| Helen McFarland |
Just C'mall |
1 x 160km (100 miles) 2 day |
 C'mall is an 8 yr old arab x trotter. He successfully represented Ireland on the Home International team last year, winning the 75 mile class at Ludlow. Although he has done well in endurance races up to 75 miles, this will be his first attempt at 100 miles - a big step for a young horse. He comes from proven endurance stock - his dam Ceilidh (ridden by my eldest daughter, Alison) was the 50 mile ER horse in the Celtic Challenge team in 2000 and his sire, Metallica has competed successfully at national and international level.
C'mall's accomplishments are not limited to the field of endurance - as a 4 year old he enjoyed some success at County level showing and he has turned his hoof to riding club activities and hunting.
Helen's own association with the Celtic Challenge and Home International teams goes back to 1995 when she was the novice member of the (successful) Celtic Challenge team on Just Paddy, riding 30 miles. They went on to do the 75 mile class for the Home International team the following year and from then on Paddy rarely left the yard for less than 100 mile ERs! With Paddy in the 1990's and Jake in the 2000's she have been fortunate enough to successfully complete 16 rides of 100 or more miles, as well as many thousands of other competitive miles. |
| Thomas Roche |
Mister Flint |
1 x 120km (75 miles) 2 day |
 Thomas has been competing in endurance riding for the past 7 years. Among his achievements were completion of 60 miles in one day and 100 miles over 2 days. He was a member of the winning Celtic Challenge Teams in 2007 (Wales) and 2009 (England). This is his fifth time travelling as a member of the team.
Mister Flint is owned by Biddy O'Neill and has been a very successful endurance competitor. He has successfully completed a one day 100 mile race and many 50 mile race rides including obtaining a 3rd place in the Red Dragon with Thomas last October.
|
| Larry O’Neill |
Bluebell |
1 x 80km ER (50 miles) |
 Larry O Neill has been involved in HI & CC teams for the past 10 years but has only been a riding team member once before having been Chef for the last seven years. However many of his horses have travelled with the teams over the years. Larry himself has competed at FEI 3star level but prefers the more sedate life of CTRs now.
His mare Bluebell is returning to Scotland for the first time since he purchased her as a two year old. Bluebell completed gold last year while competing for Ireland on the HI & CC wining team in Ludlow.
Larry is thrilled to be involved this year and plans a steady 50 mile race and believes that “bringing horses home is what really counts when you are on a team". This year’s teams are well experienced and although we expect a tough course we should be there or thereabouts at the end.
|
| Jane Bruce |
Holy Smoke |
1 x 80km (50 miles) 2 day |
 Jane and Holy Smoke are ILDRA bronze and silver shamrock qualified. They have previously competed for Ireland in the Celtic Challenge team in 2006 in Yetholm , Scotland where the team finished second. Here ‘Smoke’ finished with a low heart rate earning her gold status and finished on zero penalties. This year the pair have completed 6 CTR rides and successfully achieved their first 50 mile ride at Florencecourt in Enniskillen.
'Smoke' is a 12 year old dun pure bred Connemara hailing from the Crossowen Connemara Pony Stud in Co.Tyrone and was bred by Festy King , Ballyconneely , Galway. As a yearling she won her connemara class at the RDS and has gone on to lift numerous IPS and NPS in hand and under saddle championships down the years. She has also been placed reserve Mountain and Moorland champion at the RUAS . Smoke has also competed in show-jumping competitions , one-day events and le-trec trials with notable success. She is also a very capable driving pony.
|
| Jenni Cunningham |
Kilgarry Breezer |
1 x 48km (30 miles) Junior |
 Jenni first started Endurance in 2008 when she got Breeze. Both took to the sport very well and in their first year the combination tasted their first international sucess as part of the winning Home International team at Ludlow. They completed the Novice 25 mile ride finishing with a Grade 1. At Florencecourt they also won the Ulster Region Novice Trophy and in October 2009 travelled to Wales to do 50 miles over two days at the Red Dragan finishing with 2 Grade 1's and pickiing up the Cambrian Trophy for the best novice combination at the Festival.
Jenni and Breeze have started 2010 off well and have gained their Silver quialification with two solid rides of 40 miles at Slieveanorra and Glenariff and a 20 mile at Baronscourt where they were very close the 8mph maximum speed with plenty of fuel still in the tank.
Jenni and Breeze are members of the North Down Pony Club and he combination attend rallies, camps and compete at Cross Country, Show Jumping and Dressage competitions when not doing Endurance. |
| Tasha Anderson |
Heathpool Zeno |
1 x 40km (25 miles) Novice |
 Zeno and Tasha are half way through their first season of endurance riding. Zeno is a 5 year old Exmoor Pony who has only been ridden in the last 18 months.
They completed a few pleasure rides at the end of last year, which they both loved, so they decided to try their hand at CTRs this year. They started with 2 pre-novice rides and have now progressed to our Bronze Qualifiers of 20-25 miles (they have now successful completed 6 of these to date). They are both very new at endurance riding, but together they are learning a lot and steadily improving.
|
