Niamh earns Young Rider accolade

TWO Tyrone riders enjoyed a successful end to the HSI/SJI Autumn Grand Prix League at the finale in Cavan on December 12th.

Dermott Lennon and Athletix Hero Z claimed victory in the final and with it the lion’s share of the €10,000 on offer kindly sponsored by Horse Sport Ireland, while Eddie Moloney and Temple Alice sealed the overall title.

On the day, Omagh native and former Castlederg High School pupil Jenny Rankin took third place with the Conor Swail owned Lajgardens Cannavaro.

Another Omagh rider, 17-year-old Niamh McEvoy, who has been no stranger to success in Cavan, claimed fourth place with Temple Patrick Limmerick, when they kept all the poles in the cups in 35.44 seconds. Owned by Robin Bingham, the 11-year-old mare and McEvoy had claimed the win in the 1.40m Cavan Winter Festival last month.

Along with this placing, McEvoy also took home the Young Rider prize of a bursary of €500 as the leading young rider of the series, which she plans to use to improve her and her mount’s all round game for 2022 when she hopes to earn a place on the Ireland team for the European Championships.

“I was delighted,” she beamed. “I got a training bursary for Dublin earlier this year which meant I got to train with two Olympians, Nick Skelton and Laura Kraut but for this one, it’s more financial so I’m going to use it towards dressage lessons instead of showjumping.

“The flatwork is such a huge part of the jumping, it’s as big as the jumping, so one of the horses is a bit tricky
and the flatwork is really important for it.

“It will get them far easier to ride and far more rideable so we’re getting a very good dressage coach called Ann-Marie Dunphy to come up and I’ll use the bursary towards here.

“I’m delighted to be able to do that, it’s a good end to the season after a good year.

“The European Championships next summer is the main aim but I’d love to compete in a few Nations Cups in April and May and then hopefully, fingers crossed, the European’s if I make the team and then a sunshine tour in the Autumn.”

Also celebrating at the end of the Horse Sport Ireland Young Horse Development Series was Victoria Bridge’s Jonathan Smyth, who won the five year-old class on Mulvin Springball (ISH), a 2016 Chesnut mare by Beach Ball out of Lauras Last, bred by Noletta Smyth.