As the curtain starts to fall on the 2015 Pony Show Jumping season the last of the Home Pony Internationals was held at Southview Equestrian Centre in Cheshire from 28th October until 1st November. This year saw the biggest number of competitors travel from Ireland, all of whom greatly valued the education and experience.
Team qualification began in earnest on Wednesday as those trying for Irish representation battled it out in the nominated classes. The 128 / 138 Handicap class saw the Irish claim the top ten places as Jason Foley took first and second with Bear Me In Mind and Mayfly Green Peter respectively with Ryan Sweetnam and Holycreek Oran Splendour finishing in third. In the 148 Debut class Kerrie Kerr making her first appearance at the English venue took runner up spot on Knockannaveigh Limited Edition. The 1.20 Open witnessed another Irish clean up as they took the top six placings as Cian Harrison and Greta came out ahead of Ciaran Nallon and Sligo Little James with Robbie Clancy and Bertie Brown taking third.
Day two saw the Irish continue to dominate as the second team qualifying classes took place, in the 128 Winter first round Tom Wachman and Murphy Spartacus snatched the lead from John McEntee and Star Spangled Banner when last to go in the jump off with McEntee also taking fourth on Lurgan Darragh. In the 138 Winter First round the Irish athletes took the top five placings as Jason Foley and Ferrybank Roy came out on top with Foley and Buttons Two pipped at the post into runner up place. Kate Derwin took third with Small Titan ahead of Harry Allen in fourth and fifth with Lough Gill and Scarletts Billy The Kid. The dominance continued as Patrick Hickey won the 148 Debut class on Shercock Rose before the final class of day two where yet again the Irish claimed seven of the top nine placings with Kate Derwin winning the class on Vales Blue Melody as Patrick Hickey and New Forge Lady finished in third ahead of Jason Foley and Lynncot Fancy Pants.
Friday was team day which started with the 128 event where Ireland was represented by Ashley Dunne ‘Wingland Heloise’, Tom Wachman ‘Murphy Spartacus’, Ryan Sweetnam ‘Holycreek Oran Splendour’ and John McEntee ‘Star Spangled Banner’. Dunne and Sweetnam were making their team debut and along with their team mates they handled themselves exceptionally well as the Irish looked like going head to head with the English yet again as both finished on a zero score after the first round. With Dunne and Wachman producing double clears and McEntee improving on his first round score of four faults the Irish remained on zero as their rivals increased their tally to four faults and so the first gold medal of the day was secured.
In the 138 division the team was made up of Jason Foley ‘Mayfly Green Peter’, Max Wachman ‘Dycott Montana’, Kate Derwin ‘Small Titan’ and Harry Allen ‘Scarletts Billy The Kid’. Once again the Irish and English teams finished on zero after the first round, with nerves of steel Wachman, Derwin and Allen all remained on a clean sheet to win the second gold medal of the day as England picked up four faults.
Three teams were on zero after the first round in the 148 Debut team event where Ireland were represented by Sean Monaghan ‘Springhill Rebellious’, Kerrie Kerr ‘Knockannaveigh Limited Edition’, Louise Mahon ‘Outta Control’ and Robbie Clancy ‘My Castlehill Lass’. This quartet continued in the winning form and claimed the third gold medal of the day when finishing on a total of four faults ahead of Scotland and England.
The final team event of the day was the 148 division where Ciaran Nallon ‘Sligo Little James’, Cian Harrison ‘Greta 111’, Patrick Hickey ‘New Forge Lady’ and Kate Derwin ‘Vales Blue Melody’ shared the silver medal with Wales on a total of twelve faults behind the English on a score of four faults.
Sunday was Grand Prix day and for the first year ever the Irish won all three with the Foley brothers Max and Jason claiming the 128 and 138 titles.
In the 128 Grand Prix nineteen combinations went into the second round from which ten progressed to the jump off. There were only two combinations who remained on a zero score the fastest of these was Max Foley and Sparkel with Tom Wachman and Murphy Spartacus taking third place with the quickest four faults. John McEntee and Star Spangled Banner was fourth and Ryan Sweetnam finished in sixth with The Silver Legend.
Nineteen combinations made it into the second round of the 138 Grand Prix with fifteen of these battling it out in the jump off where Jason Foley came out on top with Buttons Two, this pair slightly faster than the only other clear round Harry Allen and Scarletts Billy The Kid. Allen also finished in fourth with Fountain Ranger as the fastest four faulter.
Completing the hat trick was M J Pender and Cul Ban Mistress as they won the 148 Grand Prix on Sunday evening when beating Jodie Hall McAteer and The Little Squire previously owned by Ennis based Jimmy Quinn by one hundredth of a second. Third place went to Abbie Sweetnam and ‘Dynamite Spartacus’ with Pender also claiming fourth on Dalestown Cavalier’ with Jason Foley taking sixth on Lynncot Fancy Pants.
This visit can best be described as the most successful foray the Irish pony athletes have had at this show for many a year as there were many other wins over the five days of top class jumping to add to those already mentioned.