Gabrielle and Oscar strut stuff in Cavan
THE NATIONAL Dressage Championships, the most important date in the Irish dressage calendar, took place in Cavan Equestrian Centre recently.
South-east riders claimed ten national titles over the duration of the show, three of which were snapped up by two local Wexford riders.
Duncormick-based Gabrielle le Guay and her eleven-year-old gelding Hartpury Sky is the limit are no strangers to success this season.
After their second place at the Dublin Horse Show this summer and numerous wins at elementary level dressage, they set their sights on the National Elementary Dressage Championship title and they didn’t disappoint with a clear win in the Elementary Cat. 2 Championship over the two days of competiton in front of top international judges on a score of 70.63%.
Gabrielle was also part of the South East Region’s Senior team which took the honours in the regional competition.
Ten-year-old Oscar O’Connor, a Cleariestown native, came home a double national champion, winning the Trailblazer Under-12 prelim class and narrowly missing out on a second win in the Junior Trailblazer Novice class where he was a close second with his pony, Trefriw Pepsi.
Oscar continued to make quite an impression by also winning the Novice Category 1 Championship at his first championship in the Senior ranks with his eight-yearold Dutch pony, Top Hero2, on a score of 73.3%.
Oscar and Top Hero2 were also lead scorers for the Under-25 regional team which won the regional championships.
Nessa O’Sullivan from Hayestown and her homebred horse, Wexford Moondance, placed 13th out of a field of 45 riders in a hugely competitive Prelim Cat. 1 class.