Great turnout for the annual Audrey Jacob Team Challenge

Letterkenny Riding Club’s annual Audrey Jacob Team Challenge took place in Eglinton Equestrian Centre on Sunday last, May 14 with a great turnout from all over the North West.

The Tirconaill Riding Club were keeping their powder dry in the hopes of maximising their chances of achieving RDS qualification the following Sunday at the West Region qualifiers, but multiple teams turned out from the local Inishowen club, Letterkenny, the Donegal Gaeltacht, the Stracomer club and a very welcome addition in the shape of a team all the way up from Benbulben Riding Club.

With team challenges in both dressage and show jumping the day provided plenty of entertainment. Early rain blew over before the competitors needed to use the outdoor warm-up arena and sunshine smiled on Eglinton for the full duration of the show.

Winners of the Audrey Jacob Team Show-Jumping Challenge cup, the Inishowen Impeccables

The Inishowen club made good use of the home-turf advantage, scoring wins in both the dressage and the jumping. In dressage their Inishowen Invincibles team took the win, second place went to the Inishowen Idols, with the Donegal Gaeltacht’s Big Knickers taking third, while in show-jumping the Inishowen Impeccables triumphed over the Stracomer Wrong Diagonals, with Letterkenny’s Pole Stars filling the third spot on the podium.

Letterkenny Show secretary, Suzanne Deeney Wylie, had done some great prize buying and the array of prizes on offer was boosted further with the addition of some welcome craft-beer gift packs sponsored by Kinnegar Brewing.

The Jacob family had turned out in force to help present the cups, rosettes and prizes to the deserving victors, and it’s safe to say that Audrey would have thoroughly enjoyed the day…and would have kept the troops well-supplied from her bottomless picnic basket. Letterkenny Riding Club is very grateful to all who turned out to help remember their founder member in such good style.