ON Saturday, February 18, Ardnacashel Equestrian, Comber, held a day of pony jumping and welcomed pony stars and mini star riders in the making. Kicking off proceedings was the Under eight 128cm class, 55-60cm height. The youngsters or young stars riding clear rounds were Tim Morton, who rode not one but two clears on board ‘Blueoak Bonnie’ and ‘Parkhills Master Jack’. Other clear rounds came from Caleb Mitchell riding ‘Smokey Joe’ and Megan Burns riding ‘Missy Rose’.
The next class was the 1* 128cm Pony Stars 60-65cm height, where Megan Burns and Caleb Mitchell again rode clear rounds. The next to last class in this section was the 128cm Mini Stars Under 10, 65-70cm height, with clear rounds coming from Lacey Laughlin riding ‘Cs Galileo’; Alisa Wood riding ‘Ashmore Lass’. Then Tim Morton stepped in again to ride the next of his string of ponies, ‘Aghaderg Stepping Delight’ and ‘Parkhills Cracker Jack’ to clear rounds.
The last class in the128 section of the competition was Pony Stars 2* 70-80cm height. Here Lacey McLaughlin made another appearance, picking up first place with her ‘Cs Galileo’. Tim Morton picked up a second place on his ‘Aghaderg Stepping Delight’ and a fourth place on his second ride ‘Parkhills Cracker Jack’. Third place went to Alex Hemsley riding ‘Walseker Da Vinci’.
The course was then adjusted to suit the stride patterns for the next set of ponies, the 138s. Owner of Ardnacashel Equestrian, Janice Reddy places huge importance on the correct striding distances for the different pony heights – even though it means a slightly longer break between classes, it also increases accuracy and most importantly safety for the young riders. So, after the measuring was completed, the 138cm Pony Stars Tour 2* could get underway. One young lady who was delighted to jump round the adjusted course was Poppy McIlduff, who went home with the red ribbon in her class on board her own ‘Danny Girl’.
Following on from this and after another course adjustment, it was the turn of the 148 ponies to rock and roll. First up was the Pony Stars 1* section, which was won by Eve Murphy on the aptly named ‘Miss Twinkle Star’. Waltzing into second place was Maddie Miskimmin on board ‘Ds Dance with me’.
The last class of the day, the Pony Stars 2*, saw another smashing round from Eve Murphy to claim her second red ribbon of the day.
Next week will be the turn of the horses – remember the course will be set up with particular care and attention to the smoothness and correct stride patterns, giving you and your horse a positive and confidence-building experience. Check out the outline entries at ardnacashelequestrian.co.uk.
Many thanks to Anna from Blackwater Photograghy for spending the weekend at Ardnacashel – check out the facebook pages for links to this week’s galleries.
The next Mini Stars and Pony Stars date at Ardnacashel Equestrian will be on May 21. The Winter Stars Tour (horses) will be held this Saturday, February 25.
RESULTS
Saturday, February 18
Pony Stars & Mini Stars Tour at Ardnacashel Equestrian
128cm U8 55-60 CR: Tim Morton, BlueOak Bonnie; Caleb Mitchell, Smokey Joe; Megan Burns, Missy Rose; Tim Morton, Parkhills Master Jack.
128 Pony Stars 1* 60-65cm CR: Megan Burns, Missy Rose; Caleb Mitchell, Smokey Joe.
128cm Mini Stars U10s 65-70cm: Tim Morton, Aghaderg Stepping Delight; Lacey McLaughlin, Cs Galileo; Ailsa Wood, Ashmore Lass; Tim Morton, Parkhills Cracker Jack.
128 Pony Stars 2* 70-80cm: 1) Lacey McLaughlin, Cs Galileo; 2) Tim Morton, Aghaderg Stepping Delight; 3) Alex Hemsley, Walseker Da Vinci; 4) Tim Morton, Parkhills Cracker Jack.
138cm Pony Stars Tour 2*: 1) Poppy McIlduff, Danny Girl.
148cm Pony Stars Tour 1*: 1) Eve Murphy, Miss Twinkle Star; 2) Maddie Miskimmin, Ds Dance with me.
148cm Pony Stars Tour 2*: Eve Murphy, Miss Twinkle Star.
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