On Wednesday, 4th March this year The Showjumpers Club and the Showjumping Association of Ireland announced the GUIDAM Grand Prix Spring Tour for 2005.

This series is sponsored by long time showjumping supporter Tom Rowland of Knightfield Equestrian who have signed a two year sponsorship deal for this new initiative which gives the showjumpers an opportunity to "warm their horses up for the coming season". Eyleen Nugent, Manager of Knightfield Equestrian expressed their delight at also being able to showcase their world class sire, Guidam Keur who is one of the most important additions to Sport Horse Breeding in Ireland in recent times. Guidam will cross brilliantly with the Irish mares and the future of the Irish horse in International competitions is looking very bright indeed!

Guidam Keur, born 1988, is by the legendary Quidam de Revel and is the sire of Billy Twomey's Luidam. Guidam s one of the top 10 living stallions in the world and has sired 34 Grand Prix and International Showjumping horses and is related to 8 of the 24 of the Leading Showjumpers in the world currently and Guidam was the number 1 in the Jumpers Breeding Index 2004 with a rating of 171.

For anyone interested in further information on Guidam phone Eyleen Nugent at Knightfield Equestrian on +353 (0) 87 238 0880 and Guidam stands in Rathangan, Co Kildare.

The Guidam Grand Prix Spring Tour 2005 gives riders an opportunity to compete on Irish soil at Grand Prix courses which will be built to 1.35m allowing them experienced Grand Prix riders to step their young horses up prior to the Super League Grand Prix circuit and for the younger riders it is an opportunity to step up to Grand Prix level, also prior to the Super League beginning.

For many years Irish based riders have had to travel to Portugal and Spain for this type of competition - now for the first time they have the opportunity to work from home and have the same level of excellent competition.

As the fog lifted on this Sunday morning. Kilronan revealed the perfect Spring day, with a sky that was bright blue and a bright sun bathing Kilronan Equestrian Centre in its warmth with a gentle breeze keeping the temperature perfect.

The trip to Kilronan Equestrian Centre is an easy one along excellent motorways and the Centre is easy to find even for visiting Australian's! The trip is worth doing as the Equestrian Centre is a lovely one - the Indoor arena is full of atmosphere with its cafe style tables and chairs, complete with fresh daffodils on every table and complimentary coffee and tea available in the secretary's office making "doing entries" a pleasant experience.

The Indoor is not large by any standards but with Tom Holden building this was hardly noticeable! Tom built excellent tracks all day which asked questions of the riders but did not ask the impossible of the horses. Every class from the 90cm through to the Grand Prix was built to height with all oxers square other than the first fence which was built to encourage horses to jump well!

The Judges box was in the capable hands of Noelene Jones and Eilish Mullholland and they enjoyed judging the opening show of the season today.

Although the numbers were perhaps less than hoped for, with the late announcement of this series it was perhaps not unexpected with so many of the riders already in Portugal and Spain for the winter competitions there. No doubt as these riders return to Ireland they will join the Guidam Grand Prix Spring Tour and we will see the numbers increase at the remaining four shows in the series.

Pictured above left: Is Tom sending someone "out of the room"? No - Tom Holden is explaining the course he has desigmed and built to one of the riders while above him Judges Noelene and Eilish get organised for the days judging.

Pictured above right and below left: Friends get together and catch up on the news as the showjumping seaon gets underway officially for 2005.

The 1.10m saw 15 combinations go double clear with a draw for prize money - if the rosette had an "x" on the back then the rider got prize money.

The first show of the season is a great time for everyone to catch up on what has happened over the winter - and it was great to see Darragh Kenjny back in the saddle after his "not so great" trip to America over the Winter. Darragh won a major bursary to ride in the USA but unfortunately on Day two in Florida he visited a golf course and had an "unfortunate incident" with a golf cart which saw him spend the entire trip in hospital with a ruptured spleen and him recuperating for quite some time!

Scottie Barclay is back from a 3 month break in Australia over the Irish winter and he enjoyed great success competing at the Australian National Championships where he took out the Australian National Young Rider Speed Championship title in his last ride as a Young Rider. Scottie's retunr to Ireland sees him based at Harmony Cottage Farm in Carbury, Co Kildare where he continues to ride Celtic Winners Australia horses as well as having a great team of new horses for the season.

James Derham, from Skerries, also previewed his new ride for this season - Maggie Jacob's Australian bred Irish mare MyCeltic Tiger Lil who was imported from Australia and we wish this combination luck through the season.

Pictured left: James Derham in the 1.10m on Maggie Jacob's mare, MyCeltic Tiger Lil who was bred in Australia by Celtic Winners Australia and is by the approved Irish Draught stallion Celtic Gold 838 out of a thoroughbred mare by the Irish stallion Lord Seymour so even though she was bred in Australia she is very much Irish!

Pictured below: Scottie Barclay on the impressive continental horse Peter Pan who stands at 18hh and has scope "to burn" - this lovely gelding is owned by Mark Devey of Kingsdale Stables in Co. Kildare.

To be in the placings in the 1.20m a double clear was definitely required and all 6 did exactly that to take their place in the lineup. Enda Ivanhoff rode a cracking round on the superbly marked coloured horse who has a reputation for being unbeatable in a jump off - and today this was again the case!

Pictured below left: Enda and Clover Colour "in action" and below right we see Enda receiving his rosette and proze money from judge Eilish Mullholland.

After the 1.20m, which saw some of the Grand Prix listed horses "taking a start" it was time for the action of the feature class of the show - the Guidam Grand Prix Spring Tour's first class of the series.

Johnny O'Connell who manages the competition section of Kilronan Equestrian Centre had the place looking a "picture"