At 14, Ribbo is a little young to be acting like a cranky old man.

He’s suspicious. Distrustful. Ribbo’s the guy who’d call the cops if the other horses are making noise after 10 p.m. Walk too close to his pasture and he’ll fix you with a glare that says, in so many words, “Get off my lawn.”

Even his devoted owner, the eternally upbeat Pippa Moon, has a hard time getting the 17-hand Irish sport horse gelding to put on a happy face.

“When I want to pet him, I put him in my four-horse trailer,” the 27-year-old event rider said. “I love it, because the ceiling’s really low and he can’t get away from me.”

Fortunately for Moon, Ribbo the Crotchety transforms into Ribbo the Cooperative in the show ring, as he did last weekend at the Five Points Horse Trials at the Carolina Horse Park.

Eleventh after dressage, Ribbo moved up to second after jumping clean cross-country, and, despite dropping a rail in stadium, hung on to win the Open Intermediate division with a score of 49.20. It was only Ribbo’s second competitive outing since a 10-month layoff forced by soft tissue injuries to both front legs, and his first victory since winning Open Intermediate at The Fork Horse Trials in 2008.

A native of Portland, Maine, who has lived in Southern Pines since graduating from N.C. State in 2005, Moon was hoping to compete Ribbo at the Rolex Three-Day event this spring. He began exhibiting intermittent lameness after a 23rd place finish in the CCI * * * at the Fair Hill International last October, which forced Moon to take him out of training ... and out of contention for Rolex.

“He was such a good boy,” an elated Moon said after her Five Points win. “This was probably my best run at the horse park, and probably my best run with him ever. I couldn’t think of a single spot where we missed … nothing was remotely awkward.”

Moon found Ribbo in Kilkenny, Ireland, in 2003. His breeder, Carol Gee, has produced numerous upper level event horses, including 2008 Rolex winner Connaught and the consistent four-star mare The Good Witch.

Moon initially took Ribbo on with the intention of selling him once she finished college. “I basically wanted a one-star horse I could resell at the end of school,” she said,

While attending N.C. State, Moon boarded Ribbo in Southern Pines and drove down for lessons. At the end of 2004, Ribbo was diagnosed with a broken coffin bone. He was off for 15 months.

“He lost his entire 9-year-old season,” Moon said.

After graduating with a degree in business management, Moon moved to Southern Pines and quickly established a freelance riding and training business, one that allowed her to travel and compete Ribbo. The gelding had come back from his injury seemingly better than ever, much to the delight of Moon, who by then had decided he was a keeper.

Moon plans to compete Ribbo in Open Intermediate at the Plantation Field International Horse Trials next weekend, and at the CCI * * * at Fair Hill next month. If all goes according to plan, Ribbo could make his four-star debut at Rolex 2011.

“That’s the ideal scenario,” Moon said. “We’ll just keep our fingers crossed that he stays healthy and sound, and see what he wants to do.”

In all, Moore County-based riders took home blue ribbons in three divisions at Five Points.

Andrew McConnon, of Aberdeen, won the Preliminary Championship with his 11-year-old thoroughbred gelding, Quiet Council.

Southern Pines’ Lizzie Snow, who captured a bronze medal with her longtime partner Pop Star at the North American Young Riders’ Championship (CCI*) in July, prevailed in a contentious Open Training division with her new mount, the 7-year-old thoroughbred gelding Franklin Square. Snow, 18, acquired “Frankie” from advanced rider Stephanie Boyer in December, and plans to ride him in the Junior/Young Rider Open Preliminary division at Plantation Field.

Snow and Pop Star will also make their CIC * * debut at Plantation Field.

Other local riders with top placings included Charlie Plumb and Revere Road (third in Open Intermediate), Lauren O’Brien and Little Swift (third in Open Preliminary), Mark Weissbecker and Quinten (third in Open Training), Courtnay Gray and A.B. Picasso (second in Open Novice), McConnon and Miss Marple (third in Open Novice), Sarah Brown and Townsend Hill (second in Novice Rider), Adele Baker and Anegada (second in Open Beginner Novice), Rachel Jurgens and Payback (third in Open Beginner Novice), and Jennie Ozley and Ids V.D. Terpen (second in Beginner Novice Rider).

Complete results can be found at www.carolinahorsepark.com.