Hallowe'en fun with our equine friends
Reports, results and pictures from local equestrian activities
Hello everyone,
Today is Hallowe’en! If you are heading out in fancy dress to a party or parade or to see some fireworks, I hope you have fun… But please do check that your animals are safe and secure before you go!
Hallowe’en and the half-term holidays have provided a great opportunity for equestrian centres to host ‘spook-tacular’ shows and the creativity and artistic license this has allowed has been off the chart! The fearsome fences, the devilish decorations and the alarming accessories that have been evident, certainly tested the resolve of many horses and riders, but also raised a few smiles along the way! Well done to all those who put such great effort into their creepy creations, never mind their own fiendish fancy dress - it has been a great reminder that most of us do this for fun!

The emails this week have been incredibly busy, so I will need to send two newsletters, in order to keep you up to date with everything that’s happening.
This Horse&Field newsletter brings you the first instalment of the latest equine news, as well as reports, results and pictures from local competitions over the past week or so, including the Hallowe’en Show at Ecclesville; the penultimate leg of the Working Hunter League and NIF qualifiers at Hagans Croft; the Twilight Cash Jumping at Ardnacashel; the concluding report on ILDRA’s rides for the season; and week four of the TRI Inter-schools’ show jumping at The Meadows… As well as a few other bits that may be of interest.
More will follow very soon!
Successful Hallowe’en Show at Ecclesville
The Ecclesville team in Fintona was delighted with the turnout of competitors for their Hallowe’en Show on Sunday, October 27, with a grand total of 89 entries on the day!
Excitement mounts at penultimate leg of Hagans Croft Working Hunter league
Saturday, October 26 saw the penultimate week of Hagans Croft’s Working Hunter league and NIF Qualifiers. It was first place for the second week in a row for Louise Reid and her four-year-old mare 'Stella' in the 60cm class, with Alex Greer and 'Phoenix Spark' taking first place in the 70cm class. Michaela Glass and 'Lurganbane Sally' dominated the 80cm…
Twilight Cash Jumping attracts talent to Ardnacashel
Wednesday night marked the third week of the Twilight Cash show jumping at Ardnacashel, Comber and what a fantastic evening it was!
ILDRA concludes 2024 season with Autumnal Rides
ILDRA (Irish Long Distance Riding Association) headed to Castle Ward Estate near Strangford for the second time this year on Saturday, October 19 for a day of pleasure riding. With fine weather on the day, the attending riders enjoyed making their way around the Hoof Trail at Castle Ward, which takes in a wide variety of scenery including woodlands, ope…
Pippa scores a double at Meadows' Inter-Schools' jumping
Week four of the TRI Equestrian Inter-schools’ series took place on Saturday, October 19, hosted once again by the Meadows Equestrian Centre, Lurgan.
Hallowe’en treats:
Spooky Afternoon Tea anyone?
This week's special offer at Titanic Hotel Belfast is sure to be a treat…
In equestrian news:
Testing after travelling could lead to a false diagnosis of EMS
New research*, conducted by the University of Kentucky in partnership with the SPILLERS™ brand, has shown that testing for insulin dysregulation, which is the core component of Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), within three hours of travelling could lead to a false positive result for EMS. The work has been selected as one of the most clinically relevant…
In case you missed it:
The latest podcast interview was with coach Ami Kwasnieska and the rider she has nominated for the Equine Development Academy training day, Hollie Surgenor - if you haven’t yet listened, just click below!
Straight From the Horse's Mouth: Ami Kwasnieska and Hollie Surgenor
Hello and welcome to the 18th Straight from the Horse's Mouth podcast on Horse and Field!
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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 end of the year, so if you know of any events that aren’t yet listed, please let us know!
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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