Good luck topping the girls from Ironbark, they're on a roll
THE girls from Ironbark Equestrian Club have done it again.
On the back of a win at the Top Teams showjumping championships at Mansfield last month, the club has now also taken out the main event of the Top Teams Dressage championships at Benalla.
They are proving a force to be reckoned with in Horse Riding Clubs Association of Victoria (HRCAV) competitions despite coming from very humble beginnings.
Club organiser Sharron Crilly said the idea had originally been for five friends to meet and form a small club at her property near Chiltern, but they now have 42 members and are based at the Corowa showgrounds where they share facilities with the pony club.
“We are so happy and supportive, to the extent that several of our members came to Top Teams just to support us,” she said. “It’s been a wonderful year.”
The Ironbark team “Prosecco Ponies” was a clear winner at the showjumping championships but “Charlie’s Angels” had a much tighter finish at the dressage championships.
Amy Burns, Kate Gibson, Danielle Rollings and Sarah Lymbery won by just 1.5 points from the “Half-Halters” from Narrandera Adult Riding Club, with “KECing Goals” of Keysborough less than a point behind them.
Individually, Karen Sandow riding Ridgemont Sasse for Glenlyon headed the results in a 13-strong field of advanced-level riders.
From there on, every level and division had full fields.
The level one top scorer was Jodee Young on Silhouette Farm Spielberg for King Valley club.
In level two, Debbie Wild, Isle of Razzamatazz, Echuca, and Rebecca Keane, Dreamtime Lyrixx, Goulburn Valley Equestrian Club, showed how strong the northern part of the state is in dressage, winning their divisions.
In level three, there was an amazing five divisions. The winners were Felicity Murtagh, The Incredible Mr Fish, Wangaratta; Tara MacDonald, Harvey Star, Kilmore; Tony Blanchard, Easy, BDFEG; Erin Anderson, Adventures of Grand Rock, Narrandera; and Hayley Graham, Just Marco Polo, Benalla.
Level four was just as large, which shows how popular dressage is with people that are either taking up dressage as a new sport, or are totally content with the opportunity of competing and enjoying their sport with others who feel the same.
Winners in level four were Danielle Rollings, Jonte, Ironbark; Kristy Ristevski, Tariqa Musical Magic, Keysborough; Jody Pickering, Three Bridges Moon Dancer, BDFEG; Nina DeKroo, Dinki Di Sundance, Wagga; and Nicole Walker, Maple Fire Star, Willow Lodge Club.
There was just one full section of level five, where the winner was Helen Henderson riding Berragoon Tiger for the Yackandandah club.
Like most big events, there were awards for retired racehorses. The highpoint award for Standardbreds went to Freddyfromzanzibar and Deneve Stratford, and for Thoroughbreds, it was Mondelago and Leoni McDonald who took home the award.
GALLERY
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