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!

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

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.

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!

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

Making A Show Of Ourselves

It's mid April and it has been another busy week at Dunbyrne. On Friday the 13th our team took part in a local table quiz held in aid of My Lovely Horse Rescue. Our team, the DBS Bar Flies (Stine, Tori, Miia and Lorna) came second. We had sponsored some prizes for the raffle in aid of this good cause so two lucky raffle winners won a voucher for a private lesson with Ross and Lorna. 

On Saturday a group of our DBS Tail Blazers enjoyed pony club cross country training at The Field Equestrian in Ballyadams. Zara, Hannah, Mia, Sinead and Molly took part with Lorna instructing and had great fun tackling the water fences, steps and combinations. 

On Sunday Dunbyrne Riding Club held our leg of the West Leinster Region Linda Moore Showjumping League. Our own members did us proud on home turf. Michelle Davitt and Zono won the primary class - their second win in a row in the league. Tori Cummins Kennedy then won the advanced primary class. Lorna and Sammy competed in the advanced intermediate class with just four faults. Well done to all the winners on the day - Michelle Davitt (Primary), Tori Cummins Kennedy (advanced primary), Gay Parkinson (Sportsmans) , Audrey O'Dwyer (Intermediate), Grainne Alexander (Advanced Intermediate), Caoimhe Delaney (Open). We ran a coffee shop on the day to raise money for the Irish Horse Welfare Trust

Laura Kavanagh headed off hunter trialling with Bobby yesterday while Hannah Groves travelled to the Interschools at Mullingar with Brogan competing on a team who earned sixth place in the final. 

Orla and Aoife Harrington were at Killossery yesterday for the Dressage ireland league final in the Leinster region. Aoife and Cosmic placed second in both classes to take second overall in the league in both the Preliminary and Novice categories. Orla placed third in the league on the elementary class. 

Supporting Spring Success

With the beast from the east and the son of the beast finally moving on it has been a relief for us and our clients that we can all come out of hiding from riding, get back in the saddle and make up for lost time over the past few weeks.

The first week of April saw a hectic schedule with some very promising results. We have a dynamic group of riders here at the moment performing across a variety of disciplines under different governing bodies.  

Stine Anderson has been working hard through the Winter to prepare Alva Gunne's show horse Dutchess for the Northern Ireland Festival. The pair competed this weekend winning the 90cm Working Hunter which was a great result and ideal preparation for heading to Cavan for this festival next week. 

Mia Browne and Hannah Groves headed to Annaharvery for their first ever hunter trials at the weekend. These two DBS Tail Blazers are keen Pony Club members and wanted some hunter trial experience to compliment their minimus training. They flew around the pre-novice pairs with their ponies Belle and Brogan. 

Sisters Orla and Aoife Harrington were at Cavan this weekend for the Dressage Ireland Winter Finals. Aoife and Cosmic took fourth place in the Junior Trailblazers preliminary championship while Orla and Semperit were 9th in the Elementary Category 2 championship.

With private lessons, DBS Tail Blazers and Pony Club coaching scheduled for this week we are delighted to see so much enthusiasm for training and learning from our riders here at Dunbyrne and look forward to seeing what the Spring and Summer competition season will bring.  

Riding Club will be the main focus for Dunbyrne Equestrian next weekend when we host our leg of the West Leinster Region Linda Moore league on Sunday the 15th April. 

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

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! 

Raising funds for the Irish Horse Welfare Trust

Established in 1999, the Irish Horse Welfare Trust (www.ihwt.ie) is Ireland's largest dedicated equine charity. The charity work hard to help improve the lives of neglected, strayed and rescue horses at their base in Wicklow.  At every show that we run, Dunbyrne Riding Club collect funds for the IHWT. Our generous members and volunteers bake cakes and treats that are sold at the shows and all proceeds go towards the IHWT. 

Last year our club secretary Charlotte O'Hare received this letter from the IHWT thanking us for our donation of €335. Our next show will take place this Sunday, 21st May when we will host a leg of the West Leinster Kavanaghs of Newbridge dressage league at Dunbyrne Stud in Kilmeague. We will once again have a variety of baked goods on sale and the proceeds and any donations on the day will go to the IHWT. We are very proud to support an organisation who does so much for the welfare of horses. Please if you are here on Sunday, come and enjoy some baking and contribute to a good cause at the same time.