Winter Livery Available!

We have full livery available at our family run yard Located at the Hill of Allen five minutes from Coilog.

Perfect for those Autumn and Winter months full livery includes -

Your own stable in our beautiful courtyard. Stables have deep shavings beds, thick comfortable banks and proper ventilation

Daily muck out with shavings topped up twice a week

Hard feed twice a day and top quality haylage is included. Your own supplements added at your request.

Evening checks

Your horse turned out daily into individual paddocks and legs and feet hosed afterwards

Access to all of our facilities including the huge floodlit outdoor arena, the wooded hacking trails and the all weather gallops

Storage space in our heated rug room, access and space in our secure tack room and use of covered washbays

Owners and managers live on site to 24/7 someone is here with your horse

Flexible access hours

Additional services such as lessons with our onsite coaches and grooming and clipping treatments by our professional groom are available at reduced prices for our liveries

We believe horses thrive on routine and aim to create a happy and comfortable environment with the horse at the centre.

Our current livery client base are a fantastic positive bunch of people who enjoy a wealth of activities from competing at Dressage Ireland / Pony Club / Interschools / SJI to enjoying days out cross country schooling. They believe in enjoying their horses and are always keen to welcome new members to their equestrian adventures.

If you would like to enquire please email us dunbyrnestud@gmail.com

Holiday Livery

We recently had the lovely Kilian here for his holidays. Killian comes to us on holiday livery whenever his owner is on holidays. This allows her peace of mind that he is being looked after while she is away. He enjoyed his most recent stay and we look forward to seeing him again soon.

We offer short term and holiday livery all year round. Horses can either simply relax and enjoy time off in a daily routine while you are away or you can upgrade to our exercise option where they can be ridden on the flat, lunged or hacked so that they maintain fitness and are ready to go when you return.

If your horse enjoys a spa experience extra top up treatments (Trimming / clipping / pulling / bathing) are also available from our onsite professional groom while you are away.

Advance booking is essential. Email us - dunbyrnestud@gmail.com if you are heading on holidays and want to relax knowing your horse is in safe hands

Dunbyrne Dressage Dynamos!

This Spring has seen a hive of activity at Dunbyrne Equestrian livery yard and Dunbyrne Riding Club.

Our liveries and riding club members have been busy taking part in Dressage Ireland and AIRC competitions across all levels.

We love seeing our riders progressing through the levels from their first tests to riding at National Championships. We would like to share a celebrate some of our dressage milestones this year.

Myriam & Beau - from showjumpers to dressage super stars.

Myriam and Beau joined our yard as showjumpers. This is hard to believe now that they are known as our resident dressage unicorns! Myriams transition to dressage is a lovely example of how an ex racehorse can go on to thrive in a new role. From starting dressage last year at riding club this pair have gone from strength to strength through dedication and training. They were second in the Dressage Ireland National Winter finals and have just had a great weekend where they won their Dressage Ireland novice class and just found out that they have won the West Leinster Riding Club regions spring dressage league!

Georgia and Sapphire

Georgia and Sapphire attempted their first dressage test last year for an online competition. Sapphire had never done a test in her life and the goal was to stay in the arena! There were emotions and hard work to finish the test which scored sub 60% but which started them on their way.

Through sheer hard work, practice and systematic training Georgia has trained her pony to be a national champion. At the National Winter finals Georgia and Sapphire won their prelim trailblazer championship and took second in the novice. This is a huge achievement in just a year with much more to come. Most recently Georgia’s sister Grace rode in her first ever show at Dressage Ireland winning her intro class on an incredible 79% talent must run in the family!

Blanaid & Flame

Recently taken to the Dressage sphere Blanaid and Flame had enjoyed competing but struggles with moments of tension and a lack of accuracy affecting scores. Before their last show they under went a series of training sessions with one of our onsite coaches which included coaching on and offsite and competition warm up. They managed a much higher personal best score of over 71% and took third place their highest placing to date.

Lorna & Sammy

It’s hard to believe that Sammy was once a tearaway cob bought from a dealer and unsuitable for several roles! Over the years he has proven himself as a true all rounder. Sammy recently won the elementary and medium leagues at Leinster Dressage and placed in the medium championships at the Dressage Ireland WInter Finals. Yet another example of how horses can successfully change career.

We believe in a basic and consistent routine that horses thrive on.

We believe in systematic training using the FEI scales of training.

We are Dunbyrne Equestrian.

Would you like to join us? We have livery available. http://dunbyrneequestrian.ie/livery

Dunbyrne Riding Club success At AIRC Autumn Leagues

The West Leinster region of riding clubs awarded prizes last week to combinations placed in the Autumn showjumping and dressage leagues.

We would like to say a huge congratulations to Dunbyrne Riding C|ub member Lynn Cadogan. Lynn and her black gelding Shooting Star Joe won the primary showjumping and dressage leagues. This was an incredible achievement especially given it was the first league Lynn has ever done.

Lynn a absolutely defines everything we aim to train at Dunbyrne - constant learning and development, hard work, dedication and a healthy attitude to competition.

Suzanne Conroy also did well in the riding club dressage league. Suzanne and her mare Tilly only joined Dunbyrne riding club this year and have come on so much in terms of confidence and ability. They took second place in the primary dressage league.

Anna Marie Curry and her mare Ely Pixie placed third in the intermediate league. This is always such a big and competitive class but their consistent performances earned them a podium finish.

In the showjumping Ciara Geraghty took third place in the sportsmans with her mare Flo. This was a brilliant result in what was their first ever league together. This is a new partnership and Ciara and Flo are proving to be a wonderful match.

Congratulations also to Myriam Bunter one of our liveries who placed second in the advanced intermediate dressage league with Star of Rubykan (aka Beau). Myriam joined us initially as a showjumper / eventer but she has absolutely caught the dressage bug since joining Dunbyrne and we are delighted to see her progressing in both riding club and Dressage Ireland.

Dunbyrne Riding Club is based at Dunbyrne Equestrian in Co. Kildare. We welcome like minded new members who like to enjoy their horses. To enquire, email dunbyrnestud@gmail.com

XC Success for Keelin

We had another successful and busy weekend here at #teamdunbyrnestud

Laura headed off on Saturday to SJI in Coilog with Lady for some showjumping. laura and her mare Lady are true all rounders competing at dressage, eventing and showjumping.

Lorna and Emma headed to Marlton for Dressage Ireland. Emma gained her final qualifying score for the National Championships. Lorna and Oisin did their first elementary together and earned a qualifying score in the novice. Both riders are looking forwards to the National championships now at Barnadown at the end of September.

Keelin and lass headed to Punchestown for the Pony Club Novice Tetrathlon,. She and lass put in an amazing round XC finishing clear around a challenging track. Even better - her running and swimming phases were good enough for second place overall. Keelin has put huge work into preparing for this competiton and is looking forward to the next one in two weeks time.

We are delighted to see our liveries setting and achieving goals. We have livery available, please email us to arrange a yard visit

Dunbyrne Dressage Divas

Our liveries had another busy weekend working between the dressage boards.

Myriam and Beau headed to Coilog to take part in the Killcarrick riding club show. They took part in the novice class and earned 3rd place - we think they may have caught the dressage bug now.

Laura and Lady headed to Redhills for the Dressage Ireland show and had brilliant results taking first and second in the prelim classes. This has also qualified them for the national championships!

Emma and Lorna also headed to Dressage Ireland. Lorna and Sammy won their novice classes with Emma and Ruben taking fourth place in the novice class.

Sive travelled to Ballindennisk for her pony club event taking fifth place with Ollie and achieving her goal of qualifying for the Irish Pony Club national championships.

We have full livery available. Our yard is home to several BHS qualified coaches who work with clients to achieve their goals in all disciplines. Email dunbyrnestud@gmail.com to arrange a yard visit.

Looking for Livery? Ten reasons to join #teamdunbyrnestud

Are you looking for livery? Here are ten reasons to join #teamdunbyrnestud on livery today :

1. We offer huge courtyard stables with deep warm shavings beds providing the ultimate comfort for your horse

2. We supply top quality haylage and feed twice a day as part of our full stabled livery package

3. Horses are turned out daily in individual paddocks with secure fencing. Horses are still relaxed as they can see other horses beside them and this turnout is much safer than group turnout especially when horses and ponies are wearing a full set of shoes.

4. Our yard owners live onsite so our opening hours are flexible. We never restrict our liveries with set hours so if you need to head off early morning somewhere or are running late from work there is no need to worry.

5. We have a huge livery arena (this is dedicated to liveries and is entirely separate from the onsite riding school). The size of our arena allows liveries to ride when our coaches are running lessons so there is no need to plan your riding around someone else’s lessons or arena bookings.

6. BHS and HSI qualified coaches onsite providing training at competitive rates

7. We are less than thirty minutes from JAG / Redhills / Greenogue / Emerald and just ten minutes from Coilog so Leinster competition venues are close by.

8. We have a heated rug room with storage for liveries. This is ideal on cold or damp days as you can hang up your rug while you ride so its nice and warm when it goes back on your horse.

9. We have a 4.5 furlong all weather sand gallops which is exclusively for our liveries to use. This leads on to our onsite wooded hacking trails and is ideal for hacking, fittening work, eventing preparation or even just a break from the arena.

10. We are lucky to have a lovely bunch of existing clients who are positive and enthusiastic. We enjoy taking part as a group in competing on and offsite and in social activities. Our liveries take part in a wealth of disciplines from eventing to dressage.

To arrange a yard visit and enquire about joining our team - please email dunbyrnestud@gmail.com

BHS Ridden Exams - What does it take to pass?

In May this year our two British Horse Society Accredited Coaches, Ross and Lorna attended the two day BHS Conference in Cavan. One of the many talks presented was by Alex Copeland and Tim Downes and centred around how candidates are assessed for ridden examinations and what is required to pass.

The pair explained that the pass criteria varies through the exam structure.

• At Stage 1 level, all marks (100%) are available for the riding and 70% is required for a pass to be achieved.

• At Stage 2 level, 80% of the marks are available for the riding and 20% for the oral section. 70% overall is required to pass

• At Stage 3 level 70% of the marks are available for riding and 30% for the oral section. 70% overall is required to pass.

• At Stage 4 level, 60% of marks are available for the riding section and 40% for the oral section. 70% overall is required to pass. This means that a candidate cannot pass on their riding alone - they must be able to evaluate and talk.

• At Stage 5 50% of marks are available for riding and 50% for the oral section. This underlines that the qualification is not just about being able to ride - candidates must be able to evaluate an animals way of going, to explain what they are feeling and have done and to understand how to progress

Alex and Tim also explained that assessors will assess whether a candidate is lacking in skills or if they have skills which are developed in the wrong way. It is more of a concern to see incorrect training and habits (for example a rider thinking they should pull the head in and giving incorrect aids) than to see embryonic skills needing development.

The differences between Stage 1 and Stage 2 riding exams were clarified by the team:

• The team clarified that at Stage one candidates are required to walk and trot without stirrups where as at Stage two they must also canter.

• In stage one the light seat is introduced where as in Stage 2 candidates must jump

• In Stage 2 assessors must gauge how well balanced is the rider and are they effective enough to ride a horse forward to a fence. Sabrina Jones explained that the new skills record which must be signed off by a professional accredited coach before a candidate can attempt their Stage 2 exam has meant that far less candidates are being stopped before the jumping phase.

The team explained that at all levels people make mistakes but assessors are not looking to fail anyone on a small mistake. In fact the team will question to identify if the candidate understands the background of why something should be done a certain way - for example where a candidate has their stirrup twisted the wrong way the assessor will question to ascertain if the candidate understands the correct way and why.

The exam structures are designed to future proof riders because following process and technique means riders will go on to ride at a higher level.

Information provided around Stage 3 and 4 riding exams gave the following insights:

• At Stage 4 level it was clarified that the assessors will have sat up on the horses that candidates will ride beforehand and that at this level candidates may ride horses “long and low”. in fact at Stage 3 and 4 assessors don’t want to see people candidates riding immediately in a dressage test outline and do not wish to see riders riding movements without understanding why a movement is or is not beneficial to the horse.

• At stage 3 and 4 level the candidates need to be able to influence the horse so balance is key as is a basic understanding that the horse out of balance users their head and neck to balance. Riders with bad balance pulling a horse on the bit is an issue as the horse cannot work correctly. Assessors see too many riders riding backwards thinking they must ride a horse in a frame - they want to see that the rider is balanced and can ride forward into an outline.

• At Stage 4 the horse should lift frame and go into the elementary balance with the withers up.

• A lot of riders at Stage 3 and 4 level say ‘I am going to use transitions to improve the horse’ but it is important to remember that only good transitions improve the horse, bad ones don’t!

• Riders at Stage 3 and 4 level should read the horse they are riding and should be surprised and comment if a thoroughbred is lazy rather than or a cob is sharp off the aids. Candidates should understand the makeup of the horse, what it typically goes like and should comment if it is not true to type. As Tim said ‘if a 30 year old Land Rover drives like a Ferrari - you would be surprised and would comment on it’

• At Stage 3 and 4 correct candidates are starting to influence the horse. At Stage 3 the odd support aid in the rein is understood. At Stage 3 the intention should be to ride forward with independent aids - at Stage 4 candidates should be doing this. The biggest issue seen by assessors is candidates intentionally riding the horse backwards. Intention is key - the rider must show that they intend to ride a horse forwards into the contact in balance even if they have not yet achieved it.

• At Stage 3 a candidate can be unsuccessful in their flatwork exam but if they are workmanlike and sufficiently balanced they can go on to pass their jumping exam as they have been seen jumping at Stage 2 and have been signed off for Stage 3 jumping.

• At Stage 4 under the new format there will be a specific dressage assessment -candidates will ride one horse that is at elementary level, one that is not yet there yet and one that they ride over trot and canter poles. In showjumping candidates will ride three horses - one to do with riding over a course, one to ride related distances and one to show how they develop flatwork into jumping using poles.

• At Stage 4 the rider needs to be training the horse and candidates need to take responsibility for the how the horse is going when solving problems. When discussing fixing issues self reflection is important and candidates need to say not just what they will do to the horse but also what they will change in their riding

• A sign off for Stage 4 wont be mandatory until next year.

• At Stage 5 there wont be a sign off book instead candidates will complete a training and cpd log which they will bring with them and discuss.

At Dunbyrne Equestrian we have our own onsite BHS Assessor and BHSI Ross O’Hare. If you are working towards your BHS riding exams and need some training, sign off for exams or a mock assessment please get in touch - dunbyrnestud@gmail.com

No Fair Weather Riders at Dunbyrne's St. Patricks Weekend Show

At Dunbyrne Equestrian we are a family run riding school and livery yard based at the foot of the hill of Allen. We held our St Patricks weekend show on Saturday the 16th March and were delighted with the high level of turnout in spite of very wet weather.

Our riding school clients enjoyed the show on board our Dunbyrne Equestrian horses and ponies while our livery clients joined in on their own mounts. Eight show jumping classes took place allowing riders to showcase their skills over fences. This event was an ideal opportunity for our AIRE approved riding school clients to show what they had learned from onsite BHS qualified instructors Tara Hyland and Kia Anglin. Over sixty riders took part many of whom looked very festive in St. Patrick’s day themed dress.

The assisted cross poles class allowed younger and less experienced riders their first taste of competition assisted by experienced leaders. The cross poles class gave riders a chance to have a solo run over fences while the 40-50cm class challenged riders with a course of twelve fences including a double, a turnback and a dogs leg. Riders stepped up to the mark with many impressive clear rounds in each class and a lucky dip decided who took home the coveted Dunbyrne trophies.

The sixty centimetre class was the first to include timing against the clock for the second half of the track to determine results. It proved to be very exciting as riders fought to beat the fastest time cheered on by spectators. Just three riders managed a double clear with impressive times. Top of the class was local rider Jessica McBride. Jessica has ridden in Dunbyrne riding school for many years and she and DBS Magic really were magic as they stopped the clock at 48.99 seconds to win the class. Second and third place went to fellow riding school riders Sophia Manning who competed with DBS Merrylegs and Ellie Moore who competed with DBS Rolo.

The seventy, eighty and ninety centimetre classes allowed the more experienced riders and the DBS Tailblazers to showcase their skills. Tailblazers is a weekly coaching academy run at Dunbyrne by BHS & HSI coach Lorna O’Hare to teach competition skills to under eighteens with their own horse or pony. In the seventy centimetre class riding school member Thomas Cruise really was top gun as he took on the course and rode a double clear at his first show on board Jumanji. This class was won by DBS Tailblazer Sive Murphy and her pony Cooper (Whats It All About). Sive gave a display of jumping against the clock with some very tight turns to cross the finish in 38.64 seconds. The eighty centimetre class was very kindly sponsored by John Davitt director of local construction business Davtech (www.davtech.ie) . It was only fitting that John’s daughters did him proud in this class. Niamh Davitt and Clonmore Bailey stopped the clock at 34.08 delivering the fastest clear round of the day! Second place went to her sister Sinead Davitt on board Killelton Starlight.

An eighty centimetre pairs relay class in which riders competed against the clock jumping six fences each provided great entertainment for spectators. Just two pairs completed the track with clear rounds. The fastest of these proved to be Sive Murphy and Caoimhe Sullivan who flew around on board their ponies Cooper and Judy to win the class less than a second ahead of Caitlin Harrington and Tabitha Walsh in second place. The final class of the day was the ninety centimetre class which was sponsored by Horseware and well supported. The course took it’s toll and just two of the nine riders who competed managed to complete it without any faults. Sinead Davitt had a foot perfect round in a very good time of 36.83 to claim first place with her mare Killelton Starlight. Zara Logan was delighted to finish with a clear round and take second place in this class at her first show on board her pony Prince.

Dunbyrne Equestrian would like to thank all who attended and supported this show, Michelle Davitt for managing entries, Helena Coffey for giving up a day to scribe, John Davitt (Davtech) and Horseware for sponsorship, Ross O’Hare for course building and judging and yard manager Kia Anglin and her team for running such an enjoyable day.

Dunbyrne Christmas Show

Our Christmas Show took place on Saturday 22nd December. We had a Christmas festival feel with a tea, coffee and hot chocolate van, a stand with local plastic free soap supplier Janni Bars and the Holmestead Saddlery mobile tack shop.

We were really overwhelmed by the fantastic turnout on the day and would like to thank all of our clients for taking part. We were really proud to see how much riders have improved and especially to see some of our riding school clients placing in the maxi showjumping class. Congratulations to all of our prize winners and clear rounds.

Our riding school is currently closed for Christmas and lessons for our regular clients will resume on Saturday 5th January.

Results:

Dressage:

Under 10:

1) Caoimhe Logan (Lone Ranger)

Under 12:

1) Zara Logan (Dustmister)

2) Ella Callan (Millie)

3) Caitlin Harrington (Cosmic)

4) Kayla Brown (Betty Blue)

Preliminary:

1) Orla Harrington (Othello)

2) The Alders Bobby Dazzler (Laura Kavanagh)

3) Millionaire Monty (Aoife Harrington)

4) Miia Pekkala (Chanel)

5) Suzanne Walsh (Yukon Don)

Novice:

1) The Alders Bobby Dazzler (Laura Kavanagh)

2) Rebecca Hoary (Honey)

3) Tabitha Walsh (Yukon Don)

Show Jumping:

Mini:

Shared between: Caoimhe Logan, Kayla Brown, Grace St. John, Rachael Gordon, Isabelle Smith, Emily Smith, James Smith, Emily Keegan, Simon Keane, Bradley Kavanagh, Joey Gordon, Ella Brown, Maeve McGrath, Charlotte kelly, John O’Connor, Robin Byrne Healy, Sophie Evans, Robyn keogh, Alannah Hilliard Duff, Sally Grogan, Alannah Balfe, Laura Tierney, Emer Markey, Aoibhe Murphy, Zaren Zammit, Nicolena Zammit

Midi:

1) Niamh Davitt (Star)

2) Zara Logan (Dustmister)

3) Sophie Flood (Monty)

4) Jessica McBride 9merrylegs)

5) Jessica Dunne 9Shadow)

6) Faith Wilson (Domino)

Clear rounds: Aoibhe Murphy, Saoire Byrne, Emma O’Carroll, Lila Traynor, Ciaran Carty, Anna Mooney, Gemma Carter, Kate Dooley, Fergus Dunne. Lucy Byrne, Sophia Manning

Maxi:

1) Caitlin Harrington (Cosmic)

2) Niamh Davitt (Star)

3) Ellie O’Keefe (Ludo)

3) Molly Dunne (Phoenix)

4) Tabitha Walsh (Vee)

5) Ella Callan (Millie)

5) Chloe Wyeth (Dan)

6) Thomas Cruise (Dan)

Super Maxi:

1) Aoife Harrington (Cosmic)

2) Tabitha Walsh (Yukon Don)

3) Sinead Davitt (Star)

4) Ella Callan (Millie)

5) Molly Dunne (Phoenix)

6) Emma Keogh (Shadow)

Best Costume - Caitlin Harrington & Cosmic

Best SJ Round - Tabitha Walsh

No Slacking November

Forget no stirrups November - what we have got here is no slacking November! The weather has turned, leaves are falling, the evenings are dark and yet we have been so impressed by the dedication of our clients to continue to work hard with their horses and improve.

Halloween Pony Camp

We had our Halloween Camp from the 30th October to the 2nd November. This was our biggest camp ever with over 30 attendees! Thank you to our instructors - Tara, Rebecca, Samantha, Mary and our team for making it the success that it was.

Pony Club Halloween Show

On Friday the 2nd November a group of DBS Tail Blazers went to Coilog with Lorna for the Newcastle Lyons Pony Club Halloween Show. This group of riders really excelled on the day and did Dunbyrne Proud! Zara, Caoimhe, Sive, Sinead and Ella gave it socks in the jump off against the clock earning well deserved rosettes. it was Caoimhe’s first ever pony club show and her pony Judy was on flying form. Zara and Ella were on new mounts and are on the way to growing successful partnerships with them. Laura and Bobby took on the fences in the biggest class with great confidence. Thank you to Newcastle Lyons for a great show.

Riding Club Autumn league success

Our riding club members have been knocking it out of the park in terms of results lately and have turned into a real group of show jumpers and dressage divas. We were delighted to see how well our club was represented in the final results of both the Dressage and Showjumping West Leinster Autumn leagues.

• Michelle Davitt, second place in the primary showjumping league

• Cailey bergin sixth place in the primary showjumping league

• Tori Cummins Kennedy sixth place in the advanced primary league

• Susanne Walsh second place in the primary dressage league

• Deirdre Doyle sixth in the primary dressage league

• Mary Wade winner of the intermediate dressage league

• Miia Pekkala fifth place advanced intermediate dressage league

• Lorna O’Hare winner open dressage league.

Well done everyone! Great to see the hard work paying off. Well done also to Emma Downey second in the open league, Emma trains with Ross O’Hare and has put huge efforts into her training this year.

We look forward to seeing their riders collect their prizes at the Regional awards night later on in the month. We have sponsored a lesson with Ross and lesson with Lorna at Dunbyrne as prizes for the raffle on the night and Lorna (Equestrian Reality) will present an prize sponsored by Clippers Ireland to the best dressed human on the night

Dressage Ireland success

Orla Harrington and her four year old Othello set out to compete this Autumn with the goal of qualifying for the Dressage Ireland Winter Finals at Cavan in April. In just two shows, one of which was in some pretty horrific weather conditions this pair nailed it and have achieved their qualifying scores to earn them a place in the preliminary finals. They will work now towards Novice over the winter training with Ross - what a brilliant start to Othellos dressage career.

Grid Work Sessions

Ross our BHSI has started running grid work sessions at 2pm on a Saturday. These sessions use grids to help riders to gain confidence in their show jumping and progress over height. Starting at 80cm and working upwards during the hour these grid work sessions are open to our liveries, our riding club members and also to anyone who wishes to travel to us to take part. Just contact us at dunbyrnestud@gmail.com to get involved!

Pony Club Championships Success

The Irish Pony Club championships took place last week at Barndown and we had a number of excited DBS Tail Blazers heading down to compete in the event for the first time. Sive Murphy and Molly Dunne travelled down on Thursday to compete in the combined training. Sive and her pony Cooper had an amazing dressage score followed by a clear round show jumping to take fourth place in the Under ten combined training! 

Laura Kavanagh competed on the Newcastle Lyons pure dressage team with her pony The Alders Bobby Dazzler. The team took sixth place in a hotly contested competition. Laura and Bobby also competed in the open novice combined training where they placed fourth over all and also received a special award for getting the highest score awarded in the dressage phase. This was a fantastic achievement for Laura who was also recently awarded camper of the year at the pony club summer pony camp. 

On Friday Niamh Davitt, Sinead Davitt, Molly Dunne and Sive Murphy formed part of a team of fourteen riders who competed in the musical ride. They rode their world cup display to music by Lorna and movements Choreographed by Anne O'Connor. The team only started practicing last month and were delighted to take fifth place in the competition. With the coaches, parents and children all feeling enthralled and inspired by the various routines in the competition its safe to say this will be on the radar again next year! 

Livery Available!

Summer livery!

We are delighted to be able to offer some spaces in our stable court yard for livery this Summer. We have the following services available from the first of June. Whether you and your horse need a change of scene, some schooling or a makeover - we can cover it. 

Full livery:

Full livery allows your horse to live in one of our spacious stables in the courtyard with a deep shavings bed. High quality feed twice a day, haylage three times a day, daily mucking out and fresh shavings twice a week are included. We do daily turnout into individual paddocks where horses can enjoy the summer weather and grass. 

Liveries can enjoy facilities such as our 70 * 50m all weather arena, sand gallops and wooded hacking trail, cross country field, secure tack room, free horsebox parking and heated rug room. We have an onsite riding school but this is housed in a separate tack room, arena and stable barn. 

We live onsite so the stable yard has no restriction on opening hours for livery clients. We also have a BHSI and two HSI coaches onsite for all of your training needs. Our riding club Dunbyrne Riding Club is based around the yard and is ideal for the amateur competitor. 

Schooling, exercise and Holiday livery:

Going on holidays? Tied up with work commitments? Need a break?

If you need someone to look after your horse while you are away or when you are busy, book in for holiday, schooling or exercise livery. Your horse will enjoy all of the benefits of full livery plus you can select to have them exercised by the team, schooled by our BHSI or groomed, trimmed and pampered by our BHS qualified groom. Come back to a well mannered horse who looks fabulous. *prices vary based on options selected

Coaching Livery:

Are you working towards a specific competition or championships? Our BHSI has trained clients to championship level in Dressage Ireland, Eventing Ireland, Showing, Pony Club and Riding Livery. Coaching livery allows you to train with our BHSI several times a week while on livery to maximise your performance. 

To talk to us about any of these livery options please call 0858059529 / 0862222440 or email dunbyrnestud@gmail.com

Interschooling Around

We are always delighted to see the variety of activities that our clients take part in across different disciplines. A group of our young riders have been taking part in the Equestrian Interschools showjumping league which runs throughout Ireland from Autumn to May.

Aoife Harrington, Lola Gabor Sweeney and Laura Kavanagh are three talented teenage riders who are stabled at Dunbyrne Equestrian and who attend Newbridge college and  compete for the school in team and individual competitions. The girls and their parents have travelled far and wide to compete at various venues throughout the country. 

Laura competes with her bay gelding Bobby who she became the owner of last year. The pair have gone from strength to strength and have become a really consistent team. Lola Gabor Sweeney competed up to recently with her pony Miss Gort who she unfortunately outgrew. Lola's new mount is a bigger horse, a bay gelding called Murphy. Lola has been getting to grips with her new horse and has made a quick and smooth transition already competing successfully with him just a few weeks into ownership. Aoife Harrington, a keen dressage rider is enjoying her first season at Interschools with her grey pony Milkyway (Cosmic). The pair had a very successful outing recently where they completed four clear rounds in one day. 

The girls have been consistent performers so far in the season achieving several team and individual placings. This weekend Lola and Aoife competed together on a team of just three instead of four riders at Wexford equestrian centre. This was also Lola's first competition on board Murphy. With a new partnership and a small team the group performed really well taking sixth place. 

We wish Laura, Lola and Aoife the very best of luck as they continue to represent their schools and Dunbyrne Equestrian in the Interschools League. 

Kavanaghs of Newbridge Dressage League at Dunbyrne Stud

On Sunday the 15th October we held a leg of the West Leinster region riding clubs league the Kavanaghs of Newbridge Autumn Dressage League. We ran seven classes on the day across the various riding club levels and had over sixty entries. We had two local judges on the day - Gisela Holstein and Patricia Creighton who assessed riders in each class. The weather was a worry but we were very luckyto escape with just some wind and rain given that Hurricane Ophelia arrived the next day!

We had a number of our members and clients competing on the day on home turf and we were delighted to see them do well. Anna Marie Curry and her horse Pixie took third place in the Sportsmans class while Michelle Davitt and Ozono took sixth place in the Primary. The open class saw a great result as Orla Harrington and Lorna Keogh took first and second place on board chestnut geldings Semperit and DBS Second Chance. Orla won the class with 70.69% in what was a very impressive performance on board a horse with whom she has only been a partnership for two weeks. 

Thank you very much to our riding club members who gave up their time to help us run this show and also to the West Leinster region members who came to support it. We held a cake sale on the day and will donate the proceeds to the Irish Horse Welfare Trust

Results - Dunbyrne RC, 15th October 2017

Advanced Open
Place Name Horse Club Result %
1st Deirdre Kane, Mighty Clever, Greenhills 60.76%

Open
Place Name Horse Club Result %
1st Orla Harrington, Semperit, Dunbyrne 70.69%
2nd Lorna Keogh, DBS Second Chance, Dunbyrne 69.83%
3rd Marian Murphy, Roxy, Calliaghstown 67.41%
4th Julie O'Callaghan, Poulboy Hidalgo, Greenhills 61.72%
5th Sara Wood, Whacky Jack, Celbridge 60.17%

Advanced Inter
Place Name Horse Club Result %
1st Fionnuala O'Connor, Mighty Clever, Greenhills 71.88%
2nd Genna Kavanagh, Royoco King, Killcarrick 71.04%
3rd Ceara Banner, Soprano, Abbeylands 70.63%
4th Stephane Greyling Weston, Furzvale Zuri, Cill Dara 67.50%
5th Orla Carroll, Bridgehousestud Riverking, Cill Dara 66.46%
6th Michelle Wright, Panda Bear, Cill Dara 65.83%

Intermediate
Place Name Horse Club Result %
1st Olwyn Alexander, Santero, Greenhills 72.14%
2nd Anne Casey, Dusty of Lishmar, Greenhills 69.76%
3rd Kathleen Moore, Garveys Joy, Celbridge 69.29%
4th Evin Foley, Highfield Hunter, Greenhills 67.38%
5th Patricia McGlynn, Salalah Princess Khareef, Killcarrick 66.67%
6th Niamh Daly, Seaview Volvic, Moyglare 63.10%

Sportsman
Place, Name, Horse, Club, Result %
1st Louise Parkes, Freelancer, Calliaghstown, 70.23%
2nd Deirdre O Loughlin, Rathnagerra Casino Royal, Cill Dara, 67.05%
3rd Anna Marie Curry, Pixie, Dunbyrne, 59.55%
4th Sheila Fuller, Sailor Blue, Celbridge , 57.50%

Advanced Primary
Place, Name, Horse, Club, Result %
1st Mary Leavy, Bozzie, Moyglare, 68.64%
2nd Katie Mc Parland, Crimson Dancer, Rathangan, 67.95%
3rd Rebecca Corr, Anonymous, Annaharvey, 67.05%
4th Catherine O'Leary, Geoffrey, Moyglare, 64.55%
5th Jennifer Moss, Freddy, Killcarrick, 64.55%
6th Noeleen O'Brien, Bento van de Noordheuval, Greenhills, 64.09%

Primary
Place, Name, Horse, Club, Result %
1st Kasper Feurer, Honey, Calliaghstown, 65.71%
=2nd Carmen Sánchez, Honey, Calliaghstown, 63.57%
=2nd Chantal Stewart, Move Over Sweetie, Calliaghstown, 63.57%
4th Karen Ferris, Lincoln Lane, Greenhills, 62.62%
5th Laura Byrne, LWS Quida, Greenhills, 62.38%
6th Michelle Davitt, Zono, Dunbyrne, 61.90%

BHS Stage 1 Stable Management Evening Course

We posted earlier today about our opportunity for a full time pupil to come on board as part of our team to train to be a BHS Instructor. While we take students on to study for their BHS exams on a full time basis, we recognise the need for part time courses for others who may be working full time in another industry or have other commitments. 

What we are proposing to run is an eight week course which would train students up to be at the appropriate level to apply for and take their BHS Stage 1 stable management exam. This course would take place at Dunbyrne Equestrian (provisionally on a Thursday evening from 6.30 – 7.45pm but we will take feedback from interested parties on what might work). The course would cover the BHS Stage One stable management syllabus. The cost of the course would be €120 per person payable at the start of the course. (please note that this does not include exam fees for the BHS Stage One – attendees would be responsible for booking and paying for their own exams). However this price would depend on us securing enough interest to run the course. Please let us know if you would be interested in signing up for this course. 

Given how everyone’s schedule tends to be busy during the summer we hoped to commence the course at the beginning of September when routines tend to settle in. If there is interest we can also provide opportunities once the course is up and running for attendees to take part in relevant tasks at the yard on the weekend to practice and gain experience.

The course above covers the stable management syllabus of the BHS Stage One but if you would also like to take riding exams with the BHS we have an onsite AIRE approved riding school where you can attend lessons if you would like to brush up on your riding. For both the stable management and riding exams we will be able to host mock exams (for an additional fee) if there is enough interest after the end of the course. If the stage one course is successful we can build from this and work towards courses for Stage 2, stage 3 and the PTT exams.

If anyone prefers to study for any BHS exams on a one to one basis rather than a group, we can of course provide this. One to one tuition with our BHSI costs €50 per hour onsite.

Summer Competition Hots Up For Dunbyrne

Last weekend was a busy one for us and our clients. On Saturday Rory and Ross headed up to Coilog for Showjumping Ireland bringing three of the young horses with them. All three were bought as foals and professionally started and produced here at Dunbyrne Equestrian. Five year old bay mare DBS Looks Royale (Lux Z X Erins Cavalier/Cavalier Royale) and four year old bay gelding DBS Oisin (Shannondale Sacro X Leadmore Myth Ire) went clear in their class with Rory on board. Meanwhile four year old bay gelding DBS Cuchulainn (Pacino X Rassan Blaithin / Coolcoran Cool Diamond) was clear in the metre class with Sean Kavanagh on board. It is great to have the facilities of Coilog on our doorstep to help us to develop these young horses by allowing them to gain experience in the ring and over a variety of fences. 

Aoife Harrington was at Dressage Ireland on Saturday competing in the preliminary class with her pony Milkway (Cosmic). The pair took third place in their class with a great score of 69%. Aoife was delighted as this performance helped her to achieve her goal of qualifying herself and her pony for the National Dressage Championships in September in Cavan. Lorna has been coaching Aoife at dressage and was very proud to see her results. The pair will work together now towards the championships and the silver spurs. 

Ross and Lorna travelled to Annaharvey to compete at Eventing Ireland on Sunday. It was the second ever event for both horses with Lorna competing her own Sammy (DBS Second Chance) and Ross competing Mandy Driesch's Trakehner stallion Grand Marnier. Both horses performed well in dressage and had a double clear in the showjumping and cross country phases to finish on their dressage score. This left Ross in sixth place in the EI100 and Lorna the winner of the EI90 amateur. 

At Dunbyrne we love seeing our team, our clients and our pupils out enjoying their horses and achieving their goals whether those are in or out of the competition arena. If you have a goal you would like us to help you to achieve, please get in touch today. 

Grand Marnier Starts His Eventing Career

Five year old Trakehner stallion Grand Marnier began his eventing career on Saturday at Killossery Lodge Stud. The buckskin stallion, owned by Mandy Driesch took part in the EI100 pre novice at his first ever event finishing eighth in a strong class. Grand Marnier aka Friday was ridden by Ross O'Hare and the pair finished on their dressage score after smooth clear rounds on the showjumping and cross country courses. It is the middle of breeding season for Grand Marnier who will hopefully have many foals on the ground next year but this did not phase the stallion at all with his manners as impeccable as ever. 

It was a great weekend of eventing for Dunbyrne riders with Lorna Keogh and DBS Second Chance and Ellen Merrins and Sillan Ludene making their eventing debut in the EI90 class. Rory O'Hare and DBS Anchorman competed in Clyda on Sunday in the 2* class. 

Successful Start to June for Dunbyrne Riders

The June bank holiday weekend saw success in the dressage and show ring for some of our riders. 

Sisters Orla and Aoife Harrington competed in Dressage Ireland at the National Sports Campus on bank holiday Monday. Fresh from her success at the riding clubs dressage qualifier, Orla continued her winning streak winning the elementary class with DBS Goldfever with over 70%. This was a lovely finish for Orla ahead of her leaving cert this week - she will be hoping to get the same scores in her exams! Aoife Harrington and her pony Cosmic (Milky Way) competed in the preliminary class. Aoife previously competed in an unregistered class and has been training to improve her riding of the test ahead of her first registered competition. The hard work paid off as she and her pony took first place on the day. 

On the same day Megan Quigley and Lorna Keogh headed to Killossery for their horse and pony show. Megan competed with her chestnut mare With or Without You (Mia) and Lorna competed with her chestnut gelding DBS Second Chance (Sammy). Megan and Mia won the lightweight hunter class and took second place in the side saddle class while Lorna and Sammy took second place in the Small Hunters and reserve champion.