win in Wolverhampton recently. Martin, like almost all the jockeys originating in Donegal, started his career at the local Horse and Pony racing, or ‘Flapping’ as it is known. With the current season drastically shortened by insurance problems, the local racing scene was in action at the Big Isle on Sunday, where a great day of sport was enjoyed by a good crowd.
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