letterkenny riding club 2008 | letterkenny riding club Letterkenny Malin Dunfanaghy Anney Kerrykeel Rathmullan Milford Ramelton Burt Ballyare Castleshanaghan Trentagh Churchill LETTERKENNY Glenswilly Upper Corkey Newmills St Johnston Raphoe Stranorlar Membership 2008 Seamus McCaffrey Drew Blaney James Diver Leo Porter Maeve Corcoran Upper Corkey, Letterkenny Mountain Top, Letterkenny Trentagh Burt Ballyare, Ramelton Declan Devine Libby Carton Mary Gallagher Enda McClafferty Liz Cuffe Lismonaghan, Letterkenny Rathmullan Sallaghagraine, Letterkenny Maymore, St Johnston Ramelton Paddy Gallagher Keaton Ramsay Jenny Coe Selina Callaghan Michael Cuffe Sallaghagraine, Letterkenny Lismonaghan, Letterkenny Dunfanaghy Kerrykeel Ramelton Marina Hamilton Regina Toland Peter Mulrine Samantha Vera Keatings Maymore, St Johnston St Johnston Stranorlar McDermott Cashelshanaghan Malin Francis McNicholl Suzanne Carroll Nadine Burns Aodhan Anney, Kerrykeel Glenswilly Milford John Friel McMenamin Raphoe Letterkenny Mary Finneran Cyril Higgins Hazel Mulgrew Ramelton Milford Ramelton Shaun Doherty ...and not forgetting Newmills our honorary member Mary Devine Kerrie Chambers Tanya Jacob Newmills Glebe, Letterkenny Cashelshanaghan Jenny Wasson Harvey Dunfanaghy Audrey Jacob Donal Diver Orla O’Reilly Cashelshanaghan Trentagh Ramelton Anne Chambers Ballybofey Rachel Carton Mick Carroll Damien Gallagher Rathmullan Glenswilly Milford Keary Smith Ballybofey 2008 yearbook | About the Club Letterkenny Established in January 006, the Letterkenny of our sport. The airc’s mission is “encouraging 2008 Riding Club is growing steadily with a riding as a sport and recreation, promoting chairman Malin membership of 41 as 008 draws to a close. The good fellowship among riders and improving Francis McNicholl club meets weekly, generally on Friday evenings. and maintaining the standard of riding and vice-chairman Declan Devine Activities include instruction in flatwork and horsemastership in Ireland”. treasurer jumping, pleasure ride-outs, demonstrations and The airc hold championships annually for Audrey Jacob competitions. The work of organising club events individual and team show jumping, dressage, asst. treasurer is shared amongst members. Our calander of hunter trials and horse trials as well as the Riding Rachel Carton Dunfanaghy activities for each three-month period is agreed at Club Festival. Outside of competition the airc secretary Libby Carton quarterly meetings open to all members. organise training events for riders, stewards, Anney asst. secretary The Association of Irish Riding Clubs (airc), officials and course builders. They have also Marina Hamilton Kerrykeel to which we are affiliated, was formed in 197. developed a syllabus of riding and horsemanship pro Since then, the Association has grown to over exams which clubs can choose to take up. Orla O’Reilly Rathmullan 10 clubs and over 000 members nationally More information on the airc is available from safety officers Milford Paddy Gallagher and is truly representative of the amateur side their website www.airc.ie. Seamus McCaffrey Ramelton Burt Ballyare Castleshanaghan What a Year ! Trentagh Churchill This past year has been something of a ‘coming travelling to these events. To all who helped Thank You LETTERKENNY Glenswilly of age’ for Letterkenny Riding Club. In 008 we in any way, be it in planning events, logistical instructors Upper Corkey Newmills continued our wide and varied range of rallies, arrangements, score keeping, judging fences, St Johnston Valerie Craig lessons, ride-outs and competitions. We also holding horses or anything else unmentionable, Jackie McPhearson hosted our first inter-club events with a dressage your help and support was much appreciated! Mary Devine Kate Dawson friendly in May and a leg of the Regional Cross- As the year draws to a close, we look back over Mary Finneran Raphoe Jump and Dressage League in October. the successes of the past 1 months, steadily Tony Ennis Niall Quirke Club members continued to participate in practicing (or definitely intending to practice!) regional and national airc events, though in the skills learned from the instructors who’ve venues Harleys, Trentagh Stranorlar increased numbers and with remarkable success. worked with the club. We look forward to 009 Templemore EC Of the six national competitions organised by hoping for continued success on the competitive Cyril Higgins, Milford the airc, our members participated in four with front but always with our feet firmly grounded Lenamore Stables Gabriel McCole two national champions in our ranks — Kerrie in the camaraderie and friendships which are the Glenleary Stables Chambers, winner of the Intermediate Section backbone of the club. Omagh RDA Cartons, Rathmullan Membership 2008 of the National Hunter Trials Championships, May 009 be a safe and fruitful year for the Drew Blaney/Bowhirll Stables and Mary Finneran, winner of the Eddie Fowler club and all associated with it. The first meeting Tír na nÓg Memorial Championship for showing at the of the new year shall be on the dance floor at the sponsorship Seamus McCaffrey Drew Blaney James Diver Leo Porter Maeve Corcoran Riding Club Festival. hunt ball — see you there! Gain Horse Feeds Lennon Agricultural Supplies Upper Corkey, Letterkenny Mountain Top, Letterkenny Trentagh Burt Ballyare, Ramelton Very little of what happened during the year Gibson Farm Supplies Declan Devine Libby Carton Mary Gallagher Enda McClafferty Liz Cuffe would have been possible without the help of a Highland Equestrian Lismonaghan, Letterkenny Rathmullan Sallaghagraine, Letterkenny Maymore, St Johnston Ramelton large number of people: our instructors who kept Stracomer Stables Mountcashel Stud Paddy Gallagher Keaton Ramsay Jenny Coe Selina Callaghan Michael Cuffe us on the straight and narrow throughout the O’Donnell’s Bakery Sallaghagraine, Letterkenny Lismonaghan, Letterkenny Dunfanaghy Kerrykeel Ramelton year; venues which hosted our training events Jackie O’Neill Tack Shop Marina Hamilton Regina Toland Peter Mulrine Samantha Vera Keatings and competitions; our fellow clubs who hosted competition judges Maymore, St Johnston St Johnston Stranorlar McDermott Cashelshanaghan us at their highly enjoyable competitions; the Allan Dewhurst Patricia Warren Malin companies which sponsored our club events. Francis McNicholl Suzanne Carroll Nadine Burns Aodhan Jackie McPhearson John Friel McMenamin We’re particularly grateful to Patricia Warren, Anney, Kerrykeel Glenswilly Milford course builder Raphoe Letterkenny and Lawrence and Rosaleen Smyth of the Donegal Mary Finneran Cyril Higgins Hazel Mulgrew Seamus McCaffrey Gaeltacht Riding Club who smoothed our passage Ramelton Milford Ramelton Shaun Doherty ...and not forgetting commentator Newmills our honorary member into the national and regional world of the airc Mary Devine Kerrie Chambers Tanya Jacob Billy Roulston Harvey and were always ready and willing to offer advice Newmills Glebe, Letterkenny Cashelshanaghan Jenny Wasson director of refreshments Dunfanaghy and support no matter what the subject. Audrey Jacob Donal Diver Orla O’Reilly Audrey Jacob Club events and interclub competitions would Cashelshanaghan Trentagh Ramelton Anne Chambers Ballybofey not be possible without the hard work of the Left Rachel Carton Mick Carroll Damien Gallagher members and volunteers. Similarly, our members Club chairman Francis McNicholl Rathmullan Glenswilly Milford Keary Smith presents the Laggan Trophy for Ballybofey would be unable to compete in the national Club Member of the Year to 2007 competitions without the support of volunteers winner, Libby Carton. 4 | letterkenny riding club Three idyllic Friday evenings in June found us at Gabriel McCole’s wonderful cross- country course on the hills above Letterkenny overlooking Lough Swilly. Valerie Craig taught a diverse group of horses and riders, all ready for the challenge of open country and sturdy obstacles. Left Maeve on Flitza Right Keary, Anne, Meave, Mick, Declan and Libby listen to Valerie’s instructions. Below right The same suspects, joined by Francis and Paddy, put it all into practice. Training Show Jumping enclosed arena proved an eye-opener for many. The horses certainly thought this particular series In January the riding club year kicked off with of lessons was great fun! a series of jumping lessons with Valerie Craig. Valerie used grid work and exercises over related Flatwork distances to improve the rhythm of the jumping, Following some successful results for our a theme which would prove invaluable as the year members at Benbulben’s cross-jump and dressage progressed. A second series of lessons through competition, one kind journalist reporting in March built upon these principles and set us up Farm Week observed that dressage instruction for the Show Jumping Challenge held in Convoy. must be good in Letterkenny. How right they were! In August the task of training our potential Kate Dawson and Jackie McPhearson spent showjumping stars passed to Jackie McPhearson. a lot of time on the ground with us, constantly This time the work focused on riding between the encouraging us to improve our essential skills. fences and riding a course. Again the goal of a They proved expert at identifying the key points competition at the end of the series of lessons was on which each individual needed to concentrate, great motivation for horses and riders. keeping things simple and relevant for every level of rider and horse. Cross Country Mary Devine delivered a wonderful