Good weather and great equine competition continue
Local equestrian news, reports, results and fabulous photos
Hello everyone,
Isn’t it amazing that the dry spell of weather is still with us? Although, we’re nearly getting to the stage of hoping for a bit of overnight warmth (and maybe even a little bit of, dare I say, rain), just to help the grass to grow and keep the ground from getting too hard! Anyway, it’s great to see the blue skies and the fantastic choice of equine activities that are currently on to help us make the most of the good weather!
The past week or so has once again been jam-packed with equestrian competitions and, with Balmoral qualifiers now over (Balmoral Show is next week - so good luck to everyone participating there!), thoughts have turned to the highly competitive RDS qualifiers, with combinations across the disciplines out to secure their ticket to Dublin Horse Show! Alongside the Spring Championships at Portmore, eventing at Vesey Lodge, Jump Mix at Lusk’s, SJI and unregistered jumping at Connell Hill, Ecclesville league and much more, there is a lot to catch up on!

The Horse&Field calendar continues to be busy, with a super selection of activities to choose from. Looking ahead, Danescroft Equestrian has secured one of the Young Event Horse Development Days, supported by DAFM and HSI, with an amazing prize fund of £6,000 on offer across the day!
Danescroft to host Young Event Horse Development Day
Danescroft Equestrian, Lisburn, Co Antrim, is excited to announce that they will be hosting a Young Event Horse Development Day on Saturday, June 7, with a fantastic total prize fund of £6,000.
This Horse&Field newsletter brings you the latest equine news, as well as reports, results and pictures from local competitions and events over the past week or so, including news of Antrim Chase’s fabulous fundraising during the past season; the May Day Jump Mix at Lusk’s; RDS Pony qualifier and Young Rider, Children on Horses and Junior Equitation qualifiers at The Meadows; the Spring Championships at Portmore; SJI jumping and Training Show at Connell Hill; EI Northern Region at Vesey Lodge; week three of Ecclesville’s show jumping league; and the Spring Championships at The Meadows.
Antrim Chase raise over £12,000 for charity during the 2024/25 season
Antrim Chase started their season with the now famous Charity Show at Connell Hill, coordinated by the wonderful Lyndon McKee Photography and raising a staggering £3,700 for Air Ambulance!
May Day Jump Mix at Lusk's
Lusk Equestrian held a Jump Mix event on May Day, Monday, May 5, in place of their annual May Day Show, which had been on that date for over 15 years. The May Day Show always provided preparation of Working Hunter and showing classes for the upcoming RUAS Balmoral Show.
Young riders show their talents at Meadows' RDS qualifiers
Following a busy Saturday of pony qualifiers at The Meadows Equestrian Centre in Lurgan, Sunday, May 4 saw Young Riders, Children on Horses and Junior Equitation competitors take their turn to battle it out for a chance to compete at Dublin Horse Show in August.
Pony athletes book RDS tickets at The Meadows
The Meadows Equestrian Centre, Lurgan saw a busy weekend of competition on May 3 and 4, as they hosted RDS qualifiers for ponies on Saturday, followed by Young Riders, Children on Horses and Equitation jumping on Sunday.
Catherine and 'Clovalent' claim Grand Prix at Portmore championships
Portmore Equestrian Centre, Aghalee held their three-day Spring Championships from May 2 to 4 with good weather and great jumping throughout!
Portadown siblings enjoy success and sunshine at Connell Hill
The May Day bank holiday weekend at Connell Hill Equestrian, Randalstown, welcomed competitors from all six counties.
Amanda does the double at Vesey Lodge
Vesey Lodge, home of Ian and Alison Wilson, was the idyllic setting for the latest Northern Region fixture, where superlatives were widely used to describe the attention to detail attached to every aspect of the event. The scene was picture postcard perfect as you drove in the entrance, where the immaculately manicured hedges, the great grass covering,…
Visiting course builder challenges Ecclesville League competitors
Week three of Ecclesville’s Show jumping League was another great success with a good number of competitors enjoying the challenge of visiting Course Builder, Seamus McCaffrey’s courses.
One-two for O'Brien at Connell SJI league
Connell Hill, Randalstown, held another leg of their SJI Summer Horse League on Thursday, May 1, with classes from 80cm up to 1.30m.
Talent on display at Meadows' Spring Championships
The Meadows Equestrian Centre in Lurgan held their Spring Championships including the MEC Young Horse Challenge Finals, DAFM Studbook Series and National Grand Prix, over the weekend of April 25 to 27. There was a fantastic turnout over the three days and some very talented combinations put on a display of top-class jumping.
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Further details on the above and more are available by clicking on the stories or visiting Horse&Field and having a scroll through - there are now over 1,000 articles to choose from, with a search facility to find what you wish to read!
The Horse&Field calendar lists local equine activities and is updated on a daily basis. We are trying to make the calendar as comprehensive as possible and it currently lists shows and events right up until the spring, so if you know of any events that aren’t yet listed, please let us know by emailing: horseandfield@gmail.com!
Horse&Field Calendar
Calling all horse enthusiasts! As the seasons change, so does the equestrian calendar, filled with exciting events and competitions that bring the equestrian community together.
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This is so well put together, well done!! :D