Equestrian Classes Extended At Balmoral Show
Harold Megahey with Diane Gibson, RUAS Horse Committee Chairman and Dr Ernest Logan, RUAS President launching the new young event horse class for the 2014 Balmoral Show. Harold has won a team gold medal, a team silver medal and an individual bronze medal at the Junior European Championships over the last three years. Photo by Aaron McCracken/Harrisons
After the success of the equestrian classes at Balmoral Show, last year’s organisers, Royal Ulster Agricultural Society have introduced a number of new equine classes to the event at Balmoral Park from the 14 – 16th May.
The Young Event Horse class, sponsored by Stonebridge Premium Feeds, is a welcome addition to the Balmoral Show schedule. It will be judged in four phases, the dressage test and the judging of confirmation & type will take place from 6pm on Wednesday 14th May in Horse Ring 2. The jumping phase, which will consist of show jumps and portable cross country style fences, will be judged on Thursday 15th May in the main arena at 9.30am. The fourth mark is the ‘suitability and potential’ score which will be assessed during the flatwork and the jumping phases. Competitors for this competition have already qualified at one of four venues over the past four weeks.
A new Clydesdale Young Hander class sponsored by Macfin Clydesdales, is designed to assess the handler and not the horse. The judge will be judging the handler, looking at how they are dealing with the horse. They will also assess if they are paying attention to the judge and their ability to take instruction and to assess their ring craft. This class, run under the Clydesdale association rules, is open to exhibitors between 12yrs – 16yrs on the day of the show.
Diane Gibson, Chairman of the RUAS Horse Committee says, “It is important to include classes such as this at Balmoral Show as it is designed to encourage young people into showing and will ensure future generations exhibit at the event.”
2014 also sees the expansion of the Pony Showing classes with the introduction of three new classes for the Show Hunter Type Pony. These will start on Thursday with a 153cm class followed by a 143cm and 133cm. The Show Hunter type will also be given its own Championship which will run prior to the start of the more traditional Ridden Show Pony classes. Now for the very first time, owners and riders of these Show Hunter Type Ponies can compete in a ridden class for their type on the Thursday and jump a Working Hunter Class on the Friday. With a wealth of good quality Show Hunter Ponies in Ireland, visitors can expect that these new classes will be popular and competitive with riders trying for the double by winning both the Show and Working Hunter title in 2014.
A new Maxi Cob class will take place on Thursday in Horse Ring 1 at 2pm. The new Irish Draught Ridden class will take place on Wednesday 14th in Horse Ring 2 at 12.30pm with a contribution from Traditional Farm Livestock Foundation.
Category: News, Show Jumping, Showing
