Castle Hill Riding Club narrowly won the Irish Field Musical Ride at the AIRC Riding Clubs Festival at Mullingar Equestrian Centre, Co. Westmeath last weekend.

Spectators gathered around the outdoor arena on Saturday evening where two clubs contested the competition in front of judges, Tony Ennis and Sarah jane Doyle.

The Meath-based club came out on top with a winning score of 80.77% for their flamenco-themed performance.
Rathangan Riding Club took home the blue ribbons for their drill ride which attracted a score of 76.92%.
The winning team included Anne Dickinson (Rocklawns Warrior), Diane Ford McCoy (Mr Brown (IRE)), Elaine Mulligan (DMF Alphabet), Rosemarie Russell (Aughlin Mrs D), Sarah Reilly (Clabbystown Little Tom) and Wayne Anthony Carruthers (Derrynagarra Captain))

Lindsey Ilona Brady, who was the coordinator of the winning teams performance, said, “Our club first entered the Musical Ride ten years ago where we claimed the top spot in 2012, and again the following year, with our ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Knights and Princesses’ themes so it seemed apt to enter again this year. The competition epitomises the ethos of the AIRC Festival, incorporating fun, music, and teamwork.”

“This year we had a ‘Flamenco’ theme, and began choreographing in March. Our team attended weekly training sessions for over two months while the routine was firmed up. The costumes were designed by club member Michelle Reid, who considered every small detail to make the outfits for both horse and rider as spectacular as possible. Without a doubt, the Musical Ride was the highlight of the 2022 AIRC Festival for our club. We look forward to competing again next year, and hope more clubs will start their musical ride journeys to make this class bigger and better than ever, she added.