Hi All,

I had a pretty amazing week last week, I had my trip to Aachen which I was looking forward to for months and while on the way to the National Cup Show I received work that I had qualified for the International Puissance at the Failte Ireland Dublin Horse Show, which was a major boost for me as Cyril and I had traveled the length and breadth of the country for the qualifiers the last of which was a six hour drive to Ballina in Co. Mayo. This competition will give me some much needed exposure to the International Circuit and hopefully lead to the opportunity of acquiring the ride on a top class horse or two…

Aachen was a wonderful show from the weather to the atmosphere at it. I only went for three days flying home on Friday morning so I wouldn’t be away from the yard for very long but we managed to fit a lot in our three days. The highlight of the show was the Nations Cup obviously in which the Irish team of Denis Lynch, Cian O Connor, Dermott Lennon and Billy Twomey had a memorable victory. My horse of the class was K Club Lady, she has not been competing at this level very long and I think she is definitely a mare that will be appearing on many more Super League teams in the future.

We had a new arrival again in the yard this week, a pretty 3 yr old mare that my vet Will sent down to have some schooling done with her before she goes on her break. She is proving to be a quick learner and a favorite of the girls in the yard.

This weekend we are going to Maryville Equestrian Centre in Carraigaline, in Co. Cork where there is a Munster Grand Prix, this is a great league for riders based in the South and is an ideal stepping stone for both green horses and riders to National Grand Prix level. The prize fund for this league is as a result of the annual Munster Greyhound Night which is the accumulation of major fundraising efforts by the whole Munster Showjumping committee and supporters. Alan Molan in Maryville also runs very good shows all year round in there indoor and two outdoor arenas; I also make use of his facilities to give some of my lessons so it is important to support his shows.

Please drop back next week to find out how the RDS preparations are going and to see how we got on over the weekend.

Kilian