Thank goodness for all-weather equestrian facilities...
With the rain continuing and the ground waterlogged, arena-based and indoor equine events are welcome additions to the calendar!
Hello everyone,
Well, I don’t know about you, but when Storm Kathleen blew in last weekend, I was trying to look on the bright side… I thought perhaps the wind might start to dry out the saturated ground. And to be fair, there probably was a bit of drying on Sunday. But on Monday, someone turned the tap back on and here we are again, with waterlogged ground and events sadly unable to run…
While that is truly heartbreaking for all concerned, thank goodness we are blessed with so many fantastic equestrian centres, with their amazing all-weather facilities. What would we ever do without them?
Last weekend saw some cancellations and postponements due to the storm, but other activities were fortunate to be able to proceed.
This Horse&Field newsletter brings you reports, results and pictures from the competitions that went ahead, as well as a round up of other events and an important notice! With more rain forecast in the coming days, please do check with the venue or organiser before you travel to ensure that your planned activity is going ahead.
Eventing Ireland Northern Region have had to make another difficult decision and have cancelled this weekend’s planned event at Tyrella due to the huge amount of rainfall.
Lusk’s were among those who were able to run according to plan at the weekend, as they went ahead with their RUAS Balmoral Performance Horse Qualifiers and Spring Derby on Sunday.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Hagans Croft were able to run their Working Hunter Horse classes, but the strong winds meant that the pony classes in the afternoon had to be cut short.
The Northern Ireland Riding Clubs’ Dressage Championships were held on Sunday and two Strule Valley members had a particularly good day out!
The SJI Horse Show at Connell Hill, Randalstown on Thursday proved very popular and competitors are pleased to know that these shows are set to continue.
The Pairs League at Mossvale, Dromara held its final recently and saw some friendly rivalry between the competitors!
As Laurel View, Templepatrick, looks forward to their Summer Dressage League, here are the results from the end of their Winter League, which saw great support and enthusiasm from competitors.
More details on these and more are available by clicking on the stories below or visiting Horse&Field and having a scroll through - there are 550+ 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 Autumn, so if you know of any events that aren’t yet listed, please let us know!
To new subscribers, welcome! You will receive this newsletter twice each week, as well as occasional emails in between - we want to keep you informed, but do not want to overload your inbox!
Please remember that Horse&Field will be updated on a regular basis and you can visit it at any time to find out what is happening. If you wish, you can download the Substack app; you can search online for: horseandfield.substack.com or, if you are subscribed, just click on the email.
If you have any articles or photos to contribute, queries or suggestions, or if there is someone you think deserves to be featured in Horse&Field, please do send an email to horseandfield@gmail.com
Have a safe weekend!
In the news
Here are some of the latest articles on Horse&Field…
Please click on each story to read the article and see more photos:
Tyrella 2 CANCELLED
Unfortunately, the weather has struck another blow to the eventing community, with this weekend’s event at Tyrella now cancelled. In case anyone was intending to go along to spectate, please be aware of the following… Note from the Organiser (on Wednesday, April 10):
Lusk Equestrian hosts another successful RUAS Qualifier and Derby
Lusk Equestrian hosted the final RUAS Balmoral Performance Horse Qualifier on Sunday, April 7, for Six-/ Seven-year-olds and Five-year-old horses, followed by a derby for 1m, 85cm and 70cm competitors. It was great to see some of the qualified combinations come along for a school in preparation for the show in May 2024 and three who came all the way fro…
Strule Valley members excel at NIRC Dressage Championships
Two Strule Valley Riding Club members travelled to Knockagh View Equestrian Centre, on the outskirts of Greenisland, near to Carrickfergus at the weekend for the Northern Ireland Riding Clubs’ Dressage Championships. Gillian Hynes and ‘What’s the Craic Jack’ and Eimear Watson and ‘Gaurlin Lady’ competed for Strule Valley Riding Club, gaining exceptional …
Working Hunter Horses take on storm Kathleen at Hagans Croft
Saturday, April 6 saw the arrival of storm 'Kathleen' and the arrival of the horses to start the third week of Hagans Croft's Working Hunter league and NIF qualifiers.
SJI horse show attracts registered competitors to Connell Hill
Connell Hill Equestrian Centre, Randalstown, was the place for registered show jumpers to be last Thursday, as the venue held an SJI Horse Show catering for classes from 80cm up to 1.30m. Hello and welcome to Ho…
Pairs perform at Mossvale
The Pairs league competition at Mossvale Equestrian Centre, Dromara hosted some friendly rivalry and, prior to the final, things were getting spicy! Hello and welcome to Horse&Field. Our aim is to support local, grass roots equestrian enthusiasts and…
Winter Dressage winners at Laurel View
Winter is supposed to be over, but with Storm Kathleen still blowing us away, you might think it is still here, so it’s not too late to fill you in on the results from the last leg of the Laurel View Winter Dressage League 23/24. Hello and welcome…
