In advance of the North West Team Show Jumping and Dressage Challenge on Sunday 28th April at Eglinton Equestrian Centre, Derry, John Mc Daid has hired Eglinton this evening (22nd April) for training so if you want to have a school between 5pm and 7pm today, please contact John on 087-6963299.
On Wednesday evening (24th April) there is a flatwork lesson with Petra in Anne’s arena at 8pm (€20 per person). This will be a great chance to get in a bit of dressage practice before Sunday and indeed the Team Dressage qualifier in May.
Sunday’s north west team challenge is set to be a highly competitive day and if you haven’t already contacted Patricia to be on either a dressage or showjumping team (or preferably both!) please do so today as teams need to be formed as entries need to be with Libby tomorrow.
With the deadline of 30th April looming to declare teams to head office for the Team Dressage Qualifier (Creagh Equestrian Centre, Ballinasloe on 19th May) and the Team Show Jumping Qualifier (Kerins Equestrian Centre on 26th May) if you would like to compete on teams for your club, please contact Patricia as soon as possible so teams can be formed. The showjumping qualifier is open to riders graded Intermediate and above whereas the dressage qualifier is open to all grades. Each club can enter two teams so if you’re interested, get your name down soon – and remember to ensure that your horse is registered with the Airc.
Sunday 5th May sees a leg of the Masters Series qualifier taking place in Tubberbride, Sligo. This is a fantastic competitive opportunity for Intermediate and above riders and an opportunity to qualify for the prestigious Masters Series Finals which take place in Mullingar Equestrian Centre on Sunday 15th September.
Sunday May 12th is the highly anticipated Letterkenny Riding Clubs’ Derby show which has moved to an earlier spot in the calander this year in an attempt to boost numbers. This is a fantastic show, that, like our own beach show, requires a huge amount of effort to pull together and we should endeavour to support it by as many of our members turning out to compete as possible.
The Team Dressage Qualifier takes place on Sunday May 19th, with the month being rounded off by the Team Show Jumping qualifier on the 26th May.
June 2nd sees our annual beach show (a meeting will be called soon to organise all the details!) taking place in Ballyness Bay, for many, the highlight of the year!
8th and 9th June are the dates for this year’s Riding Clubs Festival and a larger than usual turnout is expected from the club this year – could this have anything to do with a certain tv crew?? Surely not!! Postal entries (made through club secretary) close on 24th April with online entries being accepted on http://www.airc.ie up until the 5th May so have a look at the schedule and get those entries in.
Sunday 16th June is the date Inishowen club have chosen for hosting their inaugural show which is a showjumping and dressage show and will be held in Lenamore – We wish them the best of luck and hope that it will be the first of many shows the new club will host.
For those interested in showing their horse or simply a great family day out, the Finn Valley Agricultural Show is scheduled this year for the 29th June. Further details are available on the Finn Valley Show facebook page or on the irish shows association website.
With a number of National Competitions and qualifiers taking place over the remaining summer months and the possibility of a regional training day being explored for the end of July, it’s all go!
If you have any queries relating to any of the events above, contact Patricia and she will point you in the right direction!
