04/10/2026
Omagh High School Inter Schools showjumping: Thursday 1st October
On Thursday 1st October 20 pupils from ERGS represented the school at Omagh High School Charity showjumping Event in Ecclesville, Fintona. 10 of these pupils were Year 8. It is superb to see pupils getting involved so early in their journey in ERGS.
It was a perfect day from start to finish – sun shining on lots of happy faces. The event itself began at just before 9am and many of our pupils were there supporting younger siblings in the earlier classes.
The Show comprised of 8 classes, with the first two being for the much younger ( primary aged) pupils and known as ‘Starter Stakes’. A great way for those keen on jumping to get a feel for an arena without the fear of ‘big’ jumps. This progressed into Class 3 ( 60cm), for those of any age who were starting to feel more secure in their jumping and wishing to try the higher poles. This class began around 11am.
Here we had our first entry - Cora Parker from Year 8 on Rambo. Confident from the get-go, Cora made her way around the arena with no bother at all getting a lovely double clear. It was so lovely, that she won 2nd place! Congratulations 😊.
Next came the ‘fun event’ – Class 4, the Run and Ride. In this event you have a pair. The first person is on their own two feet and must jump 4 fences in the set course. They then ‘hand-off’ to the 2nd person in the pair who is on horseback. They jump the remaining 4 fences of the course. The time for the pair is recorded, naturally, the fastest pair are the winners. We have 5 pairings in this event: Emily Thompson on Barney& Emily Hall (Year 8 ), Charlotte Crawford on Newtown Melody & Tilly Wilson (Year 8 ), Bob Lee on Dancer ( brother of Molly in Year 11) & Chloe Cathcart (Year 11), Ella Nevin on Remi ( sister of Katie in Year 10) & Isabelle Wallace (Year 11) and finally Charlotte Crawford, again on Newtown Melody and Lexie Bradshaw (Year 8 ),. I am please to say that Ella & Isabelle were the fastest out of the 15 or 16 pairs and so won the cup and a great goodie bag each.
Back to more serious stuff!! Class 5 was the 70cm Speed round. In this, you are against the clock from Fence 1. We had two riders entered – Emily Gibson ( Year 10) and Emilia Crawford (Year 8 ). Emily was riding Bobby and the duo were going well until Bobby decided he wanted to refuse a fence. This meant circling round to jump it again adding to their time. Sadly, it happened a 2nd time at the 2nd part of the double fence meaning that they had to jump the two fences again. This just ate into her time and a fall added to that again. Not to be put off, Emily got back on the horse and completed the round. A very good effort by them both. Emilia Crawford and Rocky were the 2nd pair to go in. They were smooth from the outset and jumped a clear round very comfortably in a decent time. Well done to both girls.
Now it was time for the team competitions to begin. The show was running pretty much on time, perhaps 20 minutes behind. So, this event was on at approx. 2.50pm.
In the novice Teams, Class 6 ( 65-75cm), we had 2 teams entered. Team 1 comprising Emily Thompson ( Barney) , Maia Rolston-McAuliffe (Storm) and Ella-Jane Johnston(John) were all from Year 8. This event is split into 2 parts the first 7 jumps are untimed ( phase 1) with the remaining 6 against the clock ( phase 2). The trio had a super round.Between them, they only had 1pole down and quite fast times in the 2nd phase. This team was the 3rd team in out of 12, so they had a wait to see if they had placed in the top 6.
Team 2 comprising Elsa Lee – Year 8 ( Mouse) , Charlotte Crawford – Year 8 ( Newtown Melody) and Katie Nevin – Year 10 (Ace) were the 11th team into the arena. Another super round by this trio with some really fast times posted. The times were so fast, that we knew there had to be some Individual placings in there as well as a potential team placing. Fingers and toes were crossed as the last school went in to jump. A nervous wait, but… the announcement came that ERGS placed 1st Secondary Team for Team 1, 4thSecondary team for Team 2 and with the bonus of Elsa Lee placing 2nd fastest individual and Ella-Jane Johnston placing 4thfastest individual. This was fantastic news. Congratulations to the two teams. Another cup to add to the first one and a plaque for Elsa!
In the Open Teams, Class 7 (85-95cm), Team 1 comprising Tori Veitch – Year 11 (Luca), Elsa Lee -Year 8 (Flash) and Maeve Rolston-McAuliffe – Year 12 (Alvin) were the 6th team ( out of 10) to arrive into the arena. Testing out a new horse, Tori had a good round but incurred 8 faults ( 2 fences down) in the 1st phase. Elsa also had a good round posting a double clear with Maeve flying in from late rowing training at school, to post a round with 4 faults in the first phase. Not a bad effort for a new horse and a late arrival. It would remain to be seen if their combined times were good enough for placing.
Team 2 comprising Sophie Johnston – Year 10 (Lily), Molly Lee- Year 11 ( Manny) and Katie Nevin – Year 10 (Jack) had a super round. All three were gunning for fast times, and this they achieved. Sadly, Molly knocked the final pole down in Phase 2. So, 4 faults. Next in was Sophie with a super double clear in a fast time and finally Katie with another fast double clear round. The combined time was really fast. But… was it enough for placing?
For this class, we also had one individual entered. Sophie McCann – Year 12 ( Molly). An excellent double clear for this duo, posting a really fast time also.
Results were announced, Team 1 – 6th place, Team 2 - 1st place, with Katie claiming 3rd fastest and Sophie Johnston claiming 5th fastest individuals also. Sophie McCann was just outside with 7th place. So – yet another cup and goodie bags all round! Superb achievements by all 7 riders.
The final class was Class 8 – 1m. For this, we had two riders. Molly Lee on Manny and Imogen Heap on Chico. Both girls in Year 11. Well – what can I say. The pair flew round. Both posting super times of just over 22 seconds and beautifully clear rounds. After watching all the individuals jump, some more successfully than others, the results were in. Molly was 4th and Imogen was 5th. Great places in a most competitive field. Goodie bags all round.
Parents were the happiest due to all the ‘Shaving’ won by their children!!!!
Thank-you to all of the riders and their horses/ponies for their excellent achievements on the day. Also, their impeccable behaviour as they all represented the school wonderfully.
Thank-you too to all the supporters – parents, grandparents and instructors. Without their support, the pupils couldn’t achieve all that they do.
Next event will be the Meadows. Look forwards to seeing some of you there.
