THOUGH the 2010 Meydan Superleague has now finished, Ireland's top show jumpers are keeping their finger on the team trigger with an excursion to Gijon in Spain this weekend, where there's a five-star Nations' Cup and a 125,000 euro Grand Prix to help keep riders and horses at battle readiness.

Cian O'Connor, already selected for the Irish World Equestrian Games squad, lines out at Gijon alongside Dermott Lennon, Shane Breen and Capt. David O'Brien.

In the US, meanwhile, three of Ireland's top show jumping expats compete at the Hampton Classic World Cup qualifying show in New York state. Sligo's Darragh Kerins, Offaly's Darragh Kenny and Cork's Shane Sweetnam are all contenders at the four-star event with their American-owned horses.

In Para Equestrian Driving, Ireland's James McCrae competes in the world championships at Breda in the Netherlands, while the landmark Eventing show is at Burghley in Britain, where Capt. Geoff Curran, Louise Lyons, Liz Power and Sarah Wardell fly the flag for Ireland. Power has been selected as one of Ireland's WEG squad, while Curran has been named as a reserve rider.