THE Northern Region of Dressage Ireland held the first leg of their Connemara HQ winter league last Saturday at Gransha Equestrian Centre, where the highest-graded classes were at Advanced Medium level.

The judging duties were divided between Lucy Adams (List 3A) and Julie Green (British Dressage List 3) with the former facing the largest field of the day, six, in the Novice DI21 where her overall winner on 67.07% was Alice Salters with the 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare Drummiller Design (Cardento - Never, by Ballinvella).

Also at Novice level, Jill Hobson topped Green’s leaderboard (69.17) in the three-runner BD4 with Guest (Acclamation - Magic Minor, by Montjeu), the eight-year-old thoroughbred gelding on whom she had earlier claimed the overall win in the Green-judged five-runner Preliminary BD4 when scoring 74.5.

Four combinations appeared before Adams in the Preliminary DI8, where she awarded her highest score (68.08) to Sarah Russell on the DI-unregistered nine-year-old Irish Draught gelding Dowdstown PJ (Carrabawn Cross - Dowdstown Belle, by Crosstown Dancer).

Adams also judged all the classes from Elementary upwards. In the three-runner Elementary DI53, her top score (63.50) went to Barbara Ellison on her seven-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare O’Lilly.

There was one more starter in the BD4, where the overall winner was Eve Adair riding the 15-year-old piebald mare Dot (64).

There were four starters also in the Medium BD4 won by Roma Oakes with the 16-year-old Anglo European Studbook-registered Radar (64.22). At the same level, Katie Lowry was the only rider to appear before Adams in the DI73, where she scored 61.67 on the 15-year-old British-bred Connemara gelding Crosspoint Tobin (Templehill Jasper - Wormsley Blue Jay, by Lishmar Rebel).

Caroline Herron and her eight-year-old home-bred ISH gelding Clantara Lord Louis (Hoeks Ludo W - Strandhill Misty, by Gentle Diamond) were the only pairing to compete in the Advanced Medium classes, where they scored 63.61 in the DI95 and 65.26 in the BD4.

Sole starter

Green judged the four Try Dressage classes, where her winners were Isabella Graham on Kildenoge Boy (79.72 in the four-runner Junior Intro), Lizzy Taylor with Chester (76.35 in the three-strong Junior Preliminary), Amie Ross on Lola (75.19 in the three-runner Adult Preliminary) and Sarah Scott with Nettlehill Lady (the sole starter in the Adult Intro, where she scored 75.28).

Scott and the nine-year-old thoroughbred mare Nettlehill Lady (Jet Away - Look Who’s Talking, by King’s Theatre) were the only ones to appear before Green in the Intro C, where she awarded them 66.67, while her winners of the three-runner Trailblazer Junior Preliminary were Emily Melvin and Jacky Reid’s eight-year-old Midnight Minty (78.57), an eight-year-old gelding by Midnight Mint.