Kildare riders participate in international dressage competition
Three riders from Newcastle Lyons Pony Club participated in the BD Youth International Championships in the David Broome Event Centre in Wales recently.
Abbey Ferris, Darragh Whyte and Ellen Mooney secured coveted spots on the preliminary and novice teams to represent Dressage Ireland. All the riders worked tirelessly towards this event for over a year and their selection is an acknowledgment of their talent and commitment to the sport of dressage.
Abbey competed on the nine year old How Ya Sammy a 146cm high, Connemara pony; Darragh was on Miss Uptown Girl a seven year old 165cm high mare and Ellen participated on the six year old, 148cm high Christopher Columbus.
The Newcastle club, spearheaded by Anita Blake and Deirdre Breen, is one of the smallest such entities in Ireland but it’s punching well above its weight with three representatives on the team that travelled to Wales.
Abbey Ferris from (14) is from Straffan, a student at St Wolstans School, Celbridge and started riding at the age of two before, taking her first dressage lesson three years ago with Jean Halpenny who first instilled in her a love of the sport.
Ellen is 14, from Donadea, and she has been riding since she was six. She started on her dressage career last October with the encouragement of her coach Sonya McCormack from Prosperous. Ellen is a student in Newbridge College, which she represents in interschools showjumping with their team placing second both in the 2023/24 league and the final competition. She also plays camogie with the Rathcoffey under 16 side.
Darragh Whyte is 15 years old and has been horse riding since he was seven, starting at the Mary Kanes Riding School, Toberton Lodge in Johnstown, Naas. Miss Uptown Girl is Darragh’s first horse having graduated from winning the Irish Pony Club combined training novice event in 2022 on his first pony. Darragh holds a European pony club dressage medal and has been trained by Ms Halpenny for the last two years.