As always we start with the weather report - the rain managed to hold off on Saturday but the gale force winds unfortunately made for a very testing day's jumping with things improving slightly on Sunday.

Kill International Equestrian was a super venue with perhaps the only thing lacking being shelter from the elements at the outdoor but no doubt the Flannelly family are working on ways to improve this for future events. Luckily the rain held off for the feature events on both days.

The numbers for the show far exceeded the expectations of the organisers which was great for this show which raises funds for the Baltinglass Day Care Centre.

Saturday's program started on the outdoor arena with the 1.20m Welcome Stakes which was also a qualifier for the 5 year old Cavan Classic and the entries were much higher than expected with numbers being well in excess of 120.

Tom Holden built superbly as always in the main outdoor arena and as always his courses were designed to make riders think rather than to trap horses and this always makes for excellent jumping. In the 1.20m class the water tray caused huge problems for many and when talking to Tom during the class he commented that "this was a course and a line in particular that cannot be ridden off the eye - riders had to walk the course and ride it to the stride to get around successfully".

Frank Glynn had the Indoor arena under his care and built very encouraging tracks for the 1m and 1.10m classes and both Frank and Tom kept their eyes on the grass arena in the entrance field which saw the ponies strutting their stuff.
Sara Jane Tracy sports her new look for long time sponsors Holmestead Saddlery with the change of colour to the very feminine and "stand out" pale blue both on - pictured below with Holmestead Little Lancer in Saturday's 1.40m Grand Prix - and off the horse- pictured left with boyfriend Shaun Cubitt - Sara Jane is very appreciative of her sponsorship from Bill Holmes who also sponsors the Young Rider qualifiers for Dublin Horse Show.

The Irish Army Equitation School were there in full force with a big team of horses and the riders were represented in all horse classes over the weekend.

The Grooms are the backbone of any top showjumping yard and the Army Grooms - pictured left - are no exception - they keep the horses in perfect condition, make sure the rider is in the ring on time and work the practice rings - without their Grooms most riders wouldn't be able to find their own hanky's!
The practice ring is always a hive of activity and Blessington was no exception on both days - the practice ring - pictured right - was located alongside the main outdoor arena giving everyone a good view of both the ring and the warmup.
The warmup arena is also a place for riders to catch up with each other as many of Ireland's top riders are doing International duty on the continent for much of the season - especially as they vie for places on the up coming European Championship team later this month.
Marion Hughes represented Ireland at Athens in 2004 and was doing well until her horse Heritage Fortunas landed awkwardly and was lucky to avoid long lasting injury - pictured above left - is seen chatting with another of Ireland's Internationals, Edward Doyle as they warm up for the 1.40m Grand Prix at Blessington.
Australian, Ian Mouser, returned to Ireland with his family - pictured left - this week after escaping the coldest of the Irish weather by going home to Australia, came by to watch the Grand Prix.
Jack Doyle and brother Edward are seen at most shows throughout Ireland with their own teams of horses and also with their successful students - as part of the organising committee of Blessington,.
Jack would have been one of the first to arrive at the show, claiming himself an excellent parking position ringside - pictured above right - making it easier for him to ride and make sure everything was going smoothly throughout the 2 days of jumping.

It was great to have the opportunity to see Irish Draught stallion, Clarion Hotels Coolcoran Cool Diamond and Robert Splaine competing at home in Ireland as they have been abroad as part of the Irish Super League Nations Cup team.

Clarion Hotel Coolcoran Cool Diamond is not only a wonderful showjumper but he is a very handsome stallion with a wonderful temperament - he was happy to stand and view the world going by from his very spacious lorry - pictured left - which has a

great design, making the traveling bay more like a stable - definitely one of the best designs we have seen yet in a lorry which is obviously comfortable and practical without being pretentious.

Australian rider, Scottie Barclay, based at Harmony Cottage in Carbury, County Kildare has had a great week showing younger sister, Amanda around Ireland - they are pictured below right - and in a whirlwind tour during her school break in Australia Amanda has had an opportunity to compete at Balmoral in the Young Rider qualifiers as well as have training sessions with Cmdt John Leddingham. Amanda is one of the top Junior riders in Australia and enjoys great success at shows with her team of home bred horses. Amanda is midway through her final year of school and hopefully will return to Ireland when her schooling is completed for some more training and shows.
Good to see Lizzie Burcher on the Kildare side of Ireland - traveling from her base in County Tipperary with her horses. Lizzie will be shortly heading to the UK to compete at both the July and August Hickstead Shows. Lizzie caught up with friends at the show today and it seems that the ever popular camera phones are being used by the "horsey set" as a brag book for their latest foals - Kristina Leddy - pictured below left - shows Lizzie her latest arrival and explains she would rather have foals than babies at this stage!

Lindsay Johnstone - pictured right - had plenty of laughs with people as they questioned her new helmet - the latest design from GPA - the consensus of opinion was that "at first look, it is ugly but it actually grows on you" as one rider was heard to say.

But Lindsay didn't care because she likes it and at a recommended retail price of euro1300 that is really all that matters!
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