A NEW marquee and arts, crafts and photography competitions will be added attractions at this year’s Leap Horse and Pony Show taking place on Bank Holiday Monday, June 3rd.
The Show will include a full schedule of in-hand and ridden classes for horses and ponies held across three rings. This year both horse and pony classes begin at 11am.
For the first time, the show will introduce an Arts, Craft and Photo competition . This will be held in the new marquee on the grounds.
In addition, class 11 ‘Family Riding Horse’ has been added to the schedule, which also includes a dog show.
The big class of the day in Ring 1 will be the €1,000 Champion Yearling Class for non-thoroughbred horses.
This has became one of the most respected young horse classes in the country, with the winner earmarked for the yearling class at the Royal Dublin Show in August.
There will be yearling qualifiers for the Filly/Gelding Yearling Cork County Championship at Carbery Show, the Colt/Gelding All Ireland Championship at Barryroe and the three-year old Filly Championship at Dungarvan as well as €100 for the Yearling Filly if not placed first or second.
Competitors need to have their horse’s passports available for inspection. Leap show is a huge showcase for yearlings as it is held so early in the year.
Ring 1 will have a qualifier for The Bantry Show Irish Draught Foal Munster Championship in August. There are also classes for brood mares, colt and filly foals, two and three-year-old fillies and geldings and for coloured horses both led and ridden.
Ridden hunter classes include the heavyweight/middleweight, lightweight and small hunter categories. New this year is the Family Riding Horse Class
The last competition of the day is the Supreme Champion Horse of the Show with the winner receiving the Michael Mennis Memorial Trophy.
Ring 2 sees a full range of IPS-affiliated classes for show pony, lead rein, first ridden and show hunters. Following the Champion Ridden Pony is the family pony class for non-IPS ponies.
A change has been made to the format of the ridden classes which gives more ponies the opportunity to compete in the prestigious supreme championship at the end of the day.
Ring 3 will be the in-hand pony classes for show pony and show hunter pony young stock as well as show pony broodmares and foals. Connemara and Welsh ponies are also catered for. The miniature pony class is split to accommodate young stock and older ponies with its own championship. The champion will represent the category in the supreme championship for best pony of show.
Following the supreme championship, there is a led donkey class, open driving, and road car classes. The dog show, which always proves exciting, commences at 3pm. Four qualifiers go forward to compete in the Munster Dog Championship at Kilgarvan Show.
