AIRC National Championships Here We come!

Wow - what a day we had yesterday! Dunbyrne riding Club - small and mighty!!

We had two teams representing us at the AIRC West Leinster dressage qualifiers at Redhils which is amazing for a small club.

• Team Navy (Myriam, Evin, Suzanne and Lorna) took second place in what was an extremely close finish! With twelve teams entered for the qualifier this performance has earned them qualification for the Association of Irish Riding Clubs National Championships!

• Team Orange (Blanaid, Michelle, Anna Marie, Sophie) took fifth place

• Blanaids super performance in the P1 qualifier earned her second place while Suzanne and Tilly took third

• Lynn did her first ever P2 test and smashed it with over 71% and third place qualifying her for the individual championships in a very tough class!

• Anna Marie and Pixie were sixth in the P3 class.

• Myriam and Evin were amazing in the N class taking 2nd and 5th place.

• Lorna was 2nd and 3rd in the M class.

All our prize winners took home super prizes from Foran Equine and Carr-Day Martin

Myriam had the best day as she was also presented with a gorgeous AYU rug for her league win! She and Beau have had an incredible season

We are still on a high after such a lovely day out and making plans to enjoy our day out at the national championships!

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

Summer Livery available!

Summer has finally arrived! Our livery is perfect for enabling you to enjoy your horse in the Summer weather.

• Owners live onsite here at Dunbyrne so we have no strict opening or closing hours. This makes it ideal for you to enjoy those long bright evenings without any time constraints

• Our huge stables are well ventilated and airy.

• We have our onsite all weather sand gallops and our hacking trails with cross country elements. Perfect for unwinding with a hack after work or preparing for eventing.

• Coilog is just five minutes drive away and we are less than 30 minutes from Redhills / JAG. Why not get out and enjoy those summer competitions?

• Heading on holiday? No problem. If your horse is also having a break they can relax in our capable hands or you can upgrade to exercise livery (hacking / lunging / flatwork) to keep them ticking over so that they are ready to go again when you are.

• Working towards a goal? Our onsite coaches can help you to achieve your goals through systematic training.

http://dunbyrneequestrian.ie/livery

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

August Adventures for #teamdunbyrnestud

Its hard to believe its already August - Summer has been flying! Our #teamdunbyrnestud members have been making the most of it.

Sive has started her eventing campaign with Ollie (Political Diamond). These are a new partnership and they have become a wonderful team. They have been competing on the pony club eventing circuit where they achieved their first championship MER this weekend at Kilguilkey!

Lorna and Lynn travelled to Mullingar on Sunday for the AIRC dressage championships. Lynn was competing with Shooting Star Joe in the primary championships - at her third ever dressage competition. Lynn has put huge efforts in this year to train show jumper Joe to also enjoy the dressage ring. Her efforts paid off and she scored an incredible 73+% in one of her tests! Lynn finished third overall and hasn’t stopped smiling since!

Lorna and DBS Second Chance (Sammy) took on their first ever advanced open championship. Trained by our BHSI Ross O Hare they were thrilled to get a personal best score at this level and take home third place overall.

We love seeing riders set and achieve goals. If you have your own horse and would enjoy some training here or at your own venue, pop us an email!

Laura leads the way to Killossery championships

This weekend the 13th June saw another group from #teamdunbyrnestud head to Killossery Lodge for the last qualifier for their eventing championships next weekend.

Keelin, Laura, Georgia and Caoimhe all competed in the 70 and 85cm classes.

Keelin was delighted with her showjumping which was calm and controlled. Georgia was thrilled to get a fantastic dressage score and a clear round showjumping. Caoimhe was delighted with her ponies attitude to the cross country fences.

Laura Kavanagh had a fantastic day on her first outing eventing. She started off with a 31 in her dressage and then delivered a clear round show jumping and cross country. This resulted in second place overall in the 85cm class and qualification for the championships next weekend.

We wish our qualified riders the very best of luck next weekend!

Sophie O Grady

Roisin Daly

Eileen Nawara

Laura Kavanagh

Full Livery Available

We have full livery available in our courtyard stables.

Our liveries are housed in our beautiful courtyard where horses enjoy spacious stables with deep, warm shavings beds and great ventilation.

Horses are fed top quality haylage and feed twice a day.

Horses are mucked out daily and fresh bedding is provided twice a week.

Liveries have access to all facilities including our 50*70m outdoor livery arena, our 4.5 furlong sand gallops and our wooded hacking trail.

Our yard is family run and the owners live onsite so there is always someone here with your horse and this arrangement allows us to be completely flexible on opening hours.

We have BHS and HSI qualified coaches onsite who can give qualified advise and support and coaching at competitive rates.

We are located just ten minutes from Coilog and within a half hours drive of competition venues such as Greenogue, Redhills and JAG.

As a yard we believe in good old fashioned horse care - horses thrive on routine and our professional team provide this daily. We believe in stables where horses have a view of what’s going on and are not bored, where stable beds are deep and warm and stables have good ventilation. We believe in good quality feeding and in providing qualified advice. We believe in putting the horse first in everything we do. We embrace the training scale and love seeing our clients learn and progress.

To arrange to view the yard please whats app 0858059529 or email dunbyrnestud@gmail.com

Everything you need to know about our forthcoming riding club dressage show

We are delighted that our club, Dunbyrne Riding Club will hold a leg of the Kavanaghs of Newbridge dressage league on Sunday the 14th of April.

Entries:

You need to be a registered riding member of a riding club in order to enter. Entries must be made online by visiting www.itsplainsailing.com/club/drc1

Entries close on Tuesday the 9th April. €20 entry for graded classes, €12 to compete in the Sportsmans class, the walk and trot class or to compete H/C in a class

Classes & Tests:

We will be running the following classes:

• Primary (AIRC Intro A 2011)

• Advanced Primary (DI P5 2012)

• Sportsman (DI P5 2012)

• Intermediate (AIRC 15 2013)

• Advanced Intermediate (AIRC 26 2010)

• Open (DI E46 2013)

• Advanced Open (DI M62 2015)

• Walk / Trot test (DI Intro B 2017)

All tests can be downloaded for free.

Dressage Ireland tests are prefixed DI and are available here:

https://www.dressageireland.ie/members/dressage-ireland-tests/

Association of Irish Riding Club tests, prefixed AIRC are available here:

https://www.airc.ie/downloads/

Photographer:

We are delighted to say that Brian from Saggitarian Photography will be here taking photos on the day - smile for the camera

Tea / Coffee:

We will have tea / coffee onsite and home baked treats the proceeds for the sale will go to charity

Safety:

Safety officer on the day: Rory O’Hare

First Aid Responders: Lorna & Ross O’Hare

Where to find us:

Our eircode is W91 YT62

Preparation and Training:

if you would like to ride through your test and get some practice onsite before the show our onsite BHSI Ross O’hare is available for dressage test training, please email us at dunbyrnestud@gmail.com to arrange a private or group session for you or your club

Joining a riding club:

Dunbyrne Riding Club is open for new members, to enquire or join please email dunbyrne@airc.ie

March of many Disciplines

After the success of our show last week, this weekend proved also to be busy for our riders. Best of all the were able to enjoy it without wind and rain!

Laura Kavanagh and Aoife Harrington travelled to Annaharvey to take part in the hunter trials with their ponies Bobby and Milkway. They had great fun enjoying their ponies in the sun and Aoife now has the cross country bug and is looking forward to more.

Emma, Rebecca and Lorna travelled to Killossery to take part in Dressage Ireland. Emma and Ruben and Rebecca and Honey took part in the preliminary class. Emma and Ruben are working hard on developing as a team together with some great marks showing potential. It is hard to believe that Rebecca, a full time BHS student with Dunbyrne, and her horse Honey have competed in just three dressage shows ever! Their partnership shone through this weekend as they earned impressive scores of 67% and 69% taking home fifth and second place.

Lorna and Sammy (DBS Second Chance) competed in the elementary classes. They had a great day taking home first and third place in their classes.

We are always delighted to see our riders out enjoying their sport and look forward to see what the next few weeks bring.

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.

Jumping into 2019

It was the first show of 2019 yesterday for a number of our riders and some of the DBS horses. We are located just ten minutes from Coilog which gives us easy access to a great competition venue. Coilog are currently running an unregistered combined training league which is a brilliant opportunity to get horses back into competition mode with a choice of levels.

Rory competed in the dressage with our beautiful bay home bred mare Chanel. This was this mare’s first competition and also her first ever offsite outing but she has a very sensible and mature attitude and took it all in her stride scoring over 68%. She is definitely one to watch.

Rory also competed with bay gelding Oisin in the 90cm combined training. They led from the dressage phase and delivered a smooth clear round to take the overall win.

Lorna and Sammy (DBS Second Chance) had their first outing of the year in the metre combined training. They had a solid dressage test and a clear round in the showjumping phase earned them second place.

Sisters Niamh and Sinead Davitt made their debut outing with their bay mare Star. Both girls were delighted with their double clears in the 80cm showjumping class. Star (Killelton Starlight) was a surprise Christmas present and she definitely lives up to her name!

Our team and clients have a busy schedule ahead of them in the coming weeks as they get into the 2019 season and make the most of the longer evenings. We love coaching our clients and helping them to set and achieve goals. We also take pride in producing and showcasing our own DBS horses. We look forward to doing plenty more of both this Spring.

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!

Dunbyrne Dressage Divas!

It was a very sparkling white affair on Sunday as several of our riders competed at Dressage Ireland at Redhills. The competition season is in full swing at the moment and we were delighted to see our riders heading off looking well. 

Sisters Aoife and Caitlin Harrington had a very early start with Aoife entering at A at 8.18am! Aoife took on the challenge of riding four tests - two each on Cosmic and Killelton Starlight. It was a very very tight turnaround of horses in the novice class with just six minutes between times but Aoife kept her cool under pressure. Aoife won both her preliminary and novice Trailblazer classes on board Killelton Starlight, a fantastic result for their first outing as a partnership. She also took sixth in the prelim and second in the novice trailblazers with Cosmic. Aoife is delighted to have achieved qualification for the preliminary trailblazers at the National Championships in September nice and early in the season.

Caitlin Harrington competed with her chestnut pony Nightlight taking first place in the unregistered preliminary. Big sister Orla Harrington was due a very big thank you having taken on the role of groom for both her sisters as well as for Lorna on the day. 

Keen eventer Ellen Merrins traded studs for sparkles on Sunday to compete her gelding Sillan Ludene in the preliminary classes. The pair had a fantastic Dressage Ireland Debut taking second and third place in their classes with impressive scores. 

Lorna competed with DBS Second Chance at what was their first Dressage Ireland competition of the season. They took third place in their novice class and second place at Elementary level in their second class. Most importantly the pair earned their first two qualifiying scores towards the National Championships. 

Michelle Davitt meanwhile competed in the penultimate leg of the Linda Moore Riding Club Showjumping league at Coilog on board Zono. They placed third in the primary class giving them the lead in the league to date, which they are keen to hold on to heading into the final this weekend. 

We are delighted to see all the training paying off for these riders. Our riders are on livery and train at Dunbyrne Stud with our BHS / HSI coaches Ross, Lorna and Rory O'Hare. If you are working towards competing at pony club, riding club or Dressage Ireland please get in touch to find out how we can help you to achieve your goals. 

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%

Joining A riding club in Ireland

Riding clubs, affiliated to the Association of Irish Riding Clubs (AIRC) are one of the biggest amateur sport organisations in Ireland. Riding clubs provide a friendly and affordable environment for amateur riders in Ireland to compete across all disciplines. If you have never joined a riding club before the information and process might seem daunting so the aim of this blog post is to provide help and encouragement to anyone thinking of joining for the first time. 

In Ireland each affiliated riding club belongs in a region. There are over 100 affiliated riding clubs in Ireland. Our club, Dunbyrne Riding club is based in the Kildare area and falls under the West Leinster region. Riding club members compete representing the club that they choose to join and can compete in local shows run within their own region, in competitions held by other clubs and regions and in National championships. 

Why would I join a riding club?

Riding club brings together like minded amateur riders to learn and compete in a welcoming and enjoyable environment. It is the perfect way to meet new friends and build up experience. 

How do I join a riding club?

You must be aged 17 or over to join. To join a riding club you simply need to contact the club secretary and request to put in an application. All riding clubs and their details can be found at www.airc.ie. Our own club can be reached at dunbyrne@airc.ie / 0858144739 To apply to join a club the secretary will need you to provide your contact details, your competition and riding experience and details of any previous riding club members you may have had. They will also need your date of birth and some passport photos. 

You do not need to be on livery at a yard or living close by to join a specific club. Most riding clubs will base themselves around a yard or equestrian centre in order to enjoy facilities but riders can base themselves where ever they choose. Our riding club is named Dunbyrne Riding Club after our equestrian centre but membership is open to all and members do not need to be on livery with us to join and enjoy the club. 

How much does it cost?

Riding club is a very affordable sport as membership is simply paid annually for the rider. There are no extra charges for registering horses and owners. Membership to a club will vary from €65/70 + depending on the club. Membership runs from January to December with a discount usually offered to anyone joining in the autumn months. For example membership from October to December is available now at just €30. 

What level do I compete at?

If you have never joined a riding club before the club grading officer will asses your riding and your competiton record with other associations (if you have any) in order to advise you on the correct grade for you. In riding club the emphasis is about grading the rider rather than the horse. Riders can upgrade as they progress through the levels. Riders receive a grade for dressage, showjumping and cross country and there can be some level of variation between the grade for each. Beginner riders would be graded at the lowest level for dressage and showjumping and would not do cross country. 

If you have competed before your competition record will be assessed by the grading officer in order to advise on the best grade to start out as. A rough guide is below:

Dressage:

Dressage Ireland preliminary - Riding Club Advanced primary / Intermediate, Dressage Ireland Novice - Riding Club advanced intermediate, Dressage Ireland Elementary - Riding club open, Dressage Ireland Medium + - Riding club advanced open

Jumping:

SJI 80cm - riding club advanced primary, SJI 90cm - Riding club intermediate, SJI 1m - riding club advanced intermediate, SJI 1.10 - riding club open, SJI 1.20 - Riding club advanced open

Cross Country:

Eventing Ireland intro - riding club intermediate, Eventing Ireland pre novice - riding club advanced intermediate, Eventing Ireland novice / 1* - riding club open, Eventing Ireland 2* - riding club advanced open. 

Are there many shows?

We are very lucky in the West Leinster region as there is a dressage and showjumping league which runs in the spring and autumn which has approx 5-7 legs of competition in each. There are also a number of other shows run throughout the year in West Leinster or neighbouring regions including one day events and showing. OUr own club run 3-4 shows a year in the West Leinster region at Dunbyrne Stud in Kilmeague

What about the social side?

Riding club is known for its great social opportunities and outing as well as competitions. Most clubs run social events for members with and without their horses and the West Leinster region also organises a number of social and training days which club members can join. 

Our Case study:

Michelle Davitt started riding lessons at Dunbyrne Equestrian when she and her horse Zono joined us on livery in the Summer. In Michelles first lesson she was asked about her goals for herself and her horse. She stated that she would love to be able to join a riding club and compete at some point but wasn't sure how long it would take her. Michelle joined Dunbyrne riding club during the summer and worked during her lessons towards her goal of competing in the West Leinster autumn league. Michelle was ready to start competing on time for the autumn league and had an amazing riding club debut winning the primary showjumping and taking sixth place in the primary dressage. She and bay gelding Zono are looking forward to continuing to compete through the league and working towards their next goals. Michelle was nervous about competing for the first time but was supported and encouraged by our other riding club members including Susanne Walsh who competes successfully at primary herself and mum and daughter Clare and Orla Harrington who compete at dressage. 

How can I apply to Join Dunbyrne riding club?

You do not need to be on livery with us to join our riding club. We have a number of clients who keep their horses at home or with friends and who join us for lessons, competitions and training. To apply all you need to do is contact our club secretary Charlotte on dunbyrne@airc.ie / 085-8144739

Holiday Livery - have your horse schooled or pampered while you are away!

Summer is in full swing at Dunbyrne. We have pony camp running each week in our riding school and we have a number of horses in on livery while their owners are away on Holidays. Our holiday livery has different benefits for each client. Some clients just want to know that their pride and joy will be looked after, exercised and kept fit by us while they are away which gives them peace of mind. Others like to send horses to us for schooling when they are away. This allows them to relax holidays and come back to enjoy their well-schooled horse. This is ideal for anyone working towards competitions later in the season or for horses needing a tune up in a few areas. Schooling is available for dressage, show-jumping, showing or eventing. We also have some cases in which a horse needs some TLC while their owners are away whether that’s treatment for a medical condition or special care. We tailor holiday livery to the needs of the horse and owner. For horses who need their own holiday we even have a spa treatment package which includes a wash, make over and physio treatment.

Short term holiday livery is available year round at Dunbyrne. Horses must be passported and vaccinated and fees must be paid up front. For rates and more information please contact us at 086-2222440 / 085-8059529

Dunbyrne Riding Club Win West Leinster Dressage Qualifier

Last weekend saw a fantastic result for our riding club based at Dunbyrne Stud. Kilmeague, Co. Kildare. Dunbyrne Riding Club had a team of four riders competing at the qualifier held locally on Sunday 28th May. 

Dunbyrne liveries Mum and daughter combination Clare and Orla Harrington formed half of the team with their horses Hunting Princess (aka Sapphire) and DBS Goldfever (aka Sonny). They were joined by fellow livery Suzanne Walsh and her horse Revery and fellow Dunbyrne Riding Club member Niamh O'Huid and her bay gelding Ser Kai.

All four riders are train under Dunbyrne Stud's resident BHSI Ross O'Hare. The training, dedication and hard work put in by these riders throughout the Winter and Spring paid off as they excelled at the qualifier to take first place. Youngest team member Orla Harrington put in a stellar performance to win the open qualifier with a personal best score of 81.33%. Orla achieved her first '10' for dressage movements in this test earning this highest score for one of her movements and for her riding.

Finishing with a team score of 221.49 the team have qualified for the AIRC (Association of Irish Riding Clubs) Connollys Redmills National Dressage Championships in August at Mullingar. We are extremely proud of our members and look forward to supporting our club and team as they work towards the Championships. 

Success for Dunbyrne members, clients and liveries at our Kavanaghs of Newbridge League Final

On Sunday the 21st May our riding club held the final leg of the West Leinster region of riding clubs Kavanaghs of Newbridge dressage league. We held the final here at Dunbyrne Stud in Kilmeague co. Kildare in our outdoor arena with the hill of Allen making a lovely backdrop. 

Our judges on the day were Patricia Creighton and Gisela Holstein. We had members from various clubs in the West Leinster region competing to earn the last league points towards the overall league results. 

Our club members fared well on the day and we were delighted to see our liveries, clients and pupils taking home well deserved rosettes. Suzanne Walsh took second place in the primary class with her chestnut gelding Revery. In the advanced primary class a trio of Dunbyrne livery clients took 3rd and joint fourth place. Rachel O'Sullivan achieved a great score of 70.63% on grey mare Firones Spear (aka Belle) to take third place. Jenny Brennan Hannigan and Papa Smurf (aka Harry Potter) and Clare Harrington and Hunting Princess (aka Sapphire) both earned 66.88% to share fourth place. Ellen Merrins competed in the intermediate class with her bay gelding Sillan Ludene, known to his livery buddies as Pepper. Ellen was delighted to take third place on her second dressage outing with her new horse. Orla Harrington and DBS Goldfever (aka Sonny) were third in the open class. Pupils of Ross O'Hare BHSI from outside of the yard also performed well on the day with Olwyn Alexander and Santero from Greenhills RC placing second in the intermediate class over 71% and Dermot O'Connor and Horse SIlver Lining II from Annaharvey taking third in the sportsmans.

As always our bakers were out in force for our show and our coffee shop raised €190 for the Irish Horse Welfare Trust. Thank you to our bakers and buyers!