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

BHS Ireland 2019 Exam dates

The British Horse Society have released the 2019 dates for exams in the Republic of Ireland for 2019. As the dates are listed by centre on the BHS website, we have created a calendar by date instead to make it easier to find what you need.

You don’t need to be doing a course full time to take your BHS Exams, it’s entirely possible to study for and pass your exams independently while working full or part time. Whatever your situation, if you need an assessment, a mock exam, or some one to one or group training we can help. Our onsite BHSI Ross O’Hare provides training from Ride Safe to Stage One through to Stage 5. We have suitable horses for use in riding and lunging sessions and a working yard ideal for stable management lessons, lectures and practice.

if you are based somewhere else and would like us to come to you for training, just get in touch. Ross regularly travels around the country to deliver training so if you have a group interested we can arrange for him to come to you.

February

• 11th February, Hitchmough’s, Ride Safe

• 19th February, Kildalton, Stage 1 Care and Ride

• 26th February, Calliaghstown, Stage 1 Care and Ride

• 27th February, Calliaghstown, Stage 2 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 28th February, Calliaghstown, Stage 2 Teach

March

• 1st March, Calliaghstown, Stage 3 Teach

• 26th March, Kildalton, Stage 3 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 21st March, Slieve Aughty, Ride Safe

• 27th March, Kildalton, Stage 2 Teach

April

• 8th April, Hitchmough’s, Stage 1 Care and Ride

• 9th April, Claremorris, Ride Safe

• 16th April, Clonshire, Stage 2 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 23rd April, Brennanstown, Stage 1 Care and Ride

• 24th April, Brennanstown, Stage 2 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 25th April, Brennanstown, Stage 3 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 25th April, Danville, Ride Safe

• 26th April, Brennanstown, Stage 2 Teach

• 30th April, Calliaghstown, Stage 1 Care, Lunge and Ride

May

• 1st May, Calliaghstown, Stage 2 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 2nd May, Calliaghstown, Stage 3 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 2nd May, Slieve Aughty, Ride Safe

• 3rd May, Calliaghstown, Stage 2 Teach

June

• 5th June, Grennan, Stage 3 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 7th June, Grennan, Stage 2 Teach

• 18th June, Brennanstown, Stage 1 Care and Ride

• 19th June, Brennanstown, Stage 2 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 20th June, Brennanstown, Stage 3 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 21st June, Brennanstown, Stage 2 Teach

July

• 9th July, Claremorris, Ride Safe

August

September

• 3rd September, Brennanstown, Stage 2 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 4th September, Brennanstown, Stage 3 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 5th September, Brennanstown, Stage 2 Teach

• 6th September, Brennanstown, Stage 3 Teach

• 12th September, Slieve Aughty, Ride Safe

• 18th September, Calliaghstown, Stage 2 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 19th September, Calliaghstown, Stage 3 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 20th September, Calliaghstown, Stage 2 Teach

• 24th September, Claremorris, Ride Safe

October

• 15th October, Brennanstown, Stage 4 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 16th October, Stage 4 Teach

November

• 7th November, Calliaghstown, Stage 1 Care, Lunge and Ride

• 8th November, Calliaghstown, Ride Safe

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

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. 

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. 

BHS Ireland 2018 Assessment Dates at a Glance

The British Horse Society have released the dates below for assessments in the Republic of Ireland for 2018. Assessments are available from Level 1-4 for riding, coaching and care as well for equine tourism and ride safe. These assessments will allow students to earn qualifications towards their chosen BHS Equine Excellence pathways. 

Assessment booking checklist:

• In order to book an assessment with the British Horse Society you must be a member. You will require Gold membership which is very valuable for all riders and students to have due to the excellent level of insurance it provides. https://www.bhs.org.uk/membership/join/personal-details
• Next, you will need to review the assessment dates below to determine which dates and venues best suit you
• Once you have done this you can give the Equine Excellence team a call at 0044-2476 840508 to book your assessment. 
• Your assessment pack will arrive in the post and will include a skills sheet which must be signed off by a BHSAI or above to allow you to attend your assessment.

Need some professional help?

• At Dunbyrne Equestrian we provide the following services through our BHSI Ross O'Hare which will help you to prepare for your assessments.
• Individual or group assessments to determine where you are versus the level required for BHS assessments
• Individual or group training towards BHS Assessments (Ride Safe and Care / Lunge / Ride / Coach Level 1-4). This is available during the day or in the evenings or at weekends to fit around working hours or busy lifestyles
• Mock assessments for all levels to gain confidence ahead of assessments and to identify areas needing work.
• Sign off of skills to allow students to take BHS assessments. 
• Advice on BHS Equine Excellence Pathways and careers
• To enquire or book any of these services please call 0862222440 / 0879244385

BHS Dates 2018 - Republic of Ireland

March 2018

Wednesday 21st March – Slieve Aughty – Ride Safe

Monday 26th March – Clonshire – Ride Safe morning assessment only

Monday 26th march – Clonshire - Stage 1 Care and Ride afternoon assessment only

Tuesday 27th March – Clonshire - Stage 2 Care, Lunge and Ride

Tuesday 27th March – Kildalton – Stage 3

Wednesday 28th March – Kildalton – Stage 2 Teach

April 2018

Friday 6th April – Claremorris – Ride Safe

Tuesday 10th April – Brennanstown - Stage 1 Care and Ride

Tuesday 10th April – Calliaghstown – Ride Safe

Wednesday 11th April – Brennanstown - Stage 2 Care, Lunge and Ride

Thursday 12th April – Brennanstown - Stage 3 Care, Lunge and Ride

Friday 13th April – Brennanstown – Stage 2 Teach

Friday 13th April – Calliaghstown - Equine Tourism, Ride Leader Level 2 & Level 3 only

May 2018:

Tuesday 1st May – Calliaghstown – Stage 1 Care and Ride

Wednesday 2nd May – Calliaghstown – Stage 2 Care, Lunge, ride

Thursday 3rd May – Calliaghstown – Stage 2 Teach

Friday 4th May – Stage 3 Care, Lunge, Ride

Thursday 10th May – Danville Farm - Equine Tourism, Ride Leader Level 2 & Level 3 only

Wednesday 16th May – Slieve Aughty – Ride Safe

Tuesday 29th May – Clonshire - Stage 2 Care, Lunge and Ride

Wednesday 30th May – Clonshire – Stage 2 Teach

Thursday 31st May – Clonshire – Stage 3 Care, lunge, teach

June 2018:

Friday 8th June – Grennan College – Stage 2 Teach

Wednesday 13th June – Clonshire – Stage 3 Care, lunge, ride

Tuesday 19th June – Brennanstown – Stage 1 Care, lunge, ride

Wednesday 20th June – Brennanstown – Stage 2 Care, lunge, ride

Thursday 21st June – Brennanstown – Stage 3 Care, lunge, ride

Friday 22nd June – Brennanstown – Stage 2 Teach

September 2018

Tuesday 4th September – Stage 2 Care, lunge, ride

Wednesday 5th September – Stage 3 Care, :Lunge and Ride

Thursday 6th September – Stage 2 Teach

Friday 7th September – Stage 3 Teach

Tuesday 25th September – Calliaghstown - Stage 1 Care and Ride

Wednesday 26th September – Calliaghstown - Stage 2 Care, Lunge and Ride

Thursday 27th September – Calliaghstown - Stage 2 Teach

Friday 28th September – Calliaghstown - Stage 3 Care, Lunge, Ride

 October 2018

Wednesday 3rd October – Slieve Aughty - Equine Tourism, Ride Leader Level 2 & Level 3 only

Tuesday 16th October - Stage 4 Care and Management, Lunge and Ride

Wednesday 17th October – Stage 4 Teach

Dunbyrne - The heart of BHS in Kildare

Ross O'Hare BHSI runs Dunbyrne Stud, Kilmeague, Co. Kildare at the foot of the hill of Allen. Our family run equestrian enterprise provides a central hub of information and training for the British Horse Society Assessments and Equine Excellence Pathways in Kildare.

In additional to training full time students as part of the ETB course, Ross provides one to one and group training for any individual working towards any of their BHS assessments. Ross is a BHSI accredited professional coach and a BHS assessor with in depth knowledge of the BHS Pathways to Equine Excellence and the syllabi for each level of assessments.

Services available:

- Individual or group assessments to determine the length and duration of training required for BHS assessment sign off and readiness.

- Individual or group BHS equine excellence pathways training (available across stable management / care, riding, lunging, coaching pathways at level 1 to 5)

- Mock assessments (using our horses for the riding and lunging modules) to provide an authentic exam experience which helps handle exam nerves and assist in identifying any areas of development before assessments

- Assessment sign off - Full flexibility - training can take place during the day, evenings or weekends.

To book any training for you or your group please call 0862222440 / 0879244385

Performing with Pony Club

At Dunbyrne Equestrian we are very lucky to have two great clubs affiliated to the Irish Pony Clubs on our doorstep. A number of our tail blazers and livery clients are members of the Kildare Hunt pony club and enjoy regular outings to rallies and competitions. Keelagh Quinlan and sister Caitlin, Aoife and Orla Harrington are regulars on the pony club circuit. These riders have been attending regular training this Spring in both dressage and showjumping and are ready for action in the competition season!

A number of our Tail Blazers had never experienced pony club before. We encouraged all of these junior riders and their parents to look at joining a club for 2018. We believe that Irish Pony Club provides a brilliant opportunity to compete and enjoy horse riding with like minded children and to form lasting friendships. Irish Pony Club also instill a great culture of learning into members from improving their riding to learning stable management and taking Pony Club tests. 

On Saturday the 3rd February after a Tail Blazers turnout clinic and several hours of beautifying their ponies ten of our Tail Blazers headed to their first ever Newcastle Lyons pony club rally at JAG Equestrian. Laura Kavanagh, Tabitha Walsh, Niamh Davitt and Sinead Davitt headed to their C test rally while Hannah Groves, Sive Murphy, Ella Callan, Molly Dunne, Mia Browne and Zara Logan all headed to their first newcomers rally. The riders were looked after on the day by DC Grainne Alexander and coaches Phillip Gaffney and Anne O'Connor. All riders fared very well on the day receiving high praise for their turnout and standard of riding. 

We are delighted to see our Dunbyrne Tail Blazers representing the yard through the Irish Pony Club in both the Kildare Hunt and Newcastle Lyons clubs and look forward to seeing them enjoy many outings throughout 2018

Dunbyrne Equestrian 2018 Early Bird Riding Lesson Offer

At Dunbyrne Equestrian in Co. Kildare, we pride ourselves on providing professional and enjoyable riding lessons to both adults and children at our onsite AIRE approved riding school. We run group lessons during the week and at weekends for riders of all levels. Private lessons are also available. For complete beginners we offer lead rein lessons on Saturday and Sunday. 

2018 Early Bird Offer

Our new early bird offer is an after school class ideal for primary school children who want to improve their riding in 2018 and enjoy affordable riding lessons. 

Take advantage of our early bird riding lessons in 2018! Dunbyrne Riding School are offering a fantastic deal to kick start 2018! 

10 group lessons for €180.00 ( normal cost price of lessons €250.00!!) 

This one hour group lesson will take place every Thursday @ 3.30pm, beginning Thursday 18/01/18. Riders must be able to walk and trot independently and the full amount is payable on 18/01/18. 

To book please contact Michelle on (085) 8059529 or dunbyrnestud@gmail.com

http://www.dunbyrneequestriancentre.com/riding-lessons/

Blazing a trail at Dressage Ireland

We have a number of talented young riders at Dunbyrne Equestrian and recently two of our coaches Ross O'Hare BHSI and Lorna Keogh (BHS/HSI) formed what we now call the Dunbyrne Tailblazers. The tailblazers team allows these riders access to quality competition coaching to encourage them to improve their riding and to compete with a positive mindset.

The first tailblazers sessions focused on dressage with riders learning the dressage arena and letters and how to ride the movements within a test. After three weeks of training the team travelled to JAG in November with the Dunbyrne lorry to compete at Dressage Ireland in the trailblazers competitions for young riders. This day out, the first ever dressage competition for the team was a great success with everyone scoring above 60% and lots of positive and developmental feedback from the judges to work on. Zara Logan, Sive Murphy and Hannah Groves competed in the mini trailblazers while Niamh Davitt, Laura Kavanagh, Blaithnaid Sharpe and Molly Dunne all competed in the junior trailblazers. 

Aoife Harrington, a young rider who has been competing for over a year at Dressage Ireland Trailblazers acted as a guide for the tailblazers team members, riding test demonstrations to help them to learn their tests while her sister Orla a successful competitor at Dressage Ireland and riding club was at JAG on the day to help the riders on their first day out. Aoife travelled to Marlton last weekend to compete at Trailblazers. She scored an impressive 73% in her prelim test to take second place. Aoife also rode her first ever novice test on the day earning third place and a good score with plenty to work on for 2018 to progress at this level. 

As the tailblazers team has evolved at Dunbyrne Equestrian we have started to include showjumping coaching into the schedule. Our team have been learning how to ride lines, jump combinations and count strides. We have a showjumping session planned for Saturday as well as a talk for the team on competing with a healthy, positive and balanced approach to competition.  Our riders will compete on Sunday at dressage and showjumping at our Christmas Show - we cant wait to see them in action 

BHS Assessments, Mock Exams and Training

As part of the new British Horse Society structure, candidates who wish to take exams can choose to do so across several pathways (coach, rider, groom) or to focus on the pathway mist relevant to them. Candidates looking to take exams with the BHS next year in Ireland must first be signed off as being at the standard to do so by a qualified BHS Instructor. 

Find out more about the BHS pathways here: https://pathways.bhs.org.uk/career-pathways/

To study for and take BHS exams, you do not have to work with horses full time, or even at all. You can choose between studying as a full time student in a college, at an approved equestrian centre, as part of a part time group or even by yourself in your own time. 

Dunbyrne Equestrian is home of Ross O'Hare, BHSI and BHS assessor. Ross provides the following services at Dunbyrne Equestrian, Kilmeague, Co. Kildare. These services can cover Ride Safe and the BHS Equine Excellence Career Pathways Level 1-5 in grooming, riding and coaching. Pupils can train with Ross using either their own horse or one provided by the equestrian centre. 

• Part time BHS courses for groups
• Tailored one to one BHS training for individuals 
• Mock exams for groups or individuals
• Assessments for groups or individuals and sign off for application for exams
• Full time student positions 

To enquire about any of these services please contact Ross at 086-2222440 / 087-9244385

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%

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

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.