A TOTAL of 36 Irish riders will campaign in competitions throughout the world this weekend with 139 horses, 40 of them Irish-bred.

Team Ireland Equestrian will be represented in Show Jumping, Eventing and Dressage in three locations in Florida, two in Portugal and one each in California, Germany, Spain and France.

Highlight of the weekend should be the US Nations' Cup in Wellington, Florida, where Shane Sweetnam, Richie Moloney, Darragh Kenny and Kevin Babington line out late on Friday night against ten other international teams, the largest competition ever seen at the venue.

But in Bremen, Germany, four-star action in show jumping sees Ireland's sole competitor Denis Lynch line out with three horses, with Sunday's Grand Prix being the signature event of the show.

In Dressage, James Dwyer is also Ireland's sole competitor in the World Cup Qualifier at Loxahatchee in Florida, while Hilda Hick Donahue is the sole Irish entry for three-star Eventing, at Tallahassee, also in Florida.

Elsewhere, there are multiple Irish entries for show jumping at Vejer de la Frontera in Spain, Comporta in Portugal, Thermal in California, and Villeneuve-Loubet in France. Eventing also takes place at Barroca d'Alva in Portugal, with four Irish riders competing.