Sunday saw the second leg ot the SL Combined Training League at Raheen Na Gun. Entries were well up and an early start was helped by the fact we live so close!!
Our horses were all so much better for the outing last week and excelled them selves by all winning a class or in Vipers case two!!
It was a first outing for Deidre Lannigans Fernhill Sea top and with Carol onboard he won the Pure Dressage Test14, though green his Potential was obvious and the Judge Poala Geiger was suitably impressed.
He went on to do a super Test in the Combined Training but a silly knock in the Show jumping just put him out of the placings.
Fernhill Cascade with Sophie Richards on board placed 4th in the Test 7 and WON his combined training, he really is coming into his own now and is on track to win the League in this section.
Shane Power our Junior rider was making his debut on the recent Fernhill purchase Killossery Kassandra. They showed how quickly a partnership has formed between them and placed 3rd in both the Pure Dressage test 32 and the 1.10 combined training. Shane now heads to Portugal with the mare to the Sunshine Tour eventing and hopes this will give him further experience with her before he returns home and appears before the selectors. Competition for a place on the Junior European team this year will be fierce so this trip should give him a head start.
Again Viper showed just how much she has matured over the winter and could not be beaten, winning both her classes by a comfortable margin she is really set up now for the trip to portugal.
Again well done to the Team at Raheen Na Gun, well organised and great facilities made for a good days competition.
Archive for January, 2010
2nd Week South Leinster Combined Training
Monday, January 25th, 2010Horses on the move
Friday, January 22nd, 201021st January
Woodfire Jack left Fernhill today to his new home in Milan.
Fernhill My Guy and Mr Shelley were on the same load but heading to Rome to Francesco Cerulli who after a successful junior and Young Rider career on Mixed Message, a horse Carol found for him, has now moved up to the senior ranks and represented Italy in Fointainbleu at last years European Championships.
Sunshine Tour preparation
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
19th January.
Carol headed out to visit Duarte and the horses in Portugal and to get things prepared for the Sunshine Tour , which is creeping up fast!!
A visit to see the Lupi family at Barroca was first on the agenda and of course lunch in “Bar Lupi” had to follow…would be rude not to!!!
Barroca as usual was a hive of activity and it was great to see everyone again, there really is no place quite like Barroca.
At Duarte’s home place, Valada, the Fernhill horses all looked great and were happy in the new stable block Duartes Father, Pedro has recently constructed especially for them. Each stable has a little gravel paddock into which Duarte tells me he lets the horses out to sunbathe during the day!!! Nice!!
We took some time to assess each horse and decide when and where he should run on the forthcoming tour. They will all be out show jumping this coming weekend in Cnema the local show jumping centre before contesting a National Event in Mata Du Duque the following week..
The last day of my visit was spent doing a bit of Horse shopping, though a purchase was not made some interesting prospects were spotted for Duarte to keep his eye on over the next couple of weeks.
South Leinster Combined Training
Friday, January 22nd, 2010Sunday 17th January.
The South leinster region Combined Training League started today in Raheen na Gun, our neighbour Ger O’Briens equestrian facility.
Fernhill horses were out in force as its just a 2 minute hack away.
Fernhill Viper who Carol is preparing for the Sunshine tour in Portugal in February has come up this year on great form from her winter break and won both the Pure Dressage test 32 and the 1.10m show jumping with dressage class. She was narrowly beaten by Ivan Kelly on his impressive dressage horse Don Rosario in the test 27, so we could live with that!!! Fernhill Eagle was 2nd in the 1.10m combined training, his last competition on Irish soil as he is soon to be on his way to Phillip Dutton in the States who hopes to have him Qualified for the next Olympics in London. So that will be one to watch out for.
Sophies baby Fernhill Cascade was placed in all his classes, 2nd in Combined training and 3rd in pure dressage so she was well pleased all her hard work with him has paid off.
This was a great outing for all and was very well supported despite the run of bad weather for the previous couple of weeks. The Sun did manage to shine on the day and all who came were well impressed with the organization and facilities at Raheen na Gun and the Secretary Sarah Lang tells me entries are bursting at the seams for the next competition on Sunday.
