The Connolly’s RED MILLS AIRC National Hunter Trials Championship took place on Sunday, 27 September at Nuenna Farm, Kilkenny, bringing together competitors from across the country for a fantastic day of Hunter Trials action.
The event was the rescheduled National Hunter Trials Championship, having originally been due to take place in April but postponed due to the fuel crisis. Despite heavy rainfall overnight, competitors were greeted with a challenging but excellent course at Nuenna Farm.
The start of the competition was delayed by 20 minutes due to the overnight rain, but the organisers and volunteers worked hard throughout the day to make up the lost time, ensuring that the event ran smoothly and finished on schedule.
With 44 clubs represented and just under 170 entries, there was a fantastic turnout for the rescheduled championship.
National Championship Results
RC80 Championship
The RC80 Championship was won by Finola Clogher of Kilrainy Riding Club, riding Killallon Grey Mist, finishing on the optimum time of exactly 7:00 with no jumping or time penalties.
1st – Finola Clogher – Killallon Grey Mist – Kilrainy
2nd – Guoda Rasisyte – Lisatara Hope – Kilrainy
3rd – Jade Douglas – Stella Jane – Thomastown and District
Irene Leahy of Nuenna Farm and Sandra Schmid of West Cork shared fourth place, while Emma Prunty of Mullaghmore and Enda McCarry of Tír Conaill shared sixth.
Finola said about her win- I have Misty (Killallon Grey Mist) 6 years and we’ve had some great success & fun with Kilrainy Riding Club. I bought him as a 5-year-old from Mosstown member, Carol Mulvihill. He’s a super little horse, he just loves to jump. We’ve had great success with the pair’s competition at the National Hunter Trials but this was our first individual placing. Our win on Sunday was extra special this year as we lost a lot of last year due to laminitis. It was a long road to recovery & we only got back jumping in January this year. I had a great weekend with Kilrainy, we always make the most of the HT weekend. Nuenna Farm put great effort into the course, it was challenging but enjoyable to ride & it was great to see the optimum time measured at a decent XC pace. Thank you to Elaine & team for another fantastic national event!
RC90 Championship
The RC90 Championship was won by Claire Coonan of Warrington Riding Club, riding Lamogue Lady, with a clear round in 5:38.
1st – Claire Coonan – Lamogue Lady – Warrington
2nd – Emma Meagher – Rulahisu Romeo – Mill Road
3rd – Claudia Culloty – Deedoora Uisce – Clonshire
Ciara Shannon of Coole Lane finished fourth, while Brian Cushe of Coole Lane, Diane Baylis of Tynagh and Emma O’Connor of Benbulben shared fifth place.
Claire said about her win – I am a busy working mother of 2 young kids, I joined Warrington club 2 years ago and am really enjoying it. I bought Lexi in 2020 and have done a bit of everything with her, eventing, showjumping, showing and we even won the team dressage qualified for the south east region this year too. We had a great day at the National Hunter Trials, as with all riding club events the friendly atmosphere is nearly the best part! I thought the course was well thought out, had some tricky parts but was very fair to each level. I couldn’t believe I had won when I got home and checked the results, we were just glad to get around clear after suffering an unlucky fall at the eventing champs 2 weeks previous so when I saw I won I was in shock! The prizes from the sponsors Red Mills are absolutely fabulous and Lexi will wear her red fleece with pride!!
RC100 Championship
The RC100 Championship was won by Leonard Reamsbottom of Coole Lane Riding Club, riding Lightening Spirit, with a clear round in 5:36.
1st – Leonard Reamsbottom – Lightening Spirit – Coole Lane
2nd – Jenny Bonner – Autumncannon – Donegal Gaeltacht
3rd – Kate O’Driscoll – Ardkilly Lukes Charmer – Earl’s Well
Emily Schneider of Donegal Gaeltacht and Fiona Fitton of Earl’s Well shared fourth place, with Aoife Farrelly of Mo Chara taking sixth.
Leonard said about his win – My horse, Spirit, was born in 2007. I bought her as an unbroken four-year-old, and with the help of Rockafoyle Stables in Kilkenny, both Spirit and I learned to ride together. We started with pleasure rides and quickly discovered a love for jumping and the adrenaline that came with it.
We then joined both the Kilkenny and Laois Hunts, where Spirit excelled and proved herself to be exceptionally brave in the hunting field. From there, we progressed to hunter trials, where she combined her bravery with her natural love of speed, once again excelling in competition.
In 2015, we joined the Riding Club and began eventing. Spirit won her first National Hunter Trial title on her very first attempt. She has been an absolutely incredible mare, going on to win numerous national titles over the years. Now, at 19 years of age, she still loves her jumping and made me immensely proud by adding another national title yesterday at Nueanna Farm.
Spirit continues to enjoy her jumping and, at the moment, has absolutely no intention of retiring.
The course at Nueanna Farm was a credit to everyone involved. Jillian and her team created a challenging yet enjoyable and technical course that tested both horse and rider. The organisation by the AIRC was excellent throughout, and the sponsorship from Red Mills was fantastic. It was genuinely one of the best events I have competed at all year.
Open Pairs
The Open Pairs classes added another exciting element to the day, with competitors teaming up to tackle the Hunter Trials course. The pairs format provided plenty of competition, with riders working together while still having to negotiate the course accurately and keep as close as possible to the optimum time.
In the RC80 Open Pairs, it was a home win for Jillian Maher and Lindsay Kavanagh of Nuenna Farm, who finished on the optimum time of 7:00, with no jumping or time penalties. Their excellent round saw them take the top spot ahead of fellow Nuenna Farm pair Irene Leahy and Paul McDonald, who finished just eight seconds outside the optimum time in 7:08. Gay Parkinson and Sandra Parkinson of Calliaghstown took third place with a time of 7:09.
The RC90 Open Pairs was won by Katelyn Young and Jennifer Denny of Mill Road, who produced a clear round in 5:39 with no penalties. Ciara Shannon and Sinead Codd took second, representing Coole Lane and Thomastown and District respectively. There was a tie for third, with Rob Watson and Anna Duane of Foxborough and Rachel Carton and Anna Cathcart of Letterkenny both finishing on a total of 51 penalties.
In the RC100 Open Pairs, Emily Schneider and John McDaid of Donegal Gaeltacht took the honours. They finished on a total of 13 penalties, ahead of Fiona Fitton and Kate O’Driscoll of Earl’s Well, who finished on 17 penalties. Barry Magan and Ian Quinlan of Meath completed the top three.
Congratulations to all the Open Pairs competitors who took on the challenge together and helped make the day such a competitive and enjoyable championship event.
Young Horse
The Young Horse class was won by Sandra Moran of Barrow Valley, riding Cornett Star, with a time of 7:02 and no penalties.
1st – Sandra Moran – Cornett Star – Barrow Valley
2nd – Sarah O’Neill – Kizzy Casall – Barrow Valley
3rd – Deirdre Cronin – Grayson Pride – Corrib
Carr & Day & Martin Best Turned Out
We are delighted to have Carr & Day & Martin supporting the championship and sponsoring the Best Turned Out award.
Competitors are reminded that if you competed at the Connolly’s RED MILLS AIRC National Hunter Trials Championship and would like to enter the Best Turned Out competition, please submit your photographs after the event.
📧 Best Turned Out entries should be emailed to:
[email protected]
Make sure to send in your best photographs and show off your horse’s turnout from championship day!
A Fantastic Day at Nuenna Farm
A huge thank you goes to our sponsors Connolly’s RED MILLS, whose continued support of AIRC championships is greatly appreciated.
We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to all the volunteers, commentary team, ambulance crew and officials who gave their time to make the day possible.
A special thank you goes to Nuenna Farm for providing such a fantastic Hunter Trials course and for hosting the championship. The course provided a great test for competitors across all classes and was thoroughly enjoyed by riders.
Finally, thank you to all the competitors, clubs, supporters and everyone who travelled to Nuenna Farm for the rescheduled Connolly’s RED MILLS AIRC National Hunter Trials Championship. Despite the challenging weather conditions first thing, the day ran extremely well and was a fitting championship event.
Our official photographer on the day was Horse Sport Images, and photographs from the championship are now available to view and purchase on their website:
Horse Sport Images – Event Photographs
Congratulations to all our 2026 National Hunter Trials Champions and prize winners!
