What a lot of Working Hunter!
Competitors glad to be out at Working Hunter and show jumping competitions
Hi folks,
Thankfully, while the weather is still having a huge impact, most equestrian action was able to go ahead as planned at the weekend - at least that which wasn’t grass-based! As it turned out, a large proportion of the competitions were Working Hunter, with horses, ponies and their riders getting in some practice before the Northern Ireland Festival and the start of the local agricultural shows, but these shows were complimented by some show jumping.

This Horse&Field newsletter brings you reports, results and pictures from these weekend competitions and an important notice! As ever, due to the very wet weather conditions at present, please do check with the venue or organiser before you travel to ensure that your planned activity is going ahead.
Lusk Equestrian held the first of a three-week show jumping series on Sunday, with classes from 60cm up to 1.10m; jumping continues this Sunday.
Connell Hill, Randalstown, ran another of their popular Training Shows, with classes catering for everyone, starting at cross-poles.
Hagans Croft ran a full schedule of Working Hunter Horse and Pony classes this week, after being cut short due to the storm the previous Saturday. Everyone was glad to get back out!
Ardnacashel, Comber held the final of their Working Hunter league, with some great rounds being jumped and some very very turned out combinations!
Strule Valley Riding Club was able to go ahead with their Working Hunter Horse Show on Saturday, after postponing from the week before; competitors travelled from far and wide to take part.
The Ulster National Race meeting at Downpatrick Racecourse fell victim to the horrendous weather and had to be postponed; racegoers will be delighted to know that a new date has been set for Friday, April 26 - read more details by clicking the link below!
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!
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Thanks for reading!
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:
Lusk liveries clean up on week one
The first of Lusk Equestrian’s three-week show jumping series took place on Sunday, April 14. Events were being cancelled all around Northern Ireland, but conditions were excellent at Lusk Equestrian Centre. The 60cm class was well supported, giving the novice riders the chance to get on the show jumping ladder. Everyone got a chance to jump two rounds, …
Competitors out in strength at Connell Hill Training Show
Saturday morning, April 13 at Connell Hill in Randalstown got off to a great start, with junior riders taking the cross-poles class by storm at the centre’s Training Show. Mia Connor on ‘Picolo’, Pixie McKeever on ‘Ash’ and Lizzy Taylor on ‘Chester’ were first up to receive their rosettes, kindly sponsored by Doagh Equestrian. Next up in the 50cm class,…
Megan and 'Western Ocala’ take Champion Horse at Hagans Croft
Working Hunter was back in full swing at Hagans Croft Equestrian on Saturday, April 13, after storm Kathleen cancelled events the previous weekend. The day started out with the horse classes, with Julie Donaghy Simpson taking the win in the 60cm class and second in the 70cm class on 'Hobnob'. This is only 'Hobnob's' second time out competing and he is c…
Working Hunter finale at Ardnacashel
What a day it was on Sunday at the Final of the Working Hunter Series at Ardnacashel Equestrian, Comber. Over the past five weeks, organisers have welcomed many different combinations to compete at Ardnacashel. On Sunday, competitors rode in front of Malachy Casement and they were provided with lots of encouraging comments and feedback.
Caitlyn champion at Strule Valley Working Hunter
Strule Valley Riding Club held their re-scheduled Working Hunter show on Saturday, April 13 at Ecclesville Centre, Fintona, which included NI Festival Qualifiers. The weather, unfortunately, still wasn’t spring like, however, the club would like to thank those who braved the weather and came along to compete.
New date for Ulster National
The Randox Ulster National Race meeting, initially scheduled for Sunday, April 7, 2024, was unfortunately postponed due to the adverse weather, however, the team at Downpatrick Racecourse are delighted to announce a rescheduled date of Friday, April 26, 2024 (Evening Meeting) for their feature race of the season.
Please visit Horse&Field to read more on each of these stories and others!